My new Giant TCX 'Carbon' weighs a ton [PICS]! Diet advice sought.

So I’ve taken delivery of a new 2016 Giant TCX Advanced 2. It’s lovely and I think we’re going to be very happy together. The trouble is weighs 9.7kg / 22lbs which, kinda defeats the idea behind buying a carbon CX bike! (Particularly given how much I’ll be shouldering it! 😉 )

First to go will be the stock wheels. I’ll be replacing them with some Panceti SL25s on a light-ish set of hubs. Combined with lighter tyres, this should shave the best part of 750-1000grams.

I’m also looking at a lighter weight chainset as the FSA one that comes with it weighs around 800grams. Apparently the TCX comes with a BB86 press fit bottom bracket. Seemingly this will take a standard Shimano hollotech crankset, but I was thinking about putting a second hand FSA SLK Carbon crankset it, which should shave an additional 250grams. Trouble is, they seem to only fit a PF30 or BB30 bottom bracket. I’ve searched online, but I’m completely confused about BB standards. Anyone able to shed any light on this murky topic, or recommend a lightweight chainset I could pickup secondhand?

rider weight?

First of all, very nice bike. Always liked the TCX and that is a beauty.

Perhaps stating the obvious here, but surely the discs weigh a fair bit compared to say frog legs? Again, happy to be corrected, but are disc wheels heavier than rim brake wheels? Obviously you’ve already stated wheels and tyres will be changed, and I suspect that will help a fair bit.

Secondly, maybe 1×11?

Should add that i’ve always found Giant stock wheels to be very heavy!

wheels and tyres for sure, chainset would be a fairly easy 150g off, finishing kit next?

surely theres 100g of excess cable on that front end?

Nice bike that, looks like it s a proper sized bike too!

Wheels and tyres are always a good place to start to good choice there.
Beyond that, I find stock finishing kit tends to be heavy so post, bars and stem are worth looking at next.
Cassette is worth a look too, the low end ones are very heavy compared to the higher models with the alloy carrier.
Crank wise, I have a feeling you either need to stay with FSA or replace both cranks and BB if you move away from it. I may be wrong in that though.

BB30 cranks wont fit at all, HT2 design (or GXP) will fit. Essentially they have built bearing cups into the frame, so you’re stuck with that design. Bearings push in, just get the ones that fit the crank you buy.

Check the cassette too, possibly an easy weight loss. Saddle looks heavy too.

Pawsy_Bear – Member
rider weight?

76kg/12st

Wheels and tyres are the obvious and will give an all-round more sprightly feel.

I wouldn’t swap the chainset. However, the saddle is probably hefty (the one that came with my TCR weighed a ton!), so there may be a comfier slimline alternative. Also, a new stem may be needed to get the best setup, so potentially a few grams there too.

(Oh, and 9.7 kg is 21 lb!)

As what other have said and also more of a radical change but check the fork steerer. If its aluminium the fork is probably around the 800g mark but swap it to full carbon and you can easily knock 300g off. I have always found stock saddles, posts, stems and bars are either surprisingly heavy or surprisingly light. Never as you would expect “not to bad”

will – Member
First of all, very nice bike. Always liked the TCX and that is a beauty.

Perhaps stating the obvious here, but surely the discs weigh a fair bit compared to say frog legs? Again, happy to be corrected, but are disc wheels heavier than rim brake wheels? Obviously you’ve already stated wheels and tyres will be changed, and I suspect that will help a fair bit.

Secondly, maybe 1×11?

Should add that i’ve always found Giant stock wheels to be very heavy!

Thanks Will – photos don’t do it justice.

Discs are definitely heavier, but having used them I won’t go back to cantis. Will go to hydros through time, but fairly impressed with the Spyre brakes.

Thought about 1×11, but will I not have to go Sram for that?

Think the stock wheels come in about 2400grams.

sssimon – Member
wheels and tyres for sure, chainset would be a fairly easy 150g off, finishing kit next?

surely theres 100g of excess cable on that front end?

That cable will go soon. It’s bugging my happiness! 😥

I have the Adv1 and it’s a cracker (in baby blue), welcome. 8)

I’ve changed my wheels to some Reynolds Assault carbons jobbies (nice, only had them two weeks, will report back soon) Changed bar to a light alloy Zipp one (stems the OD thingy so left that alone) Seat I’ve got ProLogo Nago Pro (but you’ve got to be comfortable so choose what you want) I’ve got the Rotor Cranks, ace, light and very sexy, you could do worse than these I guess.
Thats it, mines light at 18.5lbs in old money, more than acceptable and a huge amount of fun.

If you are doing this seriously then Wheels (you’ve got that sorted I see) Tyres you could go Tubs if just racing.. Open Clinchers (Grifo/Limus/Almanzo are my combinations) if buggering around. Cranks go 1×10 or 11, Bar (carbon) or super light alloy) and stem if you can get Giant to sell you a carbon OD version. BB is press fit but if you go SRAM or Rotor they come with the BB inserts to fit. Ya can’t change the post as it’s a D shape and Giant’s is super light and stiff/flexy in all the right way. Not a lot to save on discs I’m afraid nor shifters.

Cracking bike, one that I adore riding hard.

lunge – Member
Nice bike that, looks like it s a proper sized bike too!

Wheels and tyres are always a good place to start to good choice there.
Beyond that, I find stock finishing kit tends to be heavy so post, bars and stem are worth looking at next.
Cassette is worth a look too, the low end ones are very heavy compared to the higher models with the alloy carrier.
Crank wise, I have a feeling you either need to stay with FSA or replace both cranks and BB if you move away from it. I may be wrong in that though.

Thanks Lunge. Will get some weights on the finishing kit. Will need to stick with the seatpost as it’s one of those carbon d-fuse jobbies – like it and it works well in keeping things comfy! Wouldn’t swap the bar and stem if the savings are only going to be minimal. Will test and see.

It’s an 11sp 105 cassette. I’m only going to save 28g to move to an Ultegra.

STATO – Member
BB30 cranks wont fit at all, HT2 design (or GXP) will fit. Essentially they have built bearing cups into the frame, so you’re stuck with that design. Bearings push in, just get the ones that fit the crank you buy.

Check the cassette too, possibly an easy weight loss. Saddle looks heavy too.

Thanks STATO

Ohh, it’s the same frame the good lads race so not a lot can me saved on that 😆
My forks are carbon/carbon steerer, check yours as they could be the alloy steerer, you maybe stuck with a bit of weight if they are.

I’ve gone through all this weight saving milarcky and only really saved a huge amount on the wheels, the rest is a combination of small gram savings at best.

Tallpaul – Member
Wheels and tyres are the obvious and will give an all-round more sprightly feel.

I wouldn’t swap the chainset. However, the saddle is probably hefty (the one that came with my TCR weighed a ton!), so there may be a comfier slimline alternative. Also, a new stem may be needed to get the best setup, so potentially a few grams there too.

(Oh, and 9.7 kg is 21 lb!)

Will definitely look at the saddle – it’ll be on the scales tonight.

I got the alu TCX 2 a couple of months back, not sure on the weight but the wheels are bloody heavy, I would imagine they are the same wheels?.

Great bikes though, love it!

Think the stock wheels come in about 2400grams.

Yep, that’s where to start, you can save close to 1kg there if you so desire, add in some lighter tyres and tubes are you’re sorted.

Incremental gains…lose the bottle cage. That’s what pit crew are for.

Ahh, now I’ve had a chance to look at the photos I see your problem, it’s all too clear to me and I’m amazed no one else has pointed it out.

It’s your stem spacers, there’s about a kilo right there.

bikebouy – Member
I have the Adv1 and it’s a cracker (in baby blue), welcome.

I’ve changed my wheels to some Reynolds Assault carbons jobbies (nice, only had them two weeks, will report back soon) Changed bar to a light alloy Zipp one (stems the OD thingy so left that alone) Seat I’ve got ProLogo Nago Pro (but you’ve got to be comfortable so choose what you want) I’ve got the Rotor Cranks, ace, light and very sexy, you could do worse than these I guess.
Thats it, mines light at 18.5lbs in old money, more than acceptable and a huge amount of fun.

If you are doing this seriously then Wheels (you’ve got that sorted I see) Tyres you could go Tubs if just racing.. Open Clinchers (Grifo/Limus/Almanzo are my combinations) if buggering around. Cranks go 1×10 or 11, Bar (carbon) or super light alloy) and stem if you can get Giant to sell you a carbon OD version. BB is press fit but if you go SRAM or Rotor they come with the BB inserts to fit. Ya can’t change the post as it’s a D shape and Giant’s is super light and stiff/flexy in all the right way. Not a lot to save on discs I’m afraid nor shifters.

Cracking bike, one that I adore riding hard.

bikebouy – Member
Ohh, it’s the same frame the good lads race so not a lot can me saved on that
My forks are carbon/carbon steerer, check yours as they could be the alloy steerer, you maybe stuck with a bit of weight if they are.

I’ve gone through all this weight saving milarcky and only really saved a huge amount on the wheels, the rest is a combination of small gram savings at best.

Thanks Adrian. The Blue paint job is my fav, but couldn’t stump for the cash. Mine’s is the 2016 version (which I think hasn’t changed from 2015). My LBS did me a great deal on it, so I can’t complain!

Sounds like I might be best served pushing the boat out on the wheels.

Like I said, I’m completely confused on the BB standards.
Is it only a BB86 BB that will fit in this frame?
Do the inserts for other cranks fit into the BB86?

If you are that worried about the weight I guess you are racing it, and doing so relatively seriously. If so, where’s the other one? They always come in pairs.

mtbfix – Member
Incremental gains…lose the bottle cage. That’s what pit crew are for.

bikebouy – Member
Ahh, now I’ve had a chance to look at the photos I see your problem, it’s all too clear to me and I’m amazed no one else has pointed it out.

It’s your stem spacers, there’s about a kilo right there.

*Goodfellas-esque voice* We got a couple of comedians over here! 😆

Don’t actually know about the BB size TBH, what I do know is that I’ve just bought a compact Rotor crankset for my R5 and that came with two sets of spacers, SRAM and Rotor. Have you looked at the spec page on the Giant site? Or given your LBS a call?
I like the silver of yours, if mine came in that I’d still be happy.. Looks great

Wheel sets i looked at before I bought the assaults were Mavs new Kysiums sl-c Carbon but these aren’t available until Jan/Feb, I looked at getting some built by the wheelsmith boys but they are using some unbranded carbon rims and I chose not to go down that route, certainly because I ride hard and want a warranty should they go pop on me.

As is, I can honestly say that I have never had a bike ride so well in a CXer vein and it continues to make me smile and dig in harder, I like that.

I’ve just had a chat with Giant St Pauls (where I bought mine from) on my bike with Rotor Cranks the BB is…
BB92! And the barings PF41 (like whatever that means)

But 92?! Eh..

Carbon wheels will give you biggest bang for buck. Lighter wheels spin up very quickly and losing rotational weight gives more speed than say a few grams off brakes etc. However riders are always the heavyist object and can often lose even more weight than throwing thousands of £ at the bike. TBH I think it’s always a mistake to buy a bike and upgrade. Any future up grades will now come at a premium. Spec the bike when you buy and save upgrade costs is my philosophy it’s cheaper. Buy cheap pay twice

BB92 is Giant BB (41mm shell). PF41 bearing is for BB92 and is for a 30mm axle (here). You could get different bearings if you wanted to fit a 24mm axle (e.g. Shimano crankset).

Re weight. I’d not assume anything. Strip it down, weigh everything. See what’s really heavy and how much something light would cost. Spend your money where grams per £ is highest. It’ll probably be those steerer spacers 😉

22lb that’s about 8lb lighter than the one I have lugged around the 3 peaks the last 3 times .Sounds like luxury to me !

Wouldn’t it have been better to have bought a frame and build it up the way you want it instead of buying a load of stuff just to discard and replace?

Wouldn’t it have been better to have bought a frame and build it up the way you want it instead of buying a load of stuff just to discard and replace?

Often works out cheaper when buying a big name brand to buy the cheapest bike with the frame you want and sell the bits you don’t want. And most often you can’t actually buy frame only anyway.

Looking at that bike, it’s a lovely frame and the rest is Giant parts bin stuff. It’s pretty much a frame only buy! Keep the wheels for training/spare, sell the rest and adorn the frame with the parts it deserves.

Agre with Mr Blobby

bikebouy – really appreciate the effort on the BB enquiry. Seems like I’m going to have to select a few options and then try and work out whether I can make them fit, either straight or using adapters before pulling the trigger on an actual purchase. I’m going to look at wheels again before settling, but thinking that Panceti SL25s built to c.1500g for roughly £400 is going to be hard to beat. Don’t want to go tub route, needs to be clinchers.

Pawsy_Bear – you’re right about riders being the biggest factor. I’m 6ft 2in and have dropped from 15st to 12st in the last year and would like to get to 11st 4-6lbs. (dbukdbuk) I got the whole bike new from my lbs for almost the same price as you’d buy the frame, so I’m happy I’m not going to be out of pocket in the long run.

mrblobby – you may as well be speaking russian with that BB explanation 😉 but I really appreciate the effort. Sounds like you’re the rainman to speak to when it comes to this topic! Spacers are made from dark matter, so I’d wager you’re right there.

Edric 64 – my lack of skillz means I’ll be carrying a lot. That and the fact I ride a 14lbs roadie makes the TCX feel like a Sherman tank. 30lbs?! You have my undying respect.

Thanks for all the kind words and input guys. You’ve left me feeling all warm and fuzzy!

I’m 6ft 2in and have dropped from 15st to 12st

christ i think my skeleton weighs more than that [puts down kitkat]

It looks bloody nice even at that weight !

If you really want to weenie it, strip and weigh everything. Rim tape, cables, bar tape, the lot.
Then look at replacements. Biggest weight saving will be wheels, tyres, pedals, bar, stem, saddle, cranks then brakes. Incremental gains can be made with bar tape, Nokon cables, veloplugs, cassette, chain and so on.

Also, BB92 will take almost every crankset with appropriate spacers and bearings. Have a look at Rotors website – reasonably easy description given there.

Before you start replacing bits with weight-weenie parts, make sure you’re not compromising reliability for grammes! No point in carbon-rims with FMB tubs if you tear the sidewall and crack the rim on the first ride. Saddle, seatpost and wheels are probably good candidates to start with – lighter wheels will make a noticeable difference to how it feels whilst cranks make little naff-all IME.

@AB, no worries, all great stuff this.

Let us know how you get on and when you sling a leg over it.. how it rides and how much fun you have on it..

You need some Grifo’s (tan walls) on it Obvs. 😆

8)

I have a 2014 TCX SLR 2.
The most noticlble change was the wheels.
Currently running a set of Mason 4 seasons.
Ultegra cassette and Hope superlight race rotors with ti bolts.
Every little helps!
Light tyres has helped.
Just recently changed to a 105 crankset and put my Fizik saddle on it.
Also running it 1 x 10 and most of my mates think it’s respectively light.
The original saddle was weighing 350 grams or so!
Plenty of weight saved there but comfort was my main priority!
BB is a pressfit 86.
When I took my FSA crankset out the bb axle was a different diameter so had to change the bb to a Shimano one.
Quite happy with it now!
Rides really well and haven’t needed to change any of the 105 bits.
Thanks,
Max

Did a bit of surfing after reading this thread as my Super X comes with a similar Pov FSA Gossamer crank. Turns out its a similar weight (weighed by owners not manufacturer claimed) to the Sram Rival it effectively replaced on spec sheet, and Sram Force or CX1 wouldn’t save even 100g.

Just emphasises the point about actually weighing stuff first.

And yes, your OE wheels are heavier than the moon 😯