Giant TCR Advanced 1 2014 - 7.0kg modern road bike

Fatal Swan

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I usually keep a bike up at my inlaws' for the times holiday times when we're there for a week or so at Christmas, summer etc. I used to use my old '94 Dyna Tech but the frame broke a while back and now I'm getting around to replacing it I've decided it needs to be a road bike since what I like doing up there (North Pennines area) is the big/steep climbs like Chapel Fell, Killhope Cross, Crawleyside that I can't find down in Hampshire!

So I'd been looking for the right frame to build up in my size and have been gradually adding parts to this one. It didn't need to be that special for only a handful of rides a year but I want it light for the hills as the rides tend to be good ones. After getting hold of this 2014 model Giant TCR Advanced 1 as a built-up bike and selling some of the parts on it I found some sub-1500g Bontrager RXL wheels going cheap and made an offer on a SRAM Force 22 full groupset which turned out to be in brilliant condition. Anyway, now it's all assembled it's looking nice (still need to lose those gold skewers) and I'm looking forward to taking it out over the Christmas holidays! Weight is now pretty much bang on 7.0kg as pictured, which I'm really happy with.

IMG_20211214_095807.jpg

Full spec:

Frame 2014 Giant TCR Advanced 1, M/L
Forks Giant TCR 1 & 1/4"
Wheels Bontrager Race X Lite TLR
Skewers Titanium QR
Tyres Continental GP 4000 II 25mm
Chainset Shimano Dura Ace FC-9000 50-33t 175mm (replaced the 34 with a 33t TA chainring)
Chain KMC X11 11-speed
Cassette Ultegra CS-6800 11-speed 11-32t
Brakes SRAM Force 22
Levers SRAM Force 22
F/Mech SRAM Force 22 Yaw with chain dropper
R/Mech SRAM Force 22 Wi-Fli
Seatpost Giant Vector TCR-specific carbon composite
Pedals Exustar EPS-R
Stem Ritchey WCS 4-Axis 100mm, 1 & 1/4"
Bar Cannondale Escape Hanger carbon bar, Prime comfort tape (double wrapped on the drops)
 
Last edited:
Minor update with a new photo - I got hold of a Dura Ace chainset which saves 60g or so from the Ultegra that was on it. Down to about 7.0kg now. Just waiting on some gunmetal skewers to replace the gold ones and I'm there I think.
 
Nice! 7kg in 2014 was very respectable, in 2021 it is featherlight. Modern road bikes are soooo heavy!
Tell me about it! I bought a carbon Rose road bike late in the summer with hydraulic discs and Ultegra Di2, with a plan to use it over the autumn/winter. It was a fair price under post-covid second hand pricing, and I like the look of Rose bikes, and haven't yet dabbled with road hydro discs or Di2. (The price for a current equivalent model from Rose is 5000 euros!!) The bike's nice but at something like 8.3kg it feels so sluggish compared to any rim brake bike I've owned in the last 6 years or so.
 

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