Does anyone know when this frame will be available to the general public?
I currently ride a TCR Composite and absolutely love the frame - my favorite of all time hands down. I’ll be in the market for a new Aero frame later this season and am considering the P2K, P3, Griffen Vulcan, and would absolutely love to add another Giant to my stable. I know the T Mobile Men’s & Women’s teams are using these right now and I hope that I can find someone who can “hook” me up with one or can let me know when they’ll be available.
Here are some pics of the Women’s frames (I dig the flames - even if they are pink)
I too have a '04 carbon tcr and think it is the best. Have also TT’d on the TCR Aero. Also waiting for the Carbon TT…my LBS…a big Giant dealer said probably next winter/spring…'05…but you know how the bike industry is…dont hold your breath.
How do you like the TCR Aero? I might build up one of those to tide me over until the Carbon TT arrives. I don’t mind waiting until Winter '04/Spring '05 because it’ll give me time to rebuild the “bike fund” after racing HIMUK in August.
Let me know if your LBS gives you anymore “insider info” because the shops around here haven’t been too helpful.
I’m a hot-blooded hetero male, but I’m also a cyclist/tri geek. I find the bike much sexier than the biker chick.
I might have to stick around in Taiwan a bit longer to ensure I get my hands on one of the first TT frames available. My aluminium TCR is still my favorite bike ever.
It is important to note that the geometries incorporatated into 2 or 3 size molds used to make the Composite TT frames, use less than optimal geometries for the majority of consumers - most of us are not 5’4"-5’7" and weigh under 140 lbs. - which Giant may not want to introduce to the buying public (things like very short seat tubes with slightly longer top tubes). Also, although many of us here would not mind laying out the cash for one, the majority of Giant’s bike sales come from the aluminum OCR/TCR bikesets and although competively priced with TREK and other composite framesets, I think that Giant continues to be an underdog though sales of its composite framesets/bikes are growing.
Problem is there are still too many people who do not know who Giant is - TREK has Lance as its spokesman and despite the fact that ONCE and now T-Mobile and Healthnet ride Giant - I think the Broadmark Capital race team was the first major men’s domestic team to race on Giant back in '97 - Giant continues to suffer from a slight identity crisis. Especially if you consider how many people - bike shop employess and consumers alike - are totally convinced that TREK “invented” carbon fiber bikes and the OCLV process - where were they when we were trying to race on “Look” branded carbon tubed frames made by TVT (aka Giant) in the mid 80’s? Not many people are aware of the fact that OCLV (Optimum Compaction Low Void) is actually an adaptation of the manufacturing techniques used by the aerospace industry and Giant is a conglomerate that actually makes a good chunk of money from it’s Aerospace subsidiary which has been making composite airframe/wing assemblies for Airbus/Boeing since the 80’s!
Now having said that, not that I really have much of an inside track on the pulse at Giant USA, but this is what I know… Giant is putting the word out to the reps to expect the TCR Advanced frameset (aka TCR Composite Superlight in Europe - lighter/stiffer version of TCR Composite) to hit the streets in US by the end of May to early June time frame in anticipation of the Tour De France. The TCR TT is really still a work in progress and Giant is reluctant after learning their lesson about sending things to market too soon after having to recall/replace almost every one of the TCR forks with carbon steerers during the 2000-2001 season! Even before that the company was very conservative with the release of new technology - I got to ride/race on a TCR Composite prototype 2-full years before it went into mass production.
Fortunately this years TDF will mark the 2-year anniversary of the first campaign of the Composite TT frame and drawing on past history, it was just over 2-years before a much tamer version of the previous TT frame now known as the TCR Aero was produced for mass consumption. Bear in mind that Giant did not truly produce a TT frame unto the revamp of the TCR Aero for 2004. The first two iterations were simply road bike framesets built with aero tubesets but still retained the same angles as the other TCR/OCR framesets. Giant likes to put money into things that will make them a lot of money but lets face it, the TCR Composite road frameset is a no brainer but the TT/Tri market at the price point is growing but is still considered to be a niche market in Giant’s eyes. It may be hard for them to make the dollars and cents balance when in consideration of the initial expense that the company will incur to mass produce a TCR Composite TT frame! Fear not Giant fan’s, rumor has it that we may well see a production capable version introduced at this years Interbike and if the outcome is favorable then we may indeed see production versions available for sale shortly thereafter. That would probably translate into framesets available to stores by December - January!
"Also, although many of us here would not mind laying out the cash for one, the majority of Giant’s bike sales come from the aluminum OCR/TCR bikesets and although competively priced with TREK and other composite framesets, I think that Giant continues to be an underdog though sales of its composite framesets/bikes are growing. "
I assume you mean an underdog in terms of composite road bike sales in the US. The last time I checked Giant was the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world so it’s kind of hard to call them an underdog.
I assume you mean an underdog in terms of composite road bike sales in the US. The last time I checked Giant was the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world so it’s kind of hard to call them an underdog.
Yes - I think Giant lags a little when it comes to the sale of composite bikes/framesets but pretty much leads the market otherwise!
Doesn’t Giant also make frames for Specialized and other companies? This new super light composite TCR frame soon coming out should put them at the fore front in this technology, shouldn’t it?
At one point in time about 5-7 years ago, Giant made frames/frame sub assemblies for nearly every one of the largest selling labels sold in the US (including Trek). These days I believe that Specialized still outsources most of the low to medium range aluminum stuff but I am now sure how much outsourcing the other companies still do.
As for the TCR Advanced/TCR Composite Superlight - it should put it into the category of lightest production composite frameset but more importantly, if the production version follow the same lines as the prototype I saw/rode last year, the engineers at Giant worked hard to improve the desing of the downtube/bottom bracket to improve lateral stiffness while making it lighterweight and not impacting ride quality!
