Official Giant Trinity Advanced Owners Thread

Triathlon Forum
1

I just got my 2017 Trinity Advanced Pro1! It looks great, and I’m excited to ride it. Di2 will be a huge advantage during a race and even though I’ve heard of the front bottle ejecting, I think it will be faster having nutrition integrated on the bike. It’s going to be a big upgrade for me.

The build process however has been less than ideal. I see multiple areas that are going to be really annoying for the life of the bike. Maybe some of you have already found workarounds and this can hopefully be the thread to share them. Here are the issues I’m aware of:

  1. brakes: the rear brake specifically (as has been documented) does not adjust well. I did manage to get it centred using the primary centre bolt, and used the spring adjustment bolts to fine tune. However this was all done without the big plastic fairing. Once the fairing is installed, it appears to put pressure on the black adjustment/lever thing which causes major brake rub.

  2. more brakes: the black adjustment/lever thing at the calipers does not go easily in and out of it’s slot. This is going to be a major problem during a race if I have a flat. This seems to be a design problem. Does that slot work well for anyone?

  3. Cable routing front end: why why why didn’t Giant use the 5 port junction? Also, I’m positive there is going to be major brake housing and Di2 wire rub/wear due to the routing through the head tube. TBH I am dreading taking that front end apart in order to find some way to cover those cables/wires.

  4. Has anyone travelled with this bike? Packing it up in a bike bag seems like it will be impossible. Which bike bag do you use? I have a Shimano Pro bike bag that worked great with all my previous bags but playing around with the front end of the Trinity seems like it should be avoided AT ALL COSTS!

  5. Where have you hidden your flat kit?

  6. Does anyone go from using race wheels outside to using trainer wheels quite regularly? I think it’s going to be a nightmare switching from Carbon pads to regular pads and different rim widths.

To finish, this bike is awesome. Every bike has it’s weird quirks. It’s clear this bike is built purely for speed and aerodynamics, potentially at the loss of ease of use. I’m ok with that, but I’d love to hear how you all make it work!

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There are a few older threads that have covered similar topics. The bike was released about 18 months ago, so a quick search not too far back will get you lots of info.

To quickly address a couple points:
The front bottle - they just released a redesigned bottle and bento box. If your bottle simply slides in, it is the old style. It will fall out. The new bottle slides in, then there is a small (ping pong ball sized) cube that anchors it from the top and a piece that goes underneath that wraps around the front tire. This will not come out. If you’ve got the old style, get the new one from wherever you got the bike. Problem solved! Also, the new bento has slits and more volume than the old (worthless) flappy top. Get both and be happy!

Brakes - yup, hard to work with, but once I got them set, I have not had to mess with them. I can get away with this because: I rarely ride it outdoors (150 miles in the last year, mostly ride on the trainer and then roadie when on the road), my training wheels are the same width as my race wheels (Flo 30’s vs. 60/disc), no need to swap pads (always Al brake tracks), brake track and tire widths are the same. The last one is big concerning your second point. I simply open the quick release skewer and the wheel slides out. This is a good thing aero wise, so consider a tire which does the same?

I don’t know why they couldn’t use a 5 port and longer wires. I’d guess it is to limit the number of Di2 wires going through that port in the headtube to the 3port. That port is a real design flaw. I’d strongly suggest putting heat shrink tubing on all wires going through that area or else they will rub and eventually break. I put some gorilla tape on the edges of the pass-through port to be double safe. (The builder did the heat shrink from the start.)

I have taken apart the front end several times and it is very easy. Three top bolts (maybe 5 mm) and 5 on the cover (3 mm?). It literally takes about 2 minutes to open up and less than 5 to put back on. There is a hidden silver/gold bolt the goes up into the “stem” to drop the base bar free. While certainly not as easy popping off 4 stem bolts and dropping the front end, it is indeed pretty dang fast.

Flat kit? Not yet. I’ve only done up to 40k, so I haven’t bothered. For a HIM this summer, I’ll use the single rear bottle and then tape a kit to the backside of that, under the seat. There is plenty of space. If you don’t need the bento storage, a tube and co2 just might fit in the new one, but it’d be tight.

It’s clear this bike is built purely for speed and aerodynamics
I hope so, but lack of a good 3rd party side by side test leaves that unanswered. It simply never took off strong enough to make it into the various tests which always include the P5, Shiv, Felt ia, etc. I’m sure it’s fine and not a huge aero liability, but who knows really? I sure like riding it and working around its quirks hasn’t been any issue for me so far.

Post up a pic!

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I have a 2010 Advanced Trinity SL-1. IMHO, there is still nothing out there faster. However, the only time I’ve used taken it to a destination race is if Tri-Bike Transport took it there. Last year, I converted my Trinity to a 1 x 10 so it’s even faster now; but it’s pretty much my flat course bike for coastal Florida. I don’t have Di2 on it, but I would say that there is NO advantage. I might shift the rear DR just a few times in a race…sort of like braking; I don’t do that much either. If I am going to a hilly race or need to fly my race bike with me I take my BMC TM01.

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Thanks for the responses. I’ve read the other threads, just thought it would be helpful if there was one thread for the Trinity that we could all use in order to troubleshoot. Most of the other bike models have a similar thread.

I’ve got the new bottle and new bento so looks good on that front!

Unfortunately, for those of us who use aluminum training wheels and then switch to a wider carbon wheel, the brake adjustment issue remains. However, this isn’t new to the Trinity, many other makes have the same crappy stock brakes. My Felt DA4 rear brake was borderline useless and the adjustment screws couldn’t overcome the poor design.

For Di2 I was thinking a 5 port junction in the nose would be far more simple. Then you could send a single wire to the A-Junction in the bento.

I agree you can take the covers and base bar off relatively quickly, but I think it’s not a good way to travel with the bike in a bike bag. You’d basically have to re-rout all your Di2 cables and maybe even brake cables in order to fit the bike in a regular bike bag. I think the best solution is a bike bag like the Scicon which allows the bars to remain on the bike. Of course, the bag is really expensive.

During 70.3 or longer, I’ll probably stick to CO2 and tube under the saddle or in the bento if possible. With all the though into their nutrition storage, I would’ve thought Giant would think of a better flat storage solution.

I’d love to see some wind tunnel data on the Trinity. The bike feeling or looking fast doesn’t mean much if it isn’t.

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For Di2 I was thinking a 5 port junction in the nose would be far more simple. Then you could send a single wire to the A-Junction in the bento.
Indeed. Unfortunately, the B-junctions are only 4 port max! I guess Shimano did not anticipate TT bikes would have more stash space in front of a more rearward mounting spot for the A junction? Of course, you could put another 4 port B-junction under the stem. There might be room enough for that.

I agree you can take the covers and base bar off relatively quickly, but I think it’s not a good way to travel with the bike in a bike bag. You’d basically have to re-rout all your Di2 cables and maybe even brake cables in order to fit the bike in a regular bike bag. I think the best solution is a bike bag like the Scicon which allows the bars to remain on the bike. Of course, the bag is really expensive.
Yeah, standard stems make that a lot easier.With this bike, I would pop off the bars, unplug the Di2 wires at the B-junction that go towards the A-junction, then rotate the bars down and zip tie to the fork. There should be enough play in the brake cables to allow that. (Of course, there will be plenty of squishy stuff between those parts.)

During 70.3 or longer, I’ll probably stick to CO2 and tube under the saddle or in the bento if possible. With all the though into their nutrition storage, I would’ve thought Giant would think of a better flat storage solution.
Yeah, that’d be nice…but consider that when this bike was released, the only player with such a setup was the Trek with its draft box. I’d imagine that such an addon would have patent issues. The Giant came before the DB andean, p5x, new Dimond. Plus, these other three boxes have no UCI legal configurations. The Canyon managed to make a small storage cubby and remain UCI compliant, so no excuse for Giant.

I’d love to see some wind tunnel data on the Trinity. The bike feeling or looking fast doesn’t mean much if it isn’t.
I went to the UW tunnel with mine. But, that was just a single bike test. I can tell you that the aero bottle in the triangle was a good thing (for me at least).

6

Hello,

I am considering the Trinity advance pro 2 for my next bike. I was considering felt IA16 but I believe this setup is better value considering that the performance for a beginner is very similar.

I am just wondering about the rear brake if it will leave enough clearance to fit my 4iii powermeter (crank arm placement, similar to stages). Any comment about the clearance?

Thanks

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How big is the pod? I could send a pic showing clearance tonight (Ultegra crank) if someone doesn’t beat me to it with a a definitive yes/no.

Comparing the Felt to the Giant, tough choice. Those were my final two as well (since Canyon was not an option back then, but may be shortly for you?). I went with the Giant due to the integrated front end hydration and hoped that it would come out as an aero winner. The front bottle is definitely nice (especially with the new pieces), but jury is still out on the second.
If I was in the market today, I’d likely wait for the Speedmax or save up for the Scott. Those two have simply had better broad appeal and acceptance into the market. Giant still beats those on value, for sure!

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I was previously on a Felt DA4 using Dura Ace cranks w/ a 4iiii Precision Power meter. With the Felt, the power meter needed to be placed carefully because the rear brake stuck out a bunch.

On my Trinity Adv. Pro 1 the rear brake is integrated in a much cleaner way (exact same brake as the Pro2). The brake fairings are flush with the chainstays. There is the adjustment bolt that sticks out a tiny bit, but all in all, I have tons of clearance for my 4iiii powermeter on the Giant. You could mount the power meter anywhere on the crank other than within an inch closest to the BB and have tons of room for it. I’ve been riding with my 4iiii power meter on the Pro1 for a month now.

9

I just bought the Advanced Pro 1, I had a Dura Ace Di2 group not in use so I swapped out the Ultegra for that, added a Quarq and put on some nicer wheels. I must say so far it is the nicest, most comfortable and best fitting bike I’ve ever ridden and I’ve owned just about everything including the Felt IA FRD and a few Trek Speed Concept 9.8’s over the years. Keep in mind though that the Felt geometry and the Trinity are very different. I rode a 54 in the Felt and found it had a very high stack and short reach for me. In the Trek i was a medium but just couldn’t get the front end to work for me, in the Trinity I had to go with a small and i swapped the S-bends out for a set of Zipp racing bend bars. .

The cables on my bike came pre-wrapped with heat shrink tubing so someone is listening! I also added a second B junction box in the front so that only one e-wire is going through the head tube area and I double wrapped that one in heat shrink tubing. Yes the brakes are a bit of a pain but overall not too bad, I’ve dealt with worse!

Overall I am very happy with this bike so far!! Oh by the way not sure if the 4iii pod will fit but I don’t think it’ll be an issue, there seems to be plenty of clearance there.

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As to your other point, I agree that the Pro2 is actually significantly better value than the IA16. The IA16 has a 105 drivetrain and low end FSA cranks. That alone makes the Pro2 more desirable, with its Ultegra drivetrain and Ultegra crankset. I’d throw out that even the stock saddle on the Pro2 is a huge upgrade. The ISM PS1.0 is a legit $250-$300 saddle. It’s rare to see manufacturers put a high end saddle like that on a stock bike, let alone on a bike around $3grand.

I’ve rode my Felt for years and I’m a big fan, but comparing those two options, the Giant seems the clear winner.

11

That’s good to know that an additional B-junction box can fit in the front end! I might end up doing that. The routing in the front end is my biggest concern with the bike. So you only have the rear brake going through the front end as well as the Di2 wire connecting junction boxes then?

Overall, I’m pumped with my Pro1. Over the last month I’ve been dialling in the fit and it’s feeling great.

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So you only have the rear brake going through the front end as well as the Di2 wire connecting junction boxes then?

Correct, great idea too! It’d require an additional Etube cable (as short as possible) and the B junction box, correct?

The front brake cable does not disappear into the headtube, but goes straight down.

I wrapped my rear brake cable as well to hold off rubbing (gorilla tape), but whenever I re-cable, I’ll put heatshrink on there instead.

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Correct. I added the B junction and a very short e-wire to connect one box to the other so the only thing going through the head tube is one e-wire and the rear brake cable… but I’m less worried about the brake cable obviously but that one also came from Giant already wrapped in heat shrink tubing.

14

Thanks for the info.

It seems I won’t have a problem with the pod.

I would like to wait for the speedmax but it would mean do another season with my road bike.

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Thank you. I have already installed the 4 iii in a Ultegra crank arm so hopefully won’t be problem.

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Keep in mind though that the Felt geometry and the Trinity are very different. I rode a 54 in the Felt and found it had a very high stack and short reach for me. In the Trek i was a medium but just couldn’t get the front end to work for me, in the Trinity I had to go with a small and i swapped the S-bends out for a set of Zipp racing bend bars. .

This is very interesting. I was fitted in a 54 felt IA. My bike shop does not have any in stock so it will have to be special order which means I won’t be able to try the two different sizes.

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Just wondering, does anyone have the Advanced Pro 0 with eTap? I’m building one and trying to figure out where to put the blipbox!? The blipbox is quite a bit larger than the Di2 junction box so it does not fit very well into the bento box. If anyone has a picture showing showing where it’s mounted, or how the wires from the blips and clics are routed that would be super helpful!

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Do you have the new (slit top) or old (flappy flap) bento? The new one is much roomier and I’m sure it would hold the blipbox. Even the cutout underneath is widened to allow easier install.

I have the 3port di2 junction and the d-fly stuck together in there and there is plenty of space. With the old bento, they had to be wriggled around to fit and still sat back far enough that they reduced usable storage volume.

Otherwise, you could mount it on top of the ‘stem’, in front of the bento. With the large bottle installed, it would be out of the wind.

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It’s got the new slit top bento. The blipbox can fit inside, but it certainly is not a clean fit. The blipbox can’t be mounted, it has to sit kind of sideways loosely. The bento box is designed for the Di2 junction box which fits perfectly into a little cubby in the bento box.

Another concern I have with eTap on the Trinity/Avow is that you now have the rear brake cable and FOUR other wires from the blips and clics that have to run from the bar through the head tube to the blipbox. It’s a tight fit to say the least. At least with Di2 you only have a brake cable and a single wire.

I think wire length would prevent mounting the blipbox on top of the stem and I prefer it being hidden away in the bento box.

20

Hmmm, gotcha.
I’ve never held a blipbox, so I don’t have a great feel for its size (apparently). Given that, it also clearly won’t fit in the nose, bummer.

You could go a little crazy custom and put it in the front water bottle. Plastic weld a compartment inside and run the multiple wires there. Clearly, if you ever need to convert to a UCI legal setup, this would be tricky. If you know solidworks (or know someone who does), you could design and print a piece that sits near the nose and anchors to the bars to house it. This would be prettier than having it out in the air, which is the easiest route.

Whatever you do, please post it up here.