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TECH NEWS

Just in: Giant's £1,249 TCX SLR1

A first look at the aluminium disc-equipped cyclocross racer

A lot has changed in the cyclocross market since road.cc reviewed the Giant TCX in 2011. That bike had traditional cantilever brakes. Fast-forward to 2016 and this shiny new TCX SLR1, which we’ve just received in the office for testing, has a completely different frame but the biggest difference are the disc brakes.

Giant TCX SLR1 - top tube

Giant has pedigree at world cup cyclocross racing, and it's been pushing disc brakes for a couple of years now. Its sponsored rider Lars van der Haar has been racing exclusively with discs, and was one of the first racers to win a world cup race on a disc-equipped cyclocross bike. His bike was a Giant TCX Advanced with Shimano hydraulic disc brakes and Di2.

- First cyclo-cross world cup win for disc brakes

The TCX SLR1 we've got here is the most expensive of the two aluminium SLR models in the range. It has a frame constructed from Giant’s own ALUXX SLR grade aluminium, coupled to a carbon fibre fork. There’s a 15mm thru-axle on that fork, but a regular quick release rear wheel. Some of Giant’s rivals have moved fully to thru-axles front and rear.

Giant TCX SLR1 - seatpost clamp

A key feature that sets this new bike apart from the one we tested all those years ago is what Giant calls the D-Fuse seatpost. The seatpost has a D-shaped profile which is designed to provide a bit of deflection. And with integrated seat clamp, there's more seatpost outside of the frame available to flex under load. Giant has since taken this technology onto its Defy endurance road bikes.

Giant TCX SLR1 - head tube

Recognising that many people might be buying a cyclocross bike for a general purpose winter bike, the frame has hidden rack and mudguard mounts. You could race it on Sunday, and fit mudguards for the daily commute. There’s nothing to stop you changing the tyres to make it a fast road bike with a bit more capability, and a lot more mud clearance, than a regular race bike.

- Your guide to cyclo-cross racing

Other key details include full internal cable routing. That’ll be a bonus in muddy conditions as the gear cables are less likely to get gunged up.  The frame has a pressfit bottom bracket and you get a pair of bottle cage mounts. There looks to be stacks of mud clearance around the frame and tyres, so you could probably go wider than the fitted 33mm tyres if you wanted.

Giant TCX SLR1 - transmission

For your £1,249 you get most of a Shimano 105 11-speed drivetrain, with an upgraded Ultegra rear mech and a cyclocross-specific 36/46 Shimano RS500 chainset. That’s combined with an 11-28t cassette, which is an ideal setup for cyclocross racing. Though if you are setting it up predominantly for road, the top-end might be a bit lacking.

Giant TCX SLR1 - rear calliper

There’s a set of the excellent TRP Spyre mechanical disc brakes, using cables rather than hydraulics, with 160mm rotors at both ends. Giant’s own P-X2 Disc wheels feature sealed bearings in the hubs and are fitted with Maxxis Mud Wrestler 33mm tyres. They have a Kevlar folding bead to save weight.

Giant TCX SLR1 - cable routing 2

And as for the handlebar, stem, seatpost and saddle, that’s all Giant own-brand kit. Contact aluminium bars and stem, a composite seatpost and a Performance Road saddle.

With the cyclocross season in full swing, the TCX is being put through its paces, so watch out for a full review soon.

More info at www.giant-bicycles.com

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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TypeVertigo | 8 years ago
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The 2016 TCX is actually based on the 2014 model year - that's when Giant moved all its TCX models to disc brakes and introduced the D-Fuse seat post concept.

My own bike is a 2014 TCX SLR 2, the only model with QR skewers front and rear (the SLR 1's main upgrade is the all-carbon through-axle fork with OverDrive2 1.25" steerer tube). The rear eyelets are really meant to accept a rack, not full-length fenders/mudguards, because there's no seat stay bridge or chain stay bridge to mount a rear fender solidly in place. I had to make do with zip ties and a bodge made from the bundled rear reflector mount.

The TCX build kit contains a little adapter block that goes over the seat post clamping plate using longer bolts and two spacers (also provided). With that adapter block in place, you now have a complete set of mounting points for a rear rack.

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