Giant TCR Advanced 2 Disc

The Giant TCR Advanced 2 Disc is an excellent performance-focused road bike that offers a balanced feel, precise handling, and the assured confidence of Shimano's mid-level 105 groupset and RS505 hydraulic disc brakes.

The overriding feature – certainly the feature that impresses me most – is just how solid the TCR Advanced 2 Disc feels. When you deliver all the power you can summon through the pedals, the frame just passes it along the line with a nonchalant roll of the eyes and barely a hint of flex. That's most noticeable through the middle of the bike where out-of-the-saddle blasts that on some bikes would send the bottom bracket swinging east and west result in virtually no sideways movement.

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Giant attributes this solidity to what it calls its Megadrive rectangular profiled down tube and oversized Powercore bottom bracket/chainstay area that's home to an integrated 86mm wide BB. The driveside chainstay is more substantial than the non-driveside one, the idea being to provide additional stiffness where it is most needed.

Although these frame elements are large they're not massive. The TCR Advanced 2 Disc is no dump truck, no sumo wrestler on wheels, but the frame is simply very well built and refuses to yield under pressure. In that way, it's exactly the same as the rim-braked Giant TCR Advanced Pro 0 that I reviewed back at the start of the year. 

One difference is that the fork – which is carbon/aluminium rather than full carbon – swivels on smaller headset bearings (1 1/8in at the top and 1 1/4in at the bottom rather than 1 1/4in and 1 1/2in). Do you notice a difference? I guess you might if you rode them back to back but I found the steering precision here to be impressive. You can slam this bike around, leaning it over as far as your bottle will allow, and you'll end up exactly where you want to go without the need for correction. Even when you're ragging it through the bends, you don't feel like you're at the edge of the bike's capabilities.

Shimano's RS505 hydraulic disc brakes, acting on 160mm rotors, add to that feeling of quiet confidence. For dry conditions, my personal opinion is that discs don't offer a massive advantage on a bike like this, but for wet rides I've certainly been glad I had them. Pull the levers and there's none of that momentary anxiety about when they're going to bite, and that means you can leave your braking that little bit later going into a tight bend, for example.

I've been doing some commuting into the office on this bike and those disc brakes are great in traffic too. You know that they're going to perform almost as well in the wet as they do in the dry, and that gives you plenty of reassurance when nipping about on urban roads in rush hour. I'm not an evangelist for discs, but you do get more control when conditions are damp.

Giant is no stranger to disc brakes on road bikes, of course, having given the full disc treatment to the latest Defy endurance bikes when they were launched two years ago, and those models have proven extremely popular. Giant has stuck with 12mm thru-axles front and rear for the TCR Advanced disc bikes to keep everything firm and secure under the forces associated with disc brakes.

Hitting the scales at 8.6kg (19.0lb), the Giant TCR Advanced 2 Disc isn't a featherweight compared with rim brake counterparts, but it's a decent weight for a disc brake bike at this price point. It climbs with little fuss, largely thanks to a Shimano 105 compact chainset (with 50-tooth and 34-tooth chainrings) matched up to an 11-28-tooth cassette. Most people will find the 34x28 gear sufficient to get up sharp climbs without too much bother.

As usual with Giant, the top tube slopes markedly over its length. The idea of this Compact Road geometry is that the frame triangles are kept small and stiff, weight is saved, and you get a low standover height. It also means you're likely to have a whole lot of seatpost extending out of the frame. I usually have plenty (thanks to strange proportions) but with this bike I had yards of it (well, 28cm to be precise).

Giant's Variant seatpost, held in place by an internal clamp, is designed to flex to a degree in order to improve the ride quality. Along with Giant's own Contact Forward saddle, it provides a smooth feel, especially for a race bike, and I didn't notice any excess movement when pedalling seated, so I think the designers have got the balance about right here.

Speaking of the geometry, it's exactly the same as that of the rim brake Giant TCR Advanced bikes – all of them, from the £1,049 TCR Advanced 3 right up to the £5,999 TCR Advanced SL 0. We've seen most brands stretching the chainstays out to at least 415mm, following Shimano's recommendation to avoid chainline issues, but Giant has stuck with 405mm chainstays here without any ill effects.

As you'd expect, it's a race orientated setup. We have the M/L sized model here with a 57cm top tube, a 16.8cm head tube and 73-degree head and seat angles. The stack height (the vertical distance from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the head tube) is 56.7cm and the reach (the horizontal distance between those points) is 39.8cm.

Hop on board and you immediately know that this is a bike that's intended to be ridden fast. If you want a more relaxed setup you could consider Giant's Defy bikes that I mentioned earlier. The riding position is a bit shorter and they're a little taller at the front end. The TCR Advanced bikes, though, are all about speed, and the geometry reflects that.

The Giant TCR Advanced 2 Disc is built up with a Shimano 105 groupset that's reliable and excellent value for money.

Admittedly, in terms of looks, the bulbous-nosed Shimano ST-RS505s are levers that only a mother could love. In fact, even Mrs Shimano would probably admit they ain't pretty. In terms of function, though, they're really good. The hoods provide a comfortable hand hold and you can dial those levers a little closer to the handlebar via hex key adjustment to suit smaller hands if you like.

Giant's PR 2 wheels aren't a particular highlight but they do the job well and the build quality looks good. They're a little heavy but I've been riding this bike for several weeks and I've not needed to adjust anything, which bodes well for durability. I've got on fine with Giant's 25mm P-SL1 tyres too. There's enough space to fit 28s in for a bit more comfort if you like.

Giant is offering several disc-equipped TCR Advanced bikes in 2017. The top of the range option (so far) is the £3,599 TCR Advanced Pro Disc with a frame made using Giant's Advanced Grade composite and equipped with a Shimano Ultegra Di2 electronic groupset.

The £1,899 TCR Advanced 1 Disc and our TCR Advanced 2 Disc also have Advanced Grade frames but Giant uses a fork with carbon legs and an aluminium steerer rather than full carbon. That steerer is slimmer too. It's built to Giant's OverDrive standard (it spins on a 1 1/8in upper bearing and 1 1/4in lower bearing) instead of OverDrive 2 (1 1/4in upper bearing, 1 1/2in lower bearing).

The TCR Advanced 1 Disc has a Shimano Ultegra groupset and Shimano BR-RS505 hydraulic disc brakes while our TCR Advanced 2 Disc has a Shimano 105 groupset and the same brakes. The Giant PR 2 Disc wheels are the same too.

Effectively, with the TCR Advanced 1 Disc you're paying £200 more to make the switch from Shimano 105 chainset and derailleurs to Ultegra. The retail price difference between those components is quite a bit less than that so the TCR Advanced 2 Disc is better value for money.

> Head to head: Shimano 105 vs Shimano Ultegra

Giant also has a TCR Advanced SL Disc pencilled on the roster but it's not available yet because supply of the SRAM Red eTap Hydro groupset (with wireless electronic shifting and hydraulic disc brakes) has been delayed and Giant UK is waiting for the UCI to legalise disc brakes fully.

If you don't want disc brakes there are 11 rim-braked Giant TCR Advanced models in the 2017 range. The rim brake version of the Giant TCR Advanced 2 is £1,349, so you're saving £350 over the disc model we have here.

Overall, the Giant TCR Advanced 2 Disc is an exceptionally good bike. It's stiff and responsive, it handles superbly and it's comfortable enough to ride all day. Add in the great value groupset and excellent hydraulic disc brakes and you have a winning proposition.

Verdict

Exceptional speed-focused road bike that offers efficiency, precise handling and the reliability of Shimano's hydro disc brake