Cycling Weekly Names TCR Advanced SL Best Climbing Bike!

14 June 2024

Reviews & Product News

Cycling Weekly published its 2024 Race Bike of the Year awards, and the new TCR Advanced SL won the Best Climbing Bike category.

The new TCR Advanced SL, the flagship series in the recently introduced new TCR range of race bikes, quickly made an impression with the editors of Cycling Weekly, who named it "Best Climbing Bike of 2024" in its annual Race Bike of the Year awards. Reviewers pointed to its aerodynamics and stiffness combined with a weight savings of 75 grams over the previous generation. They wrote that the 10th generation TCR Advanced SL amounts to “a splendid package, especially on steep climbs where, more than any other bike on test, the TCR really fizzes, inviting you to keep pressing on.”

Unveiled in March, the new TCR road bike range has received overwhelmingly positive media reviews for its improved efficiency, weight and ride performance. The new range includes three series—the TCR Advanced SL, TCR Advanced Pro, and TCR Advanced—and is the result of a collaborative effort involving product developers, an in-house aerodynamics team, and athletes and technicians from Team Jayco-AlUla, Giant’s partner WorldTour team.

Several design elements contribute to the TCR Advanced's distinctive ride quality. The entire range introduces innovative new features including internal cable routing, a new D-shaped OverDrive Aero steerer tube, and new handlebars and stems—all made possible by cutting-edge construction techniques. The frameset, wheels, cockpit and other parts were engineered, developed and tested together to perform best as a system, providing an overall ride quality that has left an impression with gear editors.

“What sets this bike apart from fellow climbing bikes today, however, is how well the bike performs away from the gradients," Cycling Weekly explained in its reasoning behind the award. "Giant claims to have narrowed the gap to just five watts at 45kph between the Propel aero bike and the TCR, and it really shows. On fast group rides, the TCR was just as lively on the flat as it was on the climbs. The TCR’s lightweight frameset, stiff bottom bracket, and fast handling combines to deliver a compelling ride experience.”

Yet for all of its aerodynamic improvements, it's when the road tilts toward the sky that the TCR Advanced SL truly shines, with a 3.38% improvement in stiffness-to-weight ratio over the previous generation.

"The light and stiff frameset delivers an incredibly responsive feel that’s super-slippery yet instantly responsive to pedal power," Cycling Weekly wrote. "This enables riders to benefit from the best of both worlds, making it a jack of all trades while continuing to be a master of climbing."

For more, including all the tech details on the TCR Advanced, click here.

And to read the full review of the new TCR range from Cycling Weekly, click here. 

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