Giant TCR gets Roasted. More CRAP quality control

This is a Giant TCR, it was sent to me by a viewer who wanted a new bottom bracket and suspected a fault with his original Shimano BB.
I was expecting this bike to be of reasonable tolerance quality. The bottom bracket was well undersized and not round. Also marginally out of alignment. The fault was so blatant, it is inexplicable how this got through QA.
Giant TCR BB86 Necked BB www.hambini.co...
Hambini website www.hambini.com
Instagram / hambinieng
Facebook / hambini-engineering-10...
Patreon / hambini

[@mansson111]

What a piece of junk. Oh wait that's my frame!!

[@Hambini]

You can see the messing around now. I didn't go into detail of the misalignment either.

[@Waremonger]

Unfortunately I would suspect most frames are junk when it comes to tolerances. My Trek bottom bracket was almost exactly the same measurements as yours. QC seems to be non-existent in the bike industry while prices are skyrocketing.

[@Will-ub8od]

@Magnus Mansson Which Ti frame is that please mate?

[@31.8mm]

@@Waremonger oh no so sad... i feel the same, should we just go buy a boutique one?

[@tomkunich9401]

Team bikes I have seen look thrown together and not made to last under pro conditions for more than a year. Yours made it.

[@markrushton1516]

Imagine seeing Hambini creeping around your neighborhood in the dark. You'd report his mother for letting a 5 yr old out without supervision

[@stephenmorris6202]

OMG. Killer video without all the swearing. Still whacky but great. You have informed and alarmed me. The bike industry demands so much for its products but their design and build quality is too often awful and the risk of injury to riders very high. We need your spot light videos. Brilliant.

[@AC-wq7fo]

I heard some mary's :-)

[@szybkilopez566]

I have the very same model year TCR (winter bike), and STANDARD size Hambini BB fits fine. The front mech shifts like the clappers. A happy client in Poland. (Didn't need the BB, but boy, oh boy do I like it.)

[@silverscoob1]

Same with my 2019 Advanced Pro TCR frame. Had to fiddle with the cables when bracket was half way through. But went in just fine and no issues with my front mech shifting 52/34👍

[@Hambini]

There were a few questions in the comments querying the provenance of this frame. It had a sticker on the bottom for unlimited colors who after further checks did turn out to be painters for what was the Sunweb team. Hence that and the owner's comments (he said it was ex team) do stack up. Suspected ex training bike perhaps.

[@billyjo1148]

you would expect they would have the geometry spot on or at least select those frames best within tolerance I expect the racing bikes are bespoke

[@TimBud]

So its still not a standard production bike then 🤷‍♀

[@Hambini]

​@@TimBud Dunno. My digging hasn't gone that far.

[@glennoc8585]

Still trying to get my head around the external brake hose routing on the fork. Very old school that.

[@chrisswindell7704]

@@billyjo1148 it’s a lower tier bike for the development team. The race bikes were SLs with rim brakes.

[@mtlbiketech7960]

I gave up on Giant Road bikes, after working with/on them for 7yrs. I remember in 2017 0r 2018 the shop I was working at received a huge batch of TCRs and Defies with misaligned and poorly shaped BB fittings... When I told the Head tech and the owner that there was something wrong with the frames I got so much flak from them and to top it off they were saying what a shit mechanic I was to the point that I finally left. After I quit I went back for some reason, can't remember exactly why but the owner admitted that the fault was with Giant and not with my work, he asked me to return because for some reason there was no one there to fix that Head techs blunders and shortly after that, the wanker got fired and I never went back. 😂😂😂 Thanks for all the great content, love seeing you rip these companies and techs new orifices to excrete their feces from! Cheers from Montreal!

[@glennoc8585]

Unfortunately there is still a lot of taboo about speaking up against sub standard products and that's across all industries. Even with acquired skills and experience theyl "the suits at the top" will try to silence you and attack you with negative connotations. At a technician level they pass you off as a nobody, a pleb anything to try to lower your esteem. Even hambini at Engineer level is being dismissed and receives ad hominen attacks. It takes courage to stand up to shoddy work you risk a lot but someone has to do it.

[@mtlbiketech7960]

@@glennoc8585 After over 20yrs in the industry I can officially say that the cycling world is broken here in Quebec (especially Montreal) Most senior Techs I know are a bunch of lazy has beens (intellectually and physically) that don't want to keep up with the new tech, shop owners are penny pinching every chance they get even though it's been the best two years of sales on record and all the younger mechanics, well they know everything after watching a few KZbin videos and still get DOT and mineral fluids confused... There used to be a couple of shops that I would consider honorable a few years back but even they got greedy. Anyhow I'm out of the industry, I have a decent workshop at home, have a few clients, but now I'm in the culinary world. Still have a love for cycling, I try to keep up with what's going on and if someone brings me something new to work on it's always a pleasure. Oh and trust me I do call shoddy work when I see it, brings joy to my heartless soul 🤣🤣 🤣 Cheers sir !!!

[@indiemichael]

Fair criticism on quality. I have a TCR Adv Pro Disc and love the bike. I think it's the best value for a carbon road bike you can get, and their warranty is great.

[@Sills71]

If by value you mean compared to other bikes made in China for 10% of their price and are willing to enter the lottery of "will I get frame that is unuseable" and is subject to failure from minor impact damage, then... yeah, the Giant is a great "value". Compared to a steel or ti bike (esp a custom) your Giant is complete waste of money.

[@glennoc8585]

@@Sills71 Titanium often cracks at the welds and the frames are heavy. Steel is lighter but Weak. I prefer aluminium because it's good value for money, relatively light and affordable.

[@billyjo1148]

@@glennoc8585 well trying to get a Ti frame builder willing to weld to aircraft spec is tricky true about the aluminium bread and butter f*** it and chuck it

[@11robotics]

A good bike shouldn't ever require warranty - and on that note, I've never in my life had to make use of my warranty for any bike-related issues.

[@indiemichael]

@@Sills71 funny you say that. “Minor impact damage” I’ve crashed that bike three times in crits and it’s fine. Absolutely zero damage to the frame.

[@HappyDuude]

That is the fastest road trip from Hull to France I've ever seen

[@RK01]

I'm a TCR owner and have been waiting for this one for a while, great vid as per usaul. I'm a Hambini convert and all my bikes have your BBs in them including my TCR (Hambini Racing BB86 Bottom Bracket Shimano Crankset Thread Together) you get what you pay for! When I got the bike I measured it and checked the frame internals as per Hambini best practice and can confirm that my frame is as it should be on the tolerance front and very well made. It has been faultless so far and works very well with the Hambini BB. I still believe in Giant, any manufacture can produce a bad frame, some probably more often than others. Giant still aren't taking customers to the cleaners on pricing either, which is more than can be said for other manufacturers, the price of an S-Works Tarmac is more than a motorbike, taking the piss!!

[@neelsahay5227]

@RollinRat you work in MB in Los Gatos, it seems? Thanks to you guys for tuning up my shifting when I was 150k Into a ride!

[@neelsahay5227]

@RollinRat got y’all on some nice local beers next time I pass thru. Cheers man

[@bonzobanana1]

@RollinRat Surely you can sell a better product than Special...d to consumers anyway. So much horrible proprietary components. That horrible front stem shock with ridiculous spares pricing and those Brose motors in their ebikes that were failing left, right and centre and meant Spec...d had to extend their guarantees from 2 to 4 years. I think Merida make many of the high end Specialized bikes and fuji-ta make many of the cheaper models and likely many other factories are used to at different times. If I was competing with a Specialized store I'd be going with Giant and Merida who are actually manufacturers and provide similar or better quality at lower prices and less proprietary nonsense. I've only every owned one Spec...ed bike and still have it. It's a Sirrus and yet mine is a road bike (Sirrus Triple) so that might give you an indication of the age as the Sirrus is now a hybrid bike, they re-used the name on a different type of bike. Saying that pretty sure Giant has a reputation of being quite aggressive with their dealers in the US, they try and push dealers to make more Giant sales and what they are trying to do is push out the other brands and get dealers to concentrate on Giant bikes. I still feel that Giant is a far better bike in terms of quality vs value.

[@carlosflanders518]

@@bonzobanana1 I think Merida own about 50% of specialized. In USA, Merida aren't available.

[@suminshizzles6951]

I laugh at people who spend anything more than 2k a bike. I allow the 2k in case they want to use DI2 which is a grand or more in itself. The amount of Cervelo's and other bikes he rips into made me stick to a 1700 budget for my kuota. I slammed a hambini 386 evo BB in there. Hole was nice and round and well as up to spec.

[@ctrawick3]

I just found your channel and I must say I find it quite entertaining. Your anti-social demeanor and aversion to poorly-designed, even-more-poorly-manufactured cycling debris is appreciated and shared.

[@RuinInScotland]

I’ve certainly missed you recently great to see you back …

[@antone9751]

We need more people like Hambini! Calling out the crap that big companies try to pass off for stupid money. These bikes aren’t cheap so we should expect better!

[@clp91009]

I love these videos where frames costing €000’s don’t have a bb that’s in spec. Never been a problem with my Aluminium frame and BB-R60 threaded bb. Runs perfectly smoothly and I change it yearly for €30. What’s not to like.

[@cleo7452]

Same here, alloy frame with BBR60 threaded, recently had the bb changed, just love it.

[@jamesdoolan8040]

Not sure why you'd enjoy that? The person clearly takes a lot of pride and care in his bike given how well-kept it is. They also will likely have gotten a great deal given that it's an ex-pro bro's bike, which is a great way to get a fabulous bike without breaking the bank.

[@BigBrownMonke]

Damn I have the exact model frame and it got roasted by Sir Hambini himself! What an honor!🙇

[@kitten-inside]

Mechanical gears with hydraulic disk brakes is a standard gravel setup (for people with a sensible budget who won't go wireless). It gets pushed into pure road territory because it costs more $$$.

[@glennoc8585]

I know a few guys with mechanical disc for some years on their road bikes. I'd say mechanical GRX from Shimano are very popular with the gravel scene

[@kitten-inside]

@@glennoc8585 GRX is basically MTB mech in a different form factor. It completely does away with the general softness of road mech. Plus, you get gear ranges more suited to rough terrain. After switching recently, I can see why it is so popular.

[@carlosflanders518]

Giant are well known for having some of the best QC on carbon frames. About the only carbon I would buy used - they have a policy of overbuilding - always 100-200g of extra material compared to rivals. Crashed my TCR at least half a dozen times and it was unaffected. My club bought dozens of frames through a relationship with LBS. Only problem I've seen was a delaminating headtube - frame was replaced immediately. Seen dozens of problems with other brands - Trek, Cervelo etc. Looks like this was a special run of TCRs that got through. If it was bought directly from LBS they will replace it no question.

[@rcg9573]

LOL

[@lothianhealthperformance8423]

Exact same issue I’ve had with my Propel. Had a PM fitted at a “prestige” shop in Berlin, and they truly fucked it up. Thank goodness for the consummate professional’s at my LBS. Nice save, Hambini sir.

[@Riddler2002]

Great presentation, the customer will be happy. I sold Giants at my bike shop and the quality was really on point. Never had any issues with them. I would contact Giant and express my concern to them. That does not that they cannot have some.

[@rattila13]

I don't think I've ever seen a bearing pressed into a molded mating surface outside of the bicycle industry. If you look up typical tolerances for different manufacturing processes you'll find that you'll only get the right dimensions by chance on these frames with carbon bb shells.

[@nstrug]

Which is why the more reputable bike manufacturers use a machined aluminium sleeve in the BB.

[@nstrug]

@RollinRat yep. Hard to beat an English threaded BB. T47 looks promising too. But I’m very happy with the machined insert 386evo on my LOOK - absolutely rock solid with a Token thread-together BB (which is what LOOK recommend).

[@rattila13]

@RollinRat I'd prefer pressfit with a machined shell in the frame. I'm pretty happy with my t47 frame but I think pressfit is easier to deal with than having a million different tools for the different threaded BBs, I'm not a fan of bsa, it's not ideal for larger axles.

[@Metal-Possum]

@RollinRat Raoul at Luescher Teknik moulds his BB shells (on the frames he makes for himself) around a mandrill for perfection, it's not a method the bicycle industry has adopted though.

[@Metal-Possum]

@RollinRat As a fellow bike mechanic, this shit doesn't make me money, it costs me time, and not at the expense of the customer. It's just as bad for ebikes, our shop takes a hit every time we have to spend time diagnosing one under warranty.

[@gregbyrne7725]

Possibly a rush job to get a replacement bike to the team? It might have skipped a few steps in QA to get it to the paint room for team colours and the contamination shows that they messed that up too. Another great video from our favourite 5 year old.

[@pieceofcake6987]

I'm super happy with my TCR Advanced SL (rim break version) from 2021. No problems at all.

[@helmutkok7833]

Good to see Hennes is back

[@TimBud]

Those Sunweb TCRs were a “limited edition” team replica bike (not a frameset). And from what I saw (at least 10 sold through the shop I work at) they were the worst i’ve seen. The paint was rubbish and if you got one that wasn’t crackled, you were very lucky. As standard the TCR quality is generally very good. The sunweb ones were an embarrassing blip.

[@meneldil7604]

i dont 2019 TCR has any problem it not needed a new bb yet and it don't 8k miles I will say the paint is crap though

[@panchnl]

This particular frame shows a sticker from Unlimited Colors which is a very reputable company here in the Netherlands. They paint bikes, cars, motorcycles, etc. as well as doing carbon repairs. They've done all the paintwork for the Giant Sunweb pro team. I'm not sure why these frames haven't been good quality.

[@etomakwonderboy9570]

i don't get it, why would they give the Pros a rubbish frameset?

[@firesurfer]

@@etomakwonderboy9570 "Replica" not original team.

[@TrickyTree84]

Limited edition. 3 people in my club ride one

[@thomaspitcher3197]

my 2019 tcr rides very nice with no issues when building it up.

[@costelloandsilke7321]

I raced for a couple of years in the early 2000s on one of the early generation TCR carbons. It was a bit flexy but the quality of the carbon was superb. A couple of years ago, I bought a TCX carbon cross frame. It's in a different league (in the wrong way) and there is a tight spot in the crank rotation which may well be an out of round BB shell. Based on this video, looks like I am not alone.

[@chrisswindell7704]

Early 00’s would have been a ‘Composite’ grade frame. Perfectly good for the era, but dated now. They phased it out in 2016, I think and ‘Advanced’ replaced it as the entry level carbon spec for Giant.

[@glennoc8585]

@@chrisswindell7704 Do you mean carbon with the alloy lugs when you say composite.

[@chrisswindell7704]

@@glennoc8585 no, it was a trademarked name for the grade of carbon. Giant have ‘Composite’ (no longer made) ‘Advanced’ and ‘Advanced SL’ grades for their carbon. They did make alloy TCR frames bikes with carbon rear triangles and forks though - these were called the TCR Alliance.

[@costelloandsilke7321]

@@chrisswindell7704 The 2003 Giant TCR was not an "entry level" frame. It was a major undertaking for Giant and they put a lot of resources into that frame. The fact that they subsequently introduced "grades" to their frame has no relevance to the quality of the original frame. Of course it is of its time but I would happily ride one today. From my memory, it was reasonably stiff at the BB for a light rider but the front end was a bit flexy. @glenn oc - composite was simply the term Giant used for its all-carbon bikes. Well, all-carbon except for a nice threaded BB insert without all the pressfit problems.

[@chrisswindell7704]

@@costelloandsilke7321 I do happily ride one today - or at least my wife does since I gave the frame to her. It was entry level for years - they introduced Advanced as the premium grade a few years later, then Advanced SL topped the range. That’s no slight on Composite - it’s just a fact that it was the lowest grade of carbon that Giant produced. And it wasn’t a blanket term for all carbon frames - it’s a specific name for a specific grade. Circa 2015 you could definitely buy a Defy in Composite, Advanced, or Advanced SL grades and they were not all called ‘composite’ frames. There’s a difference between ‘Composite’ as a trademark, and ‘composite’ as an adjective.

[@kuanhau4323]

It’s like Santa comes to visit. I’m hoping if I leave milk and biscuits next to my bike at Christmas then Hambini Claus will come pay my bike a visit!

[@PeakTorque]

I don't think that's an ex team bike as that would have been ISP seatpost. The axle bolts are M12 x 1.5

[@Hambini]

That's what i was told

[@chrisswindell7704]

Full team used rim brake SLs, dev team used Adv Pro discs. This is likely a dev team frame, as the commercial Adv Pro in these colours was rim only.

[@spatchist]

4.20 on - yelling 'focus you fack' in a Canadian accent will also bring it into focus .

[@timfarhaven9647]

The pro's of sunweb did ride the tcr advanced sl (with the integrated seatposts) the Sunweb development team however rode these. The TCR advanced pro's, with the adjustable seatpost. This might be a training frame from one of those guys. And maybe they use frames that didnt pass the QC as training models for the development team. Since like you said, no bigger chance of catastrophic failure and teams write off a bike after a year anyway.

[@panchnl]

I think you're spot on.

[@Hambini]

I think you are right too. I also did some extra digging and it does seem to tally up.

[@pmcmpc]

This adds up. I've never seen a recent Giant with this litany of crap. But if that's the case, Giant should be making sure these are destroyed after being ridden for a season or whatever.

[@4791_]

I have been riding my TCR Advance 2 2019 rim brake version and it's a dream to ride. No issues whatsoever and I'm the 2nd owner. Was sold to me because the 1st owner upgraded to Specialized SL6.

[@bicyclist2]

Good stuff. A little different version, as I don't ever remember seeing Hambini do a pick up and delivery before. Thanks.

[@richardhaselwood9478]

Dammit Giant, you were supposed to be the chosen one 😭

[@torent40]

There is one black sheep in every herd. Just pray that you will not be the lucky one who buys it ;)

[@edwinf9999]

Great simple explanation of wrinkling.

[@powerrod1657]

Have a carbon giant defy. I've put over 20k kms on it @ a bodyweight of over 100kgs. I will say the inside of the frame is much smoother/cleaner than the TCR in the video.

[@keoki777]

One of the few videos where the intro didn't scare the crap out of me.. lol

[@Unimatrix69]

Very interesting the different manufacturing quality with Giant. I have a 2011 TCR Advanced SL, and the BB has a machined aluminium insert glued into the carbon shell that is 100% to spec. I guess the quest to save the odd gram here or there has lead to these corner cutting measures.

[@TheBarnaby25]

Thing of beauty Hambini!

[@choddo]

Yay to crank spin finale! :) Very surprised a team frame was that compromised.

[@tidzaboy]

Nothing like having a good 'Tent' to impress the hairdresser with ; - )

[@Hambini]

some people see through all of the jokes.

[@totalrepawns]

Hambini time !!!!! dying for good roast with all the trimmings !

[@saracen888]

Newer gen TCR is spot on. No complaints

[@Atari_Vrc]

The newer ones (20/21?) (with the THICC downtube) have their carbon layed up by robots so that cuts down on the rule of everyone is incompetent except proven otherwise.

[@georgiaguardian4696]

Lol finally it’s the Giant TCR’s turn to get roasted by Hamibini! 😂

[@nevmann]

Always glad to hear Pen Is working. I hope you never do "Hello Hambini fans" inside your videos!

[@tihomirbrkic9354]

I love how shady you LOOK in the dark returning bike to the rightful owner 😂

[@TheCharnwoodCyclist]

Always thought of Giant bikes as a safe bet in terms of QC, however my friend has a 2021 TCR advanced Pro and the NDS bearing is rough after just a few months use, my first thought was an undersized housing.

[@jimihendrix731]

Nothing made outside of a small, boutique operation is safe these days. High volume means wide manufacturing tolerances.

[@robincooney1263]

Another good analytical piece of Engineering. I'd already had some bad experience of press fit BBs in carbon frames, watching your videos confirmed my thoughts that press fitting hardened steel bearings into carbon fibre is simply bad design - even if the BB is a good fit. The bearings will wear the carbon frame - which is why Trek even do a slightly bigger bearing for their BB90 to give the frame some more km before it is junk. I've now bought a Ti frame with a threaded BB.

[@samuel8590]

The Princess blanket is a TRUE Disney Classic ;)

[@retroonhisbikes]

You could have called me, you could have brought me a coffee and had a chat, i was only a few streets away

[@ovi-kernkraft400]

Not long ago I replaced the Dura ace 7800 bb as thought it was creaking but turned out to be the chainring bolts causing the creaking, it was still smooth and the carbon shell looked a lot nicer than the one in this video, the 6800 BB went in a dream too.

[@MrCreamlover]

my tcr is great smooth and straight this frame you have Hambini has most likely been got at before

[@guntherschultz912]

(Edited)I've been waiting for this! That's no ex team bike, they used the sl version, that is just a replica bike

[@mit1978]

I have a giant defy advanced pro 2018 disc frame, no complains. 3 years no problems, 10.000 km rided.

[@richardhaselwood9478]

Got a 2015, 28 000 km, all good so far

[@davidcummings7735]

My 2018 Defy advanced Pro has 21,000 kms on it now, no problems yet still original disk's and pads. Great bike so far but quite heavy.

[@Bilison]

Stop what you're doing it's Hambini time !!!

[@gregschramm8180]

One reason why I like my titanium lynskey although it is heavier

[@RReese08]

I think the best line: "If you can't see me, it's because the camera is racist." Golden, yes, but maybe time to toss the camera and get a new one.

[@jasoncherry6097]

I might add... With your love of lighting you might wanna review some camera lights.

[@sheilastallard]

Your words are always good!!

[@robs6750]

My TCR is the dog’s bollux

[@diegotoledo6798]

Oooh! The world's favorite 5 year old roasting the frame I'm about to buy. This I got to see.

[@Rose.Of.Hizaki]

I think it gets to a point where all the big brand names are outsourcing frame/fork production to just about any company that has the resources and can throw together something that resembles a bike frame or they are outsourcing to random companies just to meet global demand. Overall quality and tolerances don't matter so long as it rolls when you add wheels, handlebars and a seat to it.

[@DavidMartin-tk4fs]

Great explanation of why wrinkles on the inside faces of a lay up are a genuine issue. 🙏 Interested to know how they can be avoided though, or whether its more a matter of chance and a lot of frames potentially binned if not up to snuff. Regarding the bubbling above the BB aperture, I would bet most likely moisture ingress under the paint as that is always a damp spot on the bike and the paint layer will have inevitably been disturbed having an over tight bearing housing roughly shoved into it.

[@Hambini]

If the frame is made using RTM (like Time) you will rarely get a wrinkle. That's why it's really better to for good manufacturing rather than a wonder material with displacement voids

[@DavidMartin-tk4fs]

@@Hambini surely Time should be sending you a frame soon. They just better make sure it’s spot-on! 😉 I assume giant use an inflatable inner to their frame moulds? Those are always going wriggle as they fill the void especially in “cornery” areas so I guess that is going have the danger of smearing the innermost layers or the ballon it’s self wrinkling and not pushing properly against the inside of the moulding. Can we blame the Bean counters as most customers won’t send their bike to you for forensic reaming and RTM is no doubt more expensive to tool up for, even if some time is saved in assembly labour for better toleranced frame?

[@Hambini]

@@DavidMartin-tk4fs I have bought a Time for that very reason. It's currently awaiting parts As for the blowing balloon method, this is quite correct, as you inflate it, it's likely to move some of hte layers during inflation.

[@Free_Ranger_CT110]

Hambini slays a Giant!

[@ezquiel700c]

Just baught a 2021 TCR two days ago so far no problems with BB although I would be very woried if there were. Spins very well and is really good at high torque. much better than my crappy boardman

[@przemekmacioek6458]

I was replacing the bottom bracket in my 2021 TCR Advanced Pro (bought new in a local store). After getting the old bearings out (which turned out to be much harder job than I was used to), I inspected the frame. It immediately reminded me of this video. The bottom bracket looks undersized and has plenty of similar finishing issues (well, maybe except the paint). Additionally, there's the dreaded seat wedge issue (my bike was shipped with wrong seat wedge which causes enormous creaking). Seems that Giant replaces those in some countries for free. I had to pay for mine. Overall - never gonna get Giant crap again

[@balazsovari1483]

Hambini for UCI President! Any bike would get a sticker...

[@gregmorrison7320]

I have the 2021 TCR, the rear disc mount was so out of line that the disc almost rubbed at the top of the disc on one side and at the bottom of the disc on the other, no facing had been done and Giant in NZ had no tools to face the mount so they had to replace the frame. No BB issues or anything else as yet.

[@TimBud]

I use a standard hand powered file in my workshop.

[@gregmorrison7320]

@@TimBud Yep, that could have been done but it would have to be done by Giant or the bike shop as if I did it my warranty would be void, as it was I got the best outcome.

[@threeshirescyclist554]

My TCR Avanced Pro 0 is like triggers broom, 1 x new frame (Paint started chipping around rear hanger area) two new cranks, ended up with Shimano Dura ace crank power meter free from Giant as the giant power meter is shit and the first replacement they gave me to fix the stock one that want working didnt work either, and a new ridesense cadence sensor. All underwarranty, to be fair no issues getting it all replaced, just shit you have to. Cant fault the bike since then though. Great to ride. Paint on new frame still chips and flakes away as it just hasnt adhered to the frame properly around thru axle holes. Still love the bike though.

[@Sills71]

From one crap frame to another.... sell on Ebay and buy a real bike

[@Catcrumbs]

I tip my hat to the hydro disc-mech shifting patrician.

[@David-ms1ym]

I have a Gaint TCR with Ultegra Group Set and Rim Brakes. Its light weight, it's a stiff frame, it's responsive, very comfortable to ride on long weekend rides. I've had no issues or problems at all with the Bike, just great in my opinion.

[@michaelskelton8516]

Very interesting episode, you seem to have been very quiet lately, maybe you’ve been working on your new presentation style…also I really like the Peppa Pig seat belt cover👍

[@Hambini]

The woke brigade complain about everything and i got fed up with it

[@GS-pk9rd]

This is a real shame I always considered Giant one of the better ones for quality and value. Maybe this is a one off as my 15 tcr sdv sl and my wife's '19 Liv Langma have been flawless and seem extremely well made..

[@piast99]

I don't undestand it. Why the BB bores aren't machined by the manufacturer? Would hiring a guy which sole job would be to use 40.97 mm reamer to finish the BB internals cost that much?

[@ECTproCycling]

My TCR front der cable cut through my crank axle.... and Giant refused all responsibility saying the crank wasn't compatible with their frames (I has asked a number of different Giant importers AND giant global for advise as to what BB to use for this crank, and followed their recommendations. Great...

[@christiansvendsen6668]

Man watching your chan is both good and bad, good because you learn a lot but also 'bad' cause I feel like no bikes are good and looking into getting a new bike

[@santafe8440]

Got TCR advance SL 2021, it’s not rubbish. Every carbon frames have wrinkles.

[@chrisko6439]

This is a bad substitute for Raoul's yellow pen. I hope, it is still working!

[@17cream]

He cut up a TCR and it was pretty good, so not sure what’s going on here

[@TheKryztiandivor]

My word, really suprised about the quality problems...

[@borano2031]

Is this your first Hambini clip?? Rgr

[@chrisswindell7704]

That’s very likely a 2018 Adv Pro Disc used by the Sunweb development team. The full team rode SLs in the same colour, with rim brakes. The Adv Pro in that colourway was released commercially in late 2018 for 2019 as the ‘Adv Pro Team’ and it came with rim brakes only, with mechanical Ultegra. When you re-bored the BB did you notice the material that was removed? I think it’s likely that it was a 2018 disc frame that’s simply had a hasty aftermarket paint job to out the team colours on for the development team, which gummed the interface. Did you see any signs of dark blue, silver or white paint? Because those were the Adv Pro Disc colours that year. I’ve had three TCRs of that vintage, and Adv Pro and two SLs, and none have had issues with the BB housing. The Adv Pros do have a poor seatpost interface which I sure you could accurately describe with some of the hyperbole used in this video, but the frames are generally of a good standard and I can’t say I know anyone who has suffered premature non-accident failure of a 2016-2020 TCR frame.

[@glennoc8585]

They paint the frames with a very thin coat and I would thing the painters would mask off the BB. If they did get paint on the mating surfaces then it would most likely be not enough to affect the concentricity.

[@chrisswindell7704]

@@glennoc8585 I think the issues might be, and I could be wrong, that they’ve gone over a production finished frame without sanding it. The finish around the BB has spoiled as if incorrectly prepped, and the finish looks crap as well. I mean, these were matt black and that doesn’t age well if not looked after, but it’s mottled and blistering. Could just be a bad lay up, god knows Giant kicked enough bikes out their factory that there must be some variance, but if I was examining a TCR frame and drawing a conclusion about the QC of the range, I wouldn’t start with this oddity. That said, if we ever want a laugh I’ll send Hambini my 2001 Once team TCR which had the previous BB removed with an angle grinder. It’ll probably give him a heart attack!

[@maxwilliams2000]

Mr Hambini, would love a review on Factor bikes; whether that is quality of build or review of performance claims.

[@SignorLuigi]

Press fit...perhaps best described as a good idea ruined by bike manufacturers?

[@davidgiroux5228]

I turned the volume down for the first few seconds, and you had a didn’t do your shrill greeting….:)

[@rokker333]

Why is Dude wearing a 1. FC Köln soccer jersey? 🤨🤣Love it 👍🏻

[@DavidStacey-tx7on]

Oh gawd I just bought a new 2021 TCR Pro 0 frameset. Alot of tcr's in local group and most creak and have had frame warranty replaced, but after ridinf one was impressed with its performance. Visually it looks well made, shimano bb is shagged. Thinking about either a Token Ninja or hambini bb

[@billpace9104]

Would it be possible to make a video to show how you machine the bb shell on the frame? Do you use standard facing/reaming tools? Thank you

[@billpace9104]

@RollinRat thank you for the explanation. Good info. I now remember the episode with the abrasive wheel.

[@markdavies143]

Picks a bike up from Hull, and believes what the ‘seller’ told him, it’ll be ‘borrowed’ goods!

[@10ktube]

Regular viewer here, appreciate the pen check! These videos make me so nervous of carbon fiber anymore. I'm also curious how badly a frame can be made and still not shatter into bits like we are all scared of after reading "horror stories". Other than creaky parts what would it take to actually have a catastrophe?

[@TarmacSkin]

I have been riding carbon since 1999. Honestly have no idea where he finds all these CRAP bikes. Honestly Ive beated the hell out of all my bikes and they are all good... Yes even Cervelo... Ive had 3 of them.

[@suminshizzles6951]

I avoided buying carbon since day one. Scrap that. I had one carbon back in the middle 90's. But it was a carbon tube bonded to lugs specialized so not real carbon. What put me off for many years was the price and the fact that one single crash COULD turn your expensive bike into a back up parts machine. Since then the "good" bike only see's sunny days and NO RAIN for a reason.

[@DaveCM]

You have to realize that he sees bikes with a problem the majority of the time. So, what he shows could very likely be a very rare occurrence. I've owned carbon bikes for a long time and never had problems. The only ones I've known to have manufacturer problems was a couple I knew and they had Boardmans.

[@blakehosler3662]

These bikes are over designed so they are tolerant of small irregularities that are part of the manufacturing process. He is finding issues but the wrinkling plies aren't necessarily a problem

[@davidfinn9828]

Who know that two pices of paper could explain crap quality control 🤔 best ride for me was a headdress 😅

[@MrMitchellw16]

The pen is out for taking notes!

[@paulsayer426]

Great video Hambini , two questions , I’d love to see a lower end TCR frame to see if it was as bad , and do you get free haircuts ….? PS …three questions …where’s the Shimano video mucca ?

[@Hambini]

Shimano video is in peer review. I went along with my thoughts to my engineering panel for their feedback - I've done a few corrections to the slides and then will publish.

[@paulsayer426]

@@Hambini As you can imagine , we’re looking forward to your video , well , I am ! I’m imprisoned at the minute with Covid , so look forward to your videos …..free haircuts then …..

[@chrisswindell7704]

That’s the entry level frame from 2018.

[@paulsayer426]

@@chrisswindell7704 Sorry , I obviously wasn’t paying attention, so would be nice to see more a more contemporary Giant , get the same review , would they be similar?

[@chrisswindell7704]

@@paulsayer426 can’t say I’ve had hands on the recent model (released in 2021) but I’ve had three from the 2016-2020 model. The SL I’d certainly expect to be of the highest standard as the material used is Giant’s flagship carbon product, which they use to make frames for quite a few other manufacturers (probably most notably Colnago - who have all but the ‘C’ frames made by Giant). The Advanced grade frames do have some limitations - but mostly just a poor seatpost interface design. I haven’t heard any complains about the BB housings other than the usual dissatisfaction with pressfit bearings. They’re also a challenge to run 30mm cranksets on, because the 41mm diameter leaves little space for the actual bearing.

[@mrstanhope1516]

Hambini goes global! Manchester.... Hull..... New York

[@cliffcox7643]

I think this was the measurement of my Bianchi Oltre XR4, when I asked for your help through email w my BB86. When I pushed in your BB, the noised it made, made me very nervous.

[@germurphy4986]

Time issue frames often differ from retail in that they are made heavier and beefed up to provide more strength. Not sure if Giant do this for their sponsored teams however.

[@teg6205]

Those pictures inside the seat tube look like my last colonoscopy.

[@user-nw2si7hu3u]

To be fair this is just painted to look like a team bike. And real pro bikes are only intended for extremely short periods of usage, like one season at MOST. Generally even less, then they’re tossed or auctioned off. Consumers who spend their own precious $$ wanting what pros use thinking it must be “the best” and demanding long term quality fault to realize the professional needs of a frame are the exact opposite, they get them for free, trash them for a few months and then move on to the next one. Durability precision etc do not factor into their minds. They are fast moving advertisements at best. No pro bike is intended (nor made) to last longer than one season (at MOST). So everyone complaining their 800g frame is made like shit is expecting the wrong thing. Yes they’re expensive but that’s the price you pay for what you’re getting, csnt really have it both ways or else frames would cost 5x more than what they already do. Look at cervelos I remember the R3 still had newspaper inside from the molds and was so thin walled you could squeeze it between 2 fingers - but it was light and lasted about a year BECAUSE THATS WHAT IT WAS MADE TO DO. Not a day more. All the mass consumers purchasing them expecting theyd last a lifetime and be perfect NASA machines don’t get it at all. If you want that stay away from mass produced CF and “professional” “team” bikes. That’s not what they’re designed to be or do. If you have the $$ to spend on something that’s expendable and replaceable (like the pros do) then go for it. Bottoms line: don’t hold professional extreme (and also mass produced) frames to the standards of long term dependability and precision, etc. it’s apples and oranges.

[@tychoMX]

whoa - hang on. Hambini-logo'd overalls? I'd get a set for sure!

[@sebr7477]

You know what they say - better undersized than oversized!

[@glennoc8585]

In some contexts yes but I can think of at least one where.....😉

[@DonybrookandBray]

I have been bumbling along on a 2017 Giant Advanced Propel, thinking, this a bit of all right... Its served me well except for having changed out Giant provided hubs and wheels, changed the BB once, serviced every 6 months, so I have paid for the bike probably twice over or more on servicing and replacement parts. I am planning to replace in the next year, supply chains permitting, what manufacturer has the best QA/QC outcomes in your view? Great videos BTW.

[@markgreenhow7953]

I know hambini is trying to sell BBs but I've always believed that Shimano BBs worked best on BB86 as the plastic or delrin as they call it outer casing is designed to deform slightly to fit the BB shell. I had a trinity with a lovely smooth Shimano BB which I replaced with high quality bearings for a rotor crank and one of them was slightly deformed by the imperfect tolerances and was rough as hell. Best to use what those frames are designed for IMO.

[@wojciechkrause7240]

I'm not sure but Team Sunweb didn't Use Disc Break Frames. I think that will be huge difference between disc and rim break frame

[@brianheard4565]

Talking about the bearing housing fit. I'm a design draftsman and have specified sizing for bearing housings umpteen times. If the housing is in a machine tool for example where it's very solid and stable, then sizing straight from the catalogue is obviously correct. Thinking about this housing though - it's very light weight and probably somewhat elastic - could it be that Giant's experience tells them that sizing needs to be different to ensure a long lasting snug fit for the bearing? Just a thought. Maybe, as someone mentioned, a sample of one is not enough here...

[@ChrisBrown-xf2ce]

I don't understand why some think a machined BB is superior to a press-fit? Just because a thread is made on either side doesn't mean both sides are aligned. Hambini's solution overcomes the shortcomings of the bike industry. Don't expect the bike industry to change until people stop paying stupid cash for these out-of-spec BB's. That said, I've fixed BB issues with Hambini's more expensive press-fit-solutions and with FSA's BB-BSA much cheaper option.

[@Hambini]

it's not superior. there is an added interface. the prroblem is the bike suppliers can't make it.