Road Bike Of The Year - Disc Race Bikes - Giant TCR Vs. Cannondale SuperSix

In their search for the very best road bike of 2017, Cycling Plus collected a few arch rivals in five different categories and pitted them against each other. The best of those will eventually be crowned overall Bike of the Year.
We pit the Cannondale SuperSix EVO Disc Ultegra against Giant's TCR Advanced 1 Disc.

[@andywheatley7]

Hi guys I’ve just got the tcr and the ride quality is out of this world 🌎!! Flew through my sprint to work, it’s like the bikes on rails. All the power going through the bottom bracket just flies you forward. Discs are a dream so much confidence braking at the last minute. For the price TCR all day. Enjoy your rides 👍🏽

[@gamecat1923]

In the real world, time out of the saddle on a ride = ~ 2% In Bike Radar review world, time out of saddle = ~ 90%

[@tehllama42]

How different are bikes in the same category when seated pedaling on an ordinary surface? A poor bike with great wheels and tires is going to be identical to a great bike all else equal in that situation - so it makes sense to compare these in the review, because that does suss out the overall design quality, especially since it's so hard to quantify and describe damping of road imperfections

[@redauwg911]

Great video Warren. Always like your honesty when reviewing bikes. You're not like other reviewer's who seem like they got a free product and it has to be great. But you talk as if you are spending your own money. And will say what you want about it. I would take the Giant and put the saved money into better wheels , Thanks again.

[@modernmedicine2562]

i've had both bikes and i must admit the TCR is an absolute beast in almost all aspects..the compact geometry really does make a whole lot difference especially during descends and sprints.

[@etobiCRACKscorpions]

I work for Giant and I can tell you so much better value in the TCR Advanced 2 with full 105 groupset instead of paying for TCR Advanced 1 Ultegra and 105 levers. The 805 Levers are REALLY nice and the 505 levers (which I own on my CAAD12) work fine just look absolutely wretched. If you really want a race disc bike consider the Advanced Pro Disc models of either TCR or DEFY. OR, keep an eye out for the redesigned 2018 Propel.

[@JustAnotherDayToday]

etobiCRACKscorpions Thank you for that bit of advice!

[@VitekHolubovsky]

I agree, but the color scheme on the TCR ADV 2 DISC is fugly. =(

[@SuperSpacebum]

Propel you say.....

[@nerdexproject]

Good to know, 'cause I own the TCR Adv 2 for 10 days now! haha :D I think it's really lit but it's also my first road bike so I can't really compare it. :P

[@sergarlantyrell7847]

I would agree the Adv 2 Disc is the better value of the 2 as those beer-can shifters don't get upgraded with the Adv 1 (plus I'm not a fan of fluoro colour schemes on bikes, and the matte black and red looks way cooler, if a little boring). The Pro (or SL) model is the only notable upgrade which is a shame since there is only the 1 model and its pimped out with Di2 etc and costs about twice the price.

[@craigpaterson5085]

Gains tcr is such a fast balanced stable bike great for racing

[@richardhaselwood9478]

Just with regards the Giant PR2 wheels. I'm a fatty (about 105 kg), and have been riding a pair for over 2 years on my Defy Advanced, close on 15 000km, and they are still beautifully true, no loose spokes, hubs still tight. I'm colossally impressed. BUT... they are a bit on the heavy side, and lighter riders may likely appreciate a more lively set of wheels.

[@ilikelampshades6]

Richard Haselwood how do you still weigh 105kg after all of that riding?! I just need to look at bikes and I lose weight

[@flow2tech]

james grainger Most likely diet remains unchanged after long rides! That and 🍻

[@lisapet160]

Trevor: Yep. It's under 21 km per day. Way, way less than 500 calories if ridden in amateur pace. Two unneeded snacks or one pastry per day will cover that caloric loss just like that.

[@richardhaselwood9478]

james grainger , A deep and abiding love of food 😄

[@pl4free]

you can't outrun a bad diet, mate ;)

[@stefanodirector]

Got myself the Evo Disc for Christmas and started a love story that got me fitter and thinner. Placebo effect ruling (rolling) supreme. A fantastic bike for reasonable money. I did upgrade it to a pair of Mavic Ksyrium Pros though ;-)

[@BikeLife154]

I own a TCR and a caad 12, but Cannondale are Sooooo tight! In Korea where I live this bike is 3,750,000 KRW or around $3,300 and they don't even provide a carbon seatpost!! Cannondale you are joking right??? Please give the award for tightest bicycle company to Cannondale for 2017!

[@alduarte4448]

Cervelo R3 is my favorite fast/comfortable bike plus They come equipped with full gruppos plus parts are more universal for future upgrades!

[@thomaseser8359]

I habe bought the TCR a weeks ago ... and I fully agree with your Statement. IT is really Impressive Stiff. The Saddle is great. The only thing is for races I habe to buy Light Wheels. But for entre the Disc Brak es World IT is a great deal. And the tubeless Tyres Performance well. A statt of the Art Bike for a fair price.

[@HowayTheMags]

This TCR was absolutely phenomenal. My frame got written off in a crash and it has now been retired to the turbo trainer, but if you're thinking of getting any TCR, buy it. :)

[@MrAndrew1953]

BMC Roadmachine still my favourite. How does it compare performance and value?

[@minominomino6024]

not really, 2000 dollars more in Canada than the Tcr. I was bike shopping the last month and pulled a trigger on the Giant Tcr disc with 105. No one beats Giant value-wise. The TCR with Ultegra costs 2900 dollars compared to 4500 for the road machine and 4300 for the Cannondale. For the price difference, you could buy a carbon wheelset.

[@Hotitalianman]

True. $4000 for canondale and $2300 for TCR. TCR is lighter too.

[@syamsuladzmirhamzah2189]

Hi...would like to have you guys compare and give a comments between the Giant TCR SLR 1 with Cannondale CAAD12, in term of handling, stiffness, riding smoothness and etc. Don't get me wrong, the reason I would like to have this two nice bikes been reviewed by you guys is because I love the way you guys done your review and it is hard for me to find any reviews of Giant TCR SLR 1 in the internet or youtube. Thanks bruv.

[@hongfayianprayong7166]

Slim, QUIET, works great. I wanted modern and out of the way. This is it!

[@experiment54]

The PR2 wheels on the Giant are heavier than the Mavics on the Cannondale. Funny you said in your review "the mavics are heavy" but didn't say the same about the PR2 which like I say are heavier than the mavics.

[@Cortes19882012]

SuperSix Evo Ftw!

[@andrewlabat9963]

My Huffy Purple Demon rules the road..!!

[@owenchuarbx]

One of the main reasons I do not wish to buy a TCR is because of the tubeless tyres coming as standard. I have a B'Twin Ultra 700 AF and my next bike would be the more traditional SuperSix Evo or CAAD12

[@mambac7]

I am looking at these two bikes; supersix evo and TCR Advanced, but with rim brakes. 105 compenents are good enough to ride super hard and race on, plus saves a lot of $$$. Can't decide...

[@Mububban23]

I doubt you'll be disappointed with either, both great bikes. In isolation, you'd never know what you're missing from one bike to another. You'd probably only notice riding them back to back for a long time.

[@philjono2462]

We need this but in a 2021 version

[@minominomino6024]

almost 1600 dollars in price difference thought. That could go to the wheels considering that giant's carbon wheels cost roughly 1300 dollars for the set

[@aniutiube2011]

Man had you ridden the Bianchi Infinito CV? Its awesome 👏 why it's not reviewed here???

[@V630V]

Any comments vs. the new tarmac comp disc? It has the newer frame (sl5?) and same price / components as the cannondale

[@grainfrizz]

I'd use the money to get a Canyon Ultimate CF Disc

[@Squad-eq1gd]

canyon quality sucks bro

[@J90JAM]

Baia Squad Any reason you say this? I know a lot of very happy owners and there's thousands over the world.

[@grainfrizz]

Baia Squad​ i don't think so. In fact, I don't know of any bike better than Canyon. Xoxo

[@pl4free]

that's bs! truth is it doesn't matter from which top manufacturer you buy, as long as you buy in the same price-class, you'll mostly get a similar bike with very small and negligible differences. So a 2000$ Canyon won't be much better or worse than a 2000$ Specialized, Giant, Cannondale, Trek and so on...

[@Squad-eq1gd]

yes i have some reasons ;)

[@ricric9521]

So the better bike is the Evo. Just costs a bit more. Is this the Best Value Bike video? I have the Evo Disc team and it is fast comfortable and handles like on rails. And I was on a Canyon ultimate before this bike (non-disc).

[@Nhepburn22]

where are they cycling in the video?

[@that70sschwinn]

Nice review

[@burteddy]

I have the new hi mod I like it but it's just not stiff enough for sprinting is the TCR sl stiffer than hi mod or should I go with Swork tarmac or full on aero sprint bike ie Venge vias, propel sl or Scott foil 10

[@mattjones9343]

ryan mitchell bikeradar don't ride them hard enough to find out how stiff they are. If you're into crits or a hard sprinter/descender you can't trust their opinions.

[@Hexsense]

Super six's design made to be compliance and light weight as the main factor. Hi-mod only make use of stiffer carbon to make thinner frame to weight less. Giant has Propel, Defy and TCR where Propel focus on Aero, Defy on comfort and TCR is for stiffness to weight ratio (it was the highest stiffness to weight ratio back a few years ago's test, should still hold up now). If you seek for stiffness, going toward TCR is the right choice.

[@burteddy]

Yea that's what my research has shown thanks for the confirmation. I think I'm going for the tcr sl this summer and wait for the 2018 propel before I choose my aero bike

[@jona.136]

ryan mitchell Not stiff enough? Lol. Mine does just fine @1600watts

[@dominickfrancis9808]

Matte green is the best I think , black looks boring and there are too much black bikes on the market boring , please bring more vibrant colours again gaint please or some custom colour option on website , and aero cockpit please also would look strap and could save some watts definitely for sure : )

[@OfficerBaron]

Calling it Giant trumps

[@JustAnotherDayToday]

The EVO just oozes race bike. Anyone riding one just looks like they are about to head out racing.

[@Hotitalianman]

$4099 for the evo here in Canada and Giant $2699. A lot of cash savings if the ride is of equal feel. Something to consider.

[@JustAnotherDayToday]

Claudio Delcioppo Giant is hard to beat for spend to value. I would say on the Giant the spec'ed PR-2 are HEAVY. Bombproof but heavy.

[@minominomino6024]

not quite, as both bike weight almost the same. I know because I was bike shopping a few weeks ago and decided to go with the giant since i'm a student and savings DOES matter to me

[@experiment54]

Mino Minomino The PR2 wheels on the Giant are heavier than the Mavics on the Cannondale.

[@minominomino6024]

That's true but there is almost 2000 dollars in difference here in Canada, enough to get Giant's ultra light climbing disc wheels, along with many upgrades. I ended up buying the propel tho

[@SkraggsCyclevlog]

Ride GIANT !

[@mitchellsteindler]

nice pain face at 6:20!

[@ronitdebnath]

Tarmac and Teammachine also should be thrown into the Ballpark. In India the Cannondale is actually cheaper.

[@andersbjrnskov8130]

woh! how tall is that guy? Looking at the bikes geometry and size, he must be like 2,5 meter.... 😨👀😁😮

[@Pienimusta]

"disc brakes cause deaths and everyone's brains will explode from super dangerous spinning discs"

[@paulomendo8956]

It’s impressive how Cannondale quickly became “just another bike brand” since they were sold some years ago...from a venerable brand to a “just one more”...too sad...

[@MrQuirinus]

Cannondale....é a mesma coisa a séculos.

[@andrewlabat9963]

Given your particular price point and similar specs buy what you want to throw your leg over time and time again. In the end unless you making a living at it, which pros don't get to chose hardly a thing as far as equipment, it won't make a damn bit of difference, so if someone says this is the best, they either have no idea and won't to sound knowledgeable or they on someone's payroll.

[@jamesambrocio]

Buying a whole bike? Where's the fun in that?

[@GeorgeFarrowGreen]

It's a race bike it doesn't have to be comfortable!

[@mjv1967]

Too bad the TCR does not have Ultegra brakes. Makes the big look cheap.

[@modernmedicine2562]

it does come with ultegra brakes unless you're looking at under 1k giant bikes.

[@jpprovost64]

hate the cable on the giant !!

[@juanmata9733]

Giant tcr wins

[@alexmorse2157]

Giant cable routing and those levers look garbage enough to place the cdale ahead for me. Race bikes arent meant to be comfy btw.

[@smalerider1727]

Yes they can be. Pro bikes all the time have comfort features. If you're riding a bike that isn't completely comfortable, then you're riding the wrong bike.

[@alexmorse2157]

have you ever ridden an r5? a madone or a tarmac? compared to their 'endurance' counterparts, they arent exactly comfortable. Def a compromise of comfort for speed, if nothing else, in the geometry alone... unless youre a total fred and throw a stem riser on top of a stack of spacers. #slamthatstem #dontsassme

[@Calum_S]

Sloping top tube AND disc brakes? The 'purists' won't like that at all.

[@Phaidrus]

lol

[@Mububban23]

Personally I find a straight top tube to look boring and old fashioned. Each to their own :-)

[@jeffstryker1454]

I like the giant.

[@HarleyBreakoutGuy]

Why the fook would you want short wheel base bike? Most people ride in a straight line and along a curve roads at high speed so you will need longer wheel base for stability - only a snake would lie to you short wheel base is so cool because it's flickable. With short wheel base bikes you will struggle to keep the bike stable so in long endurance races you will get tired much faster than longer wheel base bike riders.

[@HarleyBreakoutGuy]

i will never ever buy cannondale - only buy giant bikes they are the best.

[@sebstefan3934]

I HATE D FUSE SEATPOSTS! They are not entirely made of carbon and cannot be replaced by anything better because of that stupid shape! Giant, PLEASE!!! It’s the only thing preventing me from buying a Giant road bike right now...

[@Hotitalianman]

Cannondale's weight is the issue here. Read about it in another review and picked up the same bike at a local bike shop, it is heavy. I would stick to the trek emonda sl6 which is close to 16 pounds. Even with discs the emonda would be less.

[@brianmoore1164]

It is in the wheels. The EVO is a feather.

[@Hotitalianman]

Then your final price is way over $5000 if you swap the wheels. ( Canadian that is)

[@brianmoore1164]

Claudio Delcioppo I am actually happy to see our currency recover, but I feel your pain.

[@alfs2608]

2

[@topoluc12]

can we get a "really" counter

[@user-si3vr5gv8l]

you guys ARTICULATE please, can't understand , and take it out of your mouth does not belong to you LOL

[@samsanders3150]

i hate disc