2005 giant bike range

what are your initial thought on the 2005 giant road bike range
i think the range of carbon fibre bikes has definetly improved since last year.
is there anyone who has had some experiance with the new shimano wheelsets? are they an impovement from the whr540's of old?

 

Can't say I'm a fan of the new paintjobs (I'd much rather have a nude carbon finish) nor the extended wheelbase. But who knows, maybe Giant has some reasoning behind it.

 

I see where you are coming from
i am looking forward to seeing the prices
i wonder how those composite brakes work on some of the models, comparable to ultegra? who knows
but i would rather have the extra weight then have reduced braking power

 

Does the website have the '05 models, or are they only in catalogues?

 

well the australian site has the 2005 range
not sure about other countries

 

Here are some of the OCR composites. I'm not too sure about the Tektro brakes either.

Aus Giant site

 

I like that they have made it easier to decide on a new bike. After having seen the 05 Giants, I have now narrowed my choice to down to either the Orbea Mitis Ultegra or Felt’s F55. I did want a 04 Giant TCR composite 2, but none of the LBS have any left and I am not big on the paint on the 05 model.

 

The 2005 TCR Composite models for the US are slightly different from those shown on the Giant Australian web site. The blue TCR1 in Aus. is the TCR2 in the US with Ultegra crankset and WH-R550 wheels. A close up look at the paint jobs reveals some really nice looking frames. The blue fades into the white streaks which look like cartilage, which fades into clear carbon looks sweet! My LBS sent me pictures from a dealer CD I think. I'm sold on the TCR2 which retails for $2100. There is a TCR3 version(red like the TCR2 on Aus.) for $1600 with 105 components. The TCR1 version(silver) retails for $2800. The TCR0 version(gold). I don't remember the retail price.

The 7mm longer wheelbase stretches the rider out for more comfort. Unfortunately, according to my LBS, there is not a M-L size as shown on the Aus. site for the US. The new paint jobs look different and take getting used to like most "new looks".

 

I've posted pictures of the "'05 Giant TCR Composite 2 (C2) on a thread called "2005 Giant TCR 2" in this "Cycling Equipment" forum.

 

I dont really like the new paint jobs either. I think last years and the year before were really cool. I dont like how it covers half the frame with paint, but they always try to follow the sponser bike, and t-mobile has it painted halfway. The extended wheelbase is, from what I hear, because of Beloki's crash. He was going so fast, the bike couldnt handle it. The boys at t-mobile saw that and told Giant to lengthen it because they didnt want that happening to them. So I heard. I dont like how they got rid of their Campy bikes. They sold out of those in a few months, always, and suddenly they decide to take that market and throw it out the window. Thats bad managment. They now have more carbon bikes, which is awsome, and the new OCRs are really badass. They got rid of the VT line, which is a dissapointment. I really wanted one of those this year, but now they have the Trance and Reign and whatnot. I dont like how those look. They look bad because they try and fit so many peole on like 3 sizes. :-/

 

I like the new paint jobs much more than my 2003 TCR Comp's paint job.
As far as extending the wheelbase is concerned, I think that it could be a good thing, it reduces extreme chain angles (not that you should ride in large-large and small-small combinations anyway), providing longer drivetrain lifetime, and as to my experience with the very short wheelbase and concave seat tube of the 2003 model - the smallest stone or pebble stuck to the tread of my rear tyre causes scraping of the seat tube (the offending material is usually some mixture of fresh tar and road surface stone), to the degree that I have to put my hand onto the tyre while riding to brush the stuff off - not the safest thing to do (sometimes I even have to stop and dismount to clear the debris properly). I really would love it if the wheelbase of the 2003 and 2004 models was even only 5mm longer.

The slightly longer wheelbase (I don't think it is more than 15mm longer) will also make the handling at high speed more predictable and less twitchy - a very good thing, since handling on the 2003 and 2004 models is decidedly twitchy at speeds over 70kph