2005 Giant TCR 2

2005 Giant TCR 2 that I ordered arrived yesterday. New paint job looks nice. The white weave on the top tube has more brown/gold that the web pictures show. The clear coat carbon weave emerges from that white weave. Bought this bike for my son for Christmas. I will post pictures after he receives it on Christmas Day. It's in hiding for now.

 

Sounds great..that's the bike I am looking at when I reach my goal weight Looks great and from what I have heard rides very well!! My favorite memory of cycling is watching Jaja in ONCE colours riding a Giant compact frame...poetry in motion

 

I haven't ridden it yet. It's at the LBS being fine tuned. I'm swapping out the Time Impact pedals for Ultegra R600 SPD-SL pedals. The frame has a 7mm longer wheelbase for improved stability. Get that weight down and get one! Good luck!

 

you'd best be standing behind your son when he first sees that bike, just in case he faints. what an awesome gift! my wife also bought me an '04 tcr 2 composite as a Christmas gift, but we got it last month and I've been riding it since. it does ride like a dream and i hope your son gets a kick out of riding it too. happy holidays to you and your family!

 

Thanks. Happy holidays to you and your family as well. I felt I needed to upgrade my son's racing equipment. He won 5 junior races including a state championship on basically a touring bike weighing about 24lbs.. This TCR 2 weighs in at 17.7lbs. Should be another good year of racing. We're thinking about the junior nationals, but I don't want to rush things.

 

i agree, the tcr 2 is a solid frame with equally solid components. some say though that the wheelset is relatively heavy and flexy during hard cornering, but otherwise perfect for training. your son might want to swap them for lighter but stiffer ones during races. that would also probably be the next best way to further reduce weight. have you tried riding the bike? you might want to get one for yourself.

 

You're right about the wheelset. The Shimano R550's that come with the bike weigh 1854 grams. They will be training wheels. We are looking at the Velomax Orions with a total weight of 1477 grams. Also looking at Ksyrium SL's which I ride on. I haven't ridden the bike yet. It is in hiding at a friend's house until Christmas Day. His "maiden ride" will be Dec. 26.

 

well i wish you and your family, especially your son the best of luck and even greater success this coming year. don't forget to post some pics! again, happy holidays!

 

Here are the pictures of the '05 Giant TCR Composite 2 (C2).

 

Wipes drool off chin

Well...what did he say when he got it? And then after he rode it?

Amazing looking bike......makes me want one even more now....you looking for a new 31 year old son at all??

 

Unfortunately, he has only ridden the bike about 4 miles since Christmas Day. We've got a bit of a cold spell going on where we live. Over the weekend the temps didn't rise above 32 degrees. Unable to get out with him during the week due to work (new job/no vacation time earned) and short amount of daylight hours. Planning long rides Fri. - Sun.

During the short 4 miles on the bike, my son did notice the improved responsiveness of the bike. Probably due to the lighter weight (7 lbs lighter than he first bike - Specialized Allez Sport).

I'm interested in his thoughts on how it corners, descends, climbs, etc. which won't been known until a nice ride. I'll let you know and I plan to test ride it myself. My first concern is dialing it in for him. His first race is two months away.

31 year old son? Hey with your 31 year old income, I could probably pay for your pedals! Ha!

 

i have to say that bike looks f'n awesome.

 

The first sunny day that I don't have to work or this weekend I plan to take pictures of the whole bike outdoors in better lighting. The indoor lighting that my first group of pictures was taken in, was not that bright. So look for brighter pictures next week.

 

Glad to hear you're son is enjoying the bike.

What size is it? S, M, L? Does that weight include pedals?

 

He enjoyed it all of three months. A guy crashed into him during a Cat.3 race and cracked a rear seat stay. Useless frame. Now just a souvenir of his junior racing career. Weight did include pedals.