Bargain Giant TCR?

[bikeman66]

I've got half an eye on upgrading from my current Felt F95, and chanced upon what appears to be a good deal at Pedal On. They have the Giant TCR Advanced 3 for £699 (usually retails at £1,100).

For an £1,100 bike I might have expected to see 105 rather than Tiagra, but I guess that is upgradeable as things wear out.

I know a lot of you guys swear by Giant bikes, so if anyone out there is able to give me a balanced opinion of the TCR Advanced 3 I'd be really appreciative.

Thanks in advance for any tips or advice you might have.

 

[cyberknight]

http://www.cyclist.co.uk/giant/tcr/43/giant-tcr-advanced-3-review

 

[Drago]

I got one bike with Tiagra, another with 105, and without actually looking at it I'll be buggered if j can tell the difference when using it. I wouldn't let it worry you if you otherwise fancy the bike.

Do try and ride it though. Having been 1100 sheets originally doesn't automatically make it brilliant - a piece of crap sold hat half price will still be a piece of crap. Unless you're identical height, weight, fitness, age, injury history etc of the tester then press reviews aren't really knowledge that can be transferred directly to you.

That said, Giant rarely make a duff bike. Conversely though I prefer the ride of my Felt to the Defy composite. When a bike hits that sweet spot in the way it rides and feels then the spec, material tend to become largely irrelevant so it really is worth blagging a test ride for yourself.

Good luck, let us know how you get on.

 

[Ajay]

The key difference between tiagra and 105 is 10 vs 11 speed, so when you do want to upgrade you'll be looking having to buy a whole group set pretty much.

 

[cyberknight]

For the sale price its a bargain, and unless you really need to keep on top of a certain cadence eg racing then 11 speed isn't a necessary

 

[Doyleyburger]

I got the TCR advanced 2 from pedal-on and Fricken love it. I managed to get it down from the list price of £1500 or whatever it was, down to £1000.
Saw a slight defect in the paint on delivery and they gave me £100 off the bike, so ended up being £900.
I did debate getting the advanced 3 simply because I preferred it in white but ended up with my one as I thought the 11 speed 105 was too good to turn down at that price.
Fantastic machine.
The deal you saw seems very good