Giant Bikes

More History:

Founded in 1972, Giant started its life as an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer), producing component parts for use in other brands of bike. However, in 1986 the company decided to go private, producing their own range of products for avid cyclists. As the company has grown, Giant has spread into other markets and currently they have six different categories of bicycle (see below). Indeed, nowadays the Taiwanese bicycle manufacturer Giant can boast of being the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world, with factories in Taiwan, China and the Netherlands. Similarly, the company is one of the most lucrative bicycle manufacturers in the world, selling its products in over 50 countries and amassing an impressive $820million in revenue each year.

Below is a list of all the Giant bikes currently on the market, split into the six sections: Mountain, Road, Woman, Lifestyle, Power Assisted and Kids.

Mountain Range:

The Mountain range consists of four different styles of bike, each specifically designed to help the mountain biker of all levels, from novice to professional.

Competition

- Anthem X0:
A very light bike, the Anthem X0 is built for speed and manoeuvrability. This is very much an improvement on the hugely successful Anthem X1, with the key upgrades including a new handlebar and seat post as well as an improved set of disc brakes and an all-new, CrossMax XL wheel set. The Anthem XO retails at approximately £3500 worldwide.

- Anthem Advanced:
Much like the Anthem X0, the Anthem Advanced is an improvement on the X1 series. A super-light Shimano XTR racing wheel set with 26” rims, on top of the Fox Float RP23 shock-absorbers, makes this bike perfect for the cycling purist. The Anthem Advanced retails at approximately £2500 worldwide.

Trail

- Trance X:
The Trance X is built with the very pinnacle of cycling technology, and combines the three key elements of speed, precision and longevity to create a truly superb racing bike. The Trance X retails at a very respectable £1800 worldwide.

Freeride

- Glory 0:
The Glory 0 takes all the positives of the previous Glory 1 range and adds a better hydraulic braking system, an improved X.9 rear derailleur as well as a Marzocchi 66RC3 rear shock absorber. All together, the new additions help create a bike for all mountain conditions, and thus a bike for all people. The Glory 0 is currently on the market for approximately £2500 worldwide.

Sport

- Yukon:
The Yukon is a great bike for those who seek a more leisurely ride. Built for maximum fun, the Yukon is a bike that simply anyone can pick up and ride, and at just £350 the Yukon certainly represents value for money.

- Rincon:
Like the Yukon, the Rincon is a bike suited to riders of all levels. An all-new AluxX aluminium frame and Suntour XCM 80mm travel fork with lockout reassures customers that despite the price tag, the Rincon is built with quality in mind. The Rincon retails at approximately £300 worldwide.

- Rainier:
As with all the Mountain Sport bikes, the Rainier is a cost-effective solution to mountain biking, for all the family. With a retail price of £350 one could be forgiven for thinking the Rainier was not one of Giant’s principle concerns, but with Shimano Alivio speed shifters and a specialised Giant Root hydraulic system, this theory would seem to be false.

- Terrago:
As the most expensive in the range at £450, one shouldn’t be surprised to know that this is the bike most suited to the avid cycler. With 27 speed shifters and a Suntour 100mm travel fork with lockout, the Terrago rivals some of the most prestigious bikes in Giants whole range.

Road Range:

The Road range consists of three different styles of bike, with focus going on racing and fitness.

Competition

- TCR Advanced SL:
This is a stunning piece of machinery. All of Giant’s innovative Shimano technology can be found in the TCR Advanced SL, such as Full Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 20 speed group set, the Shimano PRO handlebar and stem, not to mention the ground-breaking Shimano Carbon-Dura featherweight wheel set. Retailing at approximately £4500 the TCR Advanced is certainly one for the serious biker.

- Trinity Advanced:
Featuring Giant’s pioneering Compact Aero design, the Trinity Advanced is an upgrade on both the Trinity 0 and the Trinity Alliance. Designed on the principles of speed and performance that have built the name of Giant, with clever features such as the integrated Vision Carbon bar system and the Mavic Cosmic Elite wheel, the Trinity Advanced is the perfect bike for the road racer. The Trinity Advanced retails at approximately £3500 worldwide.

Performance

- Defy Advanced:
Lighter, stiffer and more aggressive than the Defy Alliance, the Defy Advanced is a bike that certainly merits its status as a performance bike. Race Face Revolution handlebar and stem make for a lighter ride, and the Full Shimano Ultegra 20 speed group set make the Defy Advanced an awesome performance bike. The Defy advanced currently retails at £2000 worldwide.

Fitness

- FCR Advanced:
The FCR Advanced is a fitness bike that aims to replicate the experience of the gym in the outside environment. Advanced Composite technology is used in the design of the frame and overdrive fork, and added to the Shimano technology found in the higher-end of the Giant range, one can rest assured the FCR Advanced is more than just an exercise bike. It retails at just £1500.

Woman Range:

The Woman range consists of three different styles of bike, which are specifically targeted at the female audience.

Road W

- FCR W:
The FCR W contains all the redeeming features which made the FCR Advanced such a successful bike, but in a design that is more suitable to the female gender. Very much targeted towards road racing, the FCR W also doubles up as a fitness bike, which can be seen by the use of the Shimano Tiagra chain set and Mavic rims. The FCR W retails at around £600 worldwide.

- Aeryn:
A slightly more professional bike, Aeryn is less about fun and fitness, and more about racing and speed. The Aeryn uses special Alliance technology in the design of the lightweight frame, as well as in the fork. A Full Shimano 20 Dura-Ace speed set allows for greater speed, thus making it perfect for road racing. The Aeryn would set you back approximately £1500 in today’s market.

Mountain W

- Arete W:
As an improvement on the Arete2, the Arete W uses specialised Rock Shox Reba technology in its 100mm travel fork, as well as the highly original Avid Juicy 5 hydraulic disc brakes, something which sets this bike apart from the rest. Also at a tasty £750, this is certainly a bike that female bikers should give serious consideration to purchasing.

Lifestyle W

- CRS 0 W:
Recently designed in spring of 2008, the new generation CRS frame design is something Giant is extremely proud of. As well as this, the T700 Carbon Composite fork with aluminium steerer helps add an element of safety to an otherwise high-performance bike. This bike currently retails at £600 worldwide.

- CRS FS W:
A spin-off from the CRS 0 range, the CRS FS is a bike designed more for everyday use, with consideration to lifestyle taken into consideration in its design. At £350, this is a bike that is perfectly suited to the casual female cyclist.

Lifestyle Range:

The Lifestyle range consists of two different styles of bike, both of which target the casual cyclist.

City

- Escape Mini:
Based on the design for the Escape R and Escape M, the Escape Mini is very much a bike for convenience. Its space-saving design, as well as its lightweight material allows it to be stored with ease. Despite its fragile frame, the Escape Mini is extremely Mini and is certain to be a big hit with commuters...even more so when they realise it retails at just £850.

Comfort

- Cypress:
With its lightweight ALUXX Aluminium frame, amazing hill-taming capabilities, plush saddles and easy handling the Cypress has got to be one of Giant’s most user-friendly bikes on the market. A Shimano braking system and Anti-Slip Resin pedals also mean this bike is extremely safe. The Cypress retails at approximately £225 worldwide, which is a great bargain.

- Sedona:
With its 26-inch wheels and specialised Giant saddle, the Sedona creates a smooth and easy ride, regardless of the terrain. Much like the Cypress, the Sedona shows that quality and performance do not necessarily mean big prices, and the retail price of £275 highlights this.

Power Assisted Range:

The Power Assisted range consists of just one bike, which is solely for those seeking an altogether easier ride.

Twist

- Freedom:
Popular with commuters, the Freedom uses a special hybrid system powered by two lithium batteries which makes for an easier ride. A Shimano Nexus 8 speed internal gear hub also means that the ride is an altogether faster affair than that of the previous Freedom CS Lite model. The Freedom is currently on the market for £1200 worldwide.

Kids Range:

The Kids range consists of just two different bikes, which are targeted to those just starting to learn how to ride a bike.

Junior

- Animator:
The Animator comes in two different sizes, 12” and 16”. The bike is designed to sit low to the ground, allowing for easy access both on and off the bike. Fully equipped with a rigid frame, powerful brakes and thick wheels, the Animator is perfect for those just starting to appreciate the beauty of cycling. The option of detachable stabilizers also allows for steady progress, and at just under £100, the Animator is worth every penny.

Family

- Tricycle:
A bike for the very young cyclist, the Tricycle provides a stepping stone into the word of cycling. The bike comes in three different colours - blue, red and pink - making it suitable for anyone looking to purchase their child’s first bike. The Giant Tricycle currently retails at a respectable £70 worldwide.

Giant's 2012 road bike range doesn't present the obvious visual changes we usually expect from a newly overhauled collection. The design language is still present from the current family and changes are mostly subtle below-the-skin tweaks instead of wholesale changes in direction.  But it's unlikely most consumers will be upset. 

Progression in materials and construction methods have allowed the company to shed big chunks of weight from the carbon frames while retaining their resilient ride quality and confident handling.  The other major improvement comes in overall handling precision, which makes a significant jump with the move towards an even more oversized 1 1/4-to-1 1/2in tapered front end called OverDrive2.

We can hear it already – "Another new standard??!!"  Yep, 'tis true but there's a good engineering reason for the shift and it's worth noting that Giant isn't the first company to go this route. Canyon Bicycles uses the same steerer dimension for its OneOneFour-equipped bikes and there's little debating the connected feeling that that front end provides. 

Tube shaping on the Defy range is very similar to the top-end TCR, including the bulbous squared-off head tube housing the new OverDrive 2 1 1/4-to-1 1/2in tapered steerer tube.

In this case, Giant is claiming up to a 40 percent increase in "steering stiffness" with essentially no increase in weight and while we can't validate that exact number, test rides on new models confirmed that there's a tangible improvement in how well the front end responds to steering inputs and resists twisting.

If our hunch is correct, you'll likely see more manufacturers heading that way, too, as there's also minimal impact on consumers in terms of component compatibility.  Giant of course will offer its own stems with a 1 1/4in clamp but other models already exist from Ritchey, Syntace, and FSA (PRO has stems in the works, too). 

Interestingly, Giant has also managed to fit the bigger fork in the same head tube as before, meaning that current owners with older OverDrive front ends can upgrade simply by swapping out their fork, upper headset hardware, stem, and spacers.

All of the new frames also feature fully internal cable routing along with Shimano Di2-ready fittings and ports for batteries and wiring harnesses.

Presenting the new TCR family

The new Giant TCR Advanced SL

Sitting at the top of TCR totem pole for 2012 is again the Rabobank team-issue TCR Advanced SL.  Features carrying over from the 2011 model are the familiar PowerCore extra-wide bottom bracket shell with press-fit bearing cups, the rounded rectangular MegaDrive down tube, and integrated seatpost – all with subtle shape refinements. 

In addition to the improved steering precision, the latest TCR Advanced SL frame has shed over 140g – claimed weight for a medium size is now just 820g (from 968g last year).  In addition, Giant says there's been virtually no loss in frame stiffness while impact durability has supposedly improved by 14 percent thanks to new nanotube-infused resins.

Giant sloughed off those extra grams through several engineering strategies.  Switching to Toray's stiffer T-800 fibers required less material to achieve the same benchmarks, a new "Continuous Fiber Technology" lopped off 100g by utilizing a greater proportion of uninterrupted plies and fewer small swatches of carbon, and a number of previously aluminum bits have been changed to carbon fiber, including the rear dropouts, the bottom bracket sleeve, and new direct drop-in headset bearing seats.

A refined "Fusion" double-molded construction technique is said to yield lighter joints between the various frame sections, too, and a move to 'A-type' seat stays instead of the previous version's wishbone allowed for lighter weights without losing rear-end stiffness.

In addition, the rear derailleur hanger has been modified to provide better structural support (and thus, better shifting under load) and the non-driveside chain stay now sports a small pocket for Giant's RideSense ANT+ compatible wireless speed and cadence sensor.

The second-tier TCR Advanced is intended as the "workhorse racer" of the range, subbing in a conventional telescoping aero-profile seatpost in lieu of the SL's more flexible integrated mast (supposedly sacrificing 15 percent in rider comfort as a result) and Toray's T-700 fibers.  Giant also sticks with aluminum for the dropouts and bottom bracket sleeve and uses a more conventional modular monocoque construction technique. 

The new TCR Advanced

Even so, claimed frame weight has dropped from 968g to 908g and the new OverDrive2 fork only adds another 368g.  The TCR Advanced will also offer RideSense compatibility and the same upgraded derailleur hanger, and Giant will again offer a proper women's-specific version called the TCR Advanced W as well with a slightly longer head tube and shortened top tube.

Filling out the TCR range is the standard TCR Composite, which essentially borrows the 2011 TCR Advanced mold but swaps in a cheaper grade of carbon fiber to keep costs low (Giant global communications manager Andrew Juskaitis says complete bikes will start at around US$1,500).  Despite the inviting price point, claimed frame and fork weights are still a very reasonable 1,070g and 499g, respectively, though at this level Giant will stick to the original OverDrive front end with its more conventional 1 1/8-to-1 1/2in steerer.

It's worth mentioning that Giant has not jumped on the aero road bandwagon – at least not yet – and is instead choosing to focus on stiffness, weight, and ride quality.  While the company's presentation offered some cursory data on some computational fluid dynamic modeling work done in-house, there were no claims of "X seconds of savings" or "X grams less drag".

Going the distance with Defy

Giant's popular Defy range will continue on for 2012 for riders seeking a softer ride and more stable handling.  Just as before, head tubes are on average about 15mm longer than on comparably sized TCR frames, chain stays are 15mm longer, and top tubes shorten by about 10mm.

Giant isn't targeting only recreational riders with Defy, however, as a new Defy Advanced SL model has been added for 2012 for when the company's sponsored Rabobank professional team needs something a little mellower for special events like some of the Belgian spring classics.

Giant Defy Advanced SL

The new Defy Advanced SL includes the same technical upgrades as the TCR Advanced SL, including the Toray T-800 carbon fiber blends, updated Fusion construction method, the Continuous Fiber Technology lay-up techniques, an integrated seatpost and carbon fiber dropouts and bottom bracket sleeve. 

The OverDrive2 front end, MegaDrive down tube shaping, and PowerCore extra-wide press-fit bottom bracket design make their way over as well but the frame shape has overall been tweaked to lend more vertical movement and a generally smoother glide over rough ground.  Wispy climber-types will be especially interested to hear that the Defy Advanced SL will actually be Giant's lightest road frame for 2012 with a claimed weight of just 799g plus 330g for the matching fork.

Changes to the second-tier Defy Advanced mirror those in the TCR family, moving down a step in Toray's carbon fiber family to bring costs down to a more realistic level, swapping in a conventional telescoping aero-profile seatpost, and swapping in aluminum instead of carbon fiber parts.  Claimed frame weight for the 2012 model still drops a whopping 19 percent from 1060g to 894g, though, and the matching OverDrive2 fork is pegged at 356g. 

Again, Giant will offer a women's version – calling it the Avail Advanced – with similar changes to the frame geometry to accommodate the on-average longer legs and shorter torsos but otherwise making no concessions in terms of overall performance.

Similarly, the Defy Composite (and Avail Composite) borrows its mold from the 2011 Defy Advanced but swaps in a different fiber blend and lay-up schedule for cost purposes.  Claimed frame weight is still just 1,090g plus 399g for the matching fork. 

Finally, there's also an aluminum Defy frame coming in at 1,290g for the frame and 524g for the carbon-and-alloy fork.  The women's Avail version will post similar figures.

New wheels, tires, and components, too

Giant has also opted to toss its hat into the crowded prebuilt road clincher wheelset market for 2012, offering them at aftermarket but also featuring them as original equipment on its own bikes.  Top-end models were developed in conjunction with DT Swiss and borrow heavily from that company's proven technology bin.

The P-SLR1 is intended for climbers and everyday use with a total claimed weight of just 1,390g for the pair without skewers.  The wide-profile rim features a 21.6mm external and 16.9mm internal width for improved ride and handling but a modest 21mm depth to keep the weight down and further smooth things out on rough ground. 

Giant P-SLR1

DT Swiss provides its star ratchet rear hub guts, axle and bearing technology, and Tricon straight-pull bladed stainless steel spoke anchoring systems but Giant has specced its own hub shells with wider flange spacing for better lateral stiffness.  Out back, Giant has even gone with a highly asymmetrical rim profile to even out the spoke tension between the driveside and non-driveside and made the bold decision to offer only Shimano/SRAM compatibility, allowing the driveside flange to move outboard by 2mm. Borrowing DT Swiss'sTriconspoke anchoring setup also brings with it an added bonus: a solid outer rim wall and easily compatibility with tubeless road tires.

Riders seeking a bit more speed can instead opt for the Giant P-SLR1 Aero set, which features the same hubs and rim width as the non-Aero wheels but a more aggressive 49mm depth to help cut through the wind.  Even so, claimed weight is still just 1,575g for the pair but the drilled rims and internal nipples mean that the P-SLR1 Aero wheels will only be tubeless compatible after adding an airtight rim strip.

Giant P-SLR1 tires

Naturally, Giant hopes you'll pair either wheelset with its new 23mm-wide P-SLR1 road tires, which feature 120TPI nylon casings, front/rear-specific dual-density slick treads, foldable aramid fiber beads and molded-in wear indicators located right down the center of the tire where they're most useful.  

OverDrive2-equipped Giant bikes will also come with the company's own stems.  The top-end Contact SLR gets an absolutely gargantuan carbon fiber extension (similar in scale to PRO's Cavendish Star Series aluminum model), a four-bolt aluminum faceplate and titanium hardware – all at just 135g for a 110mm-long version and coming in a whopping ten sizes. The more conventional standard Contact comes in just 10g heavier, too, despite its forged aluminum construction. Projected availability for all of Giant's upper-end 2012 range is late autumn.

2012 Giant Road Bikes – More Oversized, More Integrated, New Wheel Systems