G FORCE ELECTRIC BIKE FULL
G FORCE ELECTRIC BIKE PRO

Models, prices and availabilityĮach frameset is available in various builds: Giant has no intention of sidelining the TCR and making the Propel its one flagship road model. You can run 32mm tyres from most brands on the disc brake bikes in Giant’s TCR range whereas the Propel takes a maximum width of 30mm. One bike to rule them all: why lightweight aero bikes are now THE essential Tour de France race weapon Giant gives a frameset weight (painted frame, painted uncut fork, integrated seatpost, seat clamp, front and rear derailleur hangers) of 1,265g for the TCR Advanced SL Disc, compared with 1,429.5g for the Propel Advanced SL. Granted, Giant claims that the new Propel is lighter, stiffer and more compliant than previously, muscling in on the TCR’s territory to some extent, but it points out that the TCR is lighter still.

G FORCE ELECTRIC BIKE PRO

Read our review of the Giant TCR Advanced Pro 1 Disc Some people have looked at pictures of the new Propel in the Tour de France and speculated that Giant intends this model to take on a similar role. The Giant Propel Advanced’s frame is the same as the Propel Advanced Pro’s – so the tube profiles and cable routing system are the same across the whole Propel range – although the fork comes with an alloy steerer rather than being full-carbon. Giant hasn’t published a frameset weight for the Propel Advanced Pro. Like the Giant Propel Advanced SL, the Propel Advanced Pro gets a full-carbon fork, aero bottle cages, and 50mm deep rims. Putting that ISP to one side, the geometries are identical. The other big difference is that whereas the Giant Propel Advanced SL has an integrated seatpost (ISP), the Propel Advanced Pro has a removable Vector seatpost. It doesn’t benefit from all of the Propel Advanced SL’s manufacturing techniques, such as the laser cutting of swatches of composite that then go through an automated assembly process to place them precisely in key areas of the frame and fork to keep weight down. Whereas the Propel Advanced SL is made from what Giant calls its Advanced SL-Grade Composite, the Advanced Pro uses its Advanced composite. They’re noticeably slimmer than on the previous generation Propel Advanced SL. With this in mind, the seat tube, chainstays and integrated seatpost have all been re-engineered with the aim of smoothing the ride.

Factors like compliance and control also come into play in determining the overall performance. Giant points out that simply stiffening a frameset doesn’t always make it faster. In the case of the new Propel Advanced SL, the reduced weight and increased stiffness work out to a gain of 26.4 percent in overall efficiency.” More compliance “When you combine those figures with the overall weight of the frameset, you get the magic number that reveals overall efficiency, or stiffness-to-weight. The overall stiffness of the frameset, including the frame and fork, is 9.2 percent higher. Pedalling stiffness gets a 7.5 percent boost. “Testing reveals that the new frame has 9.9 percent greater frame stiffness than the previous generation. It says that its engineers have modified sections of the head tube, down tube and bottom bracket area to produce most of the gains in stiffness. “When determining the precise tubing shapes and diameters, along with the layup of the Advanced SL Composite material that’s used to create the frame and fork, engineers focused on two key areas of stiffness: frame stiffness, which determines the amount of overall frame and fork torsional flex under load, and pedalling stiffness, which measures the lateral flex of the bottom bracket area under load,” says Giant. “It’s about analysing every tube, junction, angle and component - both individually and, more critically, as a holistic system.” “The guiding design principle behind the new Propel is its AeroSystem Shaping Technology,” says Giant. Take a look at our aero road bike reviews The Propel has always been the aero road bike in Giant’s range, sitting alongside the lightweight TCR which is more about stiffness to weight, so let’s kick off by looking at drag. Let’s see how Giant justifies those assertions.

G FORCE ELECTRIC BIKE FULL

Lighter, stiffer, lower drag, more comfortable… that’s the full house of claims that manufacturers tend to make for new bikes.

Stiffness-to-weight ratio increases by 26.4%.

The new model improves aerodynamic drag by 6.21 watts at 40km/h (25mph).

The back end of the frame is 85% more compliant than the previous generation.

The frameset is 9.2% stiffer than before.

The new frameset is 225.5g lighter than before.

Here are the headline claims – including a lot of stats – comparing the new Giant Propel Advanced SL with the previous generation:

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