Giant Bicycle Inc. TCR 1

Price Paid:  $1200.00 at outspoken bike shop,

Favorite Ride:
up & down Lake county

Bike Setup:
Full Ultegra (including pedals),stock Mavic Cosmos wheels for training/bad weather & Ksrium SL's for FAST/LONG stuff, Michelin Pro Race tires (the best!)

Summary:
I bought this bike 1 year ago & have put 3100 miles on it. This is an excellent bike for the price. I ride it w/ the stock Cosmos wheels when training & the Ksyrium SL's on weekend club rides (they always turn into races!!) & century rides. The full Ultegra drive train has been bullet proof so far. It came w/ an 11-23 cassette. Here in flat Floirda, the 53X11 (4.8to1 gear ratio) gear combo can generate some incredible speed. The TCR1 is rock solid & stable on hi speed descents (45 MPH down Thrill Hill !!). The quality of workmanship of the welds & paint is 1st rate. Carbon fiber aero seatpost & titanium rails of the Selle Flite saddle equals all day comfort. Same for the carbon blade front fork. Certain paint schemes on bikes just don't look good, But the silver paint job on the TCR1 looks GREAT & when combined w/ the new silver finish on the Ksyrium SL'S, this thing just looks FAST !!!

Strengths:
Stable, fast, comfortable, reliable all descibe the TCR1. 2003 paint scheme looks HOT. Cosmos wheels & Michelin Pro Race tires are a fast combo!

Weaknesses:
19 LB weight, but for the low price, I guess that is to be expected. No real complaints.

Similar Products Used:
Giant OCR 2

Price Paid:  $1800.00 at Bike Shed

Favorite Ride:
One with out hills

Bike Setup:
All stock

Summary:
Bought Giant TCR 1 because I grew out of my Colnago. We chose a Giant because they are cheaps as chips, We couldn't go past the awesome deal. I found a crack in the frame after only 1 year. Took it back to shop and got replacement in 3 days and now everything is fine.

Strengths:
Lightish, looks good, cheap as chips

Weaknesses:
A bit to light, cracks,

Price Paid:  $800.00 at HDK cycles

Favorite Ride:
any time its warm with no wind

Bike Setup:
totally stock. wouldn't change a thing

Summary:
bought this bike brand new with full warranty from a bike shop that isn't carrying Giant for 2004, and needless to say I didn't hesitate to say I'll take it. Bike is unbelievably light and fast. rides just as good as many $3000 or more bikes

Strengths:
very comfortable and light due to compact frameset. very good value

Weaknesses:
because of compact frame. shoe will rub tire if you turn the handlebars too much, but this was on a windtrainer and i probably wouldn't turn them on the road that far

Similar Products Used:
trek 2200 and 2300. cannondale r800

Price Paid:  $1400.00 at eBay

Favorite Ride:
today's

Bike Setup:
All stock except - I replaced the seat post with an Easton EC90 post, and replaced the handle bar stem with a shorter Dimension stem. The next thing I'll do is get a better wheelset.

Summary:
This bike is more than I need, but I got a great deal on eBay. So for the money I meant to spend, I got a much better bike. The ride is spectacular. It is stiff where it needs to be, but yet the most comfortable road bike I've ever ridden. Acceleration is swift, feels very stable during high speed descents, the bike is light, climbing is strong. It's a great bike for a hard core recreational rider or an entry level racer.

Strengths:
Stiff where it needs to be around the drive train, but yet very comfortable and stable. Composit fork and post. The workmanship seems as good as the "fine Italian" bikes to me. Good value for the money.

Weaknesses:
The Mavic Cosmos wheelset is not up to par with the rest of the bike.

Similar Products Used:
Lotus, custom built Soma Superb Pro, Trek road bikes. Diamondback and Schwinn mountain bikes.

Price Paid:  $1800.00 at West Bikes

Favorite Ride:
Where there are no cars

Summary:
Everything you need to keep up with the three and four grand bikes. Before I left the shop I exchanged the Mavic Cosoms wheels for Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels(good decision)...nothing wrong with Cosmos but the Ksyrium's kick ass and look good. I also exchange the stem and handle bar out for a Ritchey WCS oversize bar and stem to make it stiffer + the orginal bar and stem suck anyway. By the time I finish upgradeing it cost me about $2,100.

Strengths:
The bike is very light at 17 + lbs, extremly fast pick up speed, climbs well with its compact frame, Ultegra works well, Michelin Pro tires, aero carbon fork, aero carbon seat post, good saddle with T-rails. The bike really hauls ass in a sprint.

Weaknesses:
Handle bars...I don't understand why Gaint decided to cut the corner on the bars. Everything else on the bike has good spec's. A $2,000 + race bike should have an oversize bar and stem now a days.