Attractive, compact, very light: and the Giant Tcr Advanced Sl di Simon Yachts. We admired the beast up close for the Tour of Italy of the captain of the Bike Exchange Jayco. A bike that sometimes has to be "plumbed", despite having disc brakes, travels on the edge of the 6,8 kilos permitted by theUCI.
And it's no coincidence that there's no shortage of accessories such as the "dog tooth" to prevent the chain from falling or, in some cases, more robust bottle cages.
It's not common to see a size Xs bike with a 140mm stem Under the tape, inside the curve, you can see the gear change buttons
It's not common to see a size Xs bike with a 140mm stem Under the tape, inside the curve, you can see the gear change buttons
Tcr Advanced Sl
Let's X-ray the Englishman's Giant. Let's start with the frame. As mentioned, it is the Tcr Advanced Sl, the one with the integrated seat post. Simon, who is 172 centimeters tall, could use a size S, but like many of his colleagues prefers the smaller size, so an Xs. It is no coincidence that in order to meet his quotas he has a 140mm stem. Usually certain measurements are found on the bikes of the most demanding riders.
Xs means it has a 120mm head tube and a 520mm top tube. With a 71° head angle and 74,5° seat tube angle.
Carbon fiber is Giant's best, that is to say the Grade Composite: Very stiff, but also comfortable. In this specific case, the small size plays a significant role in stiffness, as it effectively reduces the length of the tubes. But we'll get to that.
The compactness of Yates' Giant TCR The Englishman also has the Propel, Giant's aero bike, at his disposal, but he never uses it, they tell us.
The compactness of Yates' Giant TCR The Englishman also has the Propel, Giant's aero bike, at his disposal, but he never uses it, they tell us.
Shimano everywhere
Yates' TCR is clearly fully equipped with the top of the range. This is the Shimano Dura Ace Di2Simon uses 170mm cranks, with a power meter and the pedals are also Dura Ace branded. Up front he has a weakness for the small chainring 38 while the big one is a 53 and at the rear he practically always opts for an 11-34.
He tells us Mattia Romano, one of the mechanics at Bike Exchange-Jayco, that Yates almost never changes these gears, even on the easiest routes.
Another choice by Yates. The Englishman, having no weight issues on his TCR, asked for dual command. In fact, on the handlebars there are also the buttons for the gear change.And for a sprinter and finisher like him, it's a very acceptable solution.
As for the choice of brakes, Romano confirms that Yates, like the whole team, uses only Shimano certified products: from the pads (which are always run in by a special machine before being mounted) to the choice of disc diameters: 160 mm at the front and 140 at the rear. This choice is also dictated by the fact that wheel changers have now adopted this standard.
We then tested the brake travel ourselves. And we noticed that At the front Yates wants a very short stroke and at the rear a longer one. This is to properly modulate the braking, which is most often needed to accommodate curves and turns. And also because if it were too tight, it would lock up too easily, and frequent locking up is not ideal for the tires (and punctures).
The ultra-flat, carbon spokes of the new Cadex Vittoria Corsa 25mm tubeless tires. Yates was allowed to use this tire, a non-branded tire for the team. The saddle is a Giant prototype
The ultra-flat, carbon spokes of the new Cadex Vittoria Corsa 25mm tubeless tires. Yates was allowed to use this tire, a non-branded tire for the team. The saddle is a Giant prototype
Wheels and more
Then there are some details that didn't go unnoticed. The first, which isn't special, is the wheels. These are the new ones. Cadex, full carbon rim with high profile 42 millimeters (but there are also 65) and 21 internal channel.
This allows the rubber to spread well over the rim itself, resulting in the tread opening up without sagging. This brings a series of advantages: first, you can make better use of the tread. You gain some height in the tire, thus avoiding pinch flats in the event of potholes, and second, you can use a smaller tire. Yates, for example, opted for Vittoria Corsa 25mm, which mounted on this rim look like 28s, they widen so much.
Another distinctive feature of these wheels is the carbon spokes. They're flat, aerodynamic, and loosely tensioned. It's the movement of the wheel that "pulls" them: the result of this unique spoke engagement between the hub and rim allows them to release elastic energy, without wasting power (and increasing comfort). Hence the discussion about the TCR's overall stiffness mentioned earlier. Super stiff bike yes, but also rideable.
And speaking of wheels, Mattia Romano tells us that it's the one thing Yates pays more attention to, often asking how much pressure his tires are under.
The saddle is a prototype of Giant, it doesn't have a name yet and for the moment at BikeExchange Jayco they are using it and Matthews.
