 So welcome to the third edition of the RCA training tip show where every Wednesday I share a road cycling training tip and from time to time. I do a gear review today We're going to be reviewing the giant TCR versus they're both my road bikes. I've got them both here. I own them both The BMC team machine SLR 01 Now if you like road bike reviews and also road cycling training tips, don't forget to consider subscribing below I'll also put a link to my weekly email newsletter list where once week I share a training tip to my email subscribers So I finally made the video Today we're going to go head-to-head with the giant TCR advanced SL versus the BMC team machine SLR 01 and at the end of this video I'm going to share with you which road bike I'm actually going to keep for my own personal use because the other one I'm going to be selling off on the second-hand market Additionally in this review today for the first time ever I'm going to be sharing with you a rating system So we can put numbers down to properly rate certain characteristics of each bike and Future bikes now both of these bikes I'm reviewing today are written in the professional peloton and are considered to be all-round race sitting between Aero and Endurance Giant bikes are the largest bicycle company in the world known for their manufacturing process, which they own out of Taiwan They are known as a leader in carbon fiber design and Construction BMC on the other hand don't own the manufacturing process But their bikes are also made out of Taiwan and China somewhere and they don't quite make the top 10 for biggest Bicycle makers globally, but they are renowned for their design and engineering practices That come out of Switzerland while the bikes I'm sharing with you today are the older rim brake versions the actual frame Geometry and design is no different to the current 2020 models External to some slight variations to accommodate disc brakes now the last iteration frame change from BMC actually came in 2018 and the last one from Giant from the TCR came in 2016 now as always in my reviews We're going to focus predominantly on the frame set But just so you know what we have on both bikes They both run Shimano or Tegra with quark power meters They both have rim brakes as we discussed although the BMC has direct mount and the giant does not I've used both the same wheels which have been a blend of the MV 6.7 tubulars and the MV 23.4 clinches both have a specialized two-paste saddle and speed play pedals now that's out of the way We're going to break this review into four main parts number one We're going to talk about price and weight number two We're going to talk about geometry and design number three We're going to talk about riding experience including my new rating system and number four which bike I'm going to keep and why so number one. Let's talk about weight and price Let's talk about price first now picked up both of these bikes for a really good deal So perhaps so we're all singing off the same hymn sheet Let's look at the current recommended retail price for the frame set for the 2020 Giant TCR advanced SL and also the BMC Team Machine SLR01 the current BMC team machine disc frame set goes for $5,899 recommended retail that's AUD which works out to be $3,649 USD the current Giant TCR advanced SL disc frame set goes for $3,299 AUD or that's $2,039 USD so that's almost double the price So let me get this out of the way right now because value for money in the all-round race segment. I Don't think you can beat the Giant TCR Now I know some people out there are going to be throwing links below to the latest Alibaba Facto Supremo and all these other row bikes that are available out of China and While I can't really speak to those bikes and I'm not going to bag them What I'm talking about right now is well regarded pro peloton bikes and the giant TCR value for money I really don't think you can beat it now when it comes to weight This was an interesting one because if you go research online This is a 55 centimeter. It's a medium and that's a 54 centimeter. We're talking top tube The BMC should actually be a little bit lighter, but it didn't quite turn out that way I took both the BMC team machine and the giant TCR into my local bike shop here on the Sunshine Coast called Trilogy Cycles and Keep the store owner who also thought the BMC felt lighter as I did kindly pulled out his weighing machine and off We went now both bikes have very similar Componentry as you know the handlebars are carbon on both bikes It was weighed with two bottle cages and we use the MV 3.4 clinches for both weigh-ins and the BMC team machine came in at 7.4 kilograms and the giant TCR came in at 7.2 kilograms So the second major item for this review is the geometry and the design now as you know both bikes I have here the BMC is a 54 centimeter, which means it has a 54 centimeter top tube The giant TCR is a medium, which means it has a 55 centimeter top tube Although I took the giant and the BMC to a professional bike fitter here on the Sunshine Coast And he had the BMC at 54 centimeter and the giant TCR at 54.5 centimeter on the top tube not the proclaimed 55 centimeter so first up. Let's discuss the giant TCR very unique characteristic Which you don't really see all that often these days, which is the ISP which stands for the integrated seat post Now why have an ISP at all? According to giant the main benefits of choosing an ISP bike are two-fold number one it's lighter there is less material used for the ISP frame and no Reinforcing needed around the seat post clamps which removes excess weight number two the one-piece frame Construction increases stiffness and reduces flex which improves the power transfer when peddling now in order to move the seat post up And down if it's over 2.5 mil you'll have to get out a hacksaw and you'll have to chop into that thing You actually have to chop it off and then once you've chopped it off You've got 2.5 mil up from the spot you chopped it Do I like this ISP technology from giant Not really and I'll explain why shortly The BMC on the other hand has a more traditional way of moving the seat up and down in reference to geometry Specifically, there's really only one element worth mentioning as external to the wheelbase and the fork rake Which typically go hand-in-hand with each other all the other geometry elements are either like for like or it's just a few millimeters here And there. Yes, I have just changed bikes and also t-shirts because it's getting really hot in this room So the one major difference in terms of geometry is the wheelbase So the wheelbase on the BMC team machine 54 centimeter is 986 millimeter versus a medium giant 976 millimeter now that's a 10 mil difference between both bikes Which is pretty considerable when comparing like-for-like all-round race versus all-round race Now what impact will this actually have on the bikes? Well, it really comes down to handling and steering a shorter wheelbase will typically make a bike feel more responsive Aggressive and stiffer a bit twitchier too if you're not used to it But clearly a key KPI for giant which we'll discuss shortly the longer wheelbase on the BMC has the opposite effect You will feel more grounded and steering will feel a lot more controlled and refined Now the shorter wheelbase on the giant TCR is actually a good segue into the overarching design of this road bike Which is more compact. You see TCR actually stands for Total compact road and looking at the frame in detail the top tube is sloping on the giant which creates a smaller Triangle giant actually led the way with this design in the mid 1990s in doing so this engineering saves weight and creates stiffer and Smaller triangle although there are penalties that come with this which we'll discuss shortly External to the down tube which giant call their mega drive down tube that is purposely engineered for precise handling So you can rail corners at speed according to giant the rest of the frame construction is quite narrow with Some clearly defined aero dynamic tube shapes. This will make sense when you consider the overarching Goal or KPI for giant was efficiency and what they meant by efficiency was creating the most stiffest and lightest Proposition in the all-round race category the BMC on the other hand which was generated using something BMC call ace Technology, which is essentially a software algorithm to evaluate and assess thousands of frame iterations to spit out The ultimate all-round performer has a more traditional top tube Which runs in a straight line larger tube shapes all over the bike and quite a substantially larger bottom bracket area Which is supposedly going to transfer more power from the crank into the bike Once again, the design starts to make more sense when you read BMC's website and you read their marketing material where the focus isn't just on handling speed and stiffness, but also comfort So the third major item for this review is my riding experience Now I have owned both bikes for quite a significant period of time the BMC since December last year and the giant TCR since August last year and I have raced both in Criteriums and trained a few thousand kilometers on each bike But as you might assume from listening to me talk about the geometry and the way both bike manufacturers position these bikes The giant definitely feels a little bit stiffer a Touch more aggressive and maybe a smidge faster Although maybe that is just the way it feels on the road the BMC team machine SLRO one It just feels incredibly silky smooth and Comfortable when I get on this bike. I kind of feel like it talks to me. It says all right Cam How far do you want to go today because I'm up for a big one now? Don't get me wrong the BMC still feels stiff and fast It's an all-round race bike for sure cornering sprinting descending etc It's an a-grade machine However, the integration of comfort as a key KPI for the BMC means that it will inadvertently lose some of the aggression You definitely get with aero bikes and also with many all-round race bikes like the giant now I kind of like the comfort factor never do you get back from a ride Even if you've been on this bike for 200 kilometers with stiff neck and shoulders a sore lower back Stiff joints etc. In fact, there's so much comfort on this bike quite often I've been riding it and I've looked down at the rear tire to assess Whether I have a flat which is a very common characteristic for endurance Road bikes but never before have I experienced this characteristic on an all-round race bike Which does beg the question? Have BMC gone a little bit too far with comfort With their BMC team machine SLR-01. I'll answer that question for you very shortly Now if you go to the giant website and in any marketing material, it's hard to find any mention of comfort So it's certainly not a KPI for this bikes design There is mention of compliance especially around the seat post integration But the practicality of the ISP for putting the TCR into some bike bags for travel etc And also for resale makes this feature something that doesn't work for me personally So overall the giant TCR is definitely not an uncomfortable ride, but it's not a comfortable ride either It's kind of in between So from a riding experience when comparing both the BMC and the giant I'd say if you're in a criteria in racing fast bunch riding you like an aggressive bike Then the giant is going to tick a lot of boxes Conversely if you're after something that's got all-round race characteristics But is a little softer perhaps for the longer Fondo events or road races than the BMC Is going to tick a lot of boxes So what I'm going to do now is I'm going to play a little bit of elevator music And we're going to put my rating system up on the screen Which will cover comfort speed, handling, stiffness, practicality, value for money The scores are out of 10 And apparently I've been told I'm not allowed to use the number 7 as it's a cop out So let's go Now I don't have aesthetics a look of a bike in the rating system Because I really do feel that's a personal thing But if I had to choose between the aesthetics of both bikes I personally prefer the BMC team machine So lastly which bike am I going to be taking home or keeping and why While I do love criteria racing, fast bunch riding And I do love an aggressive road bike And while the giant TCR is exceptional value for money I will be keeping the BMC team machine SLRO1 Yes the price tag is a little hefty But if you search for deals you can alleviate that price tag As with my BMC team machine which I picked up brand new for a solid price Given it was a 2018 model and rim for around 5000 AUD complete bike I just love the way the BMC team machine feels Have they over engineered the comfort factor? Maybe a little bit in the rear I kind of feel like it defeats the purpose There's no need for an endurance road bike When you've got this one external to tire clearance But even with comfort this bike has incredible race characteristics Such as stiffness, handling and speed Having concluded with that in my opinion both bikes are exceptional And if you had either you'd be a very happy camper And I'll catch you all in the next video