roadweary

Until about three days ago I had never heard of the Giant Fastroad and I thought I had looked at all the Giant bikes. It may have been your post that alerted me. I’ve ridden the Specialized Sirrus several times and really like it but I’m still unsure. It’s just a little bit compact and I feel very upright. This might be because I’ve been riding a mountain bike for the past 30 years. About 15 years ago I bought a used carbon fiber rode bike. It was a beauty and I gave it lots of chances, but those drop bars made me miserable. I decided recently because more and more of my bike rides never leave asphalt, I need a different kind of bike. I learned about hybrids and right now I couldn’t be more excited—and enthusiastic posts like yours don’t help! I have a Giant dealer in my town but he just sold the last Fastroad and isn’t expecting any more until the new models arrive. I’m also very interested in the Trek 7.7 FX but that dealer doesn’t have any either. So I’m about to travel to the Pacific Northwest and I plan to visit as many bike shops as my wife has the patience for. I want to see and ride each of these bikes….especially the Giant. I’ll be sure and post what I find.

RickGr4

I was told by my LBS that the Fastroad/Anyroad frame design was brand new and Giant did not want to build a ton of them in the first year. But it sounds like they are selling well and could be getting harder to find.

I have had the bike for a couple months now and I really like it. It is EXACTLY what I was hoping it would be. I have only two concerns about the bike, one of which I mentioned in another thread. The brake rotors like to be PERFECTLY clean. I am still trying to figure how often I need to clean them. I also learned it is very important to use specific brake part cleaner or something that leaves absolutely no residue. The other thing I noticed is the cables can rattle around inside the main tube a little bit and it is an audible noise. I am getting used it. However if I recall the Specialized Comp Disc I tested did it as well.

SonicBoom

I'm looking at this bike as well. Finally found one in my size in stock at a dealer in my area.

I recently picked up cycling to get back in shape. I've been riding an old mountain bike that I "hybridized" by putting road tires on it. Unfortunately it's starting to fall apart and I need a new bike ASAP!

I love everything about this bike. The price is right and from the research I've done the components are pretty good. I'm just wondering if I should be thinking about moving into the world of drop bar bikes. It seems like the majority of people out there swear by them.

stoplight

I did the Lighthouse century on my Giant FCR 1 Hybrid,,,it worked for me and who cares what the drop bar guys have to say..ride the bike you want

Wanderer

And, Giant, makes some very well appointed, absolutely fabulously looking bikes! For less money, too!

Giant really gets it right in engineering and design!

ColdCase

Too bad you can't find any Giants in stock around here, unless I want to drive 50 miles to downtown Boston. There are a few small LBS that sell but don't stock Giants. They all would be happy to special order one, but then you buying a bike site unseen and then there are no returns. Specialized, Trek, Canondale, Civia, Sun, Electra, Surly are all readily available, however.

fietsbob

There are many other brands Giant makes for other brands . the Taiwan company is Huge, they made more bikes for client importers
before launching their Own Distribution, dealer-franchises, and Pro team sponsor-marketing.

SonicBoom

I picked up my Fastroad SLR 1 today! I got a decent deal on it so that was the clincher for me.

I was a little hung up on the flat bar vs. drop bar debate but decided flat was the way to go for me. I'm mainly going to use this as a fitness bike with the occasional commute to work when the weather is nice.

I'll treat myself to a drop bar road bike when I drop a few more (hopefully 30) pounds and feel comfortable wearing some real bike gear

RickGr4

Welcome to the Giant family. I am looking forward to reading your thoughts on your new bike.

roadweary

Welcome to the Giant family. I am looking forward to reading your thoughts on your new bike.

X2

RickGr4

If you look at this picture you will see that my new Giant and my older Jamis look very different but if you actually measure them they are very close in size from a physical dimension stand point. The biggist difference in the "fit" of the two bikes is my Jamis has "city bike" style handlebar but my new Giant has a "flat bar" style handlebar. Giant does make a matching "city bar" that will fit the Fastroad and I may buy one. However my last couple rides on the Giant I find myself becoming more accustomed to the flat bar and I think I like it. It's a bit easier to bend lower so I can go faster. Drop bar enthusiasts, please don't jump my case for saying that. At 55 years old, it is nearly impossible that I would ever again buy a bike with drop bars.

ColonelSanders

As someone who detests drop bars, I well understand why you have set your bike up the way you have, but I doubt that many people who would appreciate your kind of setup, would have gone for an aggressive bike like the Fastroad in the first place.

RickGr4

Good point Colonel but I already had the Jamis and it is in PERFECT working condtion. I knew I was planning on keeping the Jamis. If I want to hit a trail or go out for a slower ride with my GF, I take the Jamis. But if I am going out by myself I try to keep a faster pace so the Giant works great. When I bought the Giant, I knew it might be a shade "aggressive" for me and my riding style but I knew that going in. The two bikes are different enough that they have entirely different characters.

So far my method to my madness seems to be working to near perfection.

CS, I should point out that I am 6'3.5 and most of my height is waist on up. Bike fit has always been a touch of a challenge for me... Hence my use of stem extenders...

redcon1

There is a tread about the Fastroad in the Recreational Cyclocross and Gravelbike forum as well.

Here is the women's version of the Fastroad, the Liv Thrive Comax 1. We put a deposit down to order this bike last September, and it arrived at my dealer on Saturday.
She is loving it so far.

ColonelSanders

Would a 40 degree stem have given you the height you needed?

RickGr4

Probably not but as I mentioned earlier in this thread I am considering trying a "city bar" handlebar. Headed out for a ride now. I will let you know... LOL

In my case I think the issue may be the sweep angle of the bars not the height.

SonicBoom

I now have 3x 50km runs under my belt in my first week of owning my bike. Some of that was just zipping around downtown Toronto which has been great. That's one of the reasons I went with the flat bar. I enjoy exploring the city and wouldn't feel as comfortable with drops. One day though!

So far I'm happy with my purchase. The bike is fun to ride on paths and I can keep a nice pace. I'm going to configure my phone with ridesense next time I'm out to measure my average speed but this bike is definitely fast.

I do have one issue though. The front brake rotor is rubbing up against the caliper. I dropped by the bike shop and they adjusted it but it is still rubbing. I took a close look up against a light and I noticed some wobble between the calipers. I have feeling that the front rotor is warped. I'll have to go back again, I think they'll need to replace it.

RickGr4

Probably not the rotor, tweaking is needed. My LBS was very helpful with a similar issue...

lexiwork

Been looking at buying a new bike for awhile, had a KHS hybrid buy wanted to move to something more like a road bike but still sits like a hybrid. My motivation today is my bike (and my wifes bike) was stolen off the back of our car in the Tower hotel parking lot in Niagara Falls Ca. They were locked but the thief had cable cutters.

Back to shopping:

I tried out lots of bikes near my price range, Cannondale, Specialized, and Trek.

At first, I was sold on a Trek 7.3 FX ($630), but it was the first bike store I'd looked at and the bike didn't meet all my requirements. I try to employ a rule on impulse decisions and used it to my benefit today. The rule is, wait 1 day to make the purchase. This gives me time to think about things a bit.

I reflected on what I wanted in a bike and what my spending cap was:

I wanted:

1. Disk breaks
2. Road size tires < 30c
3. Cables in the tube
4. Shimano gears and shifters
5. Flat handlebars
6. Cost should < $1000
7. Carbon anything was a plus
8. I'm 6'2" so I need an XL frame
9. Adjustable saddle

So I went to a second bike store and looked at their stock. They had a brand I wasn't really familiar with, but I brought a friend of mine who is a bike enthusiast and he'd heard of them. The brand is Giant bicycles. They had many on the rack and one that met all my requirements. Except 1, it was $1100. I spoke with the owner and he said he'd knock of 5% if I paid cash. That brought the price down to $1045. For me that's close enough. I took the bike for a test ride and what can I say, today I'm placing an order for a 2017 Giant FastRoad SLR1 xl. :-)

badger1

An excellent brand, and a very nice bike. One suggestion: have you actually ridden the bike, in that size? You might want to test both a L and XL before finalizing. Reason: take a look at Giant's own sizing chart -- link is on the Canadian site: https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-ca.../29148/100734/

XL is a big bike; at 6'2" you'd fit square on a L, according to Giant. Other factors, of course, and if you've made your decision based on those ignore me!

lexiwork

Thank you for the feedback. Checked out the size chart. I'll return to the store and try out an L today.

Roamer2

On a night ride to the IBMA bluegrass fest here in Raleigh I saw a lot of Giant bikes (incuding my own Roam)...more than any other model. We have 3 dealers in the greater Triangle area. The Police bicycle patrol is on Trek bikes, tho. They laughed when I asked if they wanted to race.

As far as fit, you really have to just try them all for more than a block or two. Everybody is different when it comes to specific fit preference. I'm just over 6'2" and was debating between the Specialized Crosstrail Sport Disc & the Giant Roam 2. Tried them both in Large & felt too far over the bars and cramped. Then tried the Roam in an XL & was hooked. Room to stretch out & very comfy.

RickGr4

Now that this thread has been resurrected, I probably should update it.

I no longer have a 2015 Fastroad SLR1. I now have a 2016 Fastroad CoMax 2.

I really liked my 2015 SLR1... with one big exception. The cables ratttled around on the inside of the frame tubes. My LBS could not fix it. Then the crank developed a clicking sound. Once again, my LBS could not fix it. Then it occured to me that I always wanted a bike with a composite frame.

Roughly this time last year, I asked my LBS to buy me out of the bike if I was willing to upgrade and he agreed.

On paper the 2015 SLR1 and 2016 CoMax 2 appear to be extremely similar. In reality they are not. I like the CoMax 2 MUCH better. Yes, I spent more money than I originally had planned.

Many thanks to my LBS (Bike King in Inver Grove Heights, MN) for helping me with this and being very fair to deal with.

I do not have many miles on my CoMax 2 (I live in Minnesota and we have something called winter here) and I had some health issues last spring that kept me from riding. But my health has improved greatly and the weather in MN has been FANTASTIC (anyone watching the Ryder Cup would know this) so I have been slowly getting back to riding...

king_boru

They sure are nice looking machines. Somebody on here converted his AnyRoad to a flat bar and 1x I think. If I had the money at the time I would have bought one of these for sure. Congrats, now get some selfies on the ride (safely of course).

lexiwork

It turns out the bike I'd tested was an L not an XL. Thanks for saving me from making a mistake. Ordered the L yesterday afternoon. :-)