Flozell

Hi all. I've been debating getting a new road bike and can't decide what to get. I've narrowed it down to two choices, the Cervelo S1 and the Giant TCR advanced 2 (in Canada it comes with full 105 components) The Giant is a few hundred dollars cheaper.

I do mostly recreational riding, and plan to do a few sprint triathlons a year. The Cervelo S1 seems to get a lot of love everywhere I read about it and would make sense as a part time tri bike, but I haven't heard a whole lot about the 2009 Giant TCR advanced 1 or 2.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Thanks!

botto 

tcr. cheaper. lifetime warranty. crash replacement placement program. logical cable routing.

fauxto nick

I found the S1 to be pretty underwhelming when I tried it, it didn't feel like much of an improvement from my current Trek 1500. I'd say test ride both and go for the one that you feel is worth your cash. They're both going to be high quality bikes so all you're going to get on here are fit and performance opinions which won't do much for you personally.

purefreedom

Giant TCR no doubt!!!

MONGO!

Giant TCR, no contest.

erliuic

erliuic

I'd get the Giant.

Jynx

TCR ......all caps ftw...........

coasting 

the giant is slightly less ugly than the cervelo. that's the high quality product review i am capable of.

IRONHEAD1

personally I love my S1, it was a huge improvement from my trek. super fast for me compared to what i was riding. I compared mine to a specialized tarmac carbon. I paid about 300 more for the cervelo but in my side by side it was worth the money. I spent some time riding both bikes. I would suggest riding both bikes and decide for yourself, and any bikeshop that won't suggest the same shouldn't earn your business. even where i bought my cervelo they didn't care if I bought anything from them if the bike wasn't right don't buy it was their philosophy. it is all about fit and what feels right for you

winders

The S1 really is at a disadvantage in this comparison. You are taking an aluminum frameset (S1) that sells for $1200 and putting it up against a carbon frameset (TCR Advanced) that retails for $2000. The S2 frameset would be a more reasonable comparison....but then the Cervelo costs $800 more this time.

S-

Munk69

Lot's of great reviews on the 09 TCR. I would have looked at one if I did need a longer head tube.

theweatherman

For the long haul. Go TCR.

hendrick81

Ride both, then decide which one fits better...

Jurgen

The TCR is a better value as a pure road bike, but if you've got the tri-bug the S1 might be more versatile.

theshoemaker

TCR I'd definitely expect.
Took a spin on a TCR advanced on Saturday. It seemed to be a pretty nice all-around bike. They feel extremely compact, even more so than other bikes that actually had smaller measurements. Maybe felt a bit too compact. Maybe. Took some steep inclines/declines, and some flats, and some bumpy road. It performed pretty well through all. Much better than my Carbon/alu bike (as you'd expect). For the price it was my favorite of three bikes I took out. Others were the Pinarello FP3 and Time Edge Pulse - Both superior (IMO) both more expensive.

RecceDG

I'm very happy with my S1. Try both, buy what you like.

DG

Flozell

I ended up deciding on the Giant TCR 2. The chance to actually have a full carbon bike was too much to pass up at the end! I'm pretyt happy with it, but it is kind of funny to look at the enormous bottom bracket the first time!

One thing I do find is that in Toronto at least, it is a PAIN in the butt to get the LBS to let you take a bike out for a test ride. It's very, very hard to get a feel for the bike. Most of the stores seemed dismissive of the idea of taking a test ride, and when they offered the test ride, they'd offer it in whatever size the floor model was, not the size I might actually ride it in. It seems to me that doing a test ride on a bike that doesn't fit you is pretty much useless. And at no store did an employee actually volunteer to offer a test ride without being prompted, even though it seems like an essential part of buying a bike.


Anyways, that's just my 2 cent beef about the bike buying process. Thanks to everyone for their comments! On the bright side, I love my new TCR!

hendrick81

Pictures or it did not happen...

kayakdiver

+1