Hello, new to this forum. I've been interested in adding gravel bike to ride a few gravel events in the area and hit a few trails where my mountain bike seems overkill and not appropriate for my road bike. As reference, I live in Dallas, TX, I ride both mountain (Niner Jet 9) and road (Wilier Cento 1).
I've been looking at the Giant TCS SLR2 as a possible bike entry level bike. It's the only bike I can find in the area that is the right size (small) and is less than $3K (out of budget). I know the wheels aren't great and will need to be replaced eventually, but trying to see if anyone has this bike, ridden the bike or can provide some feedback on it.
After a test ride, my impressions were:
GOOD: The relaxed geometry was very comfortable, frame was a lot smoother than I thought it would be and handled okay when I took it through a field. 105 components were solid, as usual.
BAD: The wheels seemed heavy, but I know that they will be replaced eventually, mechanical brakes were slow compared to my hydraulics (guess that should be expected), my biggest hold up on this bike is I had nothing to compare to.
I have a friend who works for a local bike shop and he got himself the giant TCX, not sure exactly what model, but it's the alloy frame with disc and 105 11 speed components, he likes it and often rides it with a decent sized handlebar bag. I believe the BB is a little high, but if it rides and handles well it should be fine. My friend had been ridding a Cannondale Cad 10 and was stuffing a set of Sector 28's in it, but that was as big as would fit, he really thought about getting a defy, but it just doesn't have the tire clearance of the TCX. Many complete bikes are going to have wheels that might be heavier then you would like, just to hit a better price point
