Bike Nirvana
Yet another cycling blog
Custom build: 2018 Giant TCR Advanced Pro disc
January 22, 2018
The most frustrating build ever!
This 2018, I embarked on my "last build" project with the goal that it should be a road bike and a disc brake-equipped one, so the thought of a Canyon Endurace was top of mind.
The plan was to minimize on cost and to re-purpose most of the parts I currently have. The Carbon Nation Cycling wheelset I had custom made by Edward Perlas is going to be perfect for this project. Any of my Ultegra Di2 groupsets would do and an upgrade to full hydraulic disc brakes is mandatory.
Then out of the blue, I just had to scratch the itch of another hobby and before I know it, I stepped out of Architectural Audio holding a Dynavector Karat 17D3 in hand so the budget for the frame was slashed significantly. With the budget cut, there's only one brand left that I would want to work with and that's Giant.
The folks at Life Cycle were as excited as I am upon hearing about my inquiry and I was presented these two options from the 2018 line-up of Giant's TCR.
I am not a fan of ISP (integrated seat post) designs so I'm leaning towards the TCR Advanced Pro Disc and three days later I brought it home .
The bike room is currently a mess, so the build will take place in the kitchen area.
I want this bike to have better climbing gears so I opted for 11-36t cassette and thankfully Life Cycle still has a stock of the PG-1130. Yeah, it's kinda heavy but that means it's also relatively cheap.
First problem, somewhat minor. Well...
The Carbon Nation Cycling wheelset that I had custom made for my then Toughroad already went through with axle conversion to fit the real steel build I have done last year.
The rear wheel axle fits the TCR frame nicely (135x12) but the front axle does not as the TCR's fork is designed for 12mm thru axle. I remember that side caps are not locally available since the thru axle conversion kit was ordered by Edward Perlas for me. Thankfully, I found SKY Bicycle Equip. Center in Aliexpress and they have the Novatec D771SB front hub conversion kit for 12mm thru axle.
The order was placed online on February 1 and left the warehouse via air on February 6. I will soon find out how fast is the Aliexpress Premium Shipping.
Real hydraulic disc brakes
The hydraulic disc brakes to complement the existing Di2 drivetrain are chosen to be Shimano's relatively old R785 consisting of the ST-R785 shifters and BR-RS785 calipers.
The fact that ordered the kit from Competitive Cyclist even before getting a frameset started a series of fuck ups because the BR-RS785 calipers are post mount.
Post mount caliper, flat mount frame
That shouldn't be a problem with adapters right? Wrong!
I didn't realize how difficult it will be finding flat mount adapters locally. The usual LBS including Cristy's, Paulina's, and Primo Cycles didn't have the adaptors I need. I could have ordered that together with the R785 kit but it's too late.
In desparation I am ready to purchase the RS805 flat mount hydraulic calipers but alas, they're also not available.
The painful solution leads to another problem
It is financially painful but I decided to purchase the new Ultegra Di2 8070 series of shifters (ST-R8070) and hydraulic calipers (BR-R8070) and plan to sell the R785 set at a slight loss.
After the purchase of the new Ultegra Di2 8000 series hydraulic brake kit I thought it would be smooth sailing from hereon, until I discovered that the included screws for the BR-8070 rear calipers are for a 30mm frame. The TCR Advanced Pro disc has a 25mm frame. Therefore, I can't mount the rear calipers until I find a suitable pair of screws. Why do I feel I'm screwed, literally?
Furthermore, when I checked the package contents when I purchased the 8070 kit, I wasn't paying attention to the fact that only one lever has a junction hose for the brakes!
Thankfully, the included hose for the rear caliper is long enough to reach the lever without the need for a junction hose which I am not a fan of anyway. But still, it is a mystery to my why this kit came with just one junction hose already attached to the right lever.
As expected, the flat mount calipers on a flat mount frame looks a cleaner than a post mount caliper with flat mount adapter on a flat mount frame. Yes, the Earth is not flat but my world is at the moment.
Things falling into place
On February 8, I received these titanium screws from a friend who bought the pair for me. This will solve the rear brake caliper mounting issue.
I worked on getting the brake system done to move forward with this build. I decided not to cut the hose for the rear brake caliper anymore as the lever end already has a fitting in place, as well as mineral oil pre-loaded. The front disc caliper hose needed some trimming, installation of the fitting and olive, before securing it into the lever.
I didn't have to bleed the rear brake as the lever feel is positive enough. For the front brake, I would assume there is some air that entered the hose due to trimming. I'll verify the results later when I conduct the test run.
Routing Di2 cables inside the frame was an easy task using the DIY routing cable that I used in previous builds. I made sure the wires have good connection before fixing the junction box with a velcro tape.
After testing that the Di2 system is properly working, it's time to fit the bottom bracket.
February 12 is a good day as the 12mm thru axle adapter from SKY Bicycle arrived via DHL. After greasing the contact points, I inserted the adapter and they fit perfectly.
I just need a new chain and we're ready to roll!
I thought about using the KMC X11SL DLC/PINK chain but I don't want to waste more time to find one, so back to Shimano CN-HG701 instead. The package said the chain contains 114 links and I got worried if the length is enough as I'm going to run 50/36t big-big at the extreme.
After the sizing and fitting, I utilized only 111 links.
Build configuration
The bike is heavy, estimated at 8 kg negating whatever weight savings the frame has to offer (0.985 kg) due to the heavier components such as disc brake system, saddle, and cassette.
| FRAMESET Giant TCR Advanced Pro Disc | |
| Frame | |
| Fork | |
| Seatpost | |
| Seatpost lock | |
| Headset | |
| COCKPIT | |
| Stem | Giant Contact 80mm |
| Handlebar | Deda Zero Rhm01 |
| Saddle | Brooks Cambium C17 carved all-weather |
| Bar tape | Liv |
| GROUPSET Ultegra Di2 | |
| Levers | ST-R8070 |
| Front derailleur | FD-6870 |
| Rear derailleur | RD-6870-GS |
| Cassette | SRAM PG-1130, 11-36t |
| Crankset | FC-6800, 52-36T, 170mm |
| Chain | CN-HG701 |
| Bottom bracket | SM-BB71-41B |
| Battery | BT-DN110 |
| Junction A | SC-MT800 |
| Junction B | SM-JC41 |
| BRAKESET | |
| Calipers | BR-R8070 |
Initial ride thoughts
15 km of boring ride inside the village is enough to validate the braking performance of the new Ultegra Di2 BR-R8070. While the test is not definitive yet, I'm pleased, very pleased with the initial results.
There is less effort compared to the mechanical cable-driven caliper brakes, and yet the modulation is really good not to mention the power of stopping the bike with a heavy rider in me.
I am also intrigued by the ride feel of this TCR. It seems to offer the comfort of the Colnago C59, plus the aero effect of the Giant Propel.
The Michelin Lithion 2 tires are pumped to 100 psi front and rear and yet the ride quality is much better than the Colnago V1-r with the Continental tires. The Lithion 2 have good grip on dry road and I can take the corners faster than before.
Aside from being surprisingly comfortable, the bike also feels fast, in fact it doesn't feel like an 8 kg bike at all. I feel to have better acceleration and confidence. I like it a lot!
Now's the time to wrap some tape on the drop bar :)