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| Mark Wiens |
Five Fab Features:
You could pay more than twice as much for a bike and not have this much fun. With a one-piece carbon frame, competition-worthy components, and intuitive handling, this Gear of the Year winner is an entry-level racer that moves "entry level" into the same neighborhood as "elite."
1. For all its strengths on the hills, the Giant TCR really sparkles on the flats. Settle into a steady groove and you'll sense that every fiber—in both the hyperefficient carbon frame and your muscles—is working to propel you forward.
2. Descending steep switchbacks or rounding city corners at speed, the TCR dives in and holds its line without any of the nervous twitchiness that can make some race rigs unsettling.
3. Giant has always offered great parts for the money, and the TCR doesn't disappoint. Five years ago, a frame of this quality could have cost close to $5,000. To get it hung top to bottom with Shimano's precision Ultegra drivetrain for just over two grand is unreal.
4. The TCR is available in five sizes, with Giant's compact road geometry allowing for enough seat-and-handlebar-stem combinations to keep pretty much anyone comfortable and properly posi-tioned for the big ride.
5. The compact frame design and one-piece construction keep this 17-pound-seven-ounce rocket light and rigid—no extra tubing or complex joints to add weight or flex. You'll climb faster. Period.
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Wilier Triestina Izoard
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Presenting our just-discovered Periodic Table of Outside Elements, a breakthrough in mapping the scientific building blocks of big, bad fun. We've alchemized gold, steel, titanium, wood, leather, wool, silicon, plastic, and carbon fiber into an array of 56 high-design gifts that you'll definitely want to give. And, just as important, get.
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Road
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