Giant Propel SL0 Carbon Aero Road Bike, Dura Ace, Vision Metron - £6400 RRP

Description

GiantPropel SL0 Carbon Aero Road Bike with Dura Ace 9000 groupset and Vision Metron55 Carbon Wheelset - £6400

£1200 O.N.O

Size 58cm

Here we have a truly excellent ultra-high end race bike in great condition throughout bah for a few marks expected with normal use.

The bike when new sold for £6400 but this has just been rebuilt from frame up with brand new cables (inners and outers) routed throughout the bike.

This build is kitted out to the max!

The groupset is predominantly Dura Ace 9000 with the addition of Giant SLTi aero brake calipers.
The crankset is SRAM Red with Q Rings added for extra power transmission.
The Handlebars are the ultralight Fizik Cyrano R1 carbon bullbars (£229)
The stem is Giant contact SLR
The saddle is a Selle Italia Superflow Saddle (£230)
The wheels are a stunning set of Vision Metron 55 deep section Carbon wheels (£1600).

This bike has an amazing spec which is obvious when it rides.

The whole bike minus pedals weighs only 7.1kgs which is ridiculously light for an extra large frame.

This bike is fast and will save you piles of energy for that final run on a triathlon/ironman.

It is awesome!!

A feature that contributes to the amazing light weight of this bike is the integrated seatpost which also adds to the perfect feel of connection to the road and subsequently increased handling. The post is currently set at 80cm from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the saddle, this can easily be lowered by cutting the post of can be raised to 81cm on the seatclamp, it can not go higher than 81cm so please bear that in mind.

Giant Propel Advanced SL 0 review
Launched back in 2013, the Giant Propel Advanced SL 0 has been around a while but it remains a top-spec aero bike and is used by the Giant Sunweb team. How does it stack up against more modern alternatives?

CYCLING WEEKLY VERDICT

The Giant Propel Advanced SL is starting to show its age against more modern aero bike designs. Our aero testing suggests it is not as slippery as the Trek Madone or Specialised Venge ViAS and it is a harsh ride over rough surfaces too. However it remains a superb bike, offering great value and spec. The Giant Propel feels made for cornering at speed too, with excellent balance, geometry and handling.
REASONS TO BUY
• +
Stiff
• +
Light
• +
Great spec
• +
Great handling
REASONS TO AVOID
• -
Integrated seatpost (not applicable on this build)
• -
Not the most aero

Giant Propel Advanced SL 0 deals
FRAME
The Giant Propel Advanced SL features bladed tube sections designed to minimise drag, and Giant's integrated Speed Control SL brakes from TRP.
Constructed on the Advanced SL frameset, the Giant Propel has an integrated seatpost, unlike the second-tier Advanced, which uses an aero post that's adjustable in a conventional way.

The integrated seatpost helps keep the weight down to a respectable 6.84kg – although it is worth noting that the low weight is aided by the speccing of SRAM Red eTap rather than the Dura-Ace found on aero bikes from rival brands. I am not a fan of the integrated seatpost, purely from a practicality standpoint, as it can make reselling the bike difficult once cut down, and is hard to pack into bike boxes.
SPECIFICATION
No arguments here: SRAM Red eTap is great and Giant has included Blip sprint shifters too, which allow you to change gear in the drops. Little touches like this mark the Giant out against other top-spec aero machines such as the Venge ViAS or Cérvelo S5 and represent good value for money.
>>> Giant Bikes: which model is right for you?
I was impressed with the quality of Giant’s proprietary components. The tubeless SLR 0 wheels in particular are highlight, as is the Giant carbon-railed saddle. The wheels arrived set up tubeless with Giant's own tyres, which rolled well, and I felt confident in the grip on offer too.
The Giant Propel Advanced SL 0 also comes complete with Giant's own integrated aero bar and stem. I got on well with the shape – it's fairly neutral. Should you want to change the stem bear in mind that Giant uses a larger steerer diameter, limiting stem choice.
RIDING
Out on the road, the Propel rides very well. The handling is spot-on and the frame feels beautifully balanced in the corners. It’s very stiff too, giving that clichéd sensation of no watts being lost through flex when you give it the beans up sharp inclines or sprints. By comparison, the Venge ViAS feels slightly stiffer, but it is significantly heavier and more expensive. The Propel doesn’t like rough surfaces though, and is much less compliant than the Canyon Aeroad and Trek Madone – something which was glaringly apparent on a 75-metre stretch of cobbles next to the Cycling Weekly office.

Although aero, this bike doesn’t feel as fast as the Madone when on the open road. It does, however, handle well and feel stable in crosswinds.
Aero testing with WattShop at Derby Velodrome placed the Giant Propel Advanced SL 0 last in our group test of five aero bikes, by a significant margin. I should point out that the Propel was the only bike without an out-front Garmin mount, meaning the Garmin was mounted on top of them the stem – something which could conceivably account for a few watts of increased drag, but not the whole deficit.
The integrated TRP brakes are OK, but not as good as the Shimano calipers with regard to power and modulation. Furthermore they aren't as easy to adjust – a slight issue if your training wheels are a different width to your race wheels.
VALUE
Our data suggests it may be the slowest out of the five bikes tested (more on this to come), but at £6,299 the Giant offers impressive value against other top-spec aero bikes. For example, the Cérvelo S5 features a similar spec and costs £9,000 in a SRAM Red eTap build. The frame is World Tour level and the spec is great. It's a race-ready machine with no need to change any components.

Specs
Build
Frame Advanced SL-grade composite, Integrated Seatpost
Color: Composite / Blue
Fork Advanced SL-grade composite, Full-composite OverDrive 2 steerer
Shock N/A
Bottom Bracket SRAM GXP, Press fit
Stem Giant Contact SLR Aero, OverDrive 2, Composite, Integrated
Handlebar Fizik Cyrano R1 Bull bars
Saddle Selle Italia Superflow
Seatpost Advanced SL-grade Composite, Integrated design
Type: Rigid
Pedals N/A
Groupset
Rear Derailleur Dura Ace 9000
Front Derailleur Dura Ace 9000
Crank SRAM RED, 36/52
Shifters Dura Ace 9000
Cassette Dura Ace 9000
Chain SRAM
Brakes Giant SpeedControl SL w/ Ti hardware
Type: Giant Rim
Brake Levers Dura Ace 9000

Wheels Vision Metron 55 deep section Carbon
Tires Schwable One

Perfectly happy to post a bike which I have done some many times without issue, price will be £100 with full insurance

Posted: 6 days ago

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