Giant Advance LE

I suppose this is a bit of a "test with a difference" in that the initial idea was to have 4-6 weeks on the bike before passing it on to Jeff Stobie, one of our sponsored athletes, for a second opinion. Things happened where Jeff ended up getting the bike for the initial 6 weeks instead of me. His response was "super stiff, very twitchy" and "too harsh for a long ride" (180km+). With this feed back I was interested in whether our assessments concurred. My first ride was 60klm from Dromana to Portsea and back, where the shoulder of the road in places is fairly broken up and a very course aggregate. The ride was harsh and a very noticeable difference from the TCR Zero frames that I have ridden in the past. I had my Alchemy Custom built Scandium within easy access so I decided to raid the Dura-ace wheels out of that and substitute them for the Ksyrium ES wheels that came with the Advance LE.

Next day I did the same loop and the difference was unbelievable. The integrated seat pillar design and the super stiff frame still transmitted a degree of road shock but it was far more subtle. The upside is that frame flex is virtually nonexistent and the responsiveness in a sprint and climbing was excellent. I also had to agree with Jeff that the bike was very twitchy. This is mainly through having a 985mm wheelbase (for the medium-large frame size) and 40cm long rear chain stays. Initially I found that I couldn't relax on the bike as I would normally. I would go to the back of the bunch to take my vest off not wanting riders to be too close while I went "no hands". As time progressed (I've now been riding the bike for five and a half months) I have become far more comfortable with it's "twitchy" nature and align the handling more to the Ferrari than the sports sedan. You do then have to remind yourself who this bike was designed for…… a trade team, the Elite of the Elite. These guys want something super responsive and have the skills to relax with a bike designed just so. The next part of my training program was 3 efforts up Arthur's Seat, a very steep 4klm where the weight of a bike drags at you in the climb and the true handling of the bike comes to the fore with a very tight switchback descent. No question the bike is one of the best climbers I have ever ridden, it is super light and the power goes straight to the rear wheel with negligible frame flex. The descent was a surprise as I expected the nimbleness of the short wheelbase to be a compromise against stability and sure footedness, however at speeds up to and over 80 klm/hr I found that the bike was very stable and cornered very well.

As mentioned earlier, I was supposed to have the bike for 4-6 weeks; I am glad that I ended up having the bike for significantly longer. It is a bike for many that will take time to get used to, with every day on the bike more enjoyable. I also think that for many there are changes to the production bike that will enhance the performance for the individual. Besides changing the wheels to Dura-ace I installed a Selle Italia Flite Gel saddle, Vittoria Corsa CX tyres (a personal favorite) and some Easton Carbon bars. The bike is now for sale representing a $3000 saving on a new bike, so that I can try the latest offering from Bianchi, Cannondale or Felt.

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