New bike choice: Giant TCR Advanced SL or Cervelo SLC-SL or...?

Long story, but I've had a new 09 Giant TCR Advanced SL on order for a while now, but it seems that they're going to be taking a while to deliver- another 14 weeks- meaning I'll miss most of the summer riding on a new bike. I'm getting to the stage where I need to make a decision (and to sell my current bike before it's obsolete).

The other bike on the top of my mind is a Cervelo SLC-SL (an 08 model as the 09's are too pricey), which means I miss out on the 7900 Daaaris. I really like the Cervelo frameset, its definitely more appealing than the Advanced SL, but the new Daaaris is pretty rad (having ridden it on the lower model Giant bike (the Advanced)). I know that I can 'upgrade' to 7900 next year, which would give me a sweet frame and a good groupset, albeit slowly.

What would you guys do in this position?

Other bike options from work would be a Pinarello (not overly keen on them) or a Cannondale (I'm upgrading from a System Six, and I find the Super Six too soft and the new 'Six' looks much the same)...

ire said:

I'd be inclined to wait so I wouldn't have to drop the cash on upgrading. Have you thought about a Scott Addict?

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So would I. I can get 7900 on the new S3 (which is the '09 SLC-SL), it will just cost me a small fortune. I can get one with Red for exactly the same price as the Giant, which isn't a bad thing. The other alternative is the Cervelo with Ultegra SL, which be much much cheaper in the long run, even when it's upgraded to 7900.

Scott isn't really an option, as I work at a shop and I want to ride what we sell.

SuspectDevice said:

Out of everything you seem to have available, my choice would be a Cannondale Caad9. Production plastic bikes, especially the pseudo-aero ones are just so ugly, expensive and class-less.
Can you not get 7900 aftermarket down there yet?

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I thought about a CAAD9 (and I even rode the demo this morning) and it is a really good option. The issue at the moment is there's none left in my size here. Welcome to the wonderful world of parts availability down under!

-dustin said:

Man...I've sold Super Sixes to customers that have been on TCRs and others that have test ridden SLC-SLs...

have you ridden either of those two? I have a hard time believing that you'd be happy with either, given that you want something more stiff than a Super Six.

Like SD, I'd go for a CAAD frame.

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I have had some rides of the new TCR Advanced's and Cervelo Soloists (Team, Carbon and SL) as well as last season's models of each. The new Giant's are very impressive... actually they're really impressive. Light and incredibly stiff- stiffer than my System Six. The Cervelo is softer than the new Giants, but still feels good.

The Super Six is not bad and I would love to get one. I just find that the frame is not torsionally rigid and this is exaggerated by the BB30 setup on the bike. It's only noticeable when you're out of the saddle or trying to torque on the flat- I really enjoyed the System Six once you're up to speed- climbing especially.

So I thought i'd post my outcome. I'm happy with this so far, much lighter and just as stiff as my old System Six (I can't beleive someone choosing a Super Six over one of these...-dustin, your customers are unique!).

-dustin said:

Nice. What's the weight with those wheels?

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7.5kg with empty bottles, pedals et al...

loco-gringo said:

Nice. I've been running that post for several months. Let me know how you like the clamps. I'm going to the Shimano tech seminar this evening, so I should get to learn a bit about the group. I rode some on the Shimano rep's Addict, but found myself unimpressed. I can't wait to hear some reviews. I didn't like the hoods, but it all worked well.

Never the less - beautiful bike.

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I am very happy with the Daris. Having built up a few Cervelos with Red over the last few days, the Shimano is far easier to setup and works much better. I'm not exactly happy with the performance of Red- to me, Red feels not too dissimilar to Campy- accurate, but clunky, wheras Daris feels, well, like Daris- light action and precise. Like typical Shimano, the brakes are excellent, as are the chainrings and cassette. I don't like the feel of the hoods, but they're growing on me...

OGRipper said:

Hey sweet ride! A few questions: What size is it, how much do you weigh, and what are your thoughts on the differences between the SL and the Soloist?

I ask because I've been looking at Cervelos and while I'm leaning toward the SL, my buddy (who owns the shop, knows what he's doing, and sells a lot of Cervelos) thinks I'll be better off on a Soloist. I'm 6'1", 195 lbs.

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Mine is a 56. I'm 6'1", weigh 220 lbs, coming off a System Six.

Having ridden both the SL (now S3), S2 and R3, I chose the R3 for aesthetics and comfort. The Soloists are great, but I don't really want to ride an aero frame. In terms of stiffness I couldn't really notice any difference between the S2 and R3, although the S3 is stiffer again- for me the benefit of the R3 is the vertical compliance- it's much comfier than the aero frames, especially riding rougher roads (I commute on my bike too). All the frames are stiffer than my old System Six though, and the weight difference is a good thing.

Daris is still ace too- glad I upgraded from Red.