Giant TCR0 - parts bin build...

Found a Giant TCR Pro Compact for nominal monies (<£100) and have always fancied having one. Came as frame / fork / headset & seatclamp - chances of finding original wheels etc. pretty slim & lengthy timescales so I thought I'd build this out of spares that are not in use.

Seatpost I bought from the forum so that's £25 and had to buy some ergo's at £50 which came with some Cinelli bars - bargain. The stem (Giant EXT pro) was on a Trek I gave to a mate about 4 years ago - soon snaffled that back by swapping it for a Cinelli I had knocking about. Bartape at £5 and that's the outlay - everything else was sat in boxes.

Not much else to say - 9 speed Campagnolo - Mirage / Athena / Chorus / Veloce and Dura-Ace cassette & chain. Shifts pretty decently, just 5th/14th that doesn't click in that well, to be expected though it's better than I thought it would be.

There's still my own personal issue with the forks ( viewtopic.php?f=12&t=265062&start=0 ) and I have got a pair of 2nd generation Giant forks that I think my end up on the bike.

A bit of a runt in comparison to the other TCR's that have been on here recently, may do something more long-term with it one day but for now it'll be something for steady rides without any heavy braking!!!

I like that colour scheme, there was one for sale at a recent Sheffield Jumble but it was to small for me. I wonder if it was this one?

Despite what I've said elsewhere about the fork steerer, my TCR bike is still in use with my daughter's partner in France. It is a Medium which fits him a lot better than me. I could get the seat height OK but it is a short top tube relative to what I'm used to.

I've got one of those stems available if anyone is interested?

Damn you parts bin must be pretty special

I like that

It probably was the one in Sheffield Ned - the dealer I got it from had only just purchased it himself and punted it on quickly. Paint is tatty in places i.e. there isnt any! And there's a dint in the top tube so when I say it's a runt, it's a very apt description.

This 1st generation has superb welding though - super smooth in comparison the later TCR's, some of which look horrendous, lumpy nasty affairs.

Daft question but is the threaded nipple under the top tube a race number hanger? If so why was this put onto an off the shelf frame?

Parts bins are merely a by-product of impulse purchases & upgrades! Most of what's left is one-off's and doesn't match with anything else though i'm loathed to get rid, as once you do then that's when you need it! Fallen for that too many times!

Yes the boss under the top tube is for a number. I think it's a nod at the pedigree the bike was aimed at "this sir is a bike built to race on!".

I had an early TCR and it was a lovely, lovely bike seemed to ride nicer than later alloy bikes and was very pretty too.

You had a pair of Spinergy's in your parts bin?!

That would be the blue TCR from a few years back - I deliberated for days over that bike - had the Burrows wheels as well. I knew it was too big but I wanted that bike - probably why I bought this one if i'm honest.

I got the Spinergy's thrown in on a deal for a bike last year - been trying them on various builds ever since but I think they've found a home now on the TCR (until I find some Burrows wheels that is )

Oooh yes, very nice. The spinergy's are a nice touch, I often considered them too, the aesthetics seem to fit well with the aero post and giant forks. A good alternative to burrows EXT wheelset. On the subject of which, my EXT wheels got nicked a couple of weeks ago as I left them in my van and someone drove off with it, and the contents in the night!!!

I've got the same colour TCR from a bit earlier (still has down tube shifters) and you're right about the welding, actually the TCR is the only alloy frame I've really got much passion for.

I think the fact the TCR line is still in production after nearly 20 years now goes to show how well Giant/Burrows hit the spot with it.

Top job, good to see the retro TCRs out in force on RB

Cheers Riddim, and that's bad news on the theft front - there's some real dirtbags out there. No chance of getting your stuff back I assume?

Didn't know they did one with down-tube shifters! That must be the 96 Expert in your signature? I'd like to see a photo of that if it's possible. And you could be just the man to confirm something for me - next time you're fettling with it can you have a look at the construction of the fork steerer please - the link further up in my post highlights a bit of an issue i've got with riding mine with any great gusto - i'm only pootling about on this bike but If I know of other riders who have the same forks (construction) then I may be swayed to start giving this bike a bit more of a hard time.

Yeah I'm p'd off about the wheels getting nicked, the van was insured and already got a replacement but couldn't claim for the contents. Just in case anyone comes across them they were in a campagnolo wheel box and there was a pair of black USE spin stix skewers, new box vittoria rubino tyres and tubes in the box too.

Anyway, on a brighter note, here's a pic of the frame. All my bikes except one are currently dismantled and in boxes until we move house later this year. This one is a small, my others are all medium but I like the small geometry for a TT build, this one has a 105 groupset, cinelli cockpit, Hope/mavic wheelset and a no 7 burrows aero seat post waiting for it in the parts boxes.

I had a quick look at the first page of your thread about the forks, later in the week when I get a mo I'll take mine out and have a look. I had a small 'Expert' before with the threaded forks and even in an accident which snapped a pair of carbon handlebars they survived. I took them out of the frame after that accident to check them over and I didn't notice anything like yours, I probably would have remembered but it was a few years ago now, sorry that doesn't shed much light on your query. I must admit the 1st generation forks do ride a bit like two sticks of uncooked spaghetti even without any faults/damage. My impression is that yours might have been repaired or altered as other RB members have suggested. You'll notice the improved ride if you swap to the newer straight forks, but it'd be a shame to lose some of the bikes original character. The EXT stem makes the front end feel a bit flexy too, but again with these early resto/rebuilds style over substance is a big factor in my opinion and it would be nice to keep as many original parts as possible.

Re. the fork, I will check mine asap. I understand your anxieties around riding it. If you do end up replacing it Dutch ebay would be a good place to start, NL was Europes HQ for Giant and I've bought a lot of Giant parts from NL sellers.
Contacting Giant probably won't get you anywhere, they haven't been very forthcoming about anything pre 2003/4 in my experience. All their bikes dating back to the early 90s used to be in the archive on their main website but they deleted them all last year. Not sure why, maybe some bike industry politics.





Here are the others in their current sad unused states, this house move is dragging out to nearly a year now, it's quite frustrating having all your bikes in boxes:

Hey wow, just got to the 2nd page of the fork thread, seems Giant UK are a little more helpful. The saga unfolds.