Advice needed on road wheels Giant TCX

[Gravel Girl]

Hi all…some advice would be greatly appreciated as I am fairly new to cycling,only been riding about a year.I have a giant TCX(my precious),currently has Ultegra 11 speed 50/34 with 11/32 cassette at the back. I have Maxxis Rambler 40’s on it as we’re on a farm and I ride it mostly on district roads and then on and off the tar. It’s great and I love riding it. Next year though I would like to get more competitive racing road and gravel,my question,especially for those who have experience with this,is to what extent would the fatter tyres slow you down in a road race? Would it be better to get another set of wheels with road specific tyres? I have done some research on the rolling resistance etc and yes they are faster but I’d also just like to hear from those that perhaps have 1 bike with 2 sets or just ride their one bike and maybe have a gravel tire that’s suited to both gravel and road?(if that’s possible as I want to race both). Thanks guys!

[El Duderino]

Following.

I recently sold my road bike and bought a gravel bike. The weight difference combined with the heavier and wider gravel tires equate to about 1.5 to 2 kms/hr difference in speed on the road. GB is noticeably slower. 

Am also considering a second wheelset for road. 

[BuffsVintageBikes]

The wider tires make a considerable difference in effort, I can strongly recommend road tires 🤙
I've got a set of identical wheels, one with 45C gravel tires and the other with 28C road tires. However my next set will be 32C tubeliss road wheels, that will give me a little more confidence riding them on smooth gravel stuff as well.

Edited October 3 by BuffsVintageBikes

[bleedToWin]

Get two wheelsets. Make sure the road wheelset has decent internal width so that you can throw some 32c tyres on there. They are comfortable and fairly fast, and anything narrower looks comically small inside the gravel frame in my opinion.

[Frosty]

There are a few things to consider:

1. Older road frames had a limit on tyre width for frame clearance, so the internal rim width was limited too. As new road frames change to accommodate wider frames, so too are rim widths getting wider.

2. If you put a wider tyre on a narrower rim, it will result in a tyre that bulges/balloons, and likewise, with a narrower tyre on a wider rim.

[Gravel Girl]

Thanks so much for all the advice/info. Much appreciated,I was leaning towards getting a second set of wheels with road specific tyres and this has confirmed it’s the best option!

[thebob]

Giant TCX is a Cyclocross bike. I'd be looking at getting a gravel or allroad bike instead with the two wheel solution. A Giant Revolt or a Giant Defy would be better choices. Just my R0.02

[Furbz]

recently watched a GCN video about this. 2kmph an hour slower on a gravel bike with gravel tires.

that drops 0.5kmph slower when using road wheels and tires on a gravel bike vs a road bike

Edited October 4 by Furbz

[Frosty]

3 hours ago, thebob said:

Giant TCX is a rather heavy Cyclocross bike.

Added in some additional info; at least from my own experience of owning one. 😊😂

[Furbz]

2 hours ago, Frosty said:

Added in some additional info; at least from my own experience of owning one. 😊😂

And in my experience, harsh. Build to race cx circuits by pros.

[Gravel Girl]

3 hours ago, Frosty said:

Added in some additional info; at least from my own experience of owning one. 😊😂

I am aware that it’s a CX bike😊I imagine for proper roadies and people far more experienced than me who are used to carbon bikes,it’s probably quite heavy. But for me,especially since I had a road bike as well that was very heavy(10kgs +),I really enjoy this bike and it’s fit for purpose,or at least mine. We live in an area that is interconnected by district roads,so it’s quick on and off the tar.Also,being a newbie I was nervous of buying second hand carbon as I don’t know enough to know what to look for,so I stuck with the aluminum frame and got the best group set I could. Perhaps that better explains where I’m coming from,it’s not a touring bike,it’s for 2-3hour rides/races and my indoor trainer. 

[Frosty]

52 minutes ago, F. Scotty said:

I am aware that it’s a CX bike😊I imagine for proper roadies and people far more experienced than me who are used to carbon bikes,it’s probably quite heavy. But for me,especially since I had a road bike as well that was very heavy(10kgs +),I really enjoy this bike and it’s fit for purpose,or at least mine. We live in an area that is interconnected by district roads,so it’s quick on and off the tar.Also,being a newbie I was nervous of buying second hand carbon as I don’t know enough to know what to look for,so I stuck with the aluminum frame and got the best group set I could. Perhaps that better explains where I’m coming from,it’s not a touring bike,it’s for 2-3hour rides/races and my indoor trainer. 

My "plastic" bike (2007) is on the IDT, while I ride/race a steel (road) frame bike, so I'm no weight-weenie. I agree that the TCX is convenient for the hybrid rides, but there are better (gravel bike) options if the bug bites (even in aloominum).

[droo]

On 10/4/2024 at 7:08 PM, Frosty said:

My "plastic" bike (2007) is on the IDT, while I ride/race a steel (road) frame bike, so I'm no weight-weenie. I agree that the TCX is convenient for the hybrid rides, but there are better (gravel bike) options if the bug bites (even in aloominum).

The main issue with most CX bikes is tyre clearance, generally they'll only fit up to 33c which is a bit skinny for gravel.

Agree on there being better options out there, but often the best bike for the job is the one you've got...

[Frosty]

8 hours ago, droo said:

The main issue with most CX bikes is tyre clearance, generally they'll only fit up to 33c which is a bit skinny for gravel.

Agree on there being better options out there, but often the best bike for the job is the one you've got...

My TCX has 700x40C tyres (haven't changedsince buying about a year ago (2017 model). It has enough clearance (pre-mud) to fit 42c. The rim shows 622-19 (SX2), so the question would be "what the optimal tyre width and pressure be, relative the rim width". The sidewall shows min 2.0-3.5 bar, so I go about mid-point (non-tubeless setup). Shows how serious I am about riding gravel 😁

 

[Gravel Girl]

11 hours ago, Frosty said:

My TCX has 700x40C tyres (haven't changedsince buying about a year ago (2017 model). It has enough clearance (pre-mud) to fit 42c. The rim shows 622-19 (SX2), so the question would be "what the optimal tyre width and pressure be, relative the rim width". The sidewall shows min 2.0-3.5 bar, so I go about mid-point (non-tubeless setup). Shows how serious I am about riding gravel 😁

 

Mine also has 700x40c,tubeless. Was wondering what the max was that it could take…have seen some people mentioning 45c? I’m trying to work out what year model mine is,what color scheme is your’s? Mine is the red,black and white one. 

[Smartie]

1 hour ago, F. Scotty said:

Mine also has 700x40c,tubeless. Was wondering what the max was that it could take…have seen some people mentioning 45c? I’m trying to work out what year model mine is,what color scheme is your’s? Mine is the red,black and white one. 

I would guess that you have a 2016 version: https://99spokes.com/en/bikes/giant/2016/tcx-slr-2

I have the 2017 version: https://99spokes.com/en/bikes/giant/2017/tcx-slr-2

These are great and very versatile bikes. Originally built for CX, but they were later (the newer 1 x versions) marketed as 'gravel' bikes. This was before Giant introduced the Revolt.

When I was searching for a gravel bike (pre-COVID), nothing came close to the TCX based on budget and specifications. I bought a used one and converted it to 1x and added flared gravel bars. 

The bike is fast enough for me - never felt that it has held me back at all. It is usually the legs and talent ;-). I ride this bike almost daily - from short to 7+ hour rides.

The big plus on these bikes are the tire clearance. Originally built to have excellent clearance for muddy CX races, making them great for gravel. Claimed clearance is 50mm upfront and 45mm at the back. I run 44C tires that measure 45mm and still have space at the back, so likely one could go even wider, though I have never needed to.

In terms of your original question, I would get a second set of wheels for road racing. Unless you have fairly slick gravel tires, otherwise there is a speed difference. But I would buy a set of wheels suited to the terrain you ride most and use the stock Giant wheels (if you have these) for the other discipline. The stock wheels are pretty heavy - I changed these fairly quickly to a set of (wide) Rapide ones and shaved off almost 0.5kg - the bike felt much more responsive after the change.