Advice needed on road wheels Giant TCX

[Bike Dewing]

I have an older aluminium Scott gravel bike that i have put carbon 30mm wheels on and run 28 tires.. the right length stem and a great saddle with some carbon aero bars and i only ride road.. its amazing, i love it so much.. 

a road set of wheels with thinner slick tires will be awesome and super easy to change between..

[Gravel Girl]

42 minutes ago, Smartie said:

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.

Yes the 2016 is my bike! Thank you so much your info is exactly what I needed. I also love my bike and found it was the best value for what I was looking for. Will look for a set of road wheels for it as I’d rather have gravel specific tires set up for gravel races,at least now I have an idea of how wide I can run them. All the advice has been so helpful!

[Gravel Girl]

28 minutes ago, Bike Dewing said:

I have an older aluminium Scott gravel bike that i have put carbon 30mm wheels on and run 28 tires.. the right length stem and a great saddle with some carbon aero bars and i only ride road.. its amazing, i love it so much.. 

a road set of wheels with thinner slick tires will be awesome and super easy to change between..

Funny you say that when I first started riding my tcx it had a very short stem which made the handling terrible. It was so twitchy. I didn’t realize it at the time l,but I put a longer stem(110),changed to S works power saddle and it’s so comfortable and the handling is great now!Just need to sort the wheels out now. 

[Bike Dewing]

32 minutes ago, F. Scotty said:

Funny you say that when I first started riding my tcx it had a very short stem which made the handling terrible. It was so twitchy. I didn’t realize it at the time l,but I put a longer stem(110),changed to S works power saddle and it’s so comfortable and the handling is great now!Just need to sort the wheels out now. 

Im a big advocate for bike fittings and a good maintenance routine.. with the right fitter though.. my bike rides so nicely.. 

Get that wheelset and tires for road.. tell your fitter what type of riding you doing and get the best position for both.. 

[Frosty]

2 hours ago, Smartie said:

In terms of your original question

I see you replied to me, about the year model, but further down replied to the OP (who isn’t me).
 

Anyway, I don’t have a wheel problem on the gravel/CX bike, as I have two road bikes that fit the need for road riding. I do have a wheel problem on my MTB, which I’m addressing soon. I bought the TCX purely because it was a bargain price, and allowed me to see if it’s worth investing (bikes are an investment?) in a better gravel bike without wasting money on what could be a gimmick. 

My opinion, for someone that likes to ride fast (not always racing), is that a carbon MTB (HT) is as good as, if not more comfortable than, a gravel bike. Narrower tyres might make it a little quicker than as a traditional 2.2-2.35 wide tyre setup, but it will look as bad as a gravel bike with skinny road wheels. If it fits the purpose, who cares.

[Bike Dewing]

7 minutes ago, Frosty said:

I see you replied to me, about the year model, but further down replied to the OP (who isn’t me).
 

Anyway, I don’t have a wheel problem on the gravel/CX bike, as I have two road bikes that fit the need for road riding. I do have a wheel problem on my MTB, which I’m addressing soon. I bought the TCX purely because it was a bargain price, and allowed me to see if it’s worth investing (bikes are an investment?) in a better gravel bike without wasting money on what could be a gimmick. 

My opinion, for someone that likes to ride fast (not always racing), is that a carbon MTB (HT) is as good as, if not more comfortable than, a gravel bike. Narrower tyres might make it a little quicker than as a traditional 2.2-2.35 wide tyre setup, but it will look as bad as a gravel bike with skinny road wheels. If it fits the purpose, who cares.

Agreed but also if it works it aint stupid.. 🤣🤷🏼‍♂️ Bought mine with 40 tires on it that were actually damaging the fork and frame.. there was no clearance.. 35 were perfect clearance but ive gone down to 28 since and it doesnt look stupid at all because of my lack of clearance but i can see how the new bigger clearance gravel bikes would look silly with skinny tires😳🤣🤣

super aero chaneling maybe.??🤷🏼‍♂️🤣🤣🤣