One of the cycling industry's best-kept secrets of the past year, the new Giant TCR, was finally made official today as Giant unveiled its latest road bike series.

With the cycling world, and the wider world, in unprecedented and unfamiliar territory, Giant has given us a semblance of normalcy with the announcement of the new TCR, which touts improvements in aerodynamics, stiffness, and weight.

The new TCR is said to offer class-leading efficiency. It is also the first TCR to be developed through wind tunnel testing, and it offers a significant leap in aerodynamic performance, with a weight reduction of 140 grams from the entire frameset (size M). If Giant is true to its promise, it is sure to be named in the Best Lightweight Bikes Guide.

Read our review of the Giant TCR Advanced SL

"This TCR is significantly more aerodynamic than the previous generation while maintaining a best-in-class stiffness-to-weight ratio," claims Giant Road Category Manager Nixon Fan.

"All tube shapes have been modified to reduce aerodynamic drag, without compromising the qualities that have made the TCR a leading pro-level race bike for two decades.

As with previous TCRs, three frame options are available. All are made of carbon fiber and bear the same names as the previous model: Advanced, Advanced Pro, and Advanced SL. (They are Advanced, Advanced Pro, and Advanced SL.)

Compared to the previous model, the frame has aerodynamically optimized truncated elliptical tubes throughout, and the down tube diameter has increased from 54 mm to 65 mm.

To improve on the previous model and remain competitive, Giant developed a new manufacturing process for the new TCR. Moving away from the usual process of laying down carbon by hand, Giant employed robots to lay down a minimum of 150 laser-cut carbon swatches. This increased precision and eliminated tolerance requirements that ultimately led to more carbon fiber and increased weight.

On the disc brake variant, the internal routing of the fork is symmetrical along with the stays, allowing for greater airflow and wider clearance. Rim brake options are limited to 28 mm by the calipers, but in fact, tire clearance is generous at 32 mm, not excessive. All bikes leave the factory with a full tubeless setup, and the exact combination of wheels and tires depends on the model selected.

The top-level Advanced SL frameset is only compatible with electronic groupset, while the Campagnolo EPS is not compatible, as it requires a larger frame entry port. Thus, groupset options are limited to Shimano or wireless SRAM.

The frameset also features an ISP (integrated seatpost) and comes with two seat masts: the first has 25mm of vertical adjustment and can be used with -5mm or 15mm of offset. The other has 45mm of vertical adjustment and can be offset from -5mm to 25mm.

Giant pitted the new TCR against three major rivals to test its claims. Trek Emonda SLR discs, Specialized S-Works Tarmac discs, and Cervelo R5 discs. When tested for aerodynamic efficiency, the TCR had the least aerodynamic drag on average at all yaw angles (-15 to +15 degrees). In addition, when driving 40 km at 200 watts, the TCR was 34 seconds shorter than the conventional TCR.

As for weight, Giant admits that the TCR loses 17 grams to the Emonda, but it is 105 grams lighter than the Tarmac and 322 grams lighter than the R5. However, the stiffness more than makes up for it. Using Tour Magazine's testing protocol, Giant claims 26% more stiffness than the Emonda, 16.6% more than the R5, and 9.8% more than the Tarmac.

The top-of-the-line Advanced SL 0 with SRAM Force eTap features a lightweight finish that Giant calls Thinline Finish Technology. Just three coats, instead of the usual eight, were applied, resulting in a weight reduction of 65 grams for the entire frame and fork.

The CCC-Team has already been using the new TCR for some time, and when Cycling News got a closer look at Simon Geschke's rim-braked TCR at the World Tour opener, Tour Down Under in Adelaide, we experienced firsthand the featherweight of the new TCR The new TCR, however, is not a new TCR. However, this is not the first time the new TCR has been seen. The pre-production model was first spotted when Greg Van Avermaat rode it in the Classics late in the 2019 season, and he used the disc-brake-equipped TCR at the World Championships in Yorkshire.

There are a total of 10 models of the new TCR, plus three frameset options.

The entry-level TCR Advanced is available in three disc brake models and one rim brake model. The mid-level Advanced Pro offers three disc models, one rim option, and a disc brake compatible frameset. The top-level Advanced SL is only available in a disc-brake version, but the frameset is available in both disc-brake and rim-brake versions.

The bikes were officially unveiled today, but due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, dealership launches have been delayed until early May in various regions, including the UK, Europe, the US, and Australia.

As such, no pricing has been set at this stage, but Cyclingnews reports that the Advanced SL 0, a range-topping model equipped with Cadex 42 tubeless wheels and a SRAM Red eTap AXS groupset, will retail for $11,000.