Best Giant Bikes

‍Giant is a huge international company that offers a wide variety of bicycles. What are the best Giant bikes you can buy in 2022?

The TCR Advanced SL 0 Disc is a truly great road bike for anyone who can afford it. The Stance 2 is good if you want a full-suspension trail bike that doesn't cost a fortune. The TCX Advanced Pro 2 is great for cyclocross races and the Anthem Advanced performs very well at cross-country racing.

I have been into cycling for my whole life and Giant is my favorite company. You can count on them not to sell any bad or overpriced products. I have tried most of the bikes I recommend and I know people who own the others.

‍About the Giant Bikes Company

Before Giant bikes made its brand of bicycles, it manufactured bikes and sold them to other companies. They started in 1972 and made bikes for brands like Schwinn and Trek.

Giant bikes briefly faced trouble in the 1980s, when Schwinn started getting their bikes from a cheaper manufacturer. However, they solved the problem by creating their own brand.

The Advantages of Manufacturing in Taiwan

Taiwan has a long history of manufacturing using precision machinery. The distance between different suppliers is short, which keeps the costs and production times down. Giant bikes can manufacture the same bike twice as fast as it would take in the United States.

Technology and Innovation

Giant was the first company to release a carbon-framed road bike, a huge achievement that led to carbon-framed bikes becoming common. They also improved the shape of a bike frame - "compact geometry" - which also became commonly used.

Giant Bikes Today

Giant Bikes is probably the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world. You will see bikes from this company in countless cities everywhere.

They offer cheap bikes for beginners all the way up to high-end bikes.

What Kind of Bikes Do They Make?

Giant makes road bikes, mountain bikes, gravel bikes, electric bikes, and kids' bikes. They offer a bit of everything and do not specialize in a single type of bike.

Why is Giant Bikes a Good Company?

Giant bikes are better than average in their price range. The company does a good job keeping the prices low and the quality high. You can count on them to only offer bikes that are worth the money.

Shipping is free anywhere in the United States, and there is a great return policy. If you don't like your bike for any reason, you can send it back for a full refund. The frames are high-quality, and the transmission uses quality parts from Shimano and SRAM.

Giant also offers great power meters that measure everything about your performance. They also sell tools and accessories, and they have good customer service.

The Best Giant Bikes You Can Buy in 2022

TCR Advanced SL 0 Disc

Reasons to Buy

• One of the best road bikes you can get
• Extremely light
• Advanced carbon fiber frame
• Cutting-edge cycling technology
• Very fast and easy to control

Drawbacks

• Expensive

The TCR Advanced SL 0 Disc is one of the best high-end road bikes on the market. It costs a fortune, but it is a top-notch road bike with no real disadvantages other than its price.

It is significantly better than earlier models, which were already excellent bikes. The TCR Advanced is lightning fast and aerodynamic. It is stiff and light like a good road bike should be.

Advanced Carbon Fiber Frames

What really makes the TCR worth its price tag is the advanced carbon fiber frame, which takes advantage of the latest technology. Even compared to recent models, the carbon fiber frame is significantly better.

It takes more than 500 pieces of carbon fiber to make this bike, compared to 380 pieces for an earlier model. The company uses lasers to cut the pieces of carbon fiber into shape. Robots are used for the smallest pieces to ensure that everything fits together precisely.

Other Advanced Technology

Even the paint is as light as possible! Giant was able to reduce the weight of the TCR by 65 grams by using lighter paint. Giant does everything it can to make the TCR as light as possible without compromising the quality in some other way.

The bike is extremely durable because of a new high-tech resin used to bind the pieces of carbon fiber together. The strong frame can make it through a crash without damage.

High-End Performance

The frame is very stiff, even if there is a heavy rider on such a light bike. The bike is lightning-fast on pavement. You can easily climb steep hills if you build up speed first and switch into a lower gear.

The bike is also extremely responsive, so you can make sudden turns while remaining in control. It is a great bike for daring, adventurous riders with a high skill level and money to spend on a high-end bike.

Contend 3

Reasons to Buy

• Great for climbing hills
• Decent parts for its price
• Stable and easy to control

Drawbacks

• Can't compete with far more expensive bikes

The Contend 3 is an affordable road bike with the power to climb hills and remain stable when going downhill fast. There is a great selection of gear ratios, including gears ideal for climbing hills. If you are new to road biking and have only $1000 to spend, you might get the Contend 3 plus a helmet, a kit, and shoes.

Since the bike costs less than $1000, you can't really use it competitively. Bikes that cost ten or twenty times as much are simply faster than the Contend 3.

However, the Contend 3 is a joy to ride. It seems fast, powerful, and efficient, especially to a beginner. It is only if you try to race with it at a high skill level that you really notice the bike's limitations.

Aluminum Rather Than Carbon

The whole frame is made of aluminum, including the fork. Aluminum is very light and is sometimes used on bikes considerably more expensive than the Contend 3.

However, it is not as durable as carbon fiber or steel. There isn't really anything wrong with the frame - it is not delicate - but it is standard for a cheaper bike.

Relatively Wide Tires for Stability

The tires are 28mm wide, which is a bit wider than usual for a road bike. This helps keep the bike stable at high speeds. However, it reduces the bike's speed a little.

Probably, the relatively wide tires are an advantage. If you are a beginner, the bike seems very fast, and stability at high speeds matters. You will need a faster bike eventually if you become more competitive, but the Contend 3 is more than good enough for beginners.

Reasonably Good Components

All of the components are brand name and made by Shimano and other respected companies. The brakes work, the gears shift smoothly, and the parts are durable. However, the parts are relatively heavy and are not as good as what more expensive bikes offer.

Stance 2

Reasons to Buy

• Excellent brakes that work even if going downhill
• Very light for its size
• Suspension is good enough for bumpy off-road rides
• Durable tires
• Above average traction

Drawbacks

• Some say the drivetrain has problems

A lot of the time, full-suspension bikes that perform well on rough trails cost a fortune or don't last long enough. The Stance 2 is a reasonably affordable (about $1500) bike that lasts a long time even if you use it on rough terrain.

The suspension holds up even if you are hitting rocks, bumps, roots, and sticks. It is a true trail bike and not somewhere between a trail bike and a road bike. Performance on trails is valued over speed/efficiency on pavement.

Excellent Suspension

The Stance 2 has a fork with 130mm of travel and a shock with 120mm. This is enough for harsh trails. I have tried significantly more expensive trail bikes that don't absorb impact as well as the Stance 2.

The frame is aluminum, but it is particularly light. Even in a large size with 29-inch wheels, it doesn't weigh much. Powerful ALUXX aluminum is used for the whole frame plus the brakes and the suspension.

Quality Parts

The brakes are certainly worth mentioning. The Shimano BR-MT200 brakes are powerful enough to stop the bike quickly on dirt and not only on pavement.

Even if you are going downhill, the brakes will work. The Stance 2 is a great bike if you like to do daring downhill rides. Some people report slight problems with the drivetrain but I never experienced any issues.

Durable Tires

The tires are also good enough for rough terrain. Both the front tires (Maxxis Rekon) and the back tires (Maxxis Ardent Race) are durable and won't break for a long time. The tires also provide above-average traction.

TCX Advanced Pro 2

Reasons to Buy

• Performs well on difficult cyclocross tracks
• Seat absorbs vibrations
• Excellent at rounding corners at high speed
• Performs well on wet ground

Drawbacks

• Wheels are unnecessarily heavy

Cyclocross is a sport where competitors not only race their bikes but dismount and run up staircases and over obstacles with their bikes with them. It is not clear where the sport originated.

Perhaps, it started with town-to-town off-road races where riders would have to get off their bikes to go over fences and other obstacles. Cyclocross is not yet an Olympic sport, but it attracts plenty of skilled athletes. There are a few prestigious world champion events for the best cyclocross riders.

While gravel bikes perform reasonably well at cyclocross, cross bikes are made for the sport and perform the best. Cross bikes also perform well outside of cyclocross racing.

High Performance at High Speeds

The TCX Advanced Pro 2 is a fast cross bike that you can win races with. Especially for a bike that costs a little less than $3000, it is very competitive. It is light and efficient, including on rough or slippery terrain.

The bike does an excellent job of reducing the vibrations you experience. A rough ride will tire you out before the end of the race, so you need a bike that absorbs bumps and vibrations as much as possible.

Excellent Control

Braking is also crucial in racing and training. The TCX Advanced Pro 2 uses hydraulic disc brakes that can stop the bike quickly even in difficult conditions. The Maxxis All Terrain tubeless tires also grip the ground even in the mud.

The TCX also shines when you take it around corners at high speeds. Even if the bike starts slipping, and you feel like you are about to fall off, you can regain control. The tires are just as good for speed on dry ground as for control on wet ground.

You can also replace your tires with much wider than normal tires to maximize control. The bike comes with 33mm tires, which is usually right for a cyclocross bike. However, you can replace them with tires up to 45mm.

Particularly Impressive On Harsher Terrain

You will really notice the superiority of the TCX Advanced Pro 2 if you take it out on a rough cyclocross course at racing speed. If you take it out on a course after it rains with the ground still a bit wet, you will be amazed by how well it performs.

On dry ground, it is also a good bike, but more ordinary. There are some small flaws, such as the weight of the wheels, which could have been lighter for a bike of this price.

Anthem Advanced

Reasons to Buy

• Excellent suspension
• Great for competitive cross-country races
• Low center of gravity for stability
• Performs well on hills

Drawbacks

• Not quite as good as a general trail bike

The Anthem Advanced is a cross-country bike for people who want to win long cross-country races. The powerful suspension keeps you comfortable for a long time without preventing you from riding up large hills. You can also build up a huge amount of speed pedaling downhill.

Built for Competitive Racers

The Anthem is not a great bike if you want a general off-road bike. It is for winning cross-country races. While it works well as a general trail bike, it is not exceptional unless you use it for cross-country racing.

It performs well on all types of terrain you encounter in a cross-country race. I have taken it up hills at a fast pace, and the bike can handle it. The suspension won't interfere with uphill riding.

When you move from a fast uphill ride to a rough part of the track, the suspension absorbs the bumps. When you reach a flat and smooth part of the race, you can build up a lot of speed. The low center of gravity also helps keep the bike stable.