Giant Propel Advanced 2 offer and review

Buy the Giant Propel Advanced 2 from Rutland Cycling

The Giant Propel Advanced 2 works to reduce drag and minimise the energy needed to ride and sprint at full speed, especially when it's windy.

The bike is one of the lightest of its kind on the market, with a concentration on sharp handling coupled with the proven aero performance.

However, some people might still be unsure about which Giant road bike would suit them.

David Ward, Product & Training Manager at Giant UK, explains the difference between popular models the Propel and the Defy.

'The Giant Propel is race geometry like the top end TCR, which Tom Dumoulin rode to victory at the Giro d'Italia.

'The Defy has endurance geometry, so longer in the chainstay and headtube and taller in the headtube,' he added.

As we've touched upon, the Giant Propel has been made to cheat the wind and Ward adds, 'the Propel is all about aero.'

This Giant Propel Advanced 2 comes with the latest version of the Shimano 105 groupset, the third-tier offering that has benefited from years of trickle down from the top end of Shimano's component hierarchy.

At this price, the Propel would make a great first race bike that would also be suited to sportives and faster weekend rides.

As always, the wheels might be the first place to look for an upgrade and a more aerodynamic set of rims would better suit the frame.

The Giant Propel Advanced 2 and other bikes worth over £999 are avaiable with 0% finance over 24 months: see Giant for more details.

Click through to page two for our full review of the Giant Propel Advanced Pro 2 review

Giant Propel Advanced Pro 2 review

The Giant Propel Advanced 2 is a race worthy bike with an aero frame that ticks all the boxes but it's held back slightly by the groupset

Review by: Josh Cunningham

Price as reviewed: £2,600

Giant is recognised as the world’s biggest bike manufacturer, with a stable that houses every type of bike imaginable. Its upper echelon bikes are used by the Giant-Shimano men’s road team and both of the Liv-Shimano and Rabobank-Liv women’s road teams, as well as pro cyclocross and MTB squads. But the crème de la crème of frame engineering is the Propel, including the mid-range Advanced Pro 2.

Frame

In terms of pure speed, the Propel will happily allow the rider to sit down, tuck in and channel every muscular sinew into straight-line forward motion; the frame encourages it, even. The sculpted tube profiles are awash with kamm-tail shapes, and with the slightly dropped down tube and cut out in seat tube (designed to slicken airflow), it certainly looks aero. But the Computational Fluid Dynamics and wind tunnel testing that the Propel has undergone would suggest that Giant has scientific proof of it being so, too. Apart from an integrated seatpost, the frame boasts the same geometry and tube profiles of Marcel Kittel’s range-topping Propel Advanced SL. The Advanced Pro 2 handles well when out of the saddle and making snappy directional changes, partly thanks to the OverDrive 2 steering system at the front end, which employs oversized bearings and a tapered steerer tube for increased stiffness. The RideSense wireless speed and cadence data transmitter (ANT+) integrated into the chainstay is a thoughtful touch.

Components

Whilst a frame can be aerodynamic, the energy saved can be all to easily lost in the way the turbulent air reacts with the rest of the components. Giant is clued-up enough to know this, and the Propel Advanced Pro 2 is fitted with aerodynamic brake callipers both front and rear. The Giant branded TRP Speed Control SL braking system uses a calliper mounted to the back of the fork to keep the unrefined shape out of the wind. The braking performance is good and, with open access, the callipers are relatively easy to adjust. The Shimano 105 groupset is much the same as Ultegra and Dura-Ace but for different material choices and a slightly clunkier performance. At this price, it’s a fitting accompaniment as is the Fizik Arione saddle.

Wheels

The P-SLR 1 Aero Wheel system provides another example of Giant standing apart from the competition as the Propel comes with deep section wheels out of the box. Much like Mavic’s Cosmic Carbone, or Shimano’s RS81 C50, they’re a hybrid made up from an alloy rim with a carbon composite fairing so in many ways they make for one of the most versatile wheel options out there. The P-SLR 1s are aerodynamic while remaining relatively light and the alloy rim also means that braking performance isn’t compromised.

Most influential in the aerodynamic performance of a pair of wheels is the rim and the current trend is for a deep, wide iteration with a fairly rounded-box cross-section. The principal objective is to guide air past the object with as little turbulence as possible, which means working in conjunction with whatever is breaking the wind (in this case the tyre), and dealing with the consequences of its disruption. Stiff carbon rims reduce the need for a high number of spokes, and their wide, deep, and rounded profile forces airflow out, and past, the entire wheel, before drawing it back smoothly at the rear. Rather than eddy through between spokes, hubs and the like.

The ride

The Advanced Pro 2 is undeniably a race bike. It goes fast in a straight line, fast through corners and fast in a gallop, thanks to Giant putting effort in across the board. At £2,600, Giant could have been forgiven for oversight in certain details, or putting all its eggs in one basket (the frame). Whilst there are some compromises (the bike is equipped with Shimano’s third-tier groupset after all), the aero braking system and aero wheelset go a long way towards making up the difference. Granted, it may not have the delicacy of a top-end race bike in its ride feel but, for a speed machine at a reasonable price, there’s a lot to be said for this offering. 

Frame 

Very aero with a cutout seat tube and a dropped down tube - 9/10

Components

An appropriate selection for the price, great saddle - 8/10

Wheels

Excellent lightweight alloy rims with aero carbon fairing - 9/10

The ride

Fast and sporty, it wears its racing credentials on its sleeve - 8/10

Overall

The Advanced Pro 2 may not have the delicacy of a top-end race bike, but for a speed machine at a reasonable price, there's a lot to be said in its favour.

Rating - 4.1/5

Buy the Giant Propel Advanced 2 from Rutland Cycling here

Geometry

Spec