Review: Giant Propel Advanced SL 0

Back in January, during the Tour Down Under in Australia, Giant unveiled a new aero road frame. It marked the manufacturer's first push into that sector of the bike market, a niche filled with fancy, expensive, wind tunnel-tested road machines designed to steal a few seconds back from the greedy hands of the Gods of Drag.

At the launch, Giant claimed its new Propel Advanced SL 0 was the most aerodynamic bike in the world, a claim repeated by the media outlets who reported on it. Big words, but I wanted to test it and see for myself. So when Giant offered to give me a peek at the Propel, I was excited to be the first to ride it on American pavement. I was admittedly put off by all the early news and marketing mayhem. Yet after a week of testing the Propel, I was actually quite impressed with it. This bike is good at the most important thing an aero bike should be good at: going fast.

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It's a stealthy looking thing. Giant claims it's faster in the tunnel than its competitors: Scott's Foil, Cervelo's S5 and Specialized S-Works' Venge, all well-loved models. Testing was extensive. Giant even went to the lengths of building its own mechanical dummy to pedal the bike during its wind-tunnel sessions – a first in the bike design process as far as I can tell. The end result of this and other rigorous testing is a bike that costs over $10,000 and is loaded with all the bells and whistles that are more suited to pro races than your weekend escapades.

I ride a Giant as my personal bike – a TCR Advanced, Giant's breadwinner and the best example of its famed sloping top tube frame design first introduced in 1997. It's a shape that other race-worthy brands have slowly started to see the benefits of, and only recently dipped their toes into. It's a great frame. It climbs great, paces well, and it's darn speedy on the downward slopes. Perfect for the hilly terrain of Northern California. And the price is friendly, another thing Giant is good at.

The Propel takes notes from the TCR, but it has a straight top tube which gives it a more aggressive stance and look. In order to make the bike as aerodynamic as possible, Giant had to abandon the slanted geometry, give the bike a much stiffer ride, and also make its profile sleeker.

After crafting the frame, Giant added some fancy whirlygigs – most notably, Shimano's newly reworked and much improved 11-speed Dura-Ace Di2 9070 gruppo. It's more accurate than previous versions, and it allows multi-gear shifting, a sorely missed feature on early electronic models. There are also rear derailleur "satellite shifters" in the drops of the handlebars, which allow you to gear up or down while in the tuck position. It's a fantastic innovation that will certainly shave seconds off your local crit times.

Airfoil tubeshapes and internally routed cables clear the clutter from the frame and allow for undisturbed airflow, as do the flat Contact SLR handlebars, which are more comfortable than any single-piece handlebar I've ridden. Whether they enhance the performance of the bike, I couldn't say.

Also on the bike are the Speed Control SLR straight-pull brakes that Giant modeled off of those team-only designs you see in the grand tours. They are excellent, and should be on every model. They worked flawlessly and gave me confidence on tight descents. The front brake is tucked behind the fork, and the approach to the design is minimal when compared to the popular SRAM and Shimano models. It's simplicity at its best.

Like the TCR Advanced SL, the Zero is built with an integrated seat post, meaning the post and the frame are a single piece. It also means there's not much room for error or adjustment when you're setting up the bike. Make "measure twice, cut once" your motto. When testing a Giant TCR SL last year for Wired, my colleague and I actually broke a frame while fitting the seat. We did better this time and only chipped the paint a little. I'll admit fault, but it's also a weird design choice. Although it gives the bike a strong look, I'm still not sold on this "advancement" in frame-building. Manufacturers claim that an integrated post allows for a stiffer and more comfortable seat due to the seamless construction of carbon composite from the frame to the top of the post. But the ride on neither the Propel nor the TCR SL were any more cush than my TCR, which has a traditional post. In my experience, it's just extra hassle.

Another quibble. The bike comes stocked with Giant's 50mm P-SLR1 Aero rims, but I don't like them. They feel pretty flimsy when ridden aggressively, and the overly complicated skewers stick out awkwardly when they're set.

Correction: I realized after the fact that these are in fact DT Swiss RWS skewers, and I was setting them wrong during the test. Giant didn't label the specific brand or model in the provided literature, which in part led to misuse of this QR system. Thanks to our dedicated/handsome/gentle readers, who spotted this error. I believe that it didn't largely affect the performance of the wheel system or bike overall during testing.

After a week of testing, however, the true value of this bike came through. Sure, it was a mediocre climber, but it's not made to do that, so I knew not to expect more than average performance on the uphills. But when I found myself hooking onto a local team ride on Marin county backroads on a Sunday morning, the bike restored my confidence in its design. I was able to pace with riders clearly above my skill level. And just barreling through the canyon that would lead us to the rim of the Pacific Ocean, I was grinning ear to ear. I was relaxed, and I was moving both faster and more leisurely than ever before. It was one of those moments cyclists constantly seek but rarely receive.

Maybe it's not worth ten grand, but don't ask this adrenaline junkie.

WIRED Carbon manufactured in-house by Giant ensures the highest quality construction. Amazing handling and feel at high speeds. Excellent Speed Control SLR straight-pull brakes. Courage comes at no extra cost.

TIRED Giant's P-SLR carbon rims aren't up to snuff. Integrated seat posts are a pain, and I see them as a gimmick that will surely pass as this market gets stronger. Expensive, but if you're on a budget, ditch the fancy gruppo and handlebars and go for the Advanced 1 or 2 – you'll have just as much opportunity to get rad on one of these builds.