one on the side.

I've got a bunch of things I need to do to my Trek, so I broke out the other. I gots me a 2001 Giant TCR2 to spice things up. This was my first true road bike, considering my first 700c bike was a track bike. Profile of that one to follow soon. Giant is who you'd either blame or thank for the Compact Frame Geometry. True compact geometry shortens the rear stays jamming the wheel up against the seat tube, hence the dimple in the tube to accommodate it. Then there's the obvious sloping top tube helping to create smaller triangles for the front and rear. It would simply look stupid to have a horizontal TT w/ a short rear triangle plus it wouldn't be rigid enough. Until just in the last few years there were only 3 sizes (s,m,l) for the Giants. Others were doing more sizes, most notably Specialized.

The problem besides not enough sizes is that to accommodate a broad range of rider heights weird things have to happen. For the smaller rider you have to shorten the head tube so it's not sitting them up too high and the top tube has to be lengthened for the taller rider so they're too compacted. Right away you can see what's going on. Too long for the shorties, and too low a front for the freaky tall boys (and girls). So for me I had to turn my stem up so I wouldn't be leaning over too much. I HATE stems in this position because they look corny, then again I am a ridiculous and petty fashionista. But I have some back issues that I'm still working on so this is how it's gots to be. Oh, you also need a damn long seatpost 350mm+ for this fit to work. A shorter wheelbase from the rear stay give it nervous handling in comparison to my longish Trek. It's more like a race car that needs your full attention otherwise you'll end up in the wall. Yet if you know how to take it deep into turns it shines. Very quick.

Das goot stuff! Aluminum frame is the harshest material made that much more harsh by shortened stays and smaller triangles. BUT, since there is no room for the bike to wiggle while sprinting or climbing, it is an absolute ROCKET! You launch up hills! Still got the stock fork which I think is pretty dope. Straight, strong, and unforgiving for carbon. Tracks on rails beyatch!

Wheels are a mix of Mavic Ksyrium Elite and SSL. You already know I pulled the spokes through my rear SSL. Tires are probably the most interesting thing on the bike. I'm using the Czech made TUFO tubular clinchers. I'll write more about these soon, but they are the bomb believe me.

I'm still using some of the original parts from when I first purchased it. 105 for the shifters and the front derailleur. Shifting action on the 105s are a little harsh in that it takes a little more effort to click it, but when matched to a DuraAce rear mech, shifting is dead accurate. So no worries mate! At this point I honestly don't care about not having top end shifters and playing that on-up game. I'm just happy that things work. I can't go below 105 though; there's way too much of a drop off in quality to Tiagra. Too much damn plastic. Brakes are 105 w/ Kool Stop pads; super sticky.

Cockpit is Bontrager RaceLite bars, Bontrager Race TripleXXXLite stem, and Stella Azzurra tape. I had this vision of a team bike that was sponsored by Bontrager. I like the stuff regardless of what I've written before, but I couldn't possible have that on my Trek. It looks too much like the stock crap I sold to all the wads who wanted Lance's bike. At the time Webcor was riding Lemonds w/ XXXLite components, and they looked pretty dope. I'm impressionable.

Seatpost is again XXXLite, carbon w/ a slight setback. The saddle is the new Specialized Toupe which I'm a little mixed about. It's very light, it uses their nice Body Geometry tech to keep your goods fresh, but it's not the greatest for long 3+ hour rides. I've ridden it a good bit so it's not that I have to get used to it. I'll hold judgment for now. It looks wicked though.

Cranks are FSA Energy. Not carbon, but not the ugly ass 105s either. Black and yellow baby! Pedals are Time RSX. Still so nice. I'm using Bontrager's BatCages which hold bottles. Go figure.

Not my distance bike, but me love it long time! Sorry about the picture, the camera on my phone is dying.