Review: Giant Road Wheels

With huge investment into their wheel range in the last few years, Giant wheels aren't just a great upgrade for your Giant or Liv bike, they're a great upgrade full stop! As industry leaders in carbon fibre production, Giant wheels are subject to the same intense scrutiny as their frames meaning you can have faith in their reliability while you enjoy the lighter weight, quicker rolling that a wheel upgrade gives you. Giant studied how the rim, hub, spokes and other parts worked together and through this, created the Giant Wheelsystem.

Back in 2016 Giant started to create their own range of wheel systems after developing their Dynamic Balanced Lacing technology which claimed to increase wheel stiffness and longevity. This was achieved by increasing the spoke tension when the wheels were rolling. The wheel systems have a superior stiffness-to-weight ratio and come as either clincher-only or tubeless. Giant said that their new wheels have a Tg rating of 245 degrees Celsius, exceeding the industry standard of 160. Tg (which stands for glass transition) is the temperature at which the epoxy begins to deteriorate. In bike terms, this means under heavy braking the temperature at which the rim wall starts to deteriorate, this is most likely to happen on long descents where temperatures can reach 148 degrees Celsius. With Giants wheels far exceeding this temperature you can rest assured that the wheels will always perform. If all that wasn't enough to convince you of their abilities, pro team Sunweb have been riding with the top level wheels this race season.

SLR 0

The SLR 0 is the top of the Giant Wheel range, made with ultralight comp carbon rims, perfect for sprinting to the top of the climb or for solo rides against the clock. The Dynamic Balance Lacing technology gives this wheel enhanced transmission efficiency and superior braking control, also furthering the life of the wheels by reducing the the likelihood of them coming out of true. The tubeless wheel comes ready with rim tape and a valve kit. Giant have ensured these wheels are fast, whilst maintaining handling ability.

These wheels were reviewed by road.cc who gave them a strong 4/5 stars, "an ideal all-round go-faster set of hoops"

Giant SLR 0 Aero 65mm Tubeless Rim Brake Front Wheel

• Dynamic Balanced Lacing- Engineered with more leverage on the �pulling� spoke and less on the �pushing� spoke, DBL technology maximizes the performance benefits of the rear wheel while it is in a dynamic state, delivering market-leading transmission stiffness for the highest level of efficiency.
• Optimised Anchor Point- Improved flange placement on the front hub and an optimized drive side flange on the rear hub increase spoke bracing angles, which boosts overall lateral stiffness. The result is stronger, stiffer wheels that track more accurately for better cornering performance and pinpoint control.
• Cutting edge manufacturing- Giant rims are produced in-house using Giant's unrivalled engineering and manufacturing expertise in carbon and high-strength alloys for improved strength and stiffness with lower overall weight.
• Precision hub internals- Proprietary hub shell designs with proven engineered hub internals create dependable performance in demanding conditions.
• Tubeless compatible- Tubeless Compatible rims provide the ability to run lower air pressure, allowing the tire to conform better to the road surface or terrain for improved traction, lower rolling resistance and a reduced risk of pinch flats.
• Optimised aerodynamics- Designed and engineered using CFD analysis to provide a high level of aerodynamic advantage at various yaw angles.

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SLR 1

The next model down in the road bike wheel range, the SLR 1 comes with ultralight composite rims and is tubeless ready. Weighing in at 1670g per wheelsystem on the Aero Full Carbon 55mm wheels, these wheels are a great altenative if your budget won't stretch to the SLR 0's.

Cycling Weekly wrote "it was hard to find fault with the Giant SLR 1 Disc Full Carbon 42 wheels", with the only issue Cycling Weekly finding was that it was difficult to change the tyres from tubeless to clinchers. Giant addressed this issue by commenting: "The [Giant] Wheelsystems are designed for optimum performance using a tubeless system. To that extent we would always recommend using our Gavia tubeless road tyres."

Giant SLR 1 Carbon Aero 65mm Front Wheel

• UCI and ITU Legal- The perfect racing wheels for both road and triathlon.
• Superior efficiency- market-leading transmission stiffness, best-in-class weight and optimised aerodynamics.
• Pinpoint control- market-leading lateral stiffness and superior braking performance in all conditions.
• Engineered durability- handcrafted with proprietary materials, resins and processes.

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Now we move away from road aero wheels to 27.5" mountain bike wheels...

TRX 1

Made for trail and XC riding, the TRX range is a 27.5" full comp carbon wheelsystem. They are light, stiff and fast with precision handling and pinpoint control. It is thanks to the full carbon construction that helps to keep the weight of the TRX 1's down to an impressive 1660g per pair, meaning a stiffer and more nimble ride feel. These wheels come with Boost technology, this means a wider hub standard, resulting in a stronger spoke bracing angle. As they are designed as a wheelsystem, you can run them with Giant tubeless tyres, therefore, gaining all the benefits of running lower pressures for improved traction and reduced rolling resistance. The TRX comes with a wider rim profile to optimize traction in rougher trail riding conditions.

Giant TRX 1 27.5 Boost Carbon Trail Front Wheel

• Dynamic Balanced Lacing- More leverage on the �pulling� spokes and less on the �pushing� spokes creates slightly different spoke tension levels when the wheel is static. As pedalling force is applied, the tension balances, improving stiffness and efficiency.
• Optimised Anchor Point- Hub flanges are engineered and placed for optimal spoke bracing angles. This helps boost lateral wheel stiffness.
• Precision hub internals- Proprietary shell and precision-engineered hub internals offer dependable performance in demanding off-road conditions. All hub parts are readily available and serviceable by your local retailer.
• High-quality manufacturing- Giant rims are produced in-house using our industry-leading manufacturing expertise with carbon and high-strength alloys. This allows us to achieve better strength, stiffness and durability at lower overall weights.
• Boost axle spacing- Wider hub diameters (110mm front and 148mm rear) produce stiffer hubs and improved overall trail handling with the latest Boost compatible framesets. Wider spacing also improves the chainline for optimal drivetrain performance.
• Trail-specific rim- Wider 33mm rims offer improved traction and control by optimizing tire profile and performance for off-road terrain.

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P-XCR 0

The P-XCR 0 wheels were designed as a lightweight comp carbon rim XC wheelsystem, offering weight saving with no loss to performance. Again, this wheel comes as both clincher and tubeless compatible with a combined weight of 1400g for the pair.

Giant P-XCR 0 27.5 Inch MTB Front Wheel

• Forged DT Swiss hub and internals- Easily serviced at home or in a shop.
• DT Aerolite spokes and ProLock alloy nipples- Help to shave weight off the P-XCR 0 to create a wheelset that weighs just 1400g.
• Tubeless Compatible- For Running low Pressures for Increased Grip

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Find your nearest Rutland Cycling Store

Visit either our Cambridge or Rutland Water Giant Stores to see the wheels in person or browse our wide range online here