# Giant TCR Advanced SL, wind drag? bottom tube



## terminus123 (Sep 24, 2009)

Do you think the Giant TCR Advanced SL experiences any drag on its bottom tube because of its rather thick square bottom tube? 

I know the Cervelo S3, Felt AR1, other aero roadies and TT bikes have very thin, sharp, bottom tubes for aero, so would a thick square bottom tube get drag?


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## pedalingsquares (Feb 14, 2009)

Get The TCR..best bike out there..you are probably not fast enough to worry about the aero attributes of a bike frame:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:


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## rick222 (May 29, 2005)

Dennis Menchov won the insanely long time trial in the Giro using the TCR SL with clip on aerobars. I believe he won by a pretty good margin also.


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## terminus123 (Sep 24, 2009)

rick222 said:


> Dennis Menchov won the insanely long time trial in the Giro using the TCR SL with clip on aerobars. I believe he won by a pretty good margin also.


yea, I heard of that. Surprising stuff the Giro pulls. Everyone was like using road bikes on that TT. I'm surprised he won that with that blocky towntube. 

Is the 2009 frame exactly the same as the 2010 frame?


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## nis240sxt (Oct 6, 2004)

Your body poses more of a drag than the downtube ever would so I wouldn't worry too much about it  The 2010 SL is identical to the 2009 except for colors/graphics/components. I know on the TCR Advanced, all the 2010 models get a full carbon fork. The 2009 TCR Adv 3 got an alloy steerer.


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## crumjack (Sep 11, 2005)

Cancellara and O'Grady won Paris Roubaix in solo breakaways on Cervelo R3s which have a similar downtube.


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## soulfly_nyc (Feb 16, 2007)

I had a similar concern before purchasing my 2009 TCR adv SL2. The reality is that the front wheel and fork are the leading edges and the downtube doesn't seem to slow me down at all.

Body positioning is going to be a MUCH bigger issue for aerodynamics...a helmet is even a bigger aero consideration than your frame. You won't hear about this from cervelo, but if you throw a water bottle on the cervelo (or other "aero" bikes) wouldn't you be screwing up the aero advantage anyhow?

After extensive testing of the Cervelo S2, S3, and R3 SL personally, i confidently chose the TCR SL2. I've been in several races, breakaways, won races etc, all with no problem on the TCR. Heck, if Menchov can win the Giro D'Italia on one, then it's a pretty race-tested frame. Go for it.

I'd break it down approximately like this:
90% of the bike's speed depends on the engine power/endurance
8% of the bike's speed depends on wheels, body position, helmet
2% of the bike's speed MAY depend on the frame's aerodynamics

And, if a bike is lighter, stiffer, handles better, and/or more comfortable in a long race, I would gladly trade those attributes for the slight aero advantage. In most race scenarios you are hiding in someone's slipstream anyhow.


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