Make no mistake, ever since we tried the original Di2 equipped Propel weâve been smitten with its unique charms. No only is the Propel one of the slipperiest of aero bikes, it doesnât forget that one magical component that marks out any potential Bike of the Year contender â the ride quality.
Video: Giant Propel Advanced Pro 2
- Highs: Wonderful ride, fast, smooth, and brilliant all rounder
- Lows: Aggressive ride position and not as high-spec as some
- Buy if: You want to conquer climbs, speed along the flat, fly round corners, glide over potholes â and look the business at the same time
From its conception Giant wasn't happy to simply create a slippery aero shaped racer, and the firm has spent plenty of development time refining the way the Propel rides. Not only does it share the aggressive, short wheelbased geometry of the classic TCR; it blends in the noted smoothness of the brilliant endurance focused Defy in the process. In fact the Propel is built around the mantra of being for the rider, and not to satisfy wind tunnel engineers â the fact that it's also so damn fast makes this technical marvel a very worthy competitor.
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The TRP-built but Propel-specific aero brakes offer great power
The downside of such a brilliantly realised chassis is that it takes up plenty of the overall budget of the bike's specification. Usually at the upper limit of the Bike of the Year price range weâd expect Ultegra, but the Propel Advanced Pro 2 gets âjustâ 105. We arenât down on 105 as a group, however â its slick new 11-speed form is so close as to not matter to Ultegra's performance, and we love the gearing choice Giant has made with the Pro 2. Using a 52/36 combined with a 12-28 gives a wide range thatâs more than capable of tackling the toughest of ascents yet offers big enough gears to power along at a swift lick on more rolling terrain.
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