Giant TCR gets Roasted. More CRAP quality control 

What a piece of junk. Oh wait that's my frame!!

Imagine seeing Hambini creeping around your neighborhood in the dark. You'd report his mother for letting a 5 yr old out without supervision

I have the very same model year TCR (winter bike), and STANDARD size Hambini BB fits fine. The front mech shifts like the clappers. A happy client in Poland. (Didn't need the BB, but boy, oh boy do I like it.)

Giant are well known for having some of the best QC on carbon frames. About the only carbon I would buy used - they have a policy of overbuilding - always 100-200g of extra material compared to rivals. Crashed my TCR at least half a dozen times and it was unaffected. My club bought dozens of frames through a relationship with LBS. Only problem I've seen was a delaminating headtube - frame was replaced immediately. Seen dozens of problems with other brands - Trek, Cervelo etc. Looks like this was a special run of TCRs that got through. If it was bought directly from LBS they will replace it no question.

OMG. Killer video without all the swearing. Still whacky but great. You have informed and alarmed me. The bike industry demands so much for its products but their design and build quality is too often awful and the risk of injury to riders very high. We need your spot light videos. Brilliant.

There were a few questions in the comments querying the provenance of this frame. It had a sticker on the bottom for unlimited colors who after further checks did turn out to be painters for what was the Sunweb team. Hence that and the owner's comments (he said it was ex team) do stack up. Suspected ex training bike perhaps.

I love these videos where frames costing €000’s don’t have a bb that’s in spec. Never been a problem with my Aluminium frame and BB-R60 threaded bb. Runs perfectly smoothly and I change it yearly for €30. What’s not to like.

Exact same issue I’ve had with my Propel. Had a PM fitted at a “prestige” shop in Berlin, and they truly fucked it up. Thank goodness for the consummate professional’s at my LBS. Nice save, Hambini sir.

I don't think I've ever seen a bearing pressed into a molded mating surface outside of the bicycle industry. If you look up typical tolerances for different manufacturing processes you'll find that you'll only get the right dimensions by chance on these frames with carbon bb shells.

We need more people like Hambini! Calling out the crap that big companies try to pass off for stupid money. These bikes aren’t cheap so we should expect better!

Those Sunweb TCRs were a “limited edition” team replica bike (not a frameset). And from what I saw (at least 10 sold through the shop I work at) they were the worst i’ve seen. The paint was rubbish and if you got one that wasn’t crackled, you were very lucky. As standard the TCR quality is generally very good. The sunweb ones were an embarrassing blip.

I'm a TCR owner and have been waiting for this one for a while, great vid as per usaul. I'm a Hambini convert and all my bikes have your BBs in them including my TCR (Hambini Racing BB86 Bottom Bracket Shimano Crankset Thread Together) you get what you pay for! When I got the bike I measured it and checked the frame internals as per Hambini best practice and can confirm that my frame is as it should be on the tolerance front and very well made. It has been faultless so far and works very well with the Hambini BB. I still believe in Giant, any manufacture can produce a bad frame, some probably more often than others. Giant still aren't taking customers to the cleaners on pricing either, which is more than can be said for other manufacturers, the price of an S-Works Tarmac is more than a motorbike, taking the piss!!

The pro's of sunweb did ride the tcr advanced sl (with the integrated seatposts) the Sunweb development team however rode these. The TCR advanced pro's, with the adjustable seatpost. This might be a training frame from one of those guys. And maybe they use frames that didnt pass the QC as training models for the development team. Since like you said, no bigger chance of catastrophic failure and teams write off a bike after a year anyway.

Fair criticism on quality. I have a TCR Adv Pro Disc and love the bike. I think it's the best value for a carbon road bike you can get, and their warranty is great.

Mechanical gears with hydraulic disk brakes is a standard gravel setup (for people with a sensible budget who won't go wireless). It gets pushed into pure road territory because it costs more $$$.

I’ve certainly missed you recently great to see you back …

That is the fastest road trip from Hull to France I've ever seen

I just found your channel and I must say I find it quite entertaining. Your anti-social demeanor and aversion to poorly-designed, even-more-poorly-manufactured cycling debris is appreciated and shared.

Possibly a rush job to get a replacement bike to the team? It might have skipped a few steps in QA to get it to the paint room for team colours and the contamination shows that they messed that up too. Another great video from our favourite 5 year old.

I don't think that's an ex team bike as that would have been ISP seatpost. The axle bolts are M12 x 1.5

my 2019 tcr rides very nice with no issues when building it up.

Great presentation, the customer will be happy. I sold Giants at my bike shop and the quality was really on point. Never had any issues with them. I would contact Giant and express my concern to them. That does not that they cannot have some.

Damn I have the exact model frame and it got roasted by Sir Hambini himself! What an honor!🙇

4.20 on - yelling 'focus you fack' in a Canadian accent will also bring it into focus .

I'm super happy with my TCR Advanced SL (rim break version) from 2021. No problems at all.

Have a carbon giant defy. I've put over 20k kms on it @ a bodyweight of over 100kgs. I will say the inside of the frame is much smoother/cleaner than the TCR in the video.

I don't undestand it. Why the BB bores aren't machined by the manufacturer? Would hiring a guy which sole job would be to use 40.97 mm reamer to finish the BB internals cost that much?

Good to see Hennes is back

I raced for a couple of years in the early 2000s on one of the early generation TCR carbons. It was a bit flexy but the quality of the carbon was superb. A couple of years ago, I bought a TCX carbon cross frame. It's in a different league (in the wrong way) and there is a tight spot in the crank rotation which may well be an out of round BB shell. Based on this video, looks like I am not alone.

Would it be possible to make a video to show how you machine the bb shell on the frame? Do you use standard facing/reaming tools? Thank you

I gave up on Giant Road bikes, after working with/on them for 7yrs. I remember in 2017 0r 2018 the shop I was working at received a huge batch of TCRs and Defies with misaligned and poorly shaped BB fittings... When I told the Head tech and the owner that there was something wrong with the frames I got so much flak from them and to top it off they were saying what a shit mechanic I was to the point that I finally left. After I quit I went back for some reason, can't remember exactly why but the owner admitted that the fault was with Giant and not with my work, he asked me to return because for some reason there was no one there to fix that Head techs blunders and shortly after that, the wanker got fired and I never went back. 😂😂😂 Thanks for all the great content, love seeing you rip these companies and techs new orifices to excrete their feces from! Cheers from Montreal!

Good stuff. A little different version, as I don't ever remember seeing Hambini do a pick up and delivery before. Thanks.

Great simple explanation of wrinkling.

I have a Gaint TCR with Ultegra Group Set and Rim Brakes. Its light weight, it's a stiff frame, it's responsive, very comfortable to ride on long weekend rides. I've had no issues or problems at all with the Bike, just great in my opinion.

NOT A TEAM BIKE. Team bikes have ISP and a 1.5” steerer tube not 1.25” so it would not fit that stem combo. That is a low end tcr advanced that you can order frameset only in team colors.

Press fit...perhaps best described as a good idea ruined by bike manufacturers?

Very interesting the different manufacturing quality with Giant. I have a 2011 TCR Advanced SL, and the BB has a machined aluminium insert glued into the carbon shell that is 100% to spec. I guess the quest to save the odd gram here or there has lead to these corner cutting measures.

Yay to crank spin finale! :) Very surprised a team frame was that compromised.

One of the few videos where the intro didn't scare the crap out of me.. lol

I have been riding my TCR Advance 2 2019 rim brake version and it's a dream to ride. No issues whatsoever and I'm the 2nd owner. Was sold to me because the 1st owner upgraded to Specialized SL6.

I have been bumbling along on a 2017 Giant Advanced Propel, thinking, this a bit of all right... Its served me well except for having changed out Giant provided hubs and wheels, changed the BB once, serviced every 6 months, so I have paid for the bike probably twice over or more on servicing and replacement parts. I am planning to replace in the next year, supply chains permitting, what manufacturer has the best QA/QC outcomes in your view? Great videos BTW.

(Edited)I've been waiting for this! That's no ex team bike, they used the sl version, that is just a replica bike

I think it gets to a point where all the big brand names are outsourcing frame/fork production to just about any company that has the resources and can throw together something that resembles a bike frame or they are outsourcing to random companies just to meet global demand. Overall quality and tolerances don't matter so long as it rolls when you add wheels, handlebars and a seat to it.

Always thought of Giant bikes as a safe bet in terms of QC, however my friend has a 2021 TCR advanced Pro and the NDS bearing is rough after just a few months use, my first thought was an undersized housing.

Question. As a new rider, I see a lot of bikes getting roasted. Do you have any suggestions for companies with excellent QC that you can recommend? Something under, say, 4000 USD for a road bike?

Hambini time !!!!! dying for good roast with all the trimmings !

Newer gen TCR is spot on. No complaints

Stop what you're doing it's Hambini time !!!

Does the machining to the carbon at the BB area that you do increase any safety risks? Could the frame crack if someone hit a curb, pothole or jumped a curb for example?

I'm not sure but Team Sunweb didn't Use Disc Break Frames. I think that will be huge difference between disc and rim break frame

I turned the volume down for the first few seconds, and you had a didn’t do your shrill greeting….:)

Another good analytical piece of Engineering. I'd already had some bad experience of press fit BBs in carbon frames, watching your videos confirmed my thoughts that press fitting hardened steel bearings into carbon fibre is simply bad design - even if the BB is a good fit. The bearings will wear the carbon frame - which is why Trek even do a slightly bigger bearing for their BB90 to give the frame some more km before it is junk. I've now bought a Ti frame with a threaded BB.

Not long ago I replaced the Dura ace 7800 bb as thought it was creaking but turned out to be the chainring bolts causing the creaking, it was still smooth and the carbon shell looked a lot nicer than the one in this video, the 6800 BB went in a dream too.

Nothing like having a good 'Tent' to impress the hairdresser with ; - )

Dammit Giant, you were supposed to be the chosen one 😭

"Ex-team bike" is a frequent scam to pass off a counterfeit or otherwise bogus frame, cause you expect it to be different to a stock one, and its difficult to track down the origin. I'd wonder if this is actually a genuine frame.

It’s like Santa comes to visit. I’m hoping if I leave milk and biscuits next to my bike at Christmas then Hambini Claus will come pay my bike a visit!

Regular viewer here, appreciate the pen check! These videos make me so nervous of carbon fiber anymore. I'm also curious how badly a frame can be made and still not shatter into bits like we are all scared of after reading "horror stories". Other than creaky parts what would it take to actually have a catastrophe?

That’s very likely a 2018 Adv Pro Disc used by the Sunweb development team. The full team rode SLs in the same colour, with rim brakes. The Adv Pro in that colourway was released commercially in late 2018 for 2019 as the ‘Adv Pro Team’ and it came with rim brakes only, with mechanical Ultegra. When you re-bored the BB did you notice the material that was removed? I think it’s likely that it was a 2018 disc frame that’s simply had a hasty aftermarket paint job to out the team colours on for the development team, which gummed the interface. Did you see any signs of dark blue, silver or white paint? Because those were the Adv Pro Disc colours that year. I’ve had three TCRs of that vintage, and Adv Pro and two SLs, and none have had issues with the BB housing. The Adv Pros do have a poor seatpost interface which I sure you could accurately describe with some of the hyperbole used in this video, but the frames are generally of a good standard and I can’t say I know anyone who has suffered premature non-accident failure of a 2016-2020 TCR frame.

The Princess blanket is a TRUE Disney Classic ;)

Thing of beauty Hambini!

I already had 3 TCR's and they all had problems with paint peeling off the forks. The price-performance balance gives the impression that it is a good bike. But I don't think that's the case.

my tcr is great smooth and straight this frame you have Hambini has most likely been got at before

Mr Hambini, would love a review on Factor bikes; whether that is quality of build or review of performance claims.

A little confusing. Additional 100 micon interference on 40mm diameter is huge. But it's not a bearing fit, it's the fit onto the bearing cup. So maybe the od on the cup was undersize. Is this a special? As a team training bike maybe it was a salvaged reject? (if it had really had an extra 0.1 interference would have thought might damage the frame getting it on/off (unless the cup isn't metal, if it's a composite cup the interference might work}). On frame quality, ndt on composites is a bit limited so there is redundancy. What might worry is if the wrinkles are close and parallel or crisscross. What would be interesting would be an assessment of the front fork. 60km/h downhill, carbon fork failure will kill you. It would be nice to know what the quality of various manufactures forks are and what safety factor they use. thanks. kbyhd

One reason why I like my titanium lynskey although it is heavier

Got TCR advance SL 2021, it’s not rubbish. Every carbon frames have wrinkles.

Hambini for UCI President! Any bike would get a sticker...

Dear Hambini, I bought a LOOK 795 BLADE RS. I was inspired by your love for LOOK! But the headset expander vibrates when the pavement is bumpy at speed. What should I do?

This is a real shame I always considered Giant one of the better ones for quality and value. Maybe this is a one off as my 15 tcr sdv sl and my wife's '19 Liv Langma have been flawless and seem extremely well made..

I want to know what Festool tools you have back there in those boxes, and what do you think of their engineering?

Talking about the bearing housing fit. I'm a design draftsman and have specified sizing for bearing housings umpteen times. If the housing is in a machine tool for example where it's very solid and stable, then sizing straight from the catalogue is obviously correct. Thinking about this housing though - it's very light weight and probably somewhat elastic - could it be that Giant's experience tells them that sizing needs to be different to ensure a long lasting snug fit for the bearing? Just a thought. Maybe, as someone mentioned, a sample of one is not enough here...

Lol finally it’s the Giant TCR’s turn to get roasted by Hamibini! 😂

Very interesting episode, you seem to have been very quiet lately, maybe you’ve been working on your new presentation style…also I really like the Peppa Pig seat belt cover👍

I have the 2021 TCR, the rear disc mount was so out of line that the disc almost rubbed at the top of the disc on one side and at the bottom of the disc on the other, no facing had been done and Giant in NZ had no tools to face the mount so they had to replace the frame. No BB issues or anything else as yet.

The wrinkles just seem a result of a wrinkled bladder which in turn created a void that was filled with excess resin. I guess you could say that the carbon fiber mat wasn't compressed at that area because of the void, but they are still suspended in resin which in turn, just holds the fibers in a frozen state. Not an ideal position but at least resin is not as compressible as an air pocket.

Just a guess but doesn't the custom team paint from Unlimited Colours account for the difference in internal measurement of the BB? If it's a team bike then they will get it done with little regard for inspection, if it looks good at 10 paces then happy days!

Hey Hambini,, if you were buying a endurance road bike , what brand would you buy???

Always glad to hear Pen Is working. I hope you never do "Hello Hambini fans" inside your videos!

Great explanation of why wrinkles on the inside faces of a lay up are a genuine issue. 🙏 Interested to know how they can be avoided though, or whether its more a matter of chance and a lot of frames potentially binned if not up to snuff. Regarding the bubbling above the BB aperture, I would bet most likely moisture ingress under the paint as that is always a damp spot on the bike and the paint layer will have inevitably been disturbed having an over tight bearing housing roughly shoved into it.

My TCR Avanced Pro 0 is like triggers broom, 1 x new frame (Paint started chipping around rear hanger area) two new cranks, ended up with Shimano Dura ace crank power meter free from Giant as the giant power meter is shit and the first replacement they gave me to fix the stock one that want working didnt work either, and a new ridesense cadence sensor. All underwarranty, to be fair no issues getting it all replaced, just shit you have to. Cant fault the bike since then though. Great to ride. Paint on new frame still chips and flakes away as it just hasnt adhered to the frame properly around thru axle holes. Still love the bike though.

Can you show how you machine out the frame to correct the "lack of round". That would require some serious alignment of frame and borer.

Wait, how did you correct the BB shell? Did you ream it? Wouldn't that delaminate the carbon fiber? Or at least your local hairdresser?

Interesting video, out of interest where did you get the Shimano BB tolerance data?

This is a bad substitute for Raoul's yellow pen. I hope, it is still working!

Sooo the big question which frame Argon 18 gallium Canyon ultimate Giant tcr sl winspace Or Chinese waltly TITANIUM frame????? After this video I am confused

Was this bike not painted as a replica, or do they do the paint jobs? (Unlimited Colors sticker under the BB..)

To be fair this is just painted to look like a team bike. And real pro bikes are only intended for extremely short periods of usage, like one season at MOST. Generally even less, then they’re tossed or auctioned off. Consumers who spend their own precious $$ wanting what pros use thinking it must be “the best” and demanding long term quality fault to realize the professional needs of a frame are the exact opposite, they get them for free, trash them for a few months and then move on to the next one. Durability precision etc do not factor into their minds. They are fast moving advertisements at best. No pro bike is intended (nor made) to last longer than one season (at MOST). So everyone complaining their 800g frame is made like shit is expecting the wrong thing. Yes they’re expensive but that’s the price you pay for what you’re getting, csnt really have it both ways or else frames would cost 5x more than what they already do. Look at cervelos I remember the R3 still had newspaper inside from the molds and was so thin walled you could squeeze it between 2 fingers - but it was light and lasted about a year BECAUSE THATS WHAT IT WAS MADE TO DO. Not a day more. All the mass consumers purchasing them expecting theyd last a lifetime and be perfect NASA machines don’t get it at all. If you want that stay away from mass produced CF and “professional” “team” bikes. That’s not what they’re designed to be or do. If you have the $$ to spend on something that’s expendable and replaceable (like the pros do) then go for it. Bottoms line: don’t hold professional extreme (and also mass produced) frames to the standards of long term dependability and precision, etc. it’s apples and oranges.

Disc brakes on a TCR.... jesus.

Your words are always good!!

Hambini, how do you drive from the wrong side seat? Hello from the USA!

I was replacing the bottom bracket in my 2021 TCR Advanced Pro (bought new in a local store). After getting the old bearings out (which turned out to be much harder job than I was used to), I inspected the frame. It immediately reminded me of this video. The bottom bracket looks undersized and has plenty of similar finishing issues (well, maybe except the paint). Additionally, there's the dreaded seat wedge issue (my bike was shipped with wrong seat wedge which causes enormous creaking). Seems that Giant replaces those in some countries for free. I had to pay for mine. Overall - never gonna get Giant crap again

This isn't an Ex Team bike. Team subweb used the SL frameset with ISP intergrated seat post... They also used rim brakes....

My TCR front der cable cut through my crank axle.... and Giant refused all responsibility saying the crank wasn't compatible with their frames (I has asked a number of different Giant importers AND giant global for advise as to what BB to use for this crank, and followed their recommendations. Great...

I have a giant defy advanced pro 2018 disc frame, no complains. 3 years no problems, 10.000 km rided.

My word, really suprised about the quality problems...

Does the impregnated resin ever fomr wrinkle-like texture as it cures against the bladder (which likely could have small wrinkles in it)? I suppose if there was a small wrinkle in the bladder allowing what I’m suggesting then uniform compaction is not achieved through that region and some amount of inconsistency (not flattened) would be seen in the actual fibers themselves.

I tip my hat to the hydro disc-mech shifting patrician.

I know nothing about BB compatibility, have a FSA BB386EVO crankset on my bike, what BB would I need. Second to the that question, the difference prices advertised for the BB on the hambini site, the UK having the higher price. Is the lower price for the EU?

Didn’t Sunweb use SL frames with integrated seat post?