After logging a stage win at the 2022 Tour de France under Dylan Groenewegen, the new Giant Propel aero road bike was designed to be faster and lighter, particularly when combined with the new SLR cockpit and the Cadex 50 Ultra Disc wheels on the top model.
To deliver the goods, they revised the tube profiles to cut drag, stiffened some parts, and leaned out others.
The new Propel had to be comfortable for the rider, but still lay down the power. So, the head tube, down tube, and bottom bracket junction are stiffer to reduce torsional and lateral flex, allowing more of the rider’s power to make it to the rear wheel.
The chainstays, seatstays, and (for the top Propel Advanced SL model) seatmast were thinned out to improve compliance. The thinner tubes also saved weight, giving this new version a better power to weight ratio than before.
To reduce drag, the main tubes were given a truncated airfoil shape. Then they went a step further and designed custom water bottle cages for it, with different shapes for the down tube bottle versus the seat tube bottle.
Lastly, they gave the bikes a new semi-intrated cockpit to hid all brake lines and (theoretically) wires. All three launch models will come with the latest electronic SRAM or Shimano drivetrains, so there are no wires coming off the shifters on any build.
The hoses run under the stem, shielded from the wind before passing through any spacers and the headset. The layout makes it easy to swap stems or adjust stack height.
The Advanced SL model also gets the new Cadex 50 Ultra Disc wheels, which use bladed carbon spokes and their new Aero Tire to further optimize overall aerodynamics. Available with Dura-Ace Di2, the Advanced SL model comes in at $12,500.
Below that, the Propel Advanced Pro 0 comes with either Ultegra Di2 or SRAM Force eTap AXS, the latter getting a Giant Halo power meter built into the cranks, for $8,000. Wheels are Giant SLR 1 50 on both.
The most affordable model is the Propel Advanced for $6,000. It gets SRAM Rival eTap AXS with Giant SLR 2 50 wheels.
All three models start shipping in December 2022.
