Road Cycling - fame choice: TCR or Caad5

I think I have narrowed down my choices of frameset for my new road bike....giant TCR frameset...or c'dale CAAD5 frameset...It's hard to say which one is better by riding them, since i will be using different components than what comes 'stock' on the bike at the bike store, Id appreciate your thoughts on either of these 2 framesets however! quality/ride/etc...any help would be greatly appreciated!:beer:

I can tell you that both companies are good bikes. I do not know how the Cannondale rides but I have herd good things about them. I my self ride a Giant OCR. It is made of the same material as the TCR. I am very happy with it. It is a very stiff, light frame. Depending on what forks, bar/stem and seat post you use it does how ever transmit alot of road vibration ( since I came from the MTB world the vibration is not a prob.) I think you would be happy with either one.
Slainte:beer:

The one that fits you best.Both are light, stiff, oversize aluminum.What ride quality??

It would be either a 54cm c'date or a size M TCR. what ride quality? i plan on riding 50-80 miles on weekends and maybe 60-80 miles during the week, mostly on the road, and on a trail on the weekend, eventually i want to do some of those charity rides, and maybe one day race! a low category! :D I guess I was just looking for anyone with insight on the frames themselves, they are both fairly similar in that they are both aluminum and both have carbon bladed forks and integrated headsets....the price difference is marginal.

-omesh

Originally posted by omesh
It would be either a 54cm c'date or a size M TCR. what ride quality? i plan on riding 50-80 miles on weekends and maybe 60-80 miles during the week, mostly on the road, and on a trail on the weekend, eventually i want to do some of those charity rides, and maybe one day race! a low category! :D I guess I was just looking for anyone with insight on the frames themselves, they are both fairly similar in that they are both aluminum and both have carbon bladed forks and integrated headsets....the price difference is marginal.

-omesh


Get the one that fits you best. Sometimes TCR's are ruled out because of the more limited size offereings...you may not be able to get a precise fit...or you may. They are both quality aluminum frames, try them both.

Want good ride,buy steel.My caad5 sucks big ones for ride.Others will differ, and your mileage may too.It's subjective.Both are good companies that make good frames.Beware of the ones made on Monday though,as they can be a real pain.Everyone turns em out though.

I bought a small sized Giant TCR2 in early July and have been
loving it. Great bike.

The frame is light and stiff but the fact that the fork, seatpost,
steerer and stem are carbon (as well as the seatframe) really
smooths out the ride. I get the road feel, but all of the bumps
and painful things are like someone pressed the mute button.

It's fast yet well suited for long miles.

I also tried a Cannondale R700 and liked it, but when it came
down to it there were two things that made me lean towards
the TCR:

(1) Fit. It just fit me better. I have short legs and a tall torso.
The small TCR when I tried it seemed like someone had set it
up for me. The R700s my local shop were all too big for me.

(2) The R700 was a mix of Shimano 105, Tiagra and Coda parts.
The TCR2 was full 105 (derailleurs, shifters, brakes, hubs, etc).
The Cannondale actually cost more but the TCR had the better
parts group. Or at least more consistent.

I'll likely hit 300 miles on the TCR either today or tomorrow.
It's a great bike.

thanks for the replies guys! I am working with my friend that works at a bike shop to score me a deal on a 02 TCR frame, ill let you know how it turns out! :beer:

I my self ride a Giant OCR. It is made of the same material as the TCR.
Yes, aluminum, but there is a big differrence....TCR's is made of ALUXX6013 and OCR's is made of ALUXX6061. There is a strenth and weight difference between these two materials, so they are not the same.:)