Adam Craig won last weekend's singlespeed cyclo-cross world championship aboard a prototype Giant TCX SLR - and yes, this is what he wore(Image credit: Jake Orness/www.jpov.net)
The prototype rig uses most of the existing Giant TCX SLR's aluminum frame, including the proprietary D-shaped carbon seatpost and integrated clamp(Image credit: Jake Orness/www.jpov.net)
Just as on the production bike, Adam Craig's singlespeed prototype features a carbon fork with thru-axle dropouts(Image credit: Jake Orness/www.jpov.net)
The rear brake caliper is again tucked away inside the rear triangle but here it's affixed to the rockered rear dropout to maintain constant alignment with the hub(Image credit: Jake Orness/www.jpov.net)
Overall, the dropouts are rather well finished, which suggests to us that a production version isn't far behind(Image credit: Jake Orness/www.jpov.net)
We would expect a production version of Adam Craig's prototype TCX SLR singlespeed to have better hardware but overall, these dropouts look close to finished(Image credit: Jake Orness/www.jpov.net)
Tooling marks are visible on the caliper mount of Adam Craig's prototype Giant TCX SLR singlespeed. A production bike is more likely to feature forged construction(Image credit: Jake Orness/www.jpov.net)
Adam Craig rode this prototype Giant TCX SLR singlespeed to victory in Philadelphia this past weekend(Image credit: Jake Orness/www.jpov.net)
Adam Craig rode a prototype Giant on his way to nabbing his second singlespeed cyclo-cross world championship last weekend. While details are scant, Giant doesn't exactly make a habit of building one-off machines, so this could hint at a production model to come.
Craig's bike is based on Giant's existing TCX SLR TIG-welded aluminum model but with rocker-style rear dropouts instead of the standard vertical drops to provide easier and more precise chain tension adjustments than an eccentric bottom bracket (Craig's bike looks to use the production bike's BB86 shell).
Clearly visible is the same tube shaping used on the production model along with the identical D-shaped seatpost and cleverly integrated collar. The carbon fiber fork looks to be carried over, too, complete with 15mm thru-axle dropouts and Giant's signature 1.25-to-1.5in OverDrive 2 tapered steerer. As with the production bike – and not surprisingly given Craig's mountain bike roots – there are disc brakes. In this case coupled to gutted SRAM Red 22 Hydro levers.
Other notable touches on Craig's bike include a SRAM XX1 mountain bike crank, DT Swiss XRC950T 29er carbon mountain bike wheels fitted with Schwalbe Rocket Ron tubulars – an ideal combo given the former's large-radius tire bed – a Chris King stainless steel rear cog, a fi'zi:k Tundra 2 saddle, and Crankbrothers Candy 11 pedals.
Singlespeed cyclo-cross aficionados might not want to get too excited about the prospect of a similar production model just yet, as Giant hasn't committed to actually adding the bike to its line. That being said, as a general rule Giant doesn't typically build one-offs – it doesn't make financial sense, after all – and certain cues suggest to us that a release is imminent.
Most notably, the rear dropouts are very cleanly designed and well finished. Though the inner pieces are clearly CNC-machined, the outer bits that are welded to the stays appear to be forged, hinting that Giant has perhaps already started tooling up for mass manufacture. These aren't simply lifted from another model, either, as Giant doesn't currently offer a high-performance singlespeed of any sort. Aside from some minor hardware tweaks, they look ready to go as is.
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Not surprisingly, Giant is officially noncommittal.
"We’re not sure if this bike will ever make it into production," said Giant's global senior product marketing manager Andrew Juskaitis. "We’ll gauge public response."
Don't hold your breath on that logo, though. "This new wordmark you see in the images is not a new Giant corporate logo or corporate identity," said Juskaitis. "It is simply a wordmark design for C&G application to optimize the aesthetics of our select performance bikes."
The refined look of the rockered dropouts could mean a production version may be on the way
