# Giant Propel - Slight Customisation



## DSK (27 Apr 2020)

I got a terrific deal on a 2017 Giant Propel in December 2019. Whilst this is by no means a project/modification thread to the level of others, I have got the bike to stage where I am happy with how it is.

It started life as a Giant Propel 2 with full Shimano 105. The manufacturer replaced the frame with a '0' frame so it was a nice bonus. Upon collection the bike looked like this;







Work to date;

Pro-Lite A42W tubeless ready wheelset change
25mm Continental Gatorskin Tyres & Schwalbe Inner Tubes
Giant Trinity bottle cage 
Giant Trinity 500ml water bottle (an aero bike deserves a proper aero bottle)
Mini pump replacing the water bottle holder on the down tube
Fizik Aliante saddle
Clear protective wrap of all major frame parts to prevent any future paint chips (on the unmarked frame)
Zefal Mirrors
Full check over and service as needed by CycleServe
(typical premium front/rear lights, garmin edge 25 and garmin holder with integrated mount for Garmin Virb)
After some thought, I am not going to go ahead with a SRAM wifi Etap or Shiamno DI2 conversion on this bike. It looks and rides exceptionally plus, there is a lot to be said for conventional cable driven mechanicals. I will, however be looking for another bike with DI2 or SRAM's equivalent to add to the stable as the Trek is going this week.


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## Gunk (27 Apr 2020)

Very nice, beautifully clean and detailed bike.


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## Drago (27 Apr 2020)

I do like those direct mount brakes.


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## JhnBssll (27 Apr 2020)

Looks great, Giant certainly know how to design a frameset  Nice mods, nice bike


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## Gazjacko (30 Apr 2020)

Mirror! NO! The rest is brilliant . I have had a set of Pro-Lites and they were great, very robust and the graphics really set the bike off. 
What make is your rear light , as I have had trouble finding one that seats properly on an aero post.?


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## DSK (30 Apr 2020)

I know mirrors are controversial but, I wouldn't ride my motorbike or car without them, same for bike. I personally find them very valuable.

Rear light is a USB Cateye from amazon for about £18 IIRC. It's just perfect for the aero seat post but, its seriously impressive as the reflectors etc inside really do make the light spread/brightness/wide range, overall functionality very effective. (It can be fitted horizontally or vertically).


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## DSK (3 Jul 2020)

I was always going to keep the Propel but, I was keeping an eye out in the classifieds but no DI2 propels in my size (L/XL) and a sensible colour were coming up.

I decided to keep the modified Giant TCR Advanced with Di2 as my 'wet bike' (yeah right, more like cloudy day bike) and go all out on the Propel as its a beast and it has the 0 model frame which is built for di2 from the factory. So the following has been ordered;

- Shimano Ultegra R8050 Di2 upgrade kit
- Di2 Propel grommets and battery holder
- Shimano Ultegra R8000 52/36 crankset
- Shimano Ultegra R8000 11/28 cassette
- Bontrager Aero handle bars
- Wipperman Gold 11 speed chain
- Kinetic-1 K42-TL wheelset (x2) (I'll put the pro-lite's onto the TCR).

Just need to find and buy;

- aero stem that won't break the bank (suggestions welcome!)
- bottoms bracket just for the sake of it
- bar tape
- brake cables

This section of the forum is just simply lovely and bloody dangerous  !!!!!!!!!


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## Gunk (3 Jul 2020)

I look forward to seeing this one come together.

BTW if anyone wants a mirror, I've got loads of them. first thing I do is to take them off!


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## DSK (3 Jul 2020)

95% of the stuff arrives next week leaving the non essential items like a stem/bar tape.

Weather is good next week so will be riding all week, than after that, perhaps book a day or so off the following week.


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## DSK (4 Jul 2020)

Well the conversion will be done next week now as it turns out the front mech cable has seen its day..... roll on next week


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## DSK (8 Jul 2020)

Parcels have started to arrive!

All purchased from a small bike shops, Colyford Cycles (exceptional service) supplied everything but the wheels/tyres and handle bars. Handlebars came from PedalOn and Probikekit. Tyres were from Sigma.

*Ultegra R8050 DI2 Groupset - new 52/36 chainset, ultegra 11-28 cassette, wipperman gold chain, bb71 bottom bracket*





*Bottom Bracket Tool*





*Aero Handlebars (Bontrager Alloy / Easton EC70 carbon). I'm going with the Easton's. Both have a compact drop and I can just fit my shizzle either side of the stem. Oh, white bar tape is a must!*









*2 sets of new Kinetic-One K1-42TL wheelsets*





*Used as new Giant PSLR wheelset which was original on the Giant Propel 0*





*Tyres *





Still waiting for Giant to deliver the damn Di2 grommets and battery holder, if that doesn't arrive, I'll use the battery holder from the TCR.

Looking at taking a day off on Friday.......


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## Gunk (8 Jul 2020)

Wow, that’s a big spend, it’ll look superb once built up.


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## DSK (8 Jul 2020)

Colyford Cycles were exceptional. Someone to speak to on the end of the phone at all times! Very patient, having a vast experience, they were happy to advise and just make things happen. I originally got the Di2 upgrade kit, then just thought, pah, 50/34 doesn't work for me, so ordered up a 52/36 crankset, may as well get a an ultegra cassette whilst I'm at it, add a Wipperman Gold chain and a Shimano BB71, all came in a touch less than the big boys for just a groupset! Colyford Cycles is a little cycle cafe/shop so more than happy to give them business even if it had turned out to cost a little more than the big boys. They had to create custom products for me on the website so I could pay and this was done efficiently with great communication throughout. As a result of their quality service, they are now my go-to bike shop.

Kinetic-One have a sale on due to Covid. Again spoke to Andy, who was very patient, allowed me to think with no pressure selling but took information from me that no other wheel builder or off the shelf wheels could cater for. Andy assured me that his wheels would do what 'I' want them, to do and they are built to order. So thought, pah, get 2 sets. Very happy with the wheels on first glance and I'm sure they will live upto my expectations. 

The new propels have aero bars and as its a weapon of an aero bike, I thought, minus the stem, lets try an find a set of aero bars with a more compact drop that don't cost silly money. Nothing came up on the used market, then I thought, do I want to risk a set of used carbon bars? A few days of searching and I found the Easton EC70, in my size, in stock with ProBike kit at the lowest price, so pulled the trigger. (Ordered Sunday night 11pm ish, delivered Monday morning!). I had already bought the Bontrager Alloy Aero bars so those were just lying around for a few months.

The PSLR Giant wheelset just happened to come up, spoke to the seller and agreed the deal, just need to collect them next week but, nice to add them as that is what the Giant Propel 0 came with as standard.


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## Gunk (8 Jul 2020)

Nice to hear a shout out for smaller independent businesses, I always try and buy from a LBS if I can, they need supporting.


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## DSK (8 Jul 2020)

Colyford Cycles are at the other end of the country. They had what I wanted advertised on Ebay. I don't buy of Ebay but, they listed their contact details clearly. A couple reviews and Googling later I gave them a call and wow... a true throw back to the good old days of just straight forward and ethical service.


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## DSK (10 Jul 2020)

What a bloody day! All went well with a 8:30am start and 2:45pm finish. The snags were the damn battery holder for the di2 from giant needed some additional engineering help to hold the battery in situ, rear brake cable internal routing and just a bit of faffing with internal routing on the bars as the di2 and brake cable wanted to use the same holes. The Kinetic-1's raised a few eye brows of approval. CycleServe did all the work but I was there helping as and where I could, happy for me to learn and spent ages getting stuff dialled in up front. Had a couple of 15-20 minute bursts of rain where we stopped and brought the bike inside.

It was good to do as the bars better suit me but, also I suffered from a bit of discomfort in the shoulders at times due to the positioning of the shifters originally, so I was able to get that dialled in. Spent a while with spirit levels and getting on the bike to get the STI's provisionally set just so. I also got a cateye seat rail mount which brings the light right up under the seat and stops its moving as it did with the rubber bands.

Below are not glory shots as the bikes are filthy like a $2 hoe at the end of her night, but just some general pics. The weather should be better this weekend so will get out for a maiden flight and get rid of all the grease marks.


















































Pro-Lites transferred to the TCR, just need some clip on mud guards now that I have wrapped the frame in clear protection film. Oh, this is another one for Google - Can you fit 25mm Continental Gatorskins to a 2013 Giant TCR.......... well hell yes! don't know what all the faff is about from other owners stating only certain 25mm tyres will fit and only just........


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## DSK (13 Jul 2020)

*TEST RIDE SUMMARY *

I did 15 miles this morning as the maiden flight on the Propel following the upgrades and I have to say, its about bang on.

The bike is silent in every way and feels good all round with no tweaks required to the Di2. I did post a thread in maintenance to say that when the new cranks went on and you gave them a spin by hand, they only rotated a revolution or so. I was told this is as its new and packed to the hills with grease, it will settle through use. It does operate and ride smooth and quietly none the less with no tangible drag like feeling when on the move.

*Bars*

I like the bars, the drop is more compact than the original bars and I'm more comfortable staying on them. The STI's now always seems ot be at my fingertips whether I'm on the hoods or drops which is nice. They also seem to have dampened the road vibrations a little more compared to the originals. Not sure if that's down to the bars or both the bars and the tape. (The original alloys were quite impressive compared to other bikes I've owned).

*Di2*

All good and glad I did it. The shifts are sublime and precise. The Wipperman chain seems much better than a new KMC I had on a couple of weeks back. I was able to shift the front/rear mechs to replicate syncro shifting with cables but, oddly, today I found myself not being able to do that. Di2 is not set up out of the box to do it but, I seemed to hit the wrong shift button on the odd occasion, going the wrong way along the cassette than intended. I guess a few more rides and I'll be able to resolve this and then look at setting up synchro shifting. I also prefer the press of a button compared to the throwing action of a cable operated shift.

*Crankset (50/34 to 52/36)*

I did find the jump from the 50/34 compact to the 52/36 semi better suited to my needs but the difference was just better efficiency being able to keep in the front ring (which ever) longer, and keep the rear cassette in a more confined area rather than having to search for the right gear frequently. However, it has left me thinking, perhaps I would have been better off with a 53/39 but, rather than spend any more cash, I'll just ride it as is.

*Wheelset - Kinetic K1 - 42TL*

I have had an endless nightmare with decent wheels doing nothing but wobbling beneath me and I shudder to think how much money I have wasted on trying so called tough wheelsets. Basically, during cornering and giving it the beans when climbing all the wheelsets to date have flexed badly smashing the brake blocks even with them backed right off. (Mavic Cosmic SL, Mavic Cosmic Elite, Pro-Lite, Vision Trimax, Fulcrum Racing 5) despite them running true. All wheelsets were tested from new so no second hand unknowns.

Kinetic K1 had a sale on and each set is built to order. I had a couple of 30 minute or so chats with Andy at K1 over a couple of weeks. Rather than just talk or give me sales blurb, he actually listened and advised. I'm circa 90Kg in body weight but, I cross between body building and power lifting and can comfortably (with absolute concentration and on a good day) squat a few sets of 183KG for 10 reps. Followed by doing all other leg exercises religiously every Monday at the gym for the last 8 years. Andy at K1 appreciated that whilst I'm no pro cyclist, I'm likely putting down serious amounts of power that perhaps the average cyclist is unlikely to do so and the mechanics of this is causing the flexing I have whinged about. 

Today I deliberately pushed the K1's harder to get them to flex, really hammering up the climbs and giving it more large ones than ever, even letting the bike swing a little more etc. Noting that my brake blocks are back to where I like them, just a off the rims resulting in minimal lever action, I can honestly say that the K1's did not flex so I'm very happy with those. (The 2nd set of K1's are being delivered today and will be kept as a spare set).


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