A custom go-fast gravel bike for light off-road adventuring
Pete Sampson works in BikeRadar’s commercial team and, although he’d bashfully deny such claims, he’s also probably the fastest rider in our office.
Worse still, he’s a nice guy with impeccable taste in bikes and an adorable sausage dog.
The coolest in Pete’s collection is, without a doubt, this very special Giant TCR Advanced Pro all-road bike.
Pete’s minuscule size-XS, pink-tyred bike is regularly the most eye-catching build locked up in our bike cage – and trust us, there are some very tasty bikes in there.
In this edition of BikeRadar Builds – and in celebration of our Gravel Week – we decided to share the love and take a closer look at his oh-so-cool bike.
Does a Giant TCR make a good gravel bike?
!["Pete]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2023/06/Pete-Sampsons-gravel-Giant-TCR-20-of-2-97898f3.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Pete")
Why build a gravel bike around a Giant TCR frameset? Well, Pete isn’t ashamed to admit he’s a TCR fanboy.
Prior to building this bike, he already owned a rim brake TCR SL and got on well with the geometry and ride of the bike (he now owns three TCRs and is considering a fourth).
Inspired by similar builds ridden at the Belgian Waffle Ride gravel race, Pete felt the 32mm maximum tyre clearance of the disc version of the bike would be a perfect candidate for the all-road-ish bike he wanted to build.
!["Pete]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2023/06/Pete-Sampsons-gravel-Giant-TCR-5-of-15-1c5c7ad.jpg?quality=90&resize=160%2C208 "\"Pete")
!["Pete]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2023/06/Pete-Sampsons-gravel-Giant-TCR-13-of-15-89f1f91.jpg?quality=90&resize=160%2C208 "\"Pete")
!["Pete]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2023/06/Pete-Sampsons-gravel-Giant-TCR-4-of-15-1746074.jpg?quality=90&resize=160%2C208 "\"Pete")
While the best gravel bikes generally have clearance for tyres as wide as even 50mm, a 32mm gravel tyre is wide enough to link together roads with light off-road diversions, which is exactly what this bike was built to do.
Pete says his TCR all-road bike is absolutely fine on anything except high-speed rocky descents.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the bike comes unstuck slightly then – this is, after all, a lightweight road bike frameset that is raced right up to a WorldTour level and was never intended to be a gravel wagon.
!["Pete]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2023/06/Pete-Sampsons-gravel-Giant-TCR-7-of-15-b1c2c21.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Pete")
The bike is also not suitable for riding in wet conditions – the 32mm-wide Panaracer GravelKing SK tyres fitted to Hunt’s 20mm-wide (internal) Aerodynamicist 44 wheels are already pushing the clearance of the bike to the limits, so anywhere muddy is a no-go.
However, for lighter stuff, the bike is a perfect partner – in Pete’s words: “it’s quick on the road and climbing, but the 1-to-1 gearing and disc brakes help when it’s gnarly”.
Does Ekar work for road riding?
!["Pete]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2023/06/Pete-Sampsons-gravel-Giant-TCR-3-of-15-b745d13.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Pete")
On gearing, Pete opted to build his all-road Giant TCR around a Campagnolo Ekar groupset, primarily because he fancied trying something different (his other two bikes have SRAM Red eTap groupsets).
Despite being 1x, the Ekar groupset features a wider overall range than the 2x setups on his road bike. This makes it a perfect choice for vertiginous gravel climbs.
Pete says the 1t steps on the first 7 cogs of his 10-44t cassette feel great, but the changes in cadence can be a bit choppy when riding in a chain gang (though he assures me he’s yet to be dropped when he has taken the bike out on group rides).
!["Pete]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2023/06/Pete-Sampsons-gravel-Giant-TCR-9-of-15-209ee7f.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Pete")
He has no such issues when riding solo on the road – with a switch of tyres, this is Pete’s preferred road bike for winter riding.
Like many others, Pete also loves the feel of Campagnolo’s disc brakes and the ergonomics of the Ekar shifters.
A road-inspired build with gravel touches
!["Pete]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2023/06/Pete-Sampsons-gravel-Giant-TCR-10-of-15-50fdc17.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Pete")
Pete favours a long and low position on the bike – though he could probably fit on a size-small frame, he prefers the look and feel of the XS bike.
!["Pete]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2023/06/Pete-Sampsons-gravel-Giant-TCR-15-of-15-0643635.jpg?quality=90&resize=160%2C208 "\"Pete")
!["Pete]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2023/06/Pete-Sampsons-gravel-Giant-TCR-11-of-15-1c3c234.jpg?quality=90&resize=160%2C208 "\"Pete")
!["Pete]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2023/06/Pete-Sampsons-gravel-Giant-TCR-6-of-15-a1fca6c.jpg?quality=90&resize=160%2C208 "\"Pete")
The 36cm bars with inward-tilting levers add to his aero credentials, although they’re probably negated by the boxy Route Werks bar bag Pete has fitted to the bike.
This neat bar bag attaches via a machined alloy clamp and features an integrated computer mount. While big enough to bring everything he needs for his comically long rides, sadly, we think it will be too small to accommodate Pete’s aforementioned dog.
Pete Sampson’s all-road Giant TCR Advanced specs
- Frameset: Giant TCR Advanced, XS
- Groupset: Campagnolo Ekar, 44t chainring, 10-44t cassette
- Wheels: Hunt Aerodynamicist 44
- Tyres: Panaracer GravelKing SK, 32mm
- Stem: Zipp Service Course SL, 130mm
- Bars: Pro PLT Ergo Compact, 36cm
- Saddle: Prologo Dimension Nack
- Weight: 7.7kg (inc pedals, bottle cages and computer mount)