For about two decades, aero road bikes came with a catch that everyone just accepted. You bought speed on the flat and paid for it on the climbs, because aero meant heavy. The fourth-generation Giant Propel Advanced SL 2026, which launched in March 2026, basically refuses to honor that bargain. The flagship Propel Advanced SL 0 weighs 6.56kg in a size medium on BikeRadar's scale, and they called it "the lightest aero bike we've ever seen." Giant, at the same time, claims an 18.4-watt advantage at 40km/h over the old model. This is the fully-sourced breakdown of what those numbers actually mean, what they quietly leave out, and whether the bike is worth your money in 2026.

Key takeaways

- Weight: The top-spec Propel Advanced SL 0 AXS hits 6.56kg (size M) fully built. That's about 355g lighter than the last generation and roughly 300g under the UCI's 6.8kg minimum.

- Aero: Giant's headline 18.4W gain at 40km/h is a system figure measured with a dummy rider. The pure frame and bike aero improvement is closer to 6.21W. Both numbers are real. They are not the same thing.

- Price: The flagship SL 0 AXS is $13,500 in the US. The range starts at $3,500 (Advanced 2), and the SL frameset on its own is $4,300.

- The big story: At 6.56kg the Propel nearly matches Giant's own TCR climbing bike on weight while crushing it on aero, which is why people keep asking whether the lightweight-vs-aero split even exists anymore.

A 6.56kg aero bike shouldn't exist, but here it is

Start with the number that got the cycling internet worked up. 6.56kg in a size medium. And this isn't some stripped-down weight-weenie special, weighed without half its parts. BikeRadar put a fully painted bike on the scale, aero components, bottle cages, computer mount, tubeless sealant already sitting in the tyres, everything but the pedals. Giant's own marketing rounds it to a claimed 6.5kg in the lightest configuration. Either way the headline holds: an aero road bike that sits about 300g below the UCI's 6.8kg minimum weight limit.

If you've followed road bikes for any length of time, that should stop you cold. Aero frames have always carried a weight penalty. The deep tube profiles, the integrated cockpits, the dropped seatstays all add grams, and so the old wisdom told you to pick your poison. A lightweight climbing bike like Giant's own TCR, or an aero missile like the Propel, and you learned to live with whichever downside you chose. The 2026 Propel Advanced SL 0 just declines to pick.

Here's the detail that makes the weight figure almost absurd. Because the complete SL 0 build comes in below the 6.8kg UCI minimum, WorldTour teams racing it actually have to add ballast to make it race-legal. Sit with that for a second. A production aero bike so light that professional racers have to bolt weight back onto it. The rest of us never race under UCI rules, so there's no minimum to worry about, and every one of those grams goes straight into climbing performance and that feeling of a bike that wants to leap forward when you stand on the pedals.

The second headline lands right behind the first. Giant claims a total 18.4-watt advantage at 40km/h versus the previous Propel, a combination of lower aerodynamic drag, lower rolling resistance, and a more efficient drivetrain. Roughly translated, that's about 72 seconds saved over a 40km ride at 40km/h. There's a meaningful catch buried in that figure, and we'll pull it apart honestly later. But the topline pitch is clear enough: Giant says the 2026 Propel is the lightest aero bike it has ever built and faster than the model it replaces.

That pairing, sub-6.8kg weight next to a genuine aero gain, is the thing Giant says no other production bike currently matches. Whether the claim survives contact with the Specialized Tarmac SL8 and the Cervelo S5 is something we'll settle further down. The opening statement is undeniably bold. But unlike a lot of launch hype, the core weight number has been checked on an actual scale by someone who doesn't work for Giant.

What's new in 2026: the fourth-gen Propel at a glance

The 2026 Propel is the fourth generation of Giant's aero platform, and it arrived in March 2026 going against the recent grain of the industry. While several rivals kept chasing ever-more-radical aero shapes, Giant went after the combination of weight and speed instead, something it calls the AeroLight concept. The result is a bike that changed in almost every system rather than in one dramatic silhouette. Park it next to the old one and you might not clock the difference. Ride it and you will.

Start with the headline structural numbers. The complete top-spec bike is about 355g lighter than the outgoing generation. The Advanced SL frame alone now weighs 800g, down 45g from the previous ~845g. Drop a tier and the Advanced Pro and Advanced frames weigh 863g. None of that came from one magic ingredient. Giant shaved grams out of the frame, the cockpit, the wheels, and the tyres all at once.

The cockpit is one of the more visible changes. The new one-piece Contact SLR Aero integrated handlebar/stem saves 77g versus the old two-piece setup, with a claimed weight around 286g for a 420×100mm size. There's a fit subtlety worth flagging here, because it comes back later. On M and ML frames the bar is a flared 40cm (drop-to-drop) shape that measures roughly 37cm at the hoods, which both tightens frontal area and nudges your hands into a more aero position. Hold onto that detail; it matters when we dissect the aero claim.

Then there are the standards and clearance updates, which are what actually make this a modern frameset rather than a refresh. Giant added a UDH (Universal Derailleur Hanger) rear dropout, which opens the door to SRAM's direct-mount rear derailleurs. Tyre clearance grew to 32mm, up from 30mm, a +2mm gain, and the bike ships on 28mm tyres with every version running hookless tubeless rims. That extra clearance is more than a spec-sheet footnote. It's the difference between being locked into 28s and being able to run a 30 or a 32 for rough roads, mixed-surface events, or just more comfort and grip on a long day.

A quick note on what this signals: the move to UDH plus hookless tubeless is the clearest sign that Giant built this frame for the next five years, not the last five. UDH means easier hanger replacement and future SRAM Transmission compatibility. Hookless plus 32mm clearance means you can finally run wider, lower-pressure tyres on an aero bike without making a compromise somewhere else.

Rounding out the new-for-2026 list: the Cadex Max 50 WheelSystem with carbon spokes bonded directly into the hub flanges, new Cadex Aero tyres, and a retained Advanced SL-grade integrated seatpost (ISP) with 25mm offset. Sizes run XS, S, M, ML, L, XL, with 165mm cranks on the smallest frames and 170mm on M/ML. Add it all up and this isn't a facelift. It's a ground-up redesign that happens to look familiar.

How Giant built the lightest aero bike ever: the weight story

The 6.56kg figure isn't the product of one heroic decision. It's a sum-of-all-parts story, and tracing where each gram came from is the best way to see why this bike is special rather than just lucky. Giant went after four areas, frame, cockpit, wheels, and tyres, and the savings stack up almost exactly to the headline number.

The frame chipped in a fairly modest 45g, dropping to 800g. That sounds small until you remember the previous Propel frame was already light for an aero design, and that Giant made this one stiffer at the same time (more on that shortly). Shaving weight while adding stiffness is the genuinely hard part of frame engineering, so 45g in that context counts for more than the raw number suggests.

The cockpit added another 77g of savings through the one-piece Contact SLR Aero bar/stem. But the biggest contribution came from the rolling stock. The new wheel-and-tyre system is responsible for roughly 240g of the total saving, the largest single chunk. The Cadex Max 50 wheels dropped from about 1,350g to ~1,290g, and the Cadex Aero tyres cut a pair from around 580g down to about 440g. Pulling weight off the rim and tyre is also the most felt kind of weight saving, because it lowers the rotational inertia you fight every time you accelerate or climb.

Here's how the savings break down against the previous generation:

And here's the broader generational picture, the spec-level shifts that define the 2026 bike:

The takeaway: the 2026 Propel didn't get light by skimping on the frame and bolting on flimsy parts. It got light because Giant optimised every system at once, and the result is a complete build that weighs less than professionals are legally allowed to race.

The 18.4-watt aero claim, explained honestly

This is the section the marketing-driven launch coverage mostly skipped, and it's where the bike earns or loses your trust. Giant's headline is a total 18.4-watt advantage at 40km/h over the previous Propel, which works out to about 72 seconds saved across a 40km effort. Big, attention-grabbing number. It's also, and this is the part that matters, a system number, and once you see what's bundled inside it you read it differently.

According to BikeRadar's analysis, the 18.4W figure came out of a wind tunnel with a dummy rider on the bike, and it's the combined gain from three sources: lower aerodynamic drag, lower rolling resistance, and improved drivetrain efficiency. Here's the catch. Roughly 5.5W of that total comes from rolling resistance and rider-positioning gains, and a lot of the positioning gain is just the narrower, flared handlebar pulling your hands and arms into a tighter frontal profile. So a meaningful slice of the "aero" improvement is really the new tyres and a better riding position, not the frame slicing through the air.

So what's the frame and bike actually doing aerodynamically? The pure aerodynamic-drag improvement is closer to ~6.21 watts at 40km/h, about a 2.6% aero gain, worth roughly 27 seconds over 40km. That's a respectable, real improvement. It's just a very different story from "18.4 watts faster."

Why should you care about the distinction as a buyer? Because the two numbers answer two different questions:

• The 18.4W system number tells you how much faster this complete bike is than the old complete bike, ridden the way it's meant to be ridden. If you're replacing an old Propel with a new one, this is the gain you'll actually feel.
• The ~6.21W frame number tells you how much of that came from aerodynamic frame design as opposed to tyres and position. If you already run fast tyres and a narrow bar, your real-world gain from the frame alone will be smaller.

Neither number is dishonest. The trouble starts when launch coverage quotes only the bigger one without the context, and readers walk away assuming the frame is 18.4W more slippery. It isn't. The frame is about 6.21W more slippery. The system is about 18.4W faster. Both are true, and a well-informed buyer keeps both in their head at once.

One caveat for cross-shopping: if you're comparing aero frames purely on drag, be careful with like-for-like system claims. Different brands bundle different things. Some include wheels, tyres, even a rider; some quote frame-only. The honest way to compare is at a fixed test protocol, which almost never happens across brands. So treat any single watt number as a starting point, not gospel.

Frame, ride feel, stiffness and compliance

Weight and watts grab the headlines, but a bike you ride for hours lives or dies on how it actually feels, and the 2026 Propel made gains here that are easy to miss. Giant improved the frame's stiffness-to-weight ratio by 5.7%, with the frameset ratio climbing from 94 to 99.8. That's the metric that matters most for an all-round race bike, because it captures the holy grail of going lighter and stiffer at once.

Drill into the individual stiffness numbers and you get pedalling stiffness up 2.4%, torsional/frame stiffness up 3.3%, and fork stiffness up 3.4%. None of those are revolutionary on their own. Stack them on top of a 45g lighter frame, though, and they describe a chassis that should feel sharper under power and more precise when you throw it into a fast descent or a tight criterium corner. Stiffer forks in particular pay off in steering confidence at speed; the front end tracks where you point it instead of vaguely flexing through a turn.

The more surprising improvement is at the other end of the ride-quality spectrum. Aero bikes have a reputation for being harsh. Those big, stiff aero tubes don't flex vertically, so road buzz comes straight up through the saddle. The 2026 Propel pushes back with roughly 25% better rear vertical compliance, achieved through more heavily dropped seatstays. Dropping the seatstays lower on the seat tube effectively lengthens the flexible span behind the saddle, so the rear triangle soaks up more of the road's small hits without giving up lateral or pedalling stiffness.

Combine that 25% compliance gain with the new 32mm tyre clearance and the comfort story gets genuinely compelling. You've got a frame that flexes more vertically and lets you run a wider, lower-pressure tyre, two independent comfort levers that used to be off-limits on a thoroughbred aero bike. On a long, rough-surfaced day, that combination is the difference between arriving fresh and arriving rattled.

The frame keeps an Advanced SL-grade integrated seatpost (ISP) with 25mm offset, and this is the one spot where I'd pump the brakes. An ISP is a classic weight-versus-convenience trade. It's lighter and stiffer than a telescoping post, it looks cleaner, and the exposed mast can add a touch of compliance as it flexes. The catch is that it has to be cut to fit, which means a tighter resale window and far less adjustability if your fit ever changes. If you know your position cold and want the lightest, most rigid platform you can get, the ISP is a feature. If your fit is still moving around, think hard before you commit, because there's no easy undo on a saw cut.

Put it all together and the 2026 Propel's ride character reads like this: stiffer where you want power transfer and steering precision, noticeably more forgiving where you want comfort, and finally able to run real tyre width. That's a hard balance to strike, and on paper Giant struck it.

The 2026 Propel range and prices: a US-first breakdown

One of the most common questions about a halo bike is also the simplest. What does it cost, and what can I actually buy where I live? The 2026 Propel range runs from a genuinely attainable entry point up to a five-figure flagship, and US availability is narrower than the full global catalogue. Here's the clean version.

At the top sits the Propel Advanced SL 0 AXS, built with SRAM Red AXS, Cadex Max 50 wheels, Cadex Aero tyres, the integrated seatpost, and a CADEX AMP saddle. This is the 6.56kg bike, and in the US it costs $13,500 (£10,499 / €11,999 regionally). Worth knowing: this AXS build is the only complete SL 0 sold in the US. The Dura-Ace version of the SL 0 exists at £9,999, but that's a UK/EU-only offering.

Below the flagship, the Propel Advanced Pro uses a high-performance grade of carbon (the 863g frame). In the US there's a single Advanced Pro build, specced with SRAM, at $7,800; the Advanced Pro 0 Di2 is offered overseas at £5,799 / €6,499. Step down again to the Advanced tier and the range opens up. The entry Advanced 2 runs Shimano 105 mechanical, alloy wheels, and a two-piece cockpit, weighs 8.73kg in size M, and starts the lineup at $3,500 (£2,599 / €2,999). And for the rider who wants to build their own, the Advanced SL frameset is $4,300 (confirmed on Giant's US site).

*The Advanced Pro 0 Di2 is independently weighed at 7.18kg (M); the US SRAM build is the same frame tier.

The pricing structure tells you something about who Giant thinks buys this bike. There's a clear "dream build" at $13,500, a serious-club-racer sweet spot around $7,800 in the Advanced Pro, and a genuinely accessible aero entry point at $3,500 that puts the Propel silhouette and aerodynamics within reach of riders who'd never spend five figures. The $4,300 frameset, meanwhile, is aimed squarely at the home mechanic who already owns a groupset and wheels and just wants the chassis.

So which trim is actually right for you? Roughly:

1. You're chasing the 6.56kg headline and money is no object. Advanced SL 0 AXS ($13,500). It's the only way to get the actual record-setting weight.
2. You want most of the bike for a lot less money. Advanced Pro (~$7,800). Same aero shape, slightly heavier carbon and parts, still a superb race bike.
3. You want an aero Propel without the mortgage. Advanced 2 ($3,500). Heavier at 8.73kg, but the aerodynamics and geometry carry over.
4. You already have a groupset and wheels. Advanced SL frameset ($4,300), then build to taste.

Wheels, tyres and finishing kit: the Cadex Max 50 system

If you only remember one component story from the 2026 Propel, make it this one, because the wheels and tyres did more for the weight figure than the frame did. The Cadex Max 50 WheelSystem weighs about 1,290g, down from roughly 1,350g, and the engineering behind that number is genuinely clever. The carbon spokes are bonded directly into the hub flanges rather than threaded or hooked into separate spoke beds.

That bonded-spoke construction matters for two reasons. First, it removes the hardware and material of a traditional spoke interface, which is where the weight saving comes from. Second, a continuous carbon load path from rim to hub tends to be stiffer and more fatigue-resistant than a mechanical junction, which is why Giant can run a light rim without it feeling vague underneath you. The rims themselves are 50mm-deep hookless tubeless profiles, deep enough to deliver real aero benefit at road-race speeds, but not so deep that they turn into a handful in crosswinds.

The tyres are the unsung hero. The new Cadex Aero tyres dropped a pair from about 580g to roughly 440g, a 140g saving on their own and the single largest line item in the bike's weight loss. Because that weight comes off the very outside of the rotating system, it has an outsized effect on how the bike accelerates and climbs. Rotating mass at the tyre is the most "expensive" weight on any bike, so cutting it is also the most rewarding. Together, the wheel-and-tyre system accounts for the ~240g that makes up the biggest single chunk of the Propel's total saving.

Here's how the rolling-stock numbers stack up:

Beyond the rolling stock, the finishing kit follows the same lightweight-but-functional brief: the integrated seatpost with 25mm offset, the one-piece Contact SLR Aero cockpit, and a CADEX AMP saddle on the flagship. None of these are afterthoughts. Each one was picked to save weight, improve aerodynamics, or both, which is exactly how you end up at 6.56kg without resorting to fragile, weight-weenie compromises.

One practical warning on those rims: hookless requires tyre-pressure discipline. Most hookless systems cap recommended pressures, commonly around 72–73psi depending on tyre width, and going over that can risk the tyre blowing off the rim. With 28–32mm tyres on these rims you'll probably be running well under that ceiling anyway, but always check the rim and tyre maximums before you inflate.

Propel vs Tarmac SL8 vs Cervelo S5: how it stacks up

A bike like this doesn't exist in a vacuum. The two machines the 2026 Propel has to beat are the Specialized Tarmac SL8 and the Cervelo S5, and each represents a different philosophy. The Tarmac SL8 is the do-everything race bike that leans light. The Cervelo S5 is the uncompromising aero specialist. The Propel's whole pitch is that it splits the difference better than either one.

On weight, the Propel's 6.56kg edges out the Tarmac SL8 at roughly 6.6kg, though the Tarmac's frame is famously light at around 685g, lighter than the Propel's 800g. That frame-weight gap is interesting. Specialized hit a similar complete-bike weight with a lighter frame, but being a lightweight-leaning all-rounder, the SL8 doesn't push aero as hard as the Propel does. The Cervelo S5 (2026) sits heavier at around 7.1kg, but it's widely regarded as the fastest of the three in the wind tunnel. Cervelo built it to be an aero king and accepted the weight to get there.

So where does that leave the Propel? Its claim to fame isn't that it's the lightest bike here (the Tarmac's frame is lighter) and it isn't that it's the most aerodynamic (the S5 wins the tunnel). It's that no other production bike currently matches its combined aero-plus-weight equation. That's Giant's explicit claim, and the spec sheet backs it up. If you want the single bike that compromises least on both fronts, the Propel has the strongest case of the three.

And which of the three actually fits you? Roughly like this:

• You climb a lot and want one bike that's still genuinely fast on the flat. The Propel. The 6.56kg weight plus the aero gain is the most balanced package.
• You prioritise outright low frame weight and an all-rounder feel. The Tarmac SL8, with its 685g frame.
• You race flat, fast circuits and time-trial-adjacent events where raw aero wins. The Cervelo S5, and you live with the ~7.1kg.

The honest summary: there's no wrong answer among these three, but the Propel is the one that forces you to compromise the least. For a rider who refuses to own two bikes, a climber and an aero bike, the 2026 Propel is the most convincing "just buy one" option on the market right now.

Propel vs TCR: does Giant's own climbing bike still make sense?

The most interesting consequence of the 2026 Propel is an internal one. At 6.56kg, the Propel has crept so close to Giant's own TCR climbing bike that it raises an awkward question. Why would anyone buy the TCR anymore? The Propel is now barely heavier than the brand's dedicated lightweight bike, yet meaningfully more aerodynamic. On paper, the aero bike has nearly eaten the climbing bike.

This isn't a hypothetical tension. It's the debate that dominated the tech-press coverage at launch, and Giant's own executives addressed it head-on. The company's answer is that the TCR stays in the lineup, for two pragmatic reasons. First, the TCR still outsells the Propel in Asian markets, where the lightweight climbing-bike category remains culturally dominant, so killing it would be commercially foolish. Second, the TCR is a hedge against a potential UCI weight-limit rule change. If cycling's governing body ever lowers the 6.8kg minimum, a dedicated ultralight platform like the TCR becomes valuable again overnight, and Giant wants to keep that card in its hand.

For you, the buyer, the practical question is which bike actually fits your riding. Here's the clearest way to think about it in 2026:

• Buy the Propel if you ride mixed terrain, rolling roads, fast group rides, the occasional climb, and you want a single bike that's fast everywhere. At 6.56kg the weight penalty for choosing the aero bike has basically vanished, so the Propel is now the default recommendation for most performance riders.
• Buy the TCR if you live in the mountains, ride mostly steep and sustained climbs, and value the absolute lightest, liveliest feel, or if you just prefer the classic round-tube ride character. The TCR still holds an edge in pure low-speed climbing responsiveness and a more traditional feel.

For most riders, the calculus has flipped. For a long time the TCR was the sensible default and the Propel was the specialist's choice for flat, fast racing. In 2026 that relationship has inverted. The Propel is now the sensible all-rounder, and the TCR has become the specialist's tool, for riders who genuinely live and climb at altitude or who are chasing the very last gram. That's a remarkable shift for an aero bike to force, and it's the single best illustration of how thoroughly the 2026 Propel collapsed the old aero-versus-lightweight divide.

If you already own a recent TCR, none of this makes your bike obsolete. It's still a superb climber. But if you're choosing fresh in 2026, the Propel's case as your one-and-only bike is stronger than it's ever been.

The verdict: who should actually buy the 2026 Propel

After all the numbers, the recommendation is refreshingly clear. The 2026 Giant Propel Advanced SL is a big deal not because of any single spec, but because of what it does to the category. It makes the choice between aero and lightweight feel obsolete. A 6.56kg aero bike that sits below the UCI minimum, that you have to add ballast to in order to race legally, simply didn't exist before. Now it does, with an independently verified weight and an aero gain that holds up even after you strip out the marketing framing.

The Advanced SL 0 AXS at $13,500 is the halo product, and it's for the rider who wants the actual record-setting weight and is comfortable spending flagship money. It's not the value play, and Giant doesn't pretend otherwise. The smarter money for most serious riders is the Advanced Pro at $7,800, which carries the same aero shape and geometry in a slightly heavier carbon for roughly 60% of the flagship's price. Or the $3,500 Advanced 2 for riders who want the Propel's aerodynamics without the five-figure commitment. And the $4,300 frameset stays the enthusiast's blank canvas.

What you're really paying for at the top of the range is the combination, the thing no rival quite matches. The Tarmac SL8 has a lighter frame. The Cervelo S5 is faster in the tunnel. But neither balances both axes the way the Propel does. And against Giant's own TCR, the Propel has become the more sensible default for anyone who isn't a dedicated mountain climber. If you want one road bike that refuses to compromise, the 2026 Propel Advanced SL has the strongest claim on the market today.

Frequently asked questions

How much does the 2026 Giant Propel Advanced SL weigh? The top-spec Propel Advanced SL 0 weighs 6.56kg in a size medium, as weighed by BikeRadar, fully built with aero components, bottle cages, a computer mount, and sealant in the tyres, minus pedals. Giant's marketing rounds this to a claimed 6.5kg in the lightest configuration. The mid-range Advanced Pro 0 weighs 7.18kg and the entry Advanced 2 weighs 8.73kg, both in size M.

Is the Giant Propel 2026 really the lightest aero road bike ever? By the most-cited measurement, yes. At 6.56kg it sits roughly 300g below the UCI's 6.8kg minimum weight limit, and BikeRadar described it as "the lightest aero bike we've ever seen." It's light enough that WorldTour teams have to add ballast to make it race-legal, which for a production aero bike is unprecedented.

How much does the Giant Propel Advanced SL 2026 cost? In the US, the flagship Advanced SL 0 AXS costs $13,500 (£10,499 / €11,999). The range starts at $3,500 for the entry Advanced 2 (Shimano 105), with the Advanced Pro around $7,800 and the Advanced SL frameset at $4,300.

What does the 18.4-watt aero claim actually mean, is it real? It's real, but it's a system number, not a pure frame-aero number. The 18.4W gain at 40km/h (about 72 seconds over 40km) was measured with a dummy rider and bundles in roughly 5.5W of rolling-resistance and rider-position gains from the new tyres and narrower bar. The pure aerodynamic-drag improvement of the bike is closer to 6.21W (about a 2.6% gain, ~27 seconds over 40km). Both figures are legitimate. They just answer different questions.

Why is the Propel under the UCI weight limit, and do pros add weight? The complete SL 0 build comes in below the UCI's 6.8kg minimum, so WorldTour teams racing it (such as Team Jayco AlUla) must add ballast to make the bike race-legal. For everyday riders, who race under no minimum, there's no such rule, so the full weight advantage goes straight into climbing and acceleration.

Giant Propel vs Giant TCR, which should I buy in 2026? For most riders, the Propel is now the better all-round choice, because at 6.56kg it nearly matches the TCR on weight while being significantly more aero. Choose the TCR only if you ride mostly steep, sustained climbs and want the absolute lightest, liveliest feel, or prefer its classic round-tube ride. Giant is keeping the TCR for its strong Asian-market sales and as a hedge against a future UCI weight-limit change.

How does the 2026 Propel compare to the Tarmac SL8 and Cervelo S5? The Specialized Tarmac SL8 (~6.6kg, ~685g frame) has a lighter frame but leans lightweight rather than aero. The Cervelo S5 (~7.1kg) is the fastest of the three in the wind tunnel but the heaviest. The Propel's distinction is the best combined aero-plus-weight balance, a combination Giant says no other production bike currently matches.

What wheels and tyres come on the Propel Advanced SL 0, and what's the tyre clearance? The SL 0 ships with Cadex Max 50 wheels (~1,290g), 50mm hookless tubeless rims with carbon spokes bonded directly into the hub flanges, and new Cadex Aero tyres (a pair dropped from ~580g to ~440g). Tyre clearance is 32mm (up from 30mm on the previous generation), and the bike ships on 28mm tyres.