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Rleased in 1998 pending UCI approval of a sloping top tube, the Giant TCR (Total Compact Road) changed the road bike as we know it by having a top tube that sloped down towards the rear, allowing for a smaller and tighter rear triangle that increased stiffness and responsiveness of the bike.
The extra stiffness was countered by a blade shaped carbon fork, and the fact that more seatpost would protrude as a result of the geometry, and that the seatpost was an airfoil shaped carbon design that allowed for some compliance and shock absorption from the perceived harshness of the 6061 ALUXX SL alloy frame.
Many bikes from this point on use the concept of compact geometry and it remains one of the dominant ideas in frame design today, the bike was first popularized by team ONCE in 2001 as a team bike and continues use by pro teams to this day.
