Giant defy 4 - First bike

Lils37
Lils37 Posts: 4
edited July 2010 in Road beginners
Hi everyone,

I'm looking to buy my first road bike this weekend. The bike i'm looking at is a giant defy 4. Firstly am I correct to assume that this is a pretty safe choice for a first bike? Secondly the bike is priced at £475, is that reasonable?

For those who are interested, I found the bike here: http://www.boneshakersbikes.co.uk//acat ... efy_4.html

Lils

Comments

  • Giant Phil
    Giant Phil Posts: 116
    My friend rides the Defy 3 and it is a very nice bike, well made as you might expect, nothing particularly stunning about its looks or performance, but then again you wouldn't expect so for the price. You certainly wouldn't go wrong at all. If you get a good idea of what you are looking for size and performance wise, they Ebay might not be a bad shot.

    Few things to note about the giant would be the wheels, which are pretty crappy unfortuately, but fine for normal use. The tyres that will come with it will probably warrent a change as they tend to have the puncture protection of cheese.

    Phil
    Giant SCR, BRIGHT Orange.
  • Mike400
    Mike400 Posts: 226
    I bought a B'twin sport 1 from Decathlon, more or less the same spec as the Giant but £260:

    http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12712110
    twitter @fat_cyclist
  • paulorg
    paulorg Posts: 168
    £5 cheaper than that at All Terrain Cycles. I've got a Defy one from last year, lovely bike just be aware of the funny sizing, I would normally fit an L size which works out at 55.5cm but with the Defy I took a ML (53.5cm) so definitely find a shop where you can sit on one first.

    Like Phil says bin the tyres and get some with a bit of p******* protection and if you are planning on fitting mudguards to it beware, I bought some crud roadracers which are for bikes which have very little clearance and even they wouldn't fit on the rear (apparently there are Giant branded mudguards specifically for these bikes but TBH I just went out a bought a cheap MTB for when its raining).
    If you buy it, they will come...








    ...up to you and say, you didn't want to buy one of them!!!
  • ademort
    ademort Posts: 1,924
    I bought a Defy 4 about 4 months ago to use as a work bike and am very happy with it. It will be fine for a first road bike. The groupset and wheels can be upgraded at any time.Good luck with your choice.
    Ademort :wink:
    ademort
    Chinarello, record and Mavic Cosmic Sl
    Gazelle Vuelta , veloce
    Giant Defy 4
    Mirage Columbus SL
    Batavus Ventura
  • Jon_Chalk
    Jon_Chalk Posts: 1
    Like you, I got a Defy 4 last year from my LBS, similar cost, so I would say value for that bike is OK.

    I love it as first bike back in over 20 years not riding.

    Haven't done serious miles, but no causes for concern at all yet.

    Good Luck
  • sparkman
    sparkman Posts: 74
    I have just purchased a Defy 3. Massive grin factor, love the bike. As others have said watch your frame sizing. I am 5'7 and a half. The shop tried hard to sale me a medium frame. I resisted because it didnt feel right (Went for the small) and glad I did. The small is perfect for me, not over streched like on the medium. Dont go by the giant size guide its not always right.
  • Cuilson
    Cuilson Posts: 2
    The defy 4 is a good first road bike, bought an XL back in January and am very happy with it. Only qualm would be the tyres (as mentioned above - they do have the resistance of cheese) but I'm told these can be upgraded pretty cheaply.

    After studying various forums and speaking to folks before committing, I'm pretty pleased so far with mine. Never had a road bike before either, so was very keen to make sure I didn't get something too advanced or basic. Re size issue - I'm 6' 4" and the XL is perfect.

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