Specialized Allez 24 2011 or Giant Defy 4?

CycleMania
CycleMania Posts: 11
edited May 2011 in Road beginners
Morning all, :D

I am new to Road Cycling and have recently caught "The Bug". :D

I am now Cycling to work a few times a week and am doing the odd 50 mile bike ride for Leisure and Pleasure also. I am currently doing this on a pretty good Giant Mountain bike of which i have put slick tyres on to make the cylcing more enjoyable! Clearly a Road Bike is what i need and have searched for weeks now and have come up with 2 Bikes within my Price range of £500-£600. The Giant Defy 4 (24 Speed) and the Specialized Allez 2011 (24 speed) seem very similar to me. Can anyone advise me which is the best to go for please? I am itching to buy my 1st Road Bike in order to be able to get out there more often and enjoy Road Cycling to the Max, :D

Any advice would be much appreciated, :D

Thank You!

Happy Cycling to you all Fellow Cyclists!

Comments

  • esudfu
    esudfu Posts: 35
    'ello!

    I'm new to road biking too and managed to find a 2010 Spesh Allez 24 for £449. My girlfriend managed to get a Giant Defy 3 2011 for a decent deal. The defy 4 is basically the same as the defy 3 but without carbon forks I think.

    First impressions are that there's very little difference between the two. The Allez seems a bit more racy than the Defy (which seems more equivalent to the Specialized Secteur rather than Allez), but the Defy seems more comfy, slightly wider tyres etc. IMO the Defy looks cooler, but the 4 doesn't have carbon forks.

    I am a total newbie though so this is pretty uninformed.
  • iank1978
    iank1978 Posts: 9
    I'm also looking for my first road bike and after lots of research I'm hoping for the giant defy 3 as apparently the carbon forks makes it much better to ride than the defy 4.
  • pauldavid
    pauldavid Posts: 392
    Fellow noob here too.

    I've just recently bought a Defy 3.5 which I got for a great proce as it was last years stock. It has the carbon fork and is absolutely brilliant, I would highly recommend it to anyone.

    I was also told to go for the carbon fork models by all I spoke to.

    Let us all know which way you decide to go, either way I doubt you will be disappointed
  • CycleMania
    CycleMania Posts: 11
    Thank You all for the Tips, :D

    Looking at the advice and Full Spec it appears that the Specialized Allez looks like th best option as it has the Carbon Forks where as the Defy 4 has CroMo forks?

    I am going to Tredz tomorrow after work to try them both out and i will let you all know how it goes, :D

    Thank You all once again for the advice, 8)

    Cheers

    Happy Cycling to you all Fellow Cyclists!
  • EssexSuffolk
    EssexSuffolk Posts: 112
    Both decent bikes - I would say the choice should come down to which feels the most comfortable. Every bike/maunfacturer has subtly different geometry in their bikes, so whereas the spec of one may look better, the other may be more comfortable - and comfort, at the end of the day, is what will keep you happy when riding it.

    I ride a Defy....few years old now, but still very happy with it.

    Enjoy some test rides!
  • PatBoySlim
    PatBoySlim Posts: 16
    I had the same choice to make last year and chose the Specialized Allez 24. I'm happy with the choice but wish i'd chose the double 16 speed instead of the 24 speed triple as you get too much cross chaining and its noisey in the lower gears.
  • Stone Glider
    Stone Glider Posts: 1,227
    @ PBS re: the cross-chaining problem, are you going up and down the rings and cassette in sequence? If so you will get noise and cross-chaining as you are doing it wrong. The advice I received on this forum is the use only the smallest three or four cogs when on the big ring, the middle half dozen cogs when on the middle ring and the three/four biggest cogs when on the littlest ring. The same applies to the double, big/big is an ugly arrangement, ask Mr A. Schleck.

    This avoids cross-chaining and noise. It also makes for smoother changes and less wear on the drive train.

    So, despite the advertising, a triple chainring gives you about fourteen/sixteen useful choices and a double has about a dozen.

    Before the flaming starts may I say that we are talking about a basic level of kit, telling me how wonderful a system that costs more than a complete Giant Defy4 or Allez24 doesn't realy make any difference does it?
    The older I get the faster I was
  • iank1978
    iank1978 Posts: 9
    CycleMania wrote:
    Thank You all for the Tips, :D

    Looking at the advice and Full Spec it appears that the Specialized Allez looks like th best option as it has the Carbon Forks where as the Defy 4 has CroMo forks?

    I am going to Tredz tomorrow after work to try them both out and i will let you all know how it goes, :D

    Thank You all once again for the advice, 8)

    Cheers

    Happy Cycling to you all Fellow Cyclists!

    looking forward to hear how you get on, i havent test rode any yet, a friend has the 2010 defy 3.5 which he loves and has carbon forks so i will probs either get one off internet as local shops no longer have them, or get the 2011 defy 3 as it is only £40 more than defy 4. Would prefer to buy in a shop to have it all set up to correct size etc but its tempting to save money online for last years model.

    or this years defy 3 is same price as shop on pedalon website and get free accessories, so could get computer, mud guards, lights, pump, saddle bag included in price of £595.
  • willowthewhite
    willowthewhite Posts: 89
    iank1978 wrote:
    CycleMania wrote:

    or this years defy 3 is same price as shop on pedalon website and get free accessories, so could get computer, mud guards, lights, pump, saddle bag included in price of £595.


    Be sure to mention this deal to your LBS they may not be able to match it but at least you give them the opportunity to, and you never know but they may be able to offer a better deal.
  • iank1978
    iank1978 Posts: 9
    I never thought of mentioning deal to lbs, just presumed they wouldn't be able to match online prices but could be worth a shot. I just hate trying to haggle cos I'm no good at it. Might try and persuade someone to go in and ask for me lol.
  • CycleMania
    CycleMania Posts: 11
    What a Hectic Week, :?

    Started Off the week thinking that Specialized Allez was the Bike for Me, BUT :shock:

    After assessing both bikes, while BOTH are Very Very Nice bikes, i felt that the Giant Defy 4 was far more comfortable and basically far more suitable to me, :D The Specialized Allez is an Excellent Bike but with me being 6ft 2 i felt that the shorter frame was not what i wanted so i have gone for the Giant Defy 4! :D Really Really pleased with the bike and i hope that i have made the Correct choice, :D Looking forward to a Big Cycle Ride with the Boys now asap in order to Crank Up the Miles on My New Baby, :D haha

    The Giant Defy 4 is a Cracking Bike and i am Over The Moon with it, :D The Year Free servicing from my Local Dealer is also a nice added Bonus, Happy Days!

    Once again, thank you all for your advice and tips. Each and every bit of advice has paid off, Cheers :wink:

    Happy Cycling to you all Fellow Cyclists!
  • CycleMania
    CycleMania Posts: 11
    Decisions, Decisions, :?

    While i previosuly decided to go for the Giant Defy 4, the longer i wait for my flipping Voucher (Cycle To Work Scheme) i am being told by more and more cyclists/friends that i should have gone for the Specialized Allez Triple? :)

    After a few Trial Runs on both bikes i found the Giant more comfortable but i am being told now that it is probably because i am used to Mountain Bikes? Is this true? I am happy to adapt myself to the Specialized Allez if it is a much better bike to be honest! It is not too late to change my mind and if i am being honest the Specialized does look a Smarter Bike, 8)

    Can anyone give me some advice please on what to do? I am going stir crazy waiting for my Voucher to be honest but at least it will give me more time to make sure that i make the correct decision, :lol:

    As much advice as possible would be much appreciated, Thank You, :D

    Thank You all for your advice and tips previosuly, :wink:

    Happy Cycling to you all Fellow Cyclists! (When i get my bike, that is, :D )
  • esudfu
    esudfu Posts: 35
    Forget what everyone else says, go with which ever one YOU want most.

    Both great bikes. I have an Allez and my Girlfriend has a Defy which I've ridden quite a bit. The defy is a little bit more comfortable I think but maybe a little less extreme geometrey wise.

    Components and overall quality between the two are very, very similar. I don't think there's any particular reason to go for one over the other than personal taste. If yours is for the defy, then go for that :)

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