My Giant Defy Advanced

brh77

Giant Defy Advanced 3 2010 version

A couple of upgrades from standard-

Roval Echappee wheels with Conti 4 season tyres and conti tubes
FSA SLK brakes to replace the Tektro unbranded version (these are a strange colour, so may get switched again when I have the cash- vain I know)
FSA SLK light chainset- wanted one of these since I first saw them, and even though it is much better than me and the rest of the components, still really chuffed with it.

Accessories-
Cateye Strada Double Wireless Computer
Tacx Tao bottle cage
Ay-up lights (you can see the mount on the stem)
Bottle of weak blackcurrant squash

I love this bike, comfy for an inflexible lump like me, but also feels quick.......

MattJPaul

Veeeery nice, big fan of the stealth look.

Would've gone for apple and blackcurrant, though.

Zachariah

Oh, that is a looker. I don't know if it's a feature of the angle or the lighting but the frame looks incredibly slimline and elegant (almost spindly, but in a good way).

brh77

It's the angle- it couldnt be too spindly as I am 105kg!

It was a steal as well- £1190 from Pedalon. Same frame this year with new 105 is £2250!

I want to change the shifters at some point as the non-hidden cables annoy me- where the cable comes out of the shifter is exactly where I want to put my thumb...... it's either that or some bling wheels.

SCR Pedro

brh77 wrote:

It's the angle- it couldnt be too spindly as I am 105kg!

It was a steal as well- £1190 from Pedalon. Same frame this year with new 105 is £2250!

I want to change the shifters at some point as the non-hidden cables annoy me- where the cable comes out of the shifter is exactly where I want to put my thumb...... it's either that or some bling wheels.

Bloody hell, mate! What a bargain! Lovely bike too.

FransJacques

brh77 wrote:

It's the angle- it couldnt be too spindly as I am 105kg!

It was a steal as well- £1190 from Pedalon. Same frame this year with new 105 is £2250!

I want to change the shifters at some point as the non-hidden cables annoy me- where the cable comes out of the shifter is exactly where I want to put my thumb...... it's either that or some bling wheels.

105kgs!?!?! Flippen heck, start riding and stop eating and drinking beer. Now!

Sorry mate but someone's gotta provide the tough love & encouragement :-)

We slam the pros for it all the time, so let's not exempt oursevles. Doc told me i could easily lost 5 kgs of pure fat and still have more than enough to support immue system and store fat-soluable vitamins.

brh77

Oi! I am 6'3" (1.91m for the metric among us) and am a former rugby player so am not that fat!

Let's just say I'm better on the flat than uphill, but getting better......

nferrar

Roval Echapee wheels are great for heavier riders, mine have been faultless for 2.5 years now (including winter abuse + pothole incidents). I wouldn't change them until you wear them out or start competing. Nice bike overall too

The Spiderman

Nice upgrades there and food for thought for mine.Just picked up a Defy Advanced 2010 myself.

First upgrade on mine will be the wheels,currently considering Shimano RS 80s or Mavic Ksyriums.

brh77

I want to put RS80s on mine too! Just convincing myself that a 100kg rider would get any benefit from them....... It'd be solely a cosmetic change......

I saw yours- great value bikes and I have put more kms in over the last 3 months of having it than i did in the last 6 on my alu bike. So comfortable!

The Spiderman

Your upgrades,look great.Overall I`m very pleased with mine now I`ve had a chance to ride it a little more.Its a lot less harsh and a much better fit than my old Trek 1200.

Theres a few bits that I want to change though.The wheels though feel distinctly sluggish and having weighed them,I reckon I could lose 500g-600g from the wheels by upgrading to RS80s,so this will be the first upgrade.

The bar tape isn`t that great either so I think I`ll be getting some Fizik microtex on there soon and I`m going to switch my Fizik Arione saddle across from my old bike too.

A couple of questions for you,I`d heard that the Defy had longer drop brakes than normal,so were the new calipers a straight fit.And did the SLK chainset just use the existing press fit cups?

brh77

The brakes were std drop I think, nothing fancy, and the SLK was a mega- exo so matched the press fit bb.

Agree with the bar tape point, mine is unwrapping a bit, so I'll be going for some plusher stuff soon. The selle royal saddle is a cheap Fizik (same company I think) but I will probably go for a decent fizik when I get some money. Also tempted to change shifters to hidden cables, but again this would be vanity!

The Spiderman

Just found the advice note that came with the bike regarding press the fit bb and what is compatible so now know what options there are.The FSA gossamer is actually not bad and I`d spend a lot to get a noticebale improvement in preformance,so think I`ll stick with it for now but must admit the aesthete in me rather likes the look of your SLK chainset!

Same with the Tektro brakes,not actually that bad,performance wise but.........

That Selle saddle is definitley going though,my sit bones were complaining even on a relatively short ride.

My bar tape started twisting on my first ride,and I think some Fizik microtex in black or even the dual black/grey would be in keeping with the rest.

brh77

I think I may well copy you on that one, I'll go a fizik saddle as I like the clip system thing....

I'll have to look at the fizik tape as I haven't seen it before.

MattJPaul

Keep coming back to this thread to stare, drool and generally covet.

To own it, I will give you £100 English pounds and a back rub (happy ending excluded).

MountainMonster

Lovely looking bike! can't believe the deal you got on it either, what a bargain!

The Spiderman

If you think brh77 got a good deal,I won`t tell you what I paid for mine.........

saintdracula

dream bike