Giant Defy Composite 1 or Advanced 3

irishdan13

Well folks its time for a shiny new bike so the question is should I go for the Giant Defy Composite 1 or the Defy Advanced 3? Any thoughts appreciated. Cheers Daniel.

fosst

Advanced for me. It's only about 15mm longer reach to a 20mm shorter head tube than the Defy but I liked it better.
It's probably possible to get the Defy fit on the Advanced, and vice-versa, if you play with stems and spacers. It's got to be better to choose the one that fits you best. Specs are fine on both so don't worry about 105/Ultegra, compact &28/double &25.
If you want to know, Advanced is stiff stable and comfortable but that doesn't mean anything if you don't like the geometry. Where are you buying?

irishdan13

Thanks fosst. Have been evaluating a variety of bikes online and in Cycling Plus. Went to Lutterworth Cycles today to have a proper look at them as well as the TCR Composite but ruled it out as I will not need the racier setup. The main issue, I suppose, is will I feel a significant benefit of going up to the advanced bearing in mind that I will be making a substantial upgrade anyway from my accident damaged CB Milano.

fosst

Ahhh, I misread your initial post.
Forget what I said!
I can't comment on the difference between the two grades of carbon, all I can say is that the (TCR) Advanced is a decent frame and the material must contribute to that. Geometry aside, the ride is really quite smooth and the frame is light for such bulky tubes, which is where I would expect the differences between carbon grades to show up.
Have fun choosing, it might just come down to price and colours but I bet you'll be happy with either model.

anto164

Don't forget, the composite is the same geo and sizing as the advanced, but different tube shapes and carbon grade.

steveb1020

Hi Been riding for about 12 years, at the moment I ride a specialised Allen elite aluminium frame ,these are exactly the same two bikes that I'm looking at ,I'm swayed towards the composite simply because of the colour am I likely to find a huge difference in ride quality between my specialised which cost £800 and the £1800 composite,same question again really am I going to notice a difference between the composite and the advanced for an extra £200 thanks

Squillinossett

Well, if it helps, I couldnt really tell...

I took the TCR Comp & TCR Adv out for a test ride, and I couldnt really tell much between them, so went for the Comp with Ultegra over the Adv with 105.

You might be able to tell so i would just suggest you go out and test ride it.

Never really liked Giants before, but the 2011 & 2012 models seem to just look sh1t hot.

i love mine to bits. By far my fav bike I have had.

steveb1020

Sorry probably didn't explain I was talking about both defy models but totally agree best to try them both , but with my limited knowledge bet I don't find a difference but thanks for the reply wonder what the difference would be between the defy 1 and the defy composite 1 , I know it's £800

steveb1020

Looking at giant defy composite 1 and tcr composite 1 now , viewed both today hoping to test ride both in the next 2 weeks, both are the same price , like to do 25 miles as quick as possible will there be any difference in time if both bikes are ridden the same or is this a silly question at the moment I have a aluminium specialised and my 20 mile time is anything between 18mph and 19mph average , any replies would be appreciated, I will be spending my life savings am nearly 50 years and times getting on thanks

steveb1020

Well took the plunge bought a giant defy composite 1 just now worried I've picked the right size,test rode the medium and found it slightly cramped so bought medium large which has a stem 15 mm longer , life savings has now disappeared ,I'm 5' 11" by the way

the_fuggler

steveb1020 wrote:

Well took the plunge bought a giant defy composite 1 just now worried I've picked the right size,test rode the medium and found it slightly cramped so bought medium large which has a stem 15 mm longer , life savings has now disappeared ,I'm 5' 11" by the way

I'm 5' 10" and ride a Medium / Large Defy with no changes to the standard configuration. Absolutely no problems with it. You can always swap for a shorter stem if you need it.

irishdan13

I too have taken the plunge but have gone for a TCR Advanced 3 instead of the Defy. Having test ridden the TCR I loved it and decided it was the right way to go. I'm 5'11" and went for the M/L which is absolutely fine for me. Have ridden my normal 20 mile evening loop a couple of times now and have taken about 1min 50 off my time. Absolutely love the bike.

steveb1020

Hi Thanks for the replies , how are finding the defy , very quick to your previous bike , glad the tcr is going well ,I have a condition called anklosing spondolosis in my back so thought the defy would be gentler on it

the_fuggler

I've gone from a Alu Synapse to an Advanced Defy. First ride of my regular 15 mile loop on the Defy saw me take 4 minutes off my best time. Goes like the clappers, yet still comfortable. Great bikes.

chadders81

What are the wheels like on the Composite? They look gash.

the_fuggler

Chadders81 wrote:

What are the wheels like on the Composite? They look gash.

Depends on the model. The P-SL1 on the Composite 1 seem pretty decent to me.

steveb1020

Hi yea I agree the research I did on wheels ,that for the price they are pretty decent