First Road Bike

bederz

Hi guys,

I just wanted to get some feedback on the Giant Defy 3 2013. I am looking for a bike to ride 15-25 miles at the weekends, which is comfortable and will help me out on those tricky hills for a newbie road biker like myself. I will also be taking part in the London to Brighton (55 miles) charity ride in the summer.

I can get the bike for £611 at Tredz.co.uk with a 10% discount they gave me:
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Giant-Defy-3-20 ... _56258.htm

One of the reasons this bike interested me was the Sora Shifters for ease of use. I know i wont be using the drops straight away, but i hope to progress onto these, so i thought the Sora shifters would be better than the Shimano 2300's, which are on the CANNONDALE SYNAPSE 2300 TRIPLE 2013 that i was also looked at.

What are your thoughts/suggestions?

smidsy

If at all possible test ride both. 1 will almost certainly be better for you than the other, and it is not always the one you think it should be.

Toe knee

Hi bederz,

I also had these two bikes short listed about 3 weeks ago, cycle surgery wouldn't give a discount on the defy 3 , saying they were in short supply, so ended up in my LBS , and bought a cannondale synapse sora, with 10% of for cash £630,
Very happy with it , but as smidsy has said try both bikes if you can, and see what you think, I'm a little blast and would say try and get a sora synapse with discount. Happy hunting, let us know what you choose.

bederz

Thanks for the replies so far guys.

stinger53

The Giant Defy 3 is a good bike. but as others have said try out as many in your budget and get the one which feels the best and you like the most.

MattyyP

Have you looked at the Specialized Allez? As for £725 you could get the sport model which has carbon forks... But i'm no expert lol

Mikey41

Defy 3 has carbon fork too. 2013 Sora will have the levers rather than the thumb shift that the 2300 uses. The bike is more than capable of what you want it for. (it's not THAT much different to the 2 )

However, test as many bikes as you can to make your mind up. It's more important that the bike fits you and you like riding it.

SoSimple

I bought the defy 3 as my first road bike. On the basis I wasn't completely sure I'd enjoy it enough and didn't want to spend big money and end up regretting it.

Really pleased with the bike and have clocked up over 600 miles since start of January. Only niggle is the saddle which I've decided will have to be changed but that could just as easily be down to me!

I checked out the other bikes you mention plus a Specialized Allez for similar money and as has been said, you'll know which is the right one once you've ridden them.

What I would also say is that if you have a good LBS, the extra £60-70 you'll pay will be money well spent as they'll usually offer a discount on all the gear you'll end up buying and a free first service etc. I hit a pothole and loosened some spokes and they sorted it without a quibble.

Good luck with your choice, I'm sure you won't regret it.

Anonymous

I know its a compact, but I was drawn to the Boardman 'Race' when looking for a first bike for a friend.
It works out to £634 including a years BC membership.
I am not sure if the ride will be too 'sporty' for him, but the spec (especially as it should now have 2013 Sora) seems faultless for the money.

Am in two minds about a triple. Its a Sram cassette on the Boardman, so he could easily go to a 28 I would have thought.
I kind of feel training to get up a steep hill is better long term than always having that third crank to rely on.
A couple of guys I know whose first bike was a triple say they would not have bought it given their time again, but love having it if they are having a bad day and out on their 'wet' bike :?

Completely agree about going to look at as many bikes as poss. One will probably stand out as right for you.
At the end of the day, loving your bike will make you want to ride it all the more

FergySteve

I have the Boardman Race and I've been very happy with it (other than the pre-2013 Sora shifters). I bought it over a Specialized Allez and a Cannondale Synapse when I was hunting for my first road bike. I did have to adjust the gears and brakes slightly when I got home as the bike hadn't had the best setup by the Halfords lad, but the bike itself is fantastic.

If you are comfortable with basic adjustments, or have a mate who can help out, then don't let the (potentially) sub-par initial setup by Halfords put you off. You get a lot for the money.

bokawel

I am in the same situation as the original poster. Thinking of getting a second hand bike. With your money you could get a better deal in the second hand market. But be careful with your choice. Buying local would be great so you can check the bike and test before you buy. Just my two pence.

FergySteve

Only thing with second hand is you need to factor in the cost if it needs anything serviced/replacing (chain, cassette etc), so if you're going to go down that route it might be worth taking someone with you who knows what they're looking at. (Unless you do yourself, of course!)

simon_e

Carbonator wrote:

Am in two minds about a triple. Its a Sram cassette on the Boardman, so he could easily go to a 28 I would have thought.

Any compatible Sram/Shimano cassette with up to 28 teeth should be fine on all these bikes. 9 speed HG50 in 12-27 or 11-28 would be a good bet.

A triple chainset has its pluses - I can leave it in the 39 middle ring on lumpy routes and save the granny for steep stuff.

But don't fret about the number of chainrings, you should buy the bike that feels 'right' for you.