Are Giant Defy 1 tyres OK for the winter ?

prando

Recently updated to a 2013 Defy 1 (2nd hand, bought from here via classified !)
By way of background, I'm 63 and endeavour to go out a couple of times per week, doing 40 miles, albeit excitement with my 'new' bike has increased this to 50 ! As in previous years, I will continue during the winter.

I've read a number of previous comments regarding 'no tread' vs 'tread' posts, but still not clear in my mind. is this relevant ?

The Defy tyres are as standard, P-R 3 Flat guard 700 x 23c. (Wheels standard P-R 2) Should I change to some 'winter' tyres ?

I have (from my old bike) 2 Continental Grand Prix 4 Seasons 700 x 25c. Forgive the stupidly maybe of the question, but would they fit ?

My typical ride takes in a few country lanes, often a bit wet and mucky in the Autumn / Winter.

Thanks in anticipation.

Mikey23

Defy pr3 should be perfectly ok, conti gp 4 seasons should be better.
I think that The consensus is that tread is of no consequence on a roady.
Enjoy your defy 1... Cracking bike

thescouselander

I found Giant tyres to be dire. The ones that came with my Defy only lasted 50 miles before developing rather significant bulges. I'd stick with the GPs if thats what you like.

elderone

Nothing wrong with defy tyres.Never had an issue or puncture with mine.If you feel happier with the gp,s then use them,but no reason to.

wishitwasallflat

Tread makes no difference on bike tyres as no one is fast enough to aquaplane so that's irrelevant - Sheldon has a good detailed explanation of this.

ianwilliams

Done a few hundred on my Defy tires and OK. Had a puncture on a piece of seashell, of all things. Took it out and tires still going strong. The LBS I stopped in at said Contis would be an upgrade but wait til the Defy tires are knackered, as they're perfectly fine.

Found a piece of glass in my tire last night and no puncture also (yet). Things seem good so far but I will upgrade either when I have to, or if I have some spare cash knocking around.

Schoie81

I don't know if they're the same tyres, but I've had no problems with the tyres that came on my Defy. Haven't ridden them through winter yet, but I have ridden in torrential rain, on roads covered in gravel/stones and on muddy roads (including cow & sheep muck!!). I've done 800miles on them and had four punctures, first one was my fault, I basically pulled the valve out of the tube, the second was a standard puncture and the other I got a pinch flat on both wheels at the same time when I hit a massive pothole which I didn't see - can't really blame the tyres for those. That said, if you've got the GPs anyway and you're not using them and you feel they'd be better, swap them on for the winter and keep the Defy tyres for next spring when the roads are a bit nicer again.

chrisaonabike

Just about to change my PR3s after almost 3800 miles. Any tyre that goes bad after only 50 miles can't possibly be anything but a one-off dud - no manufacturer would get away with anything that bad.

Two pinch flats were the only punctures on them in almost a year, and the only reason I'm changing them is because I've either skidded a bit on the back wheel or gone over something which has sliced through the outer layer, allowing the inner layer to show through and the rubber outer to bunch up on the sidewall a bit creating a bit of a lump both sides. The front one is still fine.

Even with that I've ridden about 60 miles on it (albeit quite carefully) since I noticed it recently, without problems.

The only thing you might want to watch is the clearance under the forks/brakes with the 25c if you wanted to fit Crudcatcher mudguards. I've got 23c on my Defy 3 composite with cruds and I don't reckon there's quite enough clearance for 25c tyres.

prando

Thanks everyone. Tremendous advice as is always the case on this forum. I think I will hang on with the existing ones for the present.

I have put some 'giant recommended' mudguards on, so in light of your comment ChrisOAB, I will take care regarding the change from 23c to 25c.

Dempsey999

My first post on here but I'm glad I'm able to do so by helping rate this perfectly good tyre.

This website and the comprehensive collective knowledge by its writers/forum contributors helped me choose and buy my first road bike this June... A Giant Defy 1. I've been a Lycra clad convert since, the 'forgetting I'm clipped in at traffic lights' period is well and truly over and I have gone from reluctant gym user to avid all weather cyclist because of it. (And lost a stone).

I can't fault my choice, although admittedly I don't have much to compare to, as an all round 'package' I think its great and I get nods of approval and enquiries about it when at a Richmond park by pilots on bikes costing 5 times as much.

So then.. The PR3's. I'm 14.5 stone now and have put some serious miles on mine giving them plenty of 'new learner' abuse in all weathers, a good few sessions on a turbo trainer (well the rear at least) and they still have many miles left on them. One pinch flat due to pilot error is all I've had and that's on all types of road surface. (I inflate mine every ride to 110psi).

As a newbie I was sceptical of their wet weather performance due to their smooth appearance and obvious lack of tread but I have had plenty of rides in extreme Northern downpours to instil confidence. One of these was through 'wacky races' London traffic a couple of Sunday afternoons back from West London through Central and out over to the A3 to Guildford. They didn't miss a beat, gave confidence around bends and to get ahead of traffic so as not to get pinned near kerbs. Together with the often poorly rated Tektro brakes the front and rear specific combo brought me to a stop without any dramas even from high teen/low 20 mph wet riding.

So as a 'basic' tyre I think Giants standard offering are well worthy of nod. Yes I'm sure your Conti GP4000's etal might perform slightly better but is it a black and white difference? Is it enough to warrant the extra outlay?

Again I'm the first to admit my inexperience and I'm sure I will try a high end tyre one day but for now at least my PR3's are more than adequate.

anthdci

thescouselander wrote:

I found Giant tyres to be dire. The ones that came with my Defy only lasted 50 miles before developing rather significant bulges. I'd stick with the GPs if thats what you like.

I thought they were terrible too, I felt the back wheel slip on cornering a couple of times in the 2 weeks I used them for commuting.

Dempsey999

^ My 90 odd kg's on a M frame and pushing down on 23mm probably aids cornering stability

Cupras

Mine are 25mm but I find them perfectly fine.

alihisgreat

I ran a PR3 on the back and GP4000s on the front last winter without any problems... used the GP4000s on the front because the front PR3 developed a bulge after ~1500 miles and I didn't want to buy another tyre.

pilot_pete

Most new bikes have tyres fitted to match a certain price point. On a budget entry level bike you will tend to get budget level tyres. On a mid range bike you will probably still get a budget tyre as this is an easy area for a manufacturer to save on costs and thus increase profit margins.

When I bought my Pinarello FP3 (what I would consider a mid range bike, although list price was £3k) this came with Pinarello branded tyres, which were merely Conti's cheapest road tyre with Pinarello printed on the sidewall. Retail these only cost about £15 each. They were absolutely dire and developed bulges etc within a few hundred miles. The rear carcass bulged and allowed the tube to push through and I felt it catching on the frame. I stopped, spun the wheel, found the problem and jus at that moment it exploded like a gun going off. I couldn't hear anything for about 2 minutes!

Wet grip was horrendous (both before and after the explosion! ) and the difference between them and the replacement GP4000s was like night and day.

So, maybe others experience is different but I have found all my new bike purchases to have crap tyres fitted by the manufacturer.

PP