Giant Defy but no disc brakes

Knobrider

Hi all,
I might well be able to get my aluxx defy 2016 (great bike) repurchased by the lbc if I purchase a new giant bike. I am quite interested as I'd love to go carbon frame. I was quite interested by a new defy 2019 however, I really don't want disc brakes. Reading through reviews I am now considering going for an advanced TCR.
Now I really enjoy the riding position on the defy and I am afraid that TCR riding position would involve too much strain on my back and shoulders. Plus would the TCR be as smooth as the defy on bad country roads ?
I can't try any because they never have small sizes in shops so it's difficult to get the idea ! The other thing is that I am not intending to race at all (although I like going as fast as I can) and not very flexible...getting old does not help, reaching 47 next year.
Does anyone be able to say about theses latest bikes ? (talking about eh 2019 models).

kingrollo

Look up the geometry charts for both bikes - in particular reach and stack

If its drastically different - I would err on the side of caution.

The good deal/replacement on the Defy would soon be negated it the TCR was no good (for you)

Can't you just get a used defy ? - mine only cost £300 used - in pretty good nick - its my winter/commuter bike and is great for that. Or consider the giant contend which has a rim brake version for 2019 IIRC

Edit: - don't just accept not being very flexible - do something about it !- yoga pilates etc - if you don't you will end up with an injury - I speak from bitter and painful experience.

Knobrider

hi ya
according to giant's chart, tcr that'd fit me would be xs, whereras my defy is s. I'm on 5.4 ft, so it would not be that far from my defy (or would it ?).

lakesluddite

kingrollo wrote:

Edit: - don't just accept not being very flexible - do something about it !- yoga pilates etc - if you don't you will end up with an injury - I speak from bitter and painful experience.

This. You're 47, it's not old (unless you're talking to a teenager then it's ancient!). I'm 49 next April, and still feel that I am relatively flexible, but then I have always taken (some) time to stretch, even if it's not bona fide yoga or pilates.

Anyway, why are you discounting disc brakes? there have been huge leaps forward in the past few years re road bike disc brakes. Personally if I were considering a new bike, I don't think I would go rim brakes now, plus the industry seems to be going all-in with discs. But that's just me - disc brakes seem to be quite a divisive issue. The advantages are obvious, but I understand that aesthetically speaking they have their detractors.

ajkerr73

I had a 2013 Defy 1...I then upgraded to a 2014 Defy Advanced Pro 1 (with discs).

I then bought a 2015 TCR Advanced Pro 1 (no discs) as I wanted to try a few road races and discs were not allowed. I rode the TCR AP1 and Defy AP1 for 2 seasons.

Geometry wise, both bikes can be set up with the same Retul dimensions so there shouldn't really be a problem there.

Ride comfort wise, its a very noticeably different experience. Defy (on 28mm tires) is a very comfortable place to be. Done various 200km + rides on it and lots of general miles.

TCR (on 25mm tires) is noticeably stiffer through the frame and also the road vibrations through the contact points are massively increased. That said, I did Ride London on the TCR and didn't have any adverse effects.

Basically, I would tend to ride the TCR on weekly chain gangs and the few races that I tried and the Defy for anything else. The TCR has now made way for something a bit more refined that's in the pipeline.

PS - I'm similar age to you.

kingrollo

Knobrider wrote:

hi ya
according to giant's chart, tcr that'd fit me would be xs, whereras my defy is s. I'm on 5.4 ft, so it would not be that far from my defy (or would it ?).

In what dimensions would it fit ? - don't assume 5ft 4 = xs = It fits -

I really wanted a de rosa idol - sure at 5ft 7 per de rosa it would " fit " - but a look at the short head tube - stack and reach figures - showed me I would be in a much lower position than on my current bike - at almost £3k and no test ride available I just couldn't take a chance.

Knobrider

ok not old...but as you said, not a teenager either. It's always been a challenge for me to define how flexible I was...maybe I am not bad...I can nearly touch my toes bending over...
Disc brake is a no go for me. Maintenance is too much bother for me compared to rim brakes plus I don't really need disc brake in my area even though I know that my tektro brakes could do with more bite.
This and tubeless...I would have to bring my bike to the shop everytime I got a puncture and a need for brake bleeding ! No way for me.

Knobrider

In what dimensions would it fit ? - don't assume 5ft 4 = xs = It fits -

sorry....did not get that.

Knobrider

Ajkerr73 wrote:

I had a 2013 Defy 1...I then upgraded to a 2014 Defy Advanced Pro 1 (with discs).

I then bought a 2015 TCR Advanced Pro 1 (no discs) as I wanted to try a few road races and discs were not allowed. I rode the TCR AP1 and Defy AP1 for 2 seasons.

Geometry wise, both bikes can be set up with the same Retul dimensions so there shouldn't really be a problem there.

Ride comfort wise, its a very noticeably different experience. Defy (on 28mm tires) is a very comfortable place to be. Done various 200km + rides on it and lots of general miles.

TCR (on 25mm tires) is noticeably stiffer through the frame and also the road vibrations through the contact points are massively increased. That said, I did Ride London on the TCR and didn't have any adverse effects.

Basically, I would tend to ride the TCR on weekly chain gangs and the few races that I tried and the Defy for anything else. The TCR has now made way for something a bit more refined that's in the pipeline.

PS - I'm similar age to you.

so TCR is really made for racing I assume. I have 25 mm tires on my defy and obviously being an aluminium frame, I can defenitly feel the road buzz...I'd rather improve that if I was going carbon.

lakesluddite

Knobrider wrote:

ok not old...but as you said, not a teenager either. It's always been a challenge for me to define how flexible I was...maybe I am not bad...I can nearly touch my toes bending over...
Disc brake is a no go for me. Maintenance is too much bother for me compared to rim brakes plus I don't really need disc brake in my area even though I know that my tektro brakes could do with more bite.
This and tubeless...I would have to bring my bike to the shop everytime I got a puncture and a need for brake bleeding ! No way for me.

Fair enough. I have the opposite experience - hydro disc brakes are relatively maintenance free, just cleaning the rotors with alcohol spray and changing the pads now and again. Also have tubeless on the best bike, and have never had a puncture nor needed to take the tyres off for any reason in over 6 months (okay -there maybe a bit of a sealant gunk nightmare waiting inside when I do!).
A lot of 'new' innovations on road bikes, like discs and tubeless, seem daunting at first, but once you try them, they aren't the complicated nightmare they can at first seem.
But then again, rim brakes are fine - but yes, swap the entry-level tektros for some decent Shimano or Sram, you'll notice a difference, especially with some decent brake pads.

joe_totale-2

Contend SL1?
OK so it's not carbon but it's a decent, light alloy frame. It has a similar geometry to the Defy and has plenty of room for 28mm tires.

Knobrider

Joe Totale wrote:

Contend SL1?
OK so it's not carbon but it's a decent, light alloy frame. It has a similar geometry to the Defy and has plenty of room for 28mm tires.

what's the point...I'd rather keep the defy aluxx really.

Knobrider

LakesLuddite wrote:

Knobrider wrote:

ok not old...but as you said, not a teenager either. It's always been a challenge for me to define how flexible I was...maybe I am not bad...I can nearly touch my toes bending over...
Disc brake is a no go for me. Maintenance is too much bother for me compared to rim brakes plus I don't really need disc brake in my area even though I know that my tektro brakes could do with more bite.
This and tubeless...I would have to bring my bike to the shop everytime I got a puncture and a need for brake bleeding ! No way for me.

Fair enough. I have the opposite experience - hydro disc brakes are relatively maintenance free, just cleaning the rotors with alcohol spray and changing the pads now and again. Also have tubeless on the best bike, and have never had a puncture nor needed to take the tyres off for any reason in over 6 months (okay -there maybe a bit of a sealant gunk nightmare waiting inside when I do!).
A lot of 'new' innovations on road bikes, like discs and tubeless, seem daunting at first, but once you try them, they aren't the complicated nightmare they can at first seem.
But then again, rim brakes are fine - but yes, swap the entry-level tektros for some decent Shimano or Sram, you'll notice a difference, especially with some decent brake pads.

I have not made any decision yet and I was seriously considering going tubeless with hydrolic disc brake...on top of not finding disc brakes aesthetic, coming from mountainbiking,once you get the noises and that kind of things like pads chafing you never see the end of it. I tried to bleed the brakes and I made an awuful mess of it. This is why I'd rather keep going with rim brakes. Obviously disc brakes need less maintenance on a road bike than on mountainbikes.

kingrollo

Knobrider wrote:

Joe Totale wrote:

Contend SL1?
OK so it's not carbon but it's a decent, light alloy frame. It has a similar geometry to the Defy and has plenty of room for 28mm tires.

what's the point...I'd rather keep the defy aluxx really.

I thought you no longer had the defy and were sourcing a replacement.

The Contend is pretty much the replacement for Alu Rim Brake Defy.

kingrollo

Knobrider wrote:

In what dimensions would it fit ? - don't assume 5ft 4 = xs = It fits -

sorry....did not get that.

Although it will fit - it may put you in the more aggressive position that I understood you were trying to avoid - thats why you need to look at stack and reach figures

Knobrider

kingrollo wrote:

Knobrider wrote:

In what dimensions would it fit ? - don't assume 5ft 4 = xs = It fits -

sorry....did not get that.

Although it will fit - it may put you in the more aggressive position that I understood you were trying to avoid - thats why you need to look at stack and reach figures

ok thanks for clarifying. I would not know what to compare it to as it does not say on the bike description of the defy when I got it end of 2015.

I wish giant kept doing rim brakes defy

kingrollo

Knobrider wrote:

kingrollo wrote:

Knobrider wrote:

In what dimensions would it fit ? - don't assume 5ft 4 = xs = It fits -

sorry....did not get that.

Although it will fit - it may put you in the more aggressive position that I understood you were trying to avoid - thats why you need to look at stack and reach figures

ok thanks for clarifying. I would not know what to compare it to as it does not say on the bike description of the defy when I got it end of 2015.

I wish giant kept doing rim brakes defy

They do - its just called the Giant Contend. - Either buy that or go disc with the carbon defy would be my advice.

Knobrider

What about the 28mm tires, any difference with 25 mm rolling resistance wise ?

letap73

Have you considered another manufacturer?
Canyon have the Endurance - which has a similar geometry to the Defy, but there is a rim brake variant which appears good value for money.

Unless you are truly all legs and small torso then you should be able to achieve a fit with a TCR albeit with a number of spacers under the stem.

Knobrider

Yes I would but I first inquired because of a deal with giant and also I know giants are great bikes.
I would not go for online purchases, I'd rather buy local.

joe_totale-2

If you're lucky you may find a rim brake Cannondale (I'm assuming that there's a dealer near you) Synapse Carbon with 105 in the sales. It appears that there is a 2018 version but not a 2019 one.

Otherwise Trek still do a rim brake version of the Domane:

https://www.evanscycles.com/trek-domane ... e-EV340630

Knobrider

And also....I just don't fancy all the trek and specialized roubaix gears (suspension like stuff).
Why not disc break after all if the bike is worth it....

Poppa Wheelie

Ajkerr73 wrote:

Defy (on 28mm tires) is a very comfortable place to be.

TCR (on 25mm tires) is noticeably stiffer through the frame and also the road vibrations through the contact points are massively increased.

I totally agree with this.

I have a 2015 Defy which came with TRP spyre disc brakes and tubed 25mm tyres. I've now upgraded the bike with 28mm tubeless tyres and hydraulic brakes. Both of which made significant improvements.

However, having read that the TCR was 'bike of the year' I went to my local giant dealers and test rode one to see what all the fuss was about.

Quite frankly, I was shocked at how much road buzz the TCR's 25mm tyres fed back to the contact points. No doubt some of this was due to the frame being stiffer but I couldn't detect any speed or acceleration advantage over the Defy, in fact I couldn't find a single reason to buy the bike over the one I already owned.

Also, as I've said many times on this forum, the reason why you never see cars with inner tubes is that they can deflate instantly causing you to crash, that's where the term blow-out comes from. I'd rather have the latex sealant all over me than have an inner tube instantly deflate, crash and loose skin as a result. Or worse!

Knobrider

thanks that is useful info.

kingrollo

Knobrider wrote:

And also....I just don't fancy all the trek and specialized roubaix gears (suspension like stuff).
Why not disc break after all if the bike is worth it....

I must confess I am getting very confused now. Your opening post said you didn't want disc breaks - now you are ruling out Spesh and Trek - because they don't have disc versions ....(actually I am pretty sure they do)

do you still have the defy and Giant have offered you a good deal if you buy another giant ?

Or has something happened to the defy and you want a replacement ?

The most reasonable replacements would be a rim braked contend. If you want stick with giant but go carbon then Defy with disc brakes is the choice.
I rate giant bikes - but they aren't the only the show in town by a long stretch.

Knobrider

nope...I meant I don't like ISO speed stuff and the equivalent they have with specialized...you'll soon be riding a mountain bike with slick tyres....

gratziani

i am 47 and have a TCR , i have found it the most comfortable bike i have owned

25mm tyres and seems so smooth

Had a Focus cayo evo , Fuji transonic and spesh allez to compare with , Also test ride on a Trek Madone

Knobrider

Does anybody ride this latesr version of the defy ?

dj58

OP, The reach and stack for your 2016 Defy Aluxx Small frame.
Reach 37.3cm
Stack 54.6cm

The reach and stack of the 2019 Defy and TCR Advance S frames
Defy S
Reach 37.4cm
Stack 54.6cm
TCR S
Reach 37.8cm
Stack 52.9cm

Note XS not sold in the UK.

Also the 2019 Defy will take 30/32c tyres IIRC.

simon_e

Knobrider wrote:

hi ya
according to giant's chart, tcr that'd fit me would be xs, whereras my defy is s. I'm on 5.4 ft, so it would not be that far from my defy (or would it ?).

Are there any TCR or Defy models are available in XS? Never seems to be the case when I have checked.

Previous years' TCR & Defy size S are a touch too big to be ideal for 5'4" rider (I am 5'4" and have an older TCR size S). But if you have size S Defy and find it OK then the TCR head tube is only 12mm less in size S. That's not much, you're not likely to find it too low.

Are you abolutely set on a carbon frame? If you buy a Contend then with the money you saved you could buy some nice wheels & other things. When my SCR frame cracked I replaced it with Trek Lexa 50cm, which is really nice. Lots more room for wider tyres and/or mudguards than Defy or TCR (tyres make a much bigger difference to comfort than frame material). Compare 50cm Domane AL if you're not dead set on a Giant.

Knobrider

No point getting the contend. The defy aluxx does the job. Would carbon not be smoother for road buzz than alloy ?