What can I say about this bike that hasn’t been said
before?? A full carbon, Shimano 105 equipped road bike for less than £1500.
Amazing performance at a great value price.
Let’s go back to March 2014.......
I am stoked to get my hands on my bike (finally). Only ever
had a basic road bike before, a Giant Defy 4 – Aluxx Frame and fork, Shimano
2300 groupset. This svelte carbon bike should be fun....
Eight months later and I’m still feeling the same. The Defy
has been a pleasure to ride. Comfort and compliance, a geometry that suited me
and my ability, and great reliable kit. All in, a fantastic package. The first
few rides enabled me to fine tune the ride position, and get used to the new
gears. After that it was time to put the miles in....
So the first few rides were my daily commute, 5 ½ miles each
way. Not anything super exciting, but enough to get me started. Within a few
rides had my times down to under 20 minutes (just). I was impressed with the
way the bike rode and handled. Even with my near 17 stone weight on it, the
Defy was still lively and nimble. It climbed really well also, even with my
lack of fitness at the time. With the summer approaching and that ‘little’ race coming to the area, I
decided to start pushing the distances a little bit. By adding on a bit extra
to my ride home, I was able to get up to 20 miles easily. Even with my level of
fitness I was able to push more and more on the bike.
No matter how hard I
pushed, or how fast (and badly) I descended and cornered, the Defy never felt
out of shape or control. By the time the Tour de France had its Grand Depart
here in Yorkshire I had got down to 16 stone and felt much better about riding
longer distances. So much so that the day of the second stage, I decided to
ride out to our VIP area, and then put in a few extra miles after. By the end
of the day, I had ridden nearly 50 miles. That was unheard of for me, and I
felt I could have ridden more, if not for failing light, failing legs and
lungs, and the wife (boss) wanting me home again.
From then I tried to get out for a longer ride once a week,
which was an absolute pleasure. Usually 15 – 20 miles on a Friday evening,
along roads giving some fantastic views across Yorkshire. Pure riding
heaven. As the year drew to a close, and
the nights got darker it was time to think ahead to winter and 2015.
The new
Giant dealer book landed, and all of the staff started rifling through it to
see what was new for the next season, but more on that in a later blog.
Overall I have been very impressed with the Defy Composite 2. It is a fantastic bike to ride. For me it opened up a whole new world of
riding. For the new season I have decided to try something new.
A cyclocross bike. A bit of a change from the road, but more suited to my needs. Most of my
riding is commuting, with the occasional longer ride, often with my Wife, along
quiet roads and the canal towpath. The Defy was fantastic on the roads, but
that’s not where most of my riding will be. If I was out for longer rides every
weekend, or entering Sportive rides, the Defy would be perfect.
It didn’t work out as the ideal bike for me,
but it proved to be a blast to ride and I would recommend it to anyone looking
for an endurance/sportive bike.
With a TCX on order for me now, all I have to
do is not look at the catalogue for 2015 and fall in love with road bikes
again. At least not yet.....
