Giant Defy Composite 2 2014 - a Staff Long Term Review

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.....

Get your bike ready for Winter

It’s that time of the year where it’s finally time to get your pride and joy out of the garage and serviced. Whether it’s just a general check over of your winter bike or a full advanced service of your summer race bike. Here at All Terrain Cycles  www.allterraincycles.co.uk our dedicated team of mechanics can dust off those cobwebs and get the wheels turning once again no matter how large or small the job is. 

 

As winter approaches it’s the perfect time to get your summer bike stripped down and prepared for the new season. There’s nothing worse than storing your summer bike over the winter to find that when you finally pull it out in the spring and it’s not quite working the same as how you’d left it. 

You can solve this problem by having a full strip down and clean before putting it away. Most bicycles suffer when not in use as water/dirt and grit can sit inside the bearing’s and cause corrosion and sometimes cause products to seize in severe cases. Stripping the bike down and re-greasing all components and setting back up is the best way to keep your bike running and the wheels turning.

The Advanced service that we offer at All Terrain Cycles 

http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/Store/ServiceDepartment 

includes a full strip down of all components, full degrease of components, re-grease of headset, bottom bracket & hubs, new cables fitted (inner/outer), fresh bar tape and a full brake and gear service. We can add extra parts on to this as requested. After a hard year of use most bikes need the chain/cassette/ chain rings replacing depending on your size, weight and how well you look after your transmission.

Getting you’re winter bike prepared for the more extreme weather can make all the difference and save you money in the long run. Even if it seems to be working fine, most people over look headsets, bottom brackets and the importance of degreasing your drivetrain. A quick strip down and re-grease of these components can help extend the life of the bicycle. Bearings, chain’s, cassettes often get blasted with muck and dirt, that combined with a build of oil can cause havoc on the drivetrain. Make sure this components are degreased on a regular basis. We offer a wide range of different servicing packages to suit ever riders needs and budget.

It’s also the perfect time of year to get some Mud guards fitted  http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/Search?q=guards

This not only protects the rider or riders from the elements it can stop water, salt and grit from hitting your frame/forks and keep your transmission running smoother for longer. Comfort is one of the biggest problems to overcome when doing long winter miles. Having guards fitted to your bicycle can make winter riding more pleasurable and keep you the rider dryer and this can make all the difference to keeping you warm when the temperature drops. If your riding in a group your fellow riders will thank you for not spying them with water.

Day in day out we get asked this is a question on a regular basis “why do I need a winter bike?”. The reason we don’t ride our summer bikes in the winter is all down to the state of the roads conditions when the weather finally turns and the light disappears.

As the temperature drops and mother nature throws everything it’s got at you from Rain to wind from ice to snow. This can make a nasty mess of bikes and components. This can make for dangerous riding conditions. Leafs, rain and ice can leave the road feeling like your riding on an ice skating rink not a road. The last thing you need is to crash your carbon race bike. This could hit your wallet harder than buying a basic aluminium road bike. Winter time is a time to work on base miles and recover from a hard season of racing.

 Why not consider a bike for winter it need not cost you the earth.
We sell entry level road bikes from £495 that is just £11.69 per month on 0% finance.
http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/Giant-2015-Defy-5-Compact-Road-Bike

Having a winter bike can help you ride slower and enjoy the scenery rather than smashing yourself building strength and enjoying the odd coffee or two.