B'twin Triban 500 v Defy 3 2014 v Defy 5 2015

[MikeW-71]

Defy 2013 and 2014 differ in the paint job... that's it. The 2015 bikes have a new frame design.

2013 is a bargain at that price and the wheels are much better than the BTwins. My stock Defy wheels are still running true and smooth after 3000 miles.

 

[Cuchilo]

Appreciate the opinions, by sounds of it I'll have to try and fit in a defy test ride too. I have a giant store near me so I can probably test out a defy 3 2015 model... Maybe a 2014 if they have one, is there much between them ?

I think the 2015 is £100 cheaper than the 14 but the 14 will be on discount as they will want rid of it . The 2015 will have something cheaper on it like wheels or groupset to meet the price point . I'm almost tempted myself

 

[vickster]

I think the 2015 is £100 cheaper than the 14 but the 14 will be on discount as they will want rid of it . The 2015 will have something cheaper on it like wheels or groupset to meet the price point . I'm almost tempted myself

£675 for a defy 1 seems the right deal to go for

 

[Cuchilo]

£675 for a defy 1 seems the right deal to go for

Noooooooooooooooooooo

 

[jamie678]

£675 as appealing as it is... Is a solid £275 at least above my budget haha

 

[vickster]

Budget schmudget

 

[Drago]

Don't buy by price and spec. Neither are by any means a guarantee of a better riding machine. Giant in particular are old hands at making superb riding bikes at a keen price, and the Defy (and Trance in MTBdom) are probably the Worlds best examples of bikes punching well above their weight.

Go ride them all. Making a decision based upon brochures will not give you the optimum buy.

 

[iggibizzle]

I've got a 2014 defy 4 and love it.

 

[jamie678]

Ok so i rode both the Defy 3 which was the 2014 and also the Defy 5 2015 model, didnt get to ride them far as the weather was poor. I loved riding them both but obviously didnt get to test them that much. My final question is are the Carbon forks and sora groupset worth £100? what are the Claris like which is what the Defy 5 has?

 

[iggibizzle]

Claris is perfectly acceptable. Although I ride an old steel with 7 speeds daily so anything modern feels amazing I've no problems with it at all. I was originally gonna get a defy 5 but got last years 4 for cheaper than the new 5. Didn't like the styling of the new models.

 

[Cuchilo]

Carbon forks for a defy retailed at £170 last time I looked . I have the defy 5 without carbon forks and also bikes with carbon forks . If I could pick up some carbon forks cheap for the defy I would probably put them on but its no big deal . From memory the defy went up by £100 per model when I bought mine and the 4 wasn't really an upgrade . The 3 was £200 more and I wasn't willing to spend that at the time . I think only the 1 had carbon forks in 2013 but I could be wrong there .

 

[vickster]

Ok so i rode both the Defy 3 which was the 2014 and also the Defy 5 2015 model, didnt get to ride them far as the weather was poor. I loved riding them both but obviously didnt get to test them that much. My final question is are the Carbon forks and sora groupset worth £100? what are the Claris like which is what the Defy 5 has?

Carbon fork, in my view, absolutely. Couple of extra gears and smoother changes probably not

 

[Cyclist33]

Ok so i rode both the Defy 3 which was the 2014 and also the Defy 5 2015 model, didnt get to ride them far as the weather was poor. I loved riding them both but obviously didnt get to test them that much. My final question is are the Carbon forks and sora groupset worth £100? what are the Claris like which is what the Defy 5 has?

Yes.

 

[iggibizzle]

A friend of mine sold his defy 5 because he said claris was rubbish as it kept messing up on a couple of coast to coasts. Turned out it needed a good adjusting due to stretched cables. He bought a cube peleton pro but overall he says not much in it riding wise between them.

 

[inkd]

I have the Defy 3 2014 model and love it to bits. Sora has never missed a beat and wheelset has stayed true so for the price I would go for it.