Defy v Planet X Pro 32 v 34 cassette

[NBryan]

Hi everyone please help. I am a cycling enthusiast on the larger side shall we say and also slightly the wrong side of 50, I have been riding my trusty Giant Defy 1 (when they did aluminium Defy's) since 2014 and now I am going to get a new one. I have narrowed my choice down to a Planet X Pro or a Giant Defy. I was all set to get the Planet X ultegra version with the enticement that on that one I could change the cassette to a 11-34. However they no longer have this version and have told me today it could be July/August until they get ultegra groupsets in again. Therefore I could only go for the SRAM Force 22 model, which only allows an 11-32

So the first question is would an 11-34 cassette make a big difference to me going up those darn hills when compared to an 11-32. Also how do people think the Planet X Pro and the Giant Defy 2 compare (apart from the quite large price difference).

I would appreciate any advice on the above, and thankyou in advance to anyone that helps.

 

[Cycleops]

34 as opposed to 32t on the back will make very little difference. If you want lower gears and a better spread I should consider a triple up front. I think Planet X are usually quite amenable to swapping things around. Triples are not so fashionable right now but my 2007 Trek SL road bike has one and I find it very useful.
PX are always going to offer better VfM as they source their frames directly from the Far East at advantageous prices. With any of the big names likes Giant you’re also paying for their marketing budget, overheads etc and the name itself. Giant are the largest manufacturers of bikes in world and also make for many other big names so you’ll find their frames on a variety of makes.

BTW welcome to the forum.