New wheels or not

[Andy Jeffery]

Hi All

I bought my Giant Defy 1 back last Oct. I love the bike easy to ride etc etc. The question I have is , is it worth upgrading my wheels? I current have Giants Pr3 wheels which came with the bike.
I have read lots on the subject of wheels but would love some advice to is it worth it and which ones to go for.
Cheers
Andy

 

[mrbikerboy73]

Interesting this, I bought a Defy 1 in May last year and it has PR2's on it. Not sure if there is much difference? I've also had this dilemma and decided that I'd ride them until they are knackered. After 3000 miles the rear tyre is shot so I'll put some decent rubber on it and see how they go. Sorry, not very helpful I know

 

[Andy Jeffery]

Many thanks for all your advice and opinions. Looking at it the best thing is to ride them into the ground then look again. I love the bike though great value for the money.

 

[doog]

The consensus is that you should ride them until they need replacing ie worn out and then upgrade.

Performance increase with a new wheelset is negligible unless your are a ninja apparently. Tyres might be a better option but I would still run them into the ground . (oops just seen your post above)

 

[themosquitoking]

Had mine for a year and just about to upgrade. I figure i'll buy some nice good wheels for this and swap the stock wheels onto my commuter rather than just upgrade the wheels on that.

 

[mrbikerboy73]

Many thanks for all your advice and opinions. Looking at it the best thing is to ride them into the ground then look again. I love the bike though great value for the money.

Yes, I'm going to do the same myself. I love mine too, it's a great bike

 

[Albert]

Tyres and wheels are the best upgrades you can make.
How about getting a really good set of wheels and tyres and use them in the summer, using your originals for those wet, cold winter months? I would recommend Shimano RS 80s (silent), or a wheelset from Hope (noisy). You WILL feel a significant improvement. The Defy 1 is a great bike - my friend has one and I own three Giants myself.

 

[Cuchilo]

I put Giant P-SL1's on my Defy5 and really noticed it . Only put them on as I upgraded the TCR otherwise I would have stayed with the stock S-R2's .

 

[Deleted member 22722]

I had PR2's on my Defy 1 for around 18 months. I took the plunge after much deliberation and bought a pair of Shimano Dura Ace 9000 C24's around 2 months ago and boy can I tell the difference.

They accelerate much quicker, roll faster on the flats and definitely make a difference on the climbs. My average speeds have definitely increased and I am seeing more PR's on Strava than ever before. I did however put some new quality tyres on at the same time which has likely helped.

The problem with stock wheels (particularly Giant wheels) is that you never quite know how they compare to other brands. So making a decision as to what price point you need to be looking at to make a difference is always going to be difficult.

I've heard everyone saying that one of the best upgrades you can make is to your wheels. I'm definitely a firm believer in this now i've experienced the difference.

 

[HLaB]

Hopefully this answers the OP's question, but I'd say not just now, wear out your existing wheels, but yes it will be a worthwhile upgrade down the line.