Next bike or not........

[Andy Jeffery]

Hi All,

I bought a Giant defy 1 last Oct. I love the bike as it's a great ride and I'm now keeping up with some of the club guys on carbons etc etc. I am now torn as do I move up a level to a carbon Tcr for example or do I stick with the defy 1 and improve it with Mavic wheels, Ultegra group set etc etc.

Any advice would be greatly received.

Cheers,

Andy

 

[Apollonius]

Still pretty early in your cycling career, if you ask me. I can't see that a Defy will be letting you down much.
If you really want to upgrade then wheels are always the most significant weight saving (and I mean feel, not on the scales). Mixed reviews for Mavics...
More miles would be my suggestion, not more quids!

 

[HLaB]

If you've got the room and the money, n+1 is always good

 

[uclown2002]

n+1 is always the correct answer!

 

[Cyclist33]

Do both.

 

[smokeysmoo]

Carbon is not an upgrade, just another frame building material, just saying

 

[vickster]

Indeed, what are you seeking from the carbon bike?

 

[Andy Jeffery]

The defy one is more for an upright position and comfort which is why I bought it as I wanted to do a lot of Sportive's etc.
Since joining my club I am interested in getting into TT racing but want a road bike that I can also use as a TT bike

 

[vickster]

Cannondale supersix? One of canyon's offerings?

 

[Sharky]

Before making a decision, plan what you are going to be using for the winter. Although mid summer now, in only 12 weeks it will be autumn and the start of the grimy weather. You could allow the current bike to become the winter/training bike with the addition of mudguards/heavy tyres and then look out for your carbon bike for when spring arrives next year.

Re time trials - don't worry about the bike - any will do. Need to get a good base of TT rides under your belt to set a standard. Equipment upgrades just cost money and will save you seconds. Technique and fitness only comes with hard work and lots of effort, but this is the area where real improvements come from and will save minutes.

Good luck with the decision

Keith

 

[uclown2002]

....Although mid summer now, in only 12 weeks it will be autumn and the start of the grimy weather......

You must be a ray of sunshine to live with

 

[Cyclist33]

Hi All,

I bought a Giant defy 1 last Oct. I love the bike as it's a great ride and I'm now keeping up with some of the club guys on carbons etc etc. I am now torn as do I move up a level to a carbon Tcr for example or do I stick with the defy 1 and improve it with Mavic wheels, Ultegra group set etc etc.

Any advice would be greatly received.

Cheers,

Andy

Okay, so a more serious comment... If you're considering a carbon TCR then you must be at least thinking about spending £1200ish or even more (although you can get a 2013 model for well under a grand at the mo - Pauls cycles dot co dot uk... but assuming you're considering that sort of budget, what could you do with a Defy 1?

- upgrade the groupset - I imagine an Ultegra setup would be about 600 quid or thereabouts and while you could strip out and sell your existing set (105 I assume), that would be a ballache and you're not guaranteed to get that much for the parts. Or keep them as spares I suppose. But I don't think a groupset upgrade would be cost beneficial
- Carbon. The Defy 1 already has a carbon seatpost so no need to change that. You could lash out on carbon stem and handlebars, and maybe a set of carbon tt bars for that extra hand position and streamlining. Let's say that's £500 total.
- Wheels. For £500 you could get (for example) some Campagnolo Neutron Ultras which I suspect are brilliant, and if you're already keeping up with the carbon crowd, that might be an interesting proposition.

Having never ridden a carbon bike I feel slightly ill-placed to offer comment but I would personally far rather spend the same money on some well thought out upgrades and then you have something truly unique and "yours", rather than putting the same budget to something off-the-peg that other people have also got.

 

[cyberknight]

Wheels would be the obvious upgrade although at the end of the day its the engine as you have to remember that 20 years ago your bike would be pro level weight , in 94 indurains bike was 19.8lb.
Of course if you can afford it then go n+1 and keep the defy as a winter /bad weather bike permanently kitted out with gaurds etc.

 

[DooDah]

OK, IMO carbon is a much smoother ride and maybe a little bit lighter. I have a carbon bike and an alu bike, I am probably a little faster on the carbon, but maybe this is due to gearing and comfort. Mind you my carbon bike is 4 times the value of my alu bike. The biggest upgrade is wheels. A good alu bike like your Defy with good wheels would be a better investment at this time, then look to buy a good carbon bike in the future. This means you will have a top notch alu winter bike and a carbon for the summer, as carbon washes away in the rain

 

[Big Nick]

You have a cracking bike already, get some tasty parts for it and make it awesome!!