Upgrade on Giant Defy 1 2012

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MY95

Well-Known Member
Location
County Durham
Hi all,

Had my Defy 1 for the last few years which has been great, but it's time to upgrde to something lighter and comfier (lower back problems).

Any suggestions? I'm looking used rather than new.

Looking at a 2015 Giant Synapse Carbon 105. How much comfier/quicker would this be compared to the Defy? Maybe 1/2 kilo lighter comapred to the Defy.

Have done some researching and the synapse is supposed to be similar to the defy, and with the carbon frme surely this would ride better.

Some great deals to be had on racy stuff, but with my lower back I need something with an upright/as comfortable position as possible.

All opinions appreciated!

Thanks,
Matthew.
 

Spiderweb

Not So Special One
Location
North Yorkshire
I think you mean Cannondale Synapse?
Specialized Roubaix with it more relaxed geometry is worth looking at too.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Defy already has a fairly relaxed geometry, you could probably make it lighter with a wheel and tyre changes
 

I like Skol

A Minging Manc...
Not sure why the obsession with a lighter bike? Seems from your post that position and comfort are the key factors of consideration. Lower weight will not help you be more comfortable on the bike but the right position that avoids the back pain issues will allow to to ride longer and harder (and hence faster).
Do your back problems stem from an injury or medical condition, or are you only getting back pain as a result of riding your bike?
Before thinking of changing bikes what have you done to adjust the position on your current bike? There are a multitude of adjustments that can be made to become more upright that are likely to be cheaper, easier and more successful than simply changing bikes. Stems can often be raised/lowered by moving spacers or flipping the stem. Stems can be changed to adjust reach and rise. Bar rotation and brake/hoods position can be tweaked. Bars with different drop and profile can be used (I swear by flared drop bars as these suit me and I find I spend 50% or more of my time on the drops where I was 90-95% on the hoods with traditional straight drops).
Finally, saddle position can also make a huge difference. Moving the saddle forward or back, together with changes to stem length, could put you in a much better position.
You might think it is too much hassle to experiment with all these changes on your old bike, but even if you do get a new bike you are still likely to go through the same process to achieve the right position.
 
I upgraded the wheels on my defy - only to campag khamsin - but it made such a difference.

The alu defy is now called contend - and the disc brake version was on sale at Rutland for £750 a couple of weeks back.

Ive just taken delivery of a ribble cgr - which is a really nice bike for the money - its to be my winter bike, so don't mind the fact it isn't especially light weight. - Ribble do a carbon version if you want less weight.
 
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