2024 Giant Defy | Cycling Weekly
Giant released the 2024 Defy, the brands endurance model. The new bike is said to be the lightest and most compliant road bike Giant has ever made. Sam Gupta has dived into the details of the new road bike and also taken it out on his local roads to give it a first ride review. What do you think of the new bike and which specification would you pick?
Transcript
00:00 Giants has just released the latest version of its incredibly popular endurance model,
00:05 the Defy. The now fifth generation of the bike ushers in three new framesets, with some
00:10 pretty bold claims with supposed improvements in both weight and comfort.
00:16 Giants are even claiming that the most affordable version of the new Defy outperforms the previous
00:21 generation's top of the range model. Clearly, there is a lot to unpack here, and at the
00:27 end of the video, I'll be sharing my first ride impressions. So, let's dive in.
00:38 In stark contrast to Specialized that has continued its Future Shock front end suspension
00:43 system, Giant relies on "functional simplicity" to provide compliance and comfort. It says
00:50 that after working with teams and professional riders and more normal people, like the Starford
00:55 Giant, it decided that it wanted to continue its focus on developing its past innovations.
01:01 This is why the new Defy now has a new D-Fuse seat post and a new D-Fuse handlebar and stem,
01:08 which are both designed to smooth off the ride without adding any extra weight.
01:13 It's not just the bits Giant has bolted to the frame itself that it says will help
01:18 with comfort, but Giant says that the dropped seat stays and the brand new fork also go
01:23 a long way to help cushion the ride. After reading that this bike was developed alongside
01:27 professionals, I did get a little bit worried, because this is one of the rare scenarios
01:32 where it does make more sense to actually be developing alongside real people.
01:37 From a professional rider's point of view, anything that isn't an out-and-out race
01:41 bike will feel comfortable by virtue of the fact that it has some basic compliance properties,
01:47 like wider tyres and a slightly more relaxed geometry. Even thoroughbred race bikes are
01:52 now being used on the harshest of Belgian classics, thanks to their newfound versatility.
01:57 So, to my mind, having a pro's input isn't actually the most valuable thing. Which is
02:03 why I was pretty relieved to hear that after speaking to Giant, they did also include a
02:07 lot of normal people within their development process.
02:11 That being said, the new D-Fuse seat post is claimed to provide 7mm of deflection, while
02:16 the frame sets, when paired with the new seat posts, are said to offer 42% more compliance
02:22 compared to the previous generation. If true, that is a fairly impressive increase, and
02:28 whether you're a pro or not, that should result in a fairly plush ride.
02:33 There have also been some updates to the geometry, and they're changes that you may not associate
02:39 with an endurance bike, because the new Defy features a lower head tube by 9mm and now
02:44 has a slightly longer reach by 5mm. So, in theory, this new bike is actually slightly
02:51 more performance focused. From stock, the bikes will still have a very long steerer
02:56 tube, so if you want to maintain a high stack, then you can.
03:00 It's because of these changes in geometry that this bike has actually become a whole
03:04 lot more interesting to me, because, quite frankly, I love a racy road bike. So, I'm
03:10 very excited to experience these changes and see if they really have made the bike a little
03:15 bit more dynamic.
03:22 There is, of course, one other metric which looks to be fairly impressive, that being
03:28 the amount of weight that Giant claims to have slashed out of the frame sets. It says
03:33 that the new top of the range Defy Advanced SL tips the scales at 785g, a full 293g lighter
03:44 than the previous range topping model. That's nearly 20% lighter. That's a really good amount
03:50 of weight to save from a frame, and it brings the Defy right alongside some of the best
03:55 road bikes on the market. In fact, when I put the bike behind me on our scales, it came
04:00 in a smidge over 7kg. What makes the weight even more impressive is that this is an endurance
04:08 bike, and it's because of this that you actually have to excuse a little bit of my
04:13 scepticism.
04:15 Until I get a chance to ride this bike a little bit later on in this video, I'll be keen
04:19 to see if the Defy can deliver on its compliance claims, and if it really is as comfortable
04:26 as Giant says it is. Bikes this light aren't always that comfortable in my experience.
04:31 I'd love to be wrong, because if Giant have cracked it, then this could be a real winner.
04:37 But what's even more impressive is that the base level Defy Advanced is also lighter than
04:42 the previous top of the range bike by a claimed 117g. It however does show how heavy the previous
04:50 version of the Defy was, if it came in at around a kilo. Now, I'm not suggesting that
04:56 Giant will have made it purposefully heavy so that they can remove weight for the new
05:00 generation, but that is certainly a great headline that they've achieved.
05:12 The new Defy isn't just about compliance and weight though. Those new bars do more
05:16 than just smooth off the tarmac. They're now bang up to date with full cable integration,
05:21 and the drops of the bars themselves feature a flare of 8 degrees, which is great for descending
05:27 and generally having more control.
05:30 Of course, this wouldn't be a brand new 2024 Endurance bike without more tyre clearance,
05:35 and don't worry, Giant has delivered. It has now been up to 38mm from the previous
05:41 generation's 35. You do get Giant's own 32mm tyres fitted from stock, however these
05:47 are something that I would switch out pretty quick if I were a customer of this bike.
05:53 The frames also include integrated fender mounts. All of the bikes come with two composite
05:58 bottle cages that have been designed specifically for the Defy, and you can see how the cage
06:03 here on the seat tube wraps around the front mech. And on the Advanced SL and Advanced
06:09 Pro builds, you will get carbon hookless wheels.
06:13 On a more subjective level, I think the new Defy does look a whole lot better than its
06:17 predecessor. I always struggled with the look of the old one, it looked clumsy and unbalanced
06:23 to my eye at least, but this new bike certainly does have a good go at rectifying the sins
06:28 of its past.
06:31 I still believe that there are better looking Endurance bikes on the market, and that this
06:35 new Defy is slightly cookie cutter with its drop seat stays and chunky head tube and down
06:40 tube. But I really cannot complain when it's those very features that are responsible for
06:46 some of my favourite performance characteristics of most modern bikes.
06:50 There's one other thing that I find really interesting, and that's just quite how slim
06:54 the top tube is. It's something we're seeing more and more on new bikes. The new Factor
06:59 OstroVam and the Orbea Orca both have similar looking top tubes and both also have light
07:05 weight at the heart of what they do. So perhaps this is something that we're going to start
07:09 seeing more manufacturers do as a way to drop weight.
07:13 On to cost and here are the worldwide prices. Bikes start at a Tiagra level build and then
07:18 finish with SRAM Red. Surprisingly though, there is no Dura-Ace offering. Giant has said
07:24 that it was only ever going to offer one of the two and it decided to go with Red thanks
07:29 to the gearing options that it opens up.
07:32 This is also one of the first bikes on the market to be offered with the brand new Mechanical
07:36 105 12-speed groupset and that bike lands at either $3,000 or just shy of £2,700.
07:45 I think there's certain models in the range that make more sense than others. Personally,
07:49 I wouldn't opt for either of the two top-end bikes when you can find the brand new Canyon
07:54 Endurace with Dura-Ace for £9,000 or the top spec Cannondale Synapse for the same price.
08:02 Some may say that the Kadex wheels found on the top-end Defy are better than those found
08:06 on either the Endurace or the Synapse and I would be inclined to agree.
08:12 The frame technology of the Defy is also a contributing factor but for the majority of
08:17 riders I think the Synapse and the Endurace offer the bulk of what people are looking
08:21 for from a range-topping bike and shelling the extra £2,500 might be hard to do for
08:28 what may feel like an incremental improvement.
08:32 There's two models that really stand out to me. That being either the Advanced Pro
08:36 2 or the Advanced Pro Zero. The former has carbon wheels, the mid-tier frame and the
08:43 new 105 12-speed mechanical groupset but sadly only appears to be available in the UK and
08:49 France – at least for the time being. And the latter has a full Ultegra 12-speed Di2
08:55 groupset, a Giant power metre and a mid-tier frame. And some better carbon wheels than
09:00 that of the former.
09:02 Overall, I think Giant has done a pretty decent job. They have made the bike lighter, it claims
09:08 to have made it more comfortable and given its lineage as a very popular Endurance platform,
09:14 I'm inclined to have a small amount of trust in their claims at this early stage. And to
09:19 my eye at least, the bike looks a whole lot better too.
09:23 The good features have been included, like the fender mounts, the bottle cage inclusion
09:28 and more space for wider tyres. When you pair all of that with the new bar and stem, it's
09:33 a bike which has been brought up to modern standards. Or should I say, expectations.
09:39 And it looks like a pretty worthwhile successor to the much loved Defy platform.
09:45 Now though, it's time for my first ride impressions.
09:48 So first ride impressions, I've just come into a little lay-by where it's a bit shadier
09:52 because it's quite hot out today. But I've had the bike, as you can see behind me, out
09:57 in the lanes today. I've been taking up some longer drags, up some climbs, just to get
10:02 a good feel of what it's actually like to ride.
10:06 I think let's start off first with geometry. Because like I said earlier, the stack has
10:12 been reduced by 9mm and the reach has actually gone out by I think about 5mm or so. I think
10:18 that's definitely the right call. While I wouldn't say that it feels aggressive, it
10:22 definitely does feel more performance orientated.
10:25 Now actually I do think this bike for me currently, I would need to play around a little bit with
10:30 the fit. Personally I think actually the reach is a bit too long for me. Either I need a
10:35 shorter stem by about 10mm or I just need to play around with the angle of the bars
10:40 and the positioning of the hoods. But at the moment it's just not quite right.
10:44 However, that being said, the stack of the head tube, it doesn't feel low. If anything,
10:51 it probably just goes to show that the previous version of the Devy was actually quite high.
10:55 I think comparing this bike to say the Pinarello X3, which I've also been riding recently,
11:01 and the Trek Dumane, I'd say they all feel much of a muchness. I think they're all designed
11:06 to do a similar thing, which is very much be in that performance endurance end of the
11:11 market as opposed to say the Nuru Bay or the New Canyon Endurance, which sit more within
11:17 the all-road category.
11:19 Next though, I think let's chat about the compliance itself. I mean, obviously geometry
11:23 and compliance, they hold hands as it were. But I think with the compliance, those 32CY
11:30 ties definitely do the bulk of the heavy lifting as you'd expect. But one thing that I have
11:35 noticed is you really can feel that seat post flex. You really can feel it provide you with
11:42 some comfort because you can feel road chatter through the pedals, but you don't get that
11:48 same feeling and feedback through the saddle, which is really nice. So it's really refreshing.
11:54 It's really enjoyable to actually feel that in motion, but at the same time, not feel
11:58 the drop in stiffness when you're putting down power. So yeah, that's been really enjoyable
12:05 to experience.
12:07 I think next up though, handling, because obviously there is a new handlebar and a new
12:11 stem. The shape of the handlebars is really nice, even though it's designed to provide
12:17 compliance. I actually find that it just feels really nice in the hands as well. So that's
12:21 really cool. I think the handling itself, obviously it's an endurance bike still, so
12:25 it's not going to feel as direct as or as pointy as a racy road bike. I'd say that it's
12:32 that happy blend between something that has purpose, but still has, it's still kind of,
12:41 it's still a relaxed ride at the end of the day. So while I won't say that it feels super
12:46 dynamic, I think it's kind of pulling upon two strings. One being trying to be as performance
12:52 orientated as it possibly can be while still being an endurance bike.
12:57 As you can see the bike behind me, the one that I have been riding is the top of the
13:00 range version of the bike with the Kadex wheels and the SRAM Red groupset. I think to be brutally
13:06 honest, it does just remind me of why I'm not the biggest SRAM Red fan. I would have
13:10 loved to have had this bike in a Dura-Ace spec, but that's personal preference. You
13:14 may disagree. But those wheels I've been absolutely loving. I think they're a perfect match for
13:19 wider tires because they help just, you know, make them sit nice and plump, which is great.
13:24 And they are super light as well. So it is making the bike feel quite reactive when going
13:28 uphill. However, it has also confirmed to me that I probably wouldn't go for this top
13:34 end spec bike. I really genuinely would go for one of the advanced pros and probably
13:40 the Ultegra Di2 version. I just think this is too much. I think the spec outdoes the
13:46 bike. I think finding one of those mid-range bikes is actually the perfect, that is the
13:54 perfect specification for this frame. While the wheels are really nice, I just don't think
14:00 they're worth the money. I don't think they're worth the extra money as opposed to one of
14:05 the kind of the better value spec options. It's tough because they are beautiful wheels,
14:11 but I just, maybe for this bike, maybe they don't make the most amount of sense to me.
14:18 Anyway, other people may disagree. So there we have it. That is the brand new 2024 Giant
14:24 Defy. Let me know down in the comments, what do you make of this new bike and which spec
14:30 level would you go for? If you enjoyed the video, then please do drop it a like, subscribe
14:34 to the channel for more content and I will see you again very soon.
14:37 (whooshing)