Giant Bicycle Inc. Defy Advanced 3

Price Paid:  $1700.00 at Local retailer

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
Anywhere in vermont

Bike Setup:
Stock, for the moment.

Summary:
This is for the 2009 model. The price listed is in Canadian dollars. I demo'ed the following bikes before settling on the Defy Advanced 3: Specialized Roubaix Elite, Devinci CX1, Kuota Kharma, Cannondale Synpase 5.

I am 50 years old, (fast but not a racer) and was looking for a COMFORTABLE and good performing bike for many years to come. While the short test rides that I did on each bike cannot really give a full impression of a bikes complete performance I was able to get a good feel for each of the bikes.

My number one choice in terms of comfort was definitely the Roubaix. It soaks up road imperfections to the point of feeling almost numb. It's hard to judge your speed on it and I would have bought it were dealers more willing to negotiate on price. The only major issues I found with that bike were the seat, wheels and the brakes. The stock brakes on the Roubaix Elite are absolutely awful! They made even the lowest end brakes on all the other bikes seem like high end gear.

As for performance I preferred the Kuota, a very good bike but not as comfortable as the Roubaix or the Defy, and more expensive. The Devinci had good components but lacked comfort and the Cannondale just didn't seem to fit my 5'8 frame properly.

I found that the Defy struck an excellent balance between nervousness and comfort and after a couple of 100 km rides I'm convinced I made the right choice. This is an excellent bike! Ultegra/105 transmission, great frame, decent wheels and brakes. It even comes with pedals which the others don't. The only thing I'm considering upgrading for the moment is the saddle. It rides slowly in comfort and takes off when asked! It is a truly fast and comfortable bike. A joy to ride and less expensive with better specs than many of the others. I have taken it on Vermont's gravel roads, up some pretty daunting inclines and down some winding switchbacks in full comfort and control at 80kmh! I like this bike a lot.

Definitely the best bang for my buck. I recommend putting it on your demo list if you're looking for a fast bike with relaxed geometry. If my impressions change over time, I'll post back here at some point.

Strengths:
Geometry, frame, handling, comfort, transmission.

Weaknesses:
Pedals and seat.

Similar Products Used:
Specialized Roubaix Elite, Devinci CX1, Kuota Kharma, Cannondale Synapse 5.

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Price Paid:  $1600.00 at full cycle

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
giant defy advanced 3

Bike Setup:
mavic kysrium wheels

Summary:
i totally dispute the negative review below. the bike is a marvel of plush riding precision, which soaks up road chatter and goes like a bomb. best bike i ever bought.

Strengths:
light, quick, stable at speed

Weaknesses:
color scheme (garish blue)

Similar Products Used:
giant defy 1 (aluminum)

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Price Paid:  $0.00 at La Route du Ventoux,

Favorite Ride:
everyday I can

Bike Setup:
stock

Summary:
Total piece of crap. Harshest riding I think I've ever ridden. Maybe Giant will figure out someday that a bike can be latterly stiff and vertical compliant like Trek and Specialized have. Don't buy this bike til you ride for more than 30 or 40 miles.

Strengths:
It shifted OK

Weaknesses:
Total piece of crap. Harshest riding I think I've ever ridden. Maybe Giant will figure out someday that a bike can be latterly stiff and vertical compliant like Trek and Specialized have. Don't buy this bike til you ride for more than 30 or 40 miles.

Similar Products Used:
Old Cannondale Aluminum frame frome the 80's

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Price Paid:  $2000.00 at Texhoma Cycling Cent

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
Giant Defy Advanced 3 Triple

Bike Setup:
Triple with 50/39/30 in the front and 12/27 in the back. Anyone need some tree stumps pulled?

Profile Design aerobars added along with a shorter stem with more up angle.

Summary:
Note that the Year dropdown didn't have 2009.

Due to old age pains, I needed a plusher ride for centuries. Plus my Y2K Trek 5200 was starting to show it's age with over 40K miles on it. I compared the Specialized Roubiax lineup against the Giant Defy Advanced and settled on the Giant.

I'm really impress with the stifness of the frame. When all 210 lbs of me gets out of the saddle to storm a hill, it seems that all the power is going to the rear wheel. My old Trek had a 1" steerer tube and a conventional sealed bottom bracket with not much carbon fiber around the BB. I could feel the flex. The Giant has a 1 1/8" upper bearing and 1 1/4" lower bearing steerer and an external bearing BB with a lot of beefiness around it.

Even though the frame is stiffer, it handles bumps better than my old Trek which is a pretty smooth ride itself.

I have a century in May and looking forward to testing this bike on it.

Strengths:
Very good price. Paid $2000 including tax.

Strong frame.

Comfort.

Shimano 105 Triple with an Ultegra RD shifts better than the older Dura Ace/Ultegra on my old Trek.

Weaknesses:
The Michelin Speedium 2 tires were so fat that they rubbed the front brake near the pivot point. Fortunately I had a nearly new set of Specialized Gatorskin's in 700x25s that fit very well.

The stock seat is rather bulky and heavy. Swapped it with a nicer Fizik Arione Titanium seat from my old Trek.

Similar Products Used:
Trek 5200 bought in 2000.