Advanced comfort for Giant’s new Defy
£2,199 8.59kg James Bracey finds Giant’s Defy has moved into more gravel-friendly territory with an updated frame and bigger tyre volume
Giant’s Defy has long been the brand’s go-to endurance machine, aimed at delivering a more relaxed riding position than the TCR and graced with a frame that aims to deliver comfort with minimal detriment to performance.
Like the rest of Giant’s road range it has been through several iterations, culminating in this latest Defy Advanced 1. Giant actually has two Defy Advanced ranges, with six models in total. Both ranges share the same frame and fork but the critical difference is the lower range (in which this model sits) foregoes the integrated stem and cable routing to keep costs down.
Design
The Defy Advanced’s carbon frame is a complete mix of tubing shapes that vary according to location and the specific job they need to do. Take that enormous head tube, for example: it’s oversized not only to create a stiff and solid junction with the top and down tubes but also to internally route the cables that enter behind the stem/steerer. This is juxtaposed to a rear triangle that is elegant in both dimensions and shaping.
One look at the frame tube measurements and angles and there’s no doubting its intentions. The size large on test equates to a 58cm and the frame is dominated by a whopping 205mm head tube. Angle-wise, Giant has settled for a middle-ground set-up, somewhere between standard road geometry and what I call ‘fast’ (road-inspired) gravel. A 72.5° head angle keeps enough race bike steering speed but combines well with the longer wheelbase and lengthier chainstays to keep the Defy from being too much of a handful on long days or when nipping along bridleways and forest tracks.
One of the biggest changes Giant has made is an increase in tyre clearance in order to allow for wider and more versatile rubber choices. It comes standard with Giant’s 32c Gavia tubeless tyres but will swallow up to a 35c tyre for more adventurous excursions.
Like the majority of its competitors, Giant has opted for an integrated cable approach. In the Defy’s case, the gear cables enter at the side of the head tube while the thicker (and more rigid) brake hoses enter behind the stem. The top-level Defy Advanced Pro range is fitted with an integrated stem that routes these hoses neatly and hides them completely from sight. This lower-priced Advanced 1 is fitted with a standard stem, meaning these hoses are completely on show and there is no thought given towards neatening up what is, quite frankly, a mess. The cable routing was my biggest disappointment with this bike and it’s an area I think Giant needs to improve.
“One of the biggest changes Giant has made is an increase in tyre clearance”
Components
Despite being at the lower end of the Defy range, the Advanced 1 has a pretty sorted kit list. Shimano’s ubiquitous Ultegra R8000 11-speed groupset is here almost in its entirety. The only deviation is the adoption of the non-groupset RS510 chainset. It’s lower spec than Ultegra, looks a little cheap and is an obvious cost-saving exercise. It does, however, do the job perfectly well and I had no complaints over shifting reliability.
Giant has built a reputation for speccing its own brand tubeless wheels on many of its high-end bikes and the Defy Advanced is no different. Straight from the box, the P-R2 wheels are set up tubeless and ready to go and they have proved reliable and with pretty decent performance. Granted, they are a little on the heavy side and are not as stiff and directfeeling as a decent race wheel, but here on the Defy they felt good.
Giant also follows suit with its own range of tyres: the Defy come resplendent in a set of Gavia Fondo 1, in a whopping 32mm width. They come up as a true 32mm width and, like with the wheels, the performance is pleasantly surprising. I found they rolled fast enough and cornering grip would be more than adequate for all but the very bravest (or foolhardy) descenders. They also cope well with gravel and forest tracks and puncture protection has been superb.
The cockpit is again all Giant and includes a handlebar designed to reduce vibration and increase comfort. It rapidly tapers either side of the stem clamp to a flattened shape that encourages flex. It’s hard to say if it does add much (especially when running 32c tubeless tyres) but one issue is it only just fits a computer mount before it tapers, and I did on occasion have my mount come loose.
The D-shaped carbon seatpost is decent and produces noticeable flex when taking on large impacts, adding further to the comfort. I’m not sold on the Contact saddle and had to swap it out after a couple of rides.
The ride
Often, when a bike company tries to make a bike too versatile, it ends up neutering the ride quality in favour of compliance or off-road capabilities. But the Defy manages to straddle the fence while still remaining enjoyable and engaging to ride. Granted, it’s never going to win awards for its climbing prowess or devastatingly efficient sprinting ability but it still feels competitive, and with the right amount of enthusiasm it will be up there at the finish line with the best of them. It’s also important to point out that the Defy is exceptionally comfortable (barring the saddle) and does a great job of muting road vibration on long rides.
Descending is an area where the Defy excels. The long wheelbase contributes to a resolutely stable and confidence-inspiring stance but it still felt nimble enough to flick between corners without fuss. Even the tall head tube failed to detract from this and I found the front wheel could be weighted perfectly – caveat: I did run it with the stem slammed.
There is one fly in the ointment, though, and it’s our old friend: cable routing. Owing to the way the brake hose comes out from underneath the bar tape, it angles sideways and into the place where your knee tends to be when climbing out of the saddle. And as it is hydraulic brake hose, it cannot be bent out of the way or zip-tied up without compromising the steering. It is something that you would need to ensure your bike shop neatened up as much as possible before you took it out of the shop. It also rattled annoyingly when on a ride.
For the rider wanting to take advantage of the Defy’s ability to go off the beaten track, the good news is it offers a really planted and confident ride. Both ends cope admirably with repeated hits and the peace of mind the low-pressure tubeless tyres bring means you don’t need to tip-toe when things get rough – you could even ride the Defy as a dedicated gravel bike if you so wish.
The Defy excels at descending”
VERDICT
Cable-routing issues aside, there’s no doubting the Defy Advanced 1 offers one of the best ride qualities in the endurance category. The balance of performance and comfort is near perfect and the spec list at this price point is almost unbeatable.