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Fit, active biking newbie, which bike?

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  • July 22, 2015 at 9:11 am #24474
    topstriker

    My main sport is long distance running, so i am pretty fit and active, looking to get a road bike for cross training, general fitness and leisure and may even dip my toe into trying a triathlon, just for fun and trying something new, but that isn’t a priority!

    Have been advised that Giant Defy are good all rounders, and have become torn between the Defy 0 and the Defy Advance 1,

    I am not sure at which level to come in at, i am a fit and active so do not want to undersell myself and end up wanting upgrading too soon, but also being new to riding, do not want overkill and overspend, and get too much spec that i wouldn’t even know the difference…!

    The Advance is £600 more as well, but has Carbon frame, full ultegra and disc brakes, worth the extra?

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Viewing 12 replies - 1 through 12 (of 12 total)
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  • July 25, 2015 at 9:22 pm #854643
    0
    Stratman

    I’ve loved my Defy Advanced,
    I’ve loved my Defy Advanced, it’s certainly very comfortable and has seen me through many long rides

    July 23, 2015 at 10:24 am #854641
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    topstriker

    Both valid points from a
    Both valid points from a different perspective, seeing as i am quite competitive and enjoy the outdoors and keeping fit, i think if i did go slightly lower on spec/price i may regret it sooner than later, and seeing as an upgrading is less cost effective than buying it in the first place i am leaning towards the advance 1

    Thanks for the advice, much appreciated!

    July 22, 2015 at 10:23 pm #854639
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    rjfrussell

    assuming you are intending to
    assuming you are intending to be cycling 2 or 3 times a weeks, and given that you are already fit, your rate of improvement on a bike will be very rapid in the first 6 to 12 months. I’d recommend deciding what bike/ spec you think you want now, make at least two logical upgrade steps, and buy that now instead. Minimum 105, and given the cheap/light/stiff trade off, whack on £500 to what you think you want to pay now to get a lighter/ stiffer frame. What you recover selling a slightly- =less- good- than- you- want bike second hand is pitiful.

    July 22, 2015 at 8:32 pm #854637
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    Daveyraveygravey

    Hmm…if you aren’t sure, why
    Hmm…if you aren’t sure, why go mad on the budget? Almost without doubt, whatever you spend, within a month you will want to upgrade or get a new bike. Generally, buying something and then upgrading parts will cost more than just buying a better bike to start with. Have a look at ebay and what 500-700 will get you, work with that for a year or so, and then buy something more expensive when you have a better idea of what really floats your boat

    July 22, 2015 at 7:11 pm #854635
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    topstriker

    Another quick point, the
    Another quick point, the roads are shocking around here, the vibration i am getting from the bike i am borrowing from a mate is incredible, really took me by surprise, so i guess that’s another tick in the box for the carbon advance 1, it did seem a very smooth ride when i test rode it…..

    July 22, 2015 at 7:00 pm #854633
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    topstriker

    Thanks for the response, yes
    Thanks for the response, yes i guess this forum is full of people like me! same old same old! I think that seeing as i am quite competitive, (i already like to beat my times) the better spec will last me longer, the only other minor concern is i liked the look of the TCR, but never really followed it up, how much faster is a bike like that, or is the geometry minimal to use mere mortals!

    July 22, 2015 at 5:26 pm #854631
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    HalfWheeler

    Ach…the man maketh the
    Ach…the man maketh the bike. Once you’ve got plenty of miles in the differences won’t matter too much.

    A bike for £800 (give or take a hundred) will buy you plenty. Shimano 105 or Tiagra is fine for what you’re thinking of. What I would say is that the large well known brands tend to be a bit pricey, especially when you consider they all use the same components. Ribble and Dolan have quite good ‘bike builder’ pages and their bikes are usually much cheaper. You could also look about for a 2014 model on the cheap.

    July 22, 2015 at 5:15 pm #854629
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    gonedownhill

    Get the advanced if I were
    Get the advanced if I were you – that looks like pretty much all the bike you could ever need to me – good groupset and you won’t be wanting to upgrade to carbon or discs in a few years. As long as you can afford it and have a bit of spare money for some shoes, pedals, a jersey and some shorts on top then you’re sorted.

    That said I ride an aluminium bike with rim brakes – don’t notice any difference in ride comfort between that and my steel bike, and the ultegra brakes are pretty bloody good, although I’ve not ridden in the wet much – so the 0 will probably fulfill all your needs.

    July 22, 2015 at 3:04 pm #854627
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    Podc

    As a recent newcomer too (and
    As a recent newcomer too (and also with a bit of a running background), I’d say go for the best kit you can afford – unless you enjoy buying new shiny bits and tinkering.

    I bought a Tiagra and FSA equipped Felt for under £600 just over a year ago and now pretty much everything except the frame and forks has been upgraded.

    I wasn’t sure if I would get the bug but the bugger bit deep 🙂

    Have fun!

    July 22, 2015 at 2:45 pm #854625
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    Judge dreadful

    I’d go for the Defy 0 if I
    I’d go for the Defy 0 if I were you. It’s a great bike for the money, and whereas you may think you are fit and active, riding a bicycle over long distances, is going to use muscles you never knew you had. It will take a little while for your system to adjust.

    July 22, 2015 at 12:43 pm #854623
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    Poptart242

    £1k buys you an awful lot of
    £1k buys you an awful lot of bike. I went for the Defy 0 and I love it. Easy enough to upgrade the wheels if you want to, and then instead of buying a new bike next time you can swap over the Ultegra bits to a new frame (as I intend to).

    I know some people go on about carbon being the be all and end all of comfort… and maybe it is, I haven’t owned a carbon bike. But the Defy has got me round 100 mile rides, hilly sportives, fast groups, chain gangs and time trials this year without me ever feeling like I was missing out on comfort, handling or pace.

    July 22, 2015 at 11:58 am #854621
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    gdmor10

    There are loads of these new
    There are loads of these new bike threads so I guess sometimes people wont reply but I always try to if I can.

    I am not an expert on multiple bike brands but spend as much as you can afford as otherwise you will only want to upgrade in a year. Then just enjoy riding it, first proper road bikes are a great experience no matter how much you spend!

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