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Giant Defy Composite or Planet X Pro Carbon

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  • February 2, 2015 at 8:28 am #23154
    crf1967

    Hello all – first post as a new Road CC member and I was after some advice.

    Firstly I’ve been on MTB for years and also have started doing some road sportive and weekend rides (not long, 20-40k region). I have tried a few bikes but have always struggled with confidence on drops so have been using a Planet XLS Flat Bar Road Bike. Basically it’s their XLS carbon cyclocross frame with a flat bar.

    Anyway, i borrowed a friend’s old Trek 2.0 road bike and did my usual route. Bike was a little too big but the stats after were very telling – 1 minute off my fastest time on a climb, overall 2 kph faster overall… and frankly easier. Now why that is the case is a different question for another post but makes no sense to me that a lighter bike with a flat bar is slower than a heavier one with drop bars but stats don’t lie.

    To get to the point I am now finally convinced I need a proper bike alongside the flat bar one and have been looking at options.

    My LBS has a 2014 Giant Defy Composite 3 for £850 (seen them on line for £750 so a bit of negotiation required but I need some SPD-SL shoes so may be ideal to be done). Lovely bike, I borrowed the demo last summer for sportive and was very, very good.

    I dropped into Planet X in Sheffield last week and tried out the a Pro Carbon SRAM Rival 22. Felt lovely, I like the SRAM kit (have same on MTB) and riding possession was very comfortable. £850.

    Both bikes in medium – similar top tube lengths (Giant is 2mm shorter), head tube is 14.5 on PX and 16.5 on Defy which seems like a big difference but did not feel that significant, although logic tells me it should.

    So the price of both is similar and I know both get great reviews. I have also read that the PX frame is not the best, but the SRAM Rival groups seems like a superb option…..

    The other option would be to get something like a 2014 Defy 1 or 0 for around the same sort of price if I’m not hung up on carbon but having ridden the carbon Giant and alloy bikes I do like the carbon feel.

    So i would be very interested in options on what I should go for – I have tried them both, like them both and I know I would be happy with either but feedback from personal experience/opinions of others is always useful.

    Thanks Chris

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  • February 4, 2015 at 8:55 pm #830301
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    tjm160

    Cheers Chris and sure,
    Cheers Chris and sure, although still £200 less than the Defy Advanced 3 2015 model which only has Tiagra, vs. 105 on the 2014 Defy 2. Is price point or spec the key factor and for that matter, use?

    As your first road bike, I would personally tend towards aluminium, particularly if planning to ride in the wet/winter. Although I much prefer the Composite and it has the better disc brakes, the 2015 model doesn’t have mudguard fixing points which is a big downer for wet/winter use. Indeed, that point has thrown a big spanner in my plan/hope to ultimately convert the 2015 Defy Advanced 1 into the wet/winter bike and replace with an even better best/race bike in due course.

    I feel your pain #o ~X( 😀

    February 4, 2015 at 2:06 pm #830299
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    crf1967

    Cheers Tim and the Advanced 1
    Cheers Tim and the Advanced 1 is a superb looking machine.

    Problem with the Composite 2 at £999 is for a bit more I can get the new disc version. But then I guess there is always something more expensive!

    February 3, 2015 at 5:45 pm #830297
    0
    tjm160

    Hi Chris
    I started road
    Hi Chris

    I started road cycling last year on a new 2014 Aluxx Defy 1 and have been nothing but delighted with the bike. However, 3,500km later, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a 2015 Defy Advanced 1. I’ve only ridden once, quickly squirreling away for the winter and converting the Aluxx to the winter/wet bike.

    [URL=http://s75.photobucket.com/user/tjm160/media/Personal/IMG_3262.jpg.html]http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i300/tjm160/Personal/IMG_3262.jpg[/URL]

    The difference was simply amazing and my review can be found here: http://reviewmybike.com/bike/GIANT/giant-defy-advanced-1/13673

    Equally, the Defy Advanced was £1,650, so substantially more. Faced with the choice you outline, I too would perhaps opt for the 2014 model and save the cash. It would also mean you’d really appreciate the carbon/composite bike when you purchase later on. The downside however, if (like me) you are keen on 11-speed and disc brakes, if you do end up with two bikes (dry/best and wet/winter) it would be nice if key components (e,g. best/fast wheelset) were at least interchangeable, which in this case, they won’t be as the 2014 model is both 10-speed and calliper brakes and the 2015 model 11-speed and disc brakes. Hopefully Giant’s 2016 release will see a conversion of the Aluxx Defy range to Disc also. If that happens, I shall replace my 2014 Aluxx with a 2016 model.

    It’s a quandary for sure, best wishes with your deliberations. One other comment; it’s worth having the Shimano 105 groupset as a minimum. A friend had Tiagra on a bike he purchased, hated it and almost immediately shopped the whole set for 105. Ultegra for a first road bike would be nice, but I wasn’t that fussed and now after a year on 105, massively appreciate the difference (although on the 2015 11-speed models, all the reviews suggest the quality difference between Ultegra and 105 has been massively reduced, with weight the main difference).

    Tim

    February 3, 2015 at 8:34 am #830295
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    mikebain

    Hi Chris,
    Up until recently,
    Hi Chris,
    Up until recently, was the proud owner of a Planet X pro carbon Sram. Loved the bike. The only reason I`m not riding it is that it was nicked.
    I`m 5`11 and a bit. Ordered the L with a 90mm stem. ( you can custom buid with Planet X) Fitted perfectly,very comfortable bike. As for upgrades, As one post says, a good set of wheels and youve got a pretty great bike. I fitted a set of carbon wheels to it, tipped the scales at 7kg. Would definately reccomend, a lot of bike for the money.

    Mike

    By the way if anyone sees a black Planet X ,white charge saddle , ,Mavic wheels
    and a yellow Etape Du tOUR 2013 transfer on the top tube, its mine! Still miss that bike.

    February 2, 2015 at 10:51 pm #830293
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    crf1967

    Hi – thanks for the reply. I
    Hi – thanks for the reply. I want to keep the XLS as a flat bar bike at least until I’m used to and happy with drops. Also good when out with my 6 year old and to commute.

    Certainly something to consider for the future

    Chris

    February 2, 2015 at 10:02 pm #830291
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    PonteD

    Is there any reason why you
    Is there any reason why you can’t just put some road tyres and drop bars on your xls (and I guess some road levers/shifters and maybe narrow wheels if your current wheels won’t take something like 25mm tyres)? Surely that would be cheaper than a whole new bike.

    February 2, 2015 at 6:41 pm #830289
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    crf1967

    Thanks for the insight – on
    Thanks for the insight – on the back of your comment and Mombee’s from earlier I thought I’d go for the Defy Composite 3 2014 that my LBS is selling reduced to £850. Got there and next to it is a Defy Composite 2 2014 for £999. 105 rather than Tiagra and looks stunning.

    So it looks like that will be the thing for me to get – good good set, lovely machine and only £150 more than I wanted to spend but it’ll keep me away from the 2015 Defy’s with disc.

    February 2, 2015 at 2:49 pm #830287
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    Poptart242

    Just picked up a Defy 0 2015
    Just picked up a Defy 0 2015 yesterday if the comparison is worth anything to you – coming from an Alu Trek (1.1) I wasn’t expecting a huge difference in comfort given that the Giant is also Alu – couldn’t have been more wrong.

    First thoughts were that it’s silly comfortable, and I also found myself staying in the big ring for far longer. It’s an Ultegra groupset (apart from the chainrings and brakes – they’re Shimano non-series).

    That all being said I haven’t ridden a pro-carbon so I can’t compare unfortunately. All I can say is I’m a very happy man!

    February 2, 2015 at 1:30 pm #830285
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    crf1967

    Thanks Mombee – just what I
    Thanks Mombee – just what I wanted.

    I looked at the new disc Defys and can see a disc road bike in my future but need to prove I’ll use it so the sensible think to do now is get a 2014 model cheaper…

    Your comments on the PX being less sportive geometry are very useful – looking at the specs I see there is a longer head tube on the Defy.

    I have ridden the Defy for 50 miles before and loved it, only been on the turbo with the PX so i think the known option will win. To be honest its the SRAM Rival 22 that is attracting me to the PX, if the Defy had that I’d be on it by now.

    Just seen the Specialised Roubaix SL4 Elite Disc have Rival 22…. But it’s £2k…

    Must behave

    February 2, 2015 at 10:58 am #830283
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    Mombee

    There’s always a temptation
    There’s always a temptation to look at upgradeability with bikes, but at this pricepoint I’d question whether that’s really applicable… probably worth thinking about the wheels at some point. And there’ll be plenty of bods who knock the Pro Carbon frames as old-hat, but again at this price, you’re getting decent well-proved performance. I ride with a mate who’s just upgraded from an aluminium Defy to a carbon disc job and swears by them, and have another mate who’s just bought a Pro Carbon with SRAM 11-speed and is over the moon. If you can get a long ride on a Pro Carbon, do so – I borrowed one last year and was really impressed… so good that I nearly bought one, until I decided a big birthday needed some a bit special. The Planet X bike is definitely on the racier side of geometry, that suits me, but it’s a different beastie to the Defy, which is at the sportive end. They’re both mass-produced in Taiwan, both look great, check the specs, check the sizing and, in this instance, probably let your heart decide 🙂

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