# 2016 Defy



## oldgoat (Feb 7, 2005)

Who has ridden Giant's 2016 Defy and found the front end really twitchy ?
Test rode the Pro 2 i think ,with Shimano 105 components. i would probably get use to it in time but, for a comfort bike or what ever they call them I was surprised in the twitchy front end. 
And the disc brakes sucked ! although the brakes would probably get better with more use. Bike was a Large if that matters.


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## J.R. (Sep 14, 2009)

I,m riding a 2015 Defy Advanced Pro 0 (also L) and was also disappointed at the unstable feeling of the bike. I find it especially noticeable at high speeds when hit by wind currents (Traffic passing, passing buildings when in a sidewind, etc.) I had a Trek Madone before and was comfortable bombing most any descent in any condition. I still bomb descents on the Defy (58mph max) but it does not exactly inspire confidence. 

In some ways twitchy doesn't even describe it right because I have no trouble riding no hands even on the rollers.

At one point I thought maybe the high headtube was to blame but my gravel bike has a headtube that's the same or higher and it's totally solid. 

Today on the ride I was thinking about it and thought I should check out the fork angles\trail to see if a different fork would help. I'd be very pleased to find something that would make is as stable as the Madone.


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## oldgoat (Feb 7, 2005)

Thanks for the reply JR, I think the twitchy feeling,bad brake's, and the weight of the bike are a deal breaker for me. So wanted to like this bike !
i think the short top tube is part of the trouble,also steep steering angle contribute to the twitch feeling ?
You think Giant would have figured this out before releasing this bike. Very disappointing for sure.


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## Clyde250 (Feb 24, 2007)

I've got a large 2016 Defy Pro 2, I can't say I find the handling twitchy at all. It might depend on what the stem/bar combo is, and how high you have the bars. I have decent drop from the saddle.







The Pro 2 has Ultegra components. I have been impressed with the braking as well. It's not exponentially better than good rim brakes, but it is better than any rim brake I've used.

The bike isn't light, and there isn't much low-hanging fruit other than the wheels.


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## ljvb (Dec 10, 2014)

I love that blue/black color scheme.

As for me, I am running the Advanced Pro 0 (DI2 Ultegra). I have not noticed any twitchyness at all. I quite enjoy the ride, but then again I was using a cross bike previously (geared and wheel for the road). As for the brakes, I don't have any issues with them, other than I burned through the front pads in about 500 miles, but that may just be because I am heavy on the brakes.


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## oldgoat (Feb 7, 2005)

This was a stock bike,came that way from giant. Bike i rode has TRP cable pull brakes, may have been why the brakes sucked IMO. I'm sure the Shimano brakes are better.
I'm just not sold on the disc brakes. Lots more problems for the consumer. harder to set up, can't get ANYTHING on the rotors or the pads are shot, Brake bleeds, seems like a pain in the butt to me, YMMV. And the big thing, To dam HEAVY. Yes I'm a weight weenie.


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## Clyde250 (Feb 24, 2007)

I'll get you an accurate weight with pedals and cages, but I think it's about 18 pounds 10 oz in a Large. In it's current form, 18.5. If weight is the deal breaker, the TCR would be a better fit.

FWIW, I tried the Defy Advanced 2 with the bars up and was not impressed at all. It was sluggish, heavy, and dull. Braking was absolutely uninspiring. The Pro 2 felt much more snappy when power was applied. Full hydraulic brakes are the only way to go. I went with disc because it's the only way I feel comfortable running carbon wheels. As far as the weight goes I would try one of the Defy SL's. I do my own maintenance on my Shimano Mtb brakes. Bleeding takes about 10 minutes, 5 minutes for pads once a year. They are sooo easy to work on.


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## oldgoat (Feb 7, 2005)

Thanks for the weight. I was thinking of the SL model. Probably a lot lighter and maybe better handling, who knows.
I work at a bike shop 2 days a week so yeah if you know what your doing brake maintenance is easy, but not many do i think.
i looked at the TRC geometry it to aggressive for me. At 66 can't take that anymore.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

oldgoat said:


> Thanks for the weight. I was thinking of the SL model. Probably a lot lighter and maybe better handling, who knows.
> I work at a bike shop 2 days a week so yeah if you know what your doing brake maintenance is easy, but not many do i think.
> i looked at the TRC geometry it to aggressive for me. At 66 can't take that anymore.


Most brands endurance geometry bikes make more sense for the average rider if we are honest about it. The problem is that they don't often look as cool and a lot of us don't want to admit that we are the average rider (instead of the almost pro amateur we sometimes believe we are).  I am a big fan of bikes like the Defy, Roubaix, Domane, Diverge, Synapse, etc. Many of them perform as well as race bikes while saving your body some unecessary pain in the process (as long as they are set up right). Trek offers their H2 fit for that very reason, while some other brands have taller headtubes etc. on every race bike, which allows you to have your cake and eat it too I guess (race bike with endurance geometry)...


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Surprisingly, there's not a huge difference between the TCR and Defy in terms of head tube height, reach, and stack in most sizes. You really could go with either if you have a good fit specialist.

TCR Advanced Pro 1 (2016) | Giant Bicycles | United States

Defy Advanced 2 (2016) | Giant Bicycles | United States


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## Frreed (Aug 17, 2006)

I have a Defy 1 and like the overall ride, but it was uninspired. Great for long days on straight roads, but for shorter rides with lots of turns it was adequate, but not all that responsive. I flipped the stem and dropped it by about 5mm. Not too much change overall. I am a bit older and slower so the endurance geometry is okay. Just that little change makes the bike more "interesting". It seems to respond better to input on the corners. I may do a bit more tweaking on saddle height and see how it goes. I've never found the bike to be twitch. In fact, it has been quite the opposite.


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## oldgoat (Feb 7, 2005)

Thanks all for the replies. I'm going to keep what I have for awhile and see what the future brings. I'm probably spoiled with my current rides ( Cervelo S3 and Scott Foil ) 
i think the future will bring lighter and better brakes, we'll see.


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## marc7654 (Jun 24, 2014)

Being new to cycling, 50+, not incredibly fit, less flexible than could be, etc etc. I found the Defy line to be quite nice. Started with a Advanced frame which got broken then upgraded to Advanced Pro frame, long story here. 

Initially I did feel like the bike was less stable than I thought it should be but I chalked that up to my lack or experience and skill. I know my balance in general could be improved. I do notice side winds and just about lost it on a 35mph downhill when a truck passed coming up the hill. As the year has progressed i've shaved a fair bit of time off in more twisty segments and kept the speed up. At this point I do think the bike is fairly stable but I don't really have a good comparison.

A friend with more cycling background just got the SL frame and his Strava segment times got worse compared to his 80's model Eddy Merckx bike. He attributes that to not yet being properly fit to the bike and more than anything too much slop in his new SpeedPlay pedals. He hasn't quite figured out the proper float adjustment. His only complaint about stability has been related to the pedals. In hind sight, even though he is in his 60's, he thinks the TCR might have been a better bike for him. Despite that he still makes it into the top 10, of 100+ riders, for most Strava segments he rides.


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## VDoubleUVR6 (Nov 8, 2015)

I feel the opposite on my Defy...right from the beginning it was noticeably tighter/stiffer feeling compared to my old Specialized Allez Sport and a huge upgrade all around.

A picture to show seat to handle bar height...they flipped the stem around for me to lift it up a bit as I felt like there was a lot of weight on my hands and wrists...


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## iamricg (Nov 14, 2015)

I'm using 2015 Defy Advanced Pro 0 and didn't notice any twitchiness. Handling was superb in fact and had no problems in climbs or descents. The Defy geometry is living to its expectations.


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## J.R. (Sep 14, 2009)

I'm thinking of changing to different tires to see if that helps. Will also pull the headset apart again and check that.

Any other ideas?


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## iamricg (Nov 14, 2015)

I changed to GP4000s II 25mm and felt ride was much smoother than compared with the stock tyres


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## marc7654 (Jun 24, 2014)

Forgot to mention brakes. For the models with the cable pull disks they do leave something to be desired compared to hydraulic but they are better than the limited number of rim brakes I've ever used. 

For OP, you mentioned Pro 2 with the 105 group but I believe that's actually the Advanced 2 you test road if that's in the US. There is a 2016 Pro 2 but it's got Ultegra and Hydraulic brakes. It also has the OverDrive 2 Steer and Head Tube. In the UK the Pro 2 does have the 105 group. The larger OverDrive 2 Steer tube might be more stable and I believe that's partly been my experience. I've used both but again my skills had gotten better by the time I got the Advanced Pro frame. 

Another thought. How much do wheels contribute to stability? I suppose if spokes are loose that would be an issue but would the the SL0 wheels be better than the SL1 for stability? I'm on SL1 wheels currently. The Advanced frame would also be on the SL1 wheels. The 0s are slightly lighter but I don't know what else might be a factor.


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