Giant Defy Advanced 3 review

Giant’s disc-equipped Defy Advanced 3, like all the Defy family, is designed for endurance – covering big miles in serious comfort with the ability to entertain, should the fancy take you. Like the entire model family, it’s solely available with disc brakes. The Taiwanese firm reckons speed, confidence and control are this bike’s calling cards. We tested the slightly more handsomely equipped Advanced 2 last year, and it will be interesting to see how this Tiagra-wearing incarnation fares against similarly priced competition. 

Frameset

Giant’s ‘Advanced Composite Technology’ is actually T700 carbon-fibre, commonly found in many more expensive frames. The Defy Advanced family frame has a number of distinctive features, not least the noticeably steeply sloping top tube, which leads to a particularly compact rear frame triangle. The stiffness this adds is countered by the D-Fuse seatpost, a lot of which is exposed thanks to the steep angle of the top tube, which aids in the task of reducing vibration from the road.

A tapered steerer (1 1/4-1 1/8in) combines with a stocky, fat 145mm head tube to boost torsional stiffness at the front. In fact, the frame is identical in material and construction to those found on the much more expensive Advanced Pro range. It’s a real treat. The Giant’s wheelbase is just shy of a metre – outright speed and rapid cornering are not what this bike is built for – it’s primarily aimed at providing long-distance comfort. A measured steering head angle of 72.3° isn’t going to provide instant, razor-sharp turning, but does offer a very pleasing compromise between stability and rapid cornering speed.

Groupset

The Shimano Tiagra shifters and mechs are perfectly adequate. They’re a step down in performance from 105 and add to the all-up bulk, but all these bikes are on a par weight-wise. An easiest gear of 34x32 means taking it up a hill will be as stress-free as possible, and we reckon TRP’s Spyre twin-piston mechanical disc brakes are the best you can get without going hydraulic.

Finishing kit

The own-brand 40cm compact handlebars have a fairly shallow drop, are wrapped in thick, padded tape and are attached to the steerer by a 100mm alloy stem. The bars are satisfyingly flexible, though not overly so, which adds to the overall vibe-dampening ride. The seatpost is easy to adjust, and its D-shaped profile means it’s impossible to align incorrectly. 

Wheels

Giant’s own-brand equipment extends to the spinning bits, too – an SR-2 disc-specific wheelset has
a 30mm section rim and, like all our bikes apart from the Specialized, uses a regular quick-release rather than a bolt-thru axle. The wheels, while pretty weighty, are built to suffer the rigours of UK roads and even the odd trail. They’re noticeably free of flex, and in terms of durability will probably be the only things on Earth, alongside cockroaches, to survive a nuclear war. Special mention goes to the own-brand rubber – the front and rear-specific compounds hit the mark, and with 85psi in them, the P-SL1 tyres promote confidence even in tight, rapid, downhill corners and flatter the brakes performance in the wet.

The ride

British B-roads around our way are appalling – sometimes we wonder if the council forgets they’re there. Local government gripes aside, the Giant Defy Advanced 3 is one of the most instantly forgiving bikes we’ve ridden on local roads. Running a bet-hedging 85psi in its 25c tyres provides a comfortable ride from mile one.

In common with all three of the Defy Advanced models (which range from this bike at £1,149 to the Advanced 1 at £1,599), the frame is a stunner. Looks aside, the sizeable expanse of carbon-fibre that makes up the Giant’s ‘PowerCore’ bottom bracket area allows power to travel almost seamlessly from crank to tarmac, further assisted by chunky, box-section carbon chainstays. Lighter wheels would improve the package but the SR-2 hoops fitted to our test bike coped admirably with climbing in the 50-tooth chainring, and some serious sprint efforts. In terms of comfort, for the money we’ve ridden few frames that provide as much isolation from road buzz. The long seatpost, wide seatstays and almost perfectly padded Giant Performance Road saddle isolated our posterior perfectly from the imperfections of pitted roads. TRP’s twin-piston brakes are easily modulated with a single finger when all you need is to scrub off a little speed, but will haul you up safely and quickly in all but monsoon conditions should he need arise. 

Handling 

The combination of willing stiffness and easy-going comfort make this bike ridiculously easy to pilot. It’s easy to get a good fit, too, thanks to a low stand-over height and a fistful of stem spacers to play with. Steering is accurate without a hint of flightiness, and if you were to place your hands on the Defy Advanced’s deeply-padded handlebars and set off for a 100-miler, we’d wager you’d return home with nothing more than the usual ache in the legs. It’s built to go the distance and delivers on its promise. 

Geometry

Spec

Giant made a significant pledge upon launching the 2015 Defy range: its best-selling bike would only be available with disc brakes for all carbon-framed models. The Defy has enjoyed a growing reputation for a comfortable, sportive-ready bike, and as the entry-level carbon offering, the Advanced 3 is the first model in the range to accommodate discs.

Frame

The soul of the Defy undoubtedly lies in its distinctive, shapely carbon frame. The ‘compact road design’ geometry was first rolled out by Giant in the late 1990s, and was met with initial apprehension, but the design has since come to typify Giant – even if it’s not to everyone’s taste.

The downward sloping frame makes for smaller front and rear triangles, which means less material is needed for a similar strength (if it’s agreed that smaller shapes are stronger), so the frame is lighter. Because the tubes that make up the triangles are shorter, it follows suit that they are stiffer too – and both of these attributes are readily apparent upon riding. Out-of-the-saddle efforts power the bike forward with little sensation of flex – a quality that is no doubt enhanced by the bulky, tapered head tube.

Both unavoidable road vibrations – the sort that badly laid tarmac provides – and more significant lumps and bumps are also taken with aplomb, thanks to the absorptive nature of the geometry. An elongated head tube hefts up the front end, but somehow this doesn’t detract from a sporty feel, and the outlandish low stand-over height, dictated by the sloping top tube, means finding a size that fits, from both performance and practical perspectives, isn’t the problem it could have been. 

Components

Giant has offset the expense incurred in producing a carbon frame for this price bracket by, in all honesty, taking a bit of a hit with its choice of components. 

The Tiagra shifting feels loose in comparison to 105, and requires a gentle touch with the levers to get the best performance out of it. Because it’s 10-speed, it’s a level down from the competition too, but the compact 50/34 and 12-30 gearing will be just right for most of the Defy’s intended owners, being utilitarian and good for hills.

We applaud Giant’s decision to overhaul the entire Defy range with disc brakes – for bikes that are destined for long, consistent, leisurely rides, consistent braking is desirable. But the gains from the mechanical TRP offering here are marginal, and even questionable, when you consider the added weight. If they were hydraulic, their precision would be welcomed but as it stands, their presence is negligible.

Of the Giant-branded components, the D-Fuse seatpost is due most credit – we’re convinced that its fundamental flattened edge of the D-shaped (across the cross section) design helps with diffusing the blows from below, and its junction with the frame is neat and stylish.

Wheels

Another of Giant’s in-house additions, the S-R2 Disc wheels, come across as a perfectly adept choice for covering winter miles. The employment of disc brakes necessitates that wheels are built stronger, due to the altered kinetic forces at play. Although this may mean more weight – for now – it also means robustness and strength but, crucially with the S-R2s, this doesn’t seem to hinder performance, as the wheels also felt punchy and stiff: well built, rather than over-built.

The Defy Advanced 3 comes equipped with Giant’s own P-R3 tyres, in a 25mm offering that we would recommend for reasons of both comfort and rolling resistance. But the frame also offers more than enough clearance for those wanting yet more robustness with the employment of truly wintry 28mm tyres.

The ride

For someone who struggles to find a comfy position on more un-traditional frames, the Defy defied the odds and was comfortable from the start. As a short-legged rider, the compactness perhaps helps here too. Once on the road, the frame’s qualities are clear: fast in the saddle, fast out of the saddle, fast and precise through corners; it also manages to ooze comfort. If there is a downside, it’s that the frame shape means the fitting of mudguards is a problem; not even Giant could recommend a pair that would do the job, and for a winter bike, that is a big negative. But a bike is so much more than just a frame, and it’s here that the Defy falls down. For an all-round, reliable winter bike, most people want something that ticks boxes across the board rather than just excelling in one area. The Tiagra levers, for example, although functional in their own right, just don’t slot into your palms as well as those from a higher price bracket. The brake levers are knife-like in comparison with the ergonomic contours that the Shimano 105, Ultegra and Dura-Ace models all share.

The addition of discs is interesting, but we feel that the benefits they offer come at too great a compromise; perhaps £1,199 is too low to incorporate both a carbon frame and a high-performing entourage. 

A bike is much more than just a frame. For an all-round, reliable, winter bike, most people want something that ticks boxes across the board rather than excelling in one area.

Frame - Light, comfortable, stiff and a practical fit for most - 8/10

Components - Giant's seatpost works well; everything else doesn't - 6/10

Wheels - Strong, stiff and not at the price of sluggishness - 7/10

The ride - The poor build lets down an impressive foundation - 6/10

Overall - 6.4/10

Geometry

Spec