Giant Defy Advanced 2 review

The disc-equipped Giant Defy Advanced 2 is designed with endurance in mind; it’s a bike built to take on long days in comfort, while retaining the ability to excite along the way.

Claimed to deliver speed and control by way of its relaxed geometry and mechanical disc brakes, its defining feature is its compact geometry, with a sloping top tube and tiny rear triangle, aping that of the firm’s bikes first supplied to the ONCE pro team in 1997.

In this mid-range incarnation, we’re interested to see if the components live up to the promise of the frame.

The frame 

Made from T700 carbon fibre, the most noticable aspect of the Giant Defy frame is its steep top tube leading to a compact rear triangle.

The idea is that a smaller triangle is a stiffer triangle, so less energy is wasted when pedalling. To tune out any harshness from the ride, the frame uses Giant’s flexy D-Fuse seatpost (so named due to its D-shaped profile).

A tapered steerer combines with a super-fat 145mm head tube to increase stiffness at the front end (this influences how well the bike steers).

The frame is identical in material and construction to that found on the high-end Advanced Pro range, albeit with a different paintjob.

The longest wheelbase we've seen in a while hints that agility is not the Defy’s raison d’être, it’s designed for long-distance comfort.

That’s confirmed by a fairly shallow head tube angle, which means that the Defy is less likely than the others to offer quick steering, but should help with overall stability.

With all the cabling, excepting that of the front disc brake, internally routed, the overall impression is of clean lines and high-gloss finish.

This impression is marred only by snipped cable-tie fastenings attaching the brake cable to the left-hand fork blade. Although our test bikes came equipped with 25mm tyres, there’s easily clearance for fatter, comfier 28mm.

Components

Giant has equipped the Defy Advanced 2 with Shimano 105 shifters and mechs, which is a quality set-up.

However, the chainset is a lower-spec Shimano RS500 on the grounds of cost. The Defy has the widest gearing range of any of our bikes, with a lowest ratio of 34x32, suitable for even the steepest of climbs.

TRP’s Spyre mechanical disc brakes are used front and rear, and are about as good as it gets without going hydraulic. The 160mm discs ensure huge amounts of stopping power and are easy to fine-tune using the barrel adjuster.

The seatpost is particularly easy to adjust thanks to its D-shaped profile – no more fiddling with one eye shut trying to get the saddle in line with the frame. 

Wheels

Giant’s own-brand PR-2 disc-specific wheelset has a 30mm deep rim and rejects the bolt-thru axle approach taken to discs by some manufacturers.

Although generally accepted to improve stiffness while reducing flex,bolt-thru axles (unlike a standard quick-release) require you to remove the entire skewer before removing the wheel. We encountered no noticeable flex in these wheels; they’re solid. Which leads us to their weight.

With the rear 11-32 Shimano 105 cassette attached (but skewers removed) they weighed in at 3.3kg. This did shed some light on their lack of urgency when sprinting for signs and there was a certain sluggishness when seated climbing up steeper inclines.

On the positive side, Giant’s P-SL1 tyres, with front and rear-specific compounds, are confidence-inspiring enough for rapid descents and offered reliable performance in the wet, too.

The ride

There’s one star of the show here – the frame. The meaty intersection of bottom bracket and chainstays (which Giant dubs the PowerCore) provides a solid expanse of T700 carbon that takes whatever you throw at it – standing-start sprint, time-trial effort, big-ring hill climb…

The solidity of connection at the pedal stroke, aided by high, box-section chainstays, really is impressive. It adds exhilaration to comfort on the Defy’s list of attributes.

A 50-miler on iffy tarmac highlights the compliance of the frame’s flat, wide seatstays and D-shaped seatpost in isolating road buzz, too.

The TRP brakes are an easily modulated set-up and more than good enough in this package. Steering is accurate; not lightning-quick, but definitely good enough to inspire a gradual increase in cornering speed as we travelled round our test loops.

Stacking all the spacers on top of the stem got us in a more aggressive position instantly, and improved the feeling of connection in corners.

And those bars are a deeply padded joy to hold, gloves or no gloves. However – and here’s the catch – if you’re planning a hilly sportive any time soon, you’ll find bikes with lighter and more responsive wheels.

It’s a shame that such an A-grade frame can’t be matched by its components, but then if everything on this bike was as good as the frame, you’d be forking out around £3,000 for it.

In short, great geometry and frame design is let down by sluggish wheels. As is so often the case, it’s all about compromise.

Geometry

Specification