The new Giant Defy is leaner, but promises more comfort
Words Sam Challis Photography Tapestry
As more of the Defy’s rivals incorporate features such as suspension units and top tube mounts that push them towards the gravel category, Giant is bucking the trend by continuing to position the Defy firmly as a road bike.
‘The new bike is even UCI-approved, whereas the old one wasn’t,’ says Giant UK’s product manager, David Ward. ‘We want this thing to be raceable.’
Make no mistake, with its bumped-up 38mm tyre clearance, the new Defy would fit snugly into the all-road category, but Giant has favoured the development of more aggressive attributes over bells-and-whistles versatility. The frameset is now offered in Giant’s highest Advanced SL composite blend, whereas the last design only extended up to Advanced Pro. This means the new Defy is around 200g lighter despite being just as stiff, and top-end builds won’t weigh much more than 7kg. Previously, only Giant’s race bikes, the TCR and Propel, were built using the Advanced SL composite blend. That said, Giant will offer a comprehensive range of Defy builds across three frameset tiers with prices starting from £2,299, all using carbon framesets and tubeless tyre setups.
The right flex
Typically, Giant’s framesets at this level use an integrated seatpost, but this is one area where the Defy stands apart.
‘There isn’t an integrated seatpost on the Defy because the positioning and architecture of the scalloped back on the D-Fuse post in the new bike is critical for generating the amount of compliance we’ve been able to achieve,’ says Ward. ‘An integrated seatpost would have offered different flex characteristics depending on where it was cut.’
It was a good move, for Giant claims the new bike offers 42% more compliance at the saddle as a result of the combination of seatpost, compact front triangle and dropped seatstays. It’s a similar story at the front of the bike: new D-Fuse bars use a tops cross-section like a ‘D’ laid on its flat side. Giant says the shape permits downward flex for comfort but resists upward force, meaning the bars shouldn’t feel vague when sprinting.
The post and bars exemplify a thoughtful approach to tube shaping and composite layup that Giant knew was necessary to reconcile a comfortable ride with such light weight.
‘We know the best engineering solutions are often the simplest,’ says Ward, ‘so the Defy doesn’t rely on mechanical devices to generate flex. These add weight
