2015 Giant Defy 1 Road Bike with ALUXX SL-grade aluminum and Composite, Alloy OverDrive steerer

 

The 2015 Giant Defy 1 - So much road bike for such an affordable price

The bicycle industry is talking about the Defy. While most of the attention is on the $10,000 pro model, the good news for the rest of us is that the Alloy version of this bike includes all of the engineering wizardry of the higher priced bikes.

The frame design of the Defy has been winning accolades for years, and the design wasn't changed for the 2015. But improvements were made throughout the bike. In particular the frame tubing is far and away best in class.

In fact, the entire bicycle industry has made massive strides in the construction of aluminum alloy frames, bringing them dangerously close to parity with carbon fiber. Giant, who owns their own factories and forms their own aluminum tubing is at the forefront of this technological revolution with Aluxx alloy tubing. And the Defy is outfitted with SL grade alloy.

ALUXX ADVANTAGE

From the manipulation of atomic grain structures to our advanced forming and welding techniques, Giant has been at the forefront of aluminum engineering for more than 30 years. Today, ALUXX Aluminum Technology represents the pinnacle of alloy performance.

A heritage of craftsmanship combined with unmatched manufacturing capabilities gives Giant the unique ability to monitor every step of the aluminum frame-building process. Through our
cutting-edge materials science, proprietary forming techniques, and attention to detail, we are constantly advancing aluminum performance to create bikes that are lighter, stronger and stiffer. The difference can be felt in the ride. Every aluminum bike bearing the ALUXX Aluminum Technology label must live up to the highest standards and meet the tightest tolerances of any aluminum frame in the world. Here is the skinny:

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Giant's lightest, state-of-the-art aluminum frameset technology featuring our highest strength-to-weight ratios, most advanced forming methods, and unique welding techniques

Materials

• Exclusively features 6011A alloy for unprecedented strength-to-weight ratio

Forming methods

• State-of-the-art butting results in 20 percent thinner (and lighter) tubes than ALUXX SL
• Features extensive FluidForming (sophisticated manipulation of tubeset shaping via an injection of high-pressure fluid) and some PressForming (basic manipulation of tubeset shaping via direct mechanical pressure)

Welding techniques

Features both Smooth (double-pass weld technique with hand-sanding to reduce stress risers) and Slim (custom-fit tube junctures to decrease weld material) welding techniques for minimal weight, maximum strength and the cleanest aesthetics

The defy one offers the best components package of any bike in this class.

Sizes	XS, S, M, M/L, L, XL
Colors	Black/White/Blue
Frame	ALUXX SL-grade aluminum
Fork	Composite, Alloy OverDrive steerer
Shock	N/A

Components
Handlebar	Giant Connect, 31.8mm
Stem	Giant Sport
Seatpost	Giant D-Fuse, Composite
Saddle	Giant Performance Road
Pedals	Caged w/ toe clip and strap

Drivetrain
Shifters	Shimano 105
Front Derailleur	Shimano 105
Rear Derailleur	Shimano 105
Brakes	Tektro R540
Brake Levers	Shimano 105
Cassette	Shimano 105 11x32, 11-speed
Chain	KMC X11L
Crankset	FSA Gossamer Pro, 34/50
Bottom Bracket	Shimano, Press Fit

Wheels
Rims	Giant P-R2
Hubs	Giant Performance Tracker Road, Sealed bearing, [F] 24h, [R] 28h
Spokes	Sapim Race, 14/15g
Tires	Giant P-R3, Flat Guard Deflect 3, Front and rear specific, 700x25

1904 Staples Mill Rd.
Richmond, VA 23230
(804) 658-2126
randy@pedalpowerbicycles.com
www.pedalpowerbicycles.com

2015 Giant Defy Advance 1 Road Bike Reviews Are Stunning!

The all new 2105 Giant Defy Advance 1 provides tested best-of-class in weight and stiffness

—Defy Advanced 1: Carbon-fiber frame, mechanical disc brakes, D-Fuse seatpost, Shimano Ultegra 6800 mechanical, TRP Spyre mechanical disc brakes, Giant S-R2 rims

The stats don't begin to tell the story of the huge revision Giant has put into the new Defy line. Over the years, Defy has been about basic built for comfort and practical road use. With the changes in 2015, the Defy may be more comfortable and practical than ever, but there is nothing basic about it.

The engineers opted to go 100% disc on the advanced carbon-fiber frame end of the line. The chose to stay with quick release rather than move to through axles, feeling that grabbing mountain bike axles wasn't the answer, and preferring to wait until there was more clarity on the road bike standards.

Bicycling.com says:

Giant calls the Defy an endurance road bike—I’m not so sure that such classification is necessary. Much like modern trail bikes are to the world of knobby tires, the Defy seems to me to be a bike you’d choose to ride on almost any ride, any day, on any terrain, and feel confident and comfortable the whole time. 

Specifically, they point out that:

The New Defy Design
The tube shapes are different, subtly in some places and more dramatically in others. The old aero-shape seatmast (or seatpost, depending on the model is gone in favor of a
flat-backed profile Giant calls D-Fuse, which first saw use on the TCX cyclocross model. The seatstays narrow to gossamer thinness, and attach lower down the seat tube to help prevent vibration from traveling up to the saddle.

 The trick on this bike was to come up with lightness, stiffness, and still get performance and comfort that this bike is noted for.

RoadBikeReview.com interviewed Jon Swansan, global road category manager:

Weight was also a huge design driver. Swanson says the top end frame is the lightest road frame Giant has ever produced. “The perception is that with road disc you have to pay a weight penalty,” said Swanson. “We approached it as how do we offset that weight. And we actually dropped 50 grams on our top end frames, which is pretty significant when you see our competition having to add 40-50 grams to get disc tabs on.”

That weight was shed in part by using hollowed carbon dropouts, eliminating the brake bridge, and generally minimizing the need for reinforcement frame material by reducing the number of holes in the carbon frame. The front brake hose is routed externally; all other cables/hoses go into one side of the frame because when you punch a hole in frame you have to add weight with reinforcing material. Instead Giant made a single slightly larger hole on the non-driveside.

 Giant took this bike to the lab against it's most relevant competitors. They looked at weight, stiffness, and compliance, where compliance is the comfort to feet, hands, and rear end. The lower the amount of vibration that comes from the road, through the bike, to the three points of contact on the bike, the better for comfort in a longer ride.

As you can see, the Defy handily beat the others in both weight and stiffness.

When it came to compliance, the best number was chalked up by Cannondale's Synapse. However, if you look at the stiffness data above on that same model, you'll see that the bike performed very poorly in that category, apparently preferring to compromise on the side of comfort.