Giant Defy vs TCR vs Propel

[glam2deaf]

Apologies, the lol was at the idea of going backwards to rim brakes.

[tarmackev]

Great thread! It’s helped me decide. I’ve pulled the trigger on the TCR Pro Ultegra disc myself. Wasn’t bothered about Di2.


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[amngwlvs]

Great thread! It’s helped me decide. I’ve pulled the trigger on the TCR Pro Ultegra disc myself. Wasn’t bothered about Di2.

Thanks, glad it was helpful for you as well! I couldn't be happier with the TCR right now, so I have no doubts that you'll love it. Post some pics!

[Stickman]

Impressive weight. My tcr is 9kg stock!

Yowsers, a 9kg TCR? What year/model/size is it?

My alloy Contend in Large is 9.45kg, with >2kg stock disc wheelset

[crux]

This is a great looking bike! At the moment I'm looking at one of these too and I'm not sure if it will be my next bike.
Have you already made a separate thread for this bike with some more pictures?

[amngwlvs]

This is a great looking bike! At the moment I'm looking at one of these too and I'm not sure if it will be my next bike.
Have you already made a separate thread for this bike with some more pictures?

Thanks! I can't say enough good things about this bike so far so I'd definitely be trying to take a TCR for a test ride if you're considering it. I haven't started a thread with pics yet but I'll definitely start one!

[Sacke]

Nah, not just you. I'm getting owned by Photobucket. Post preview looked fine but now they don't show. I'll get them posted one way or another!

Because no good options were found, we created https://pic.useful.fi a few years back. It still is one of the better options. No ads, no sign-ups, no tracking. Just because sharing is caring.

[dricked]

I’ve got a 2017 defy and a 2016 propel SL0. The defy felt like I was pedaling a sheet of plywood into the wind compared to the propel. Defy is now for sale.

[henryj30]

I’ve got a 2017 defy and a 2016 propel SL0. The defy felt like I was pedaling a sheet of plywood into the wind compared to the propel. Defy is now for sale.

I saw a propel during my walk in Atlanta today. Such an awesome bike. I could get the di2 but I'm saving for the full dura ace power meter version. Jealous!

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[onemanpeloton]

Impressive weight. My tcr is 9kg stock!

Yowsers, a 9kg TCR? What year/model/size is it?

My alloy Contend in Large is 9.45kg, with >2kg stock disc wheelset

Its a size large 2017 tcr disc with 105. The general consensus is it should be around 8.5kg but mine weighed 8.9 with pedals.

Wasnt a great starting point for me but ive got dura ace, speedplays and hopefully some wheels on the way soon

[Sacke]

Here is my Defy Advanced Pro 0.



Honestly... I was very sceptical before I tried the bike the first time, but have been very positively surprised.

As bikes behave differently under different riders, my info. I am 37 years old, 178cm tall and weigh 70-74kg depending on the time of the year. With work and kids, I have maybe 1-10h of riding per week and sometimes long breaks without any riding.

I love responsive bikes that feel plenty stiff, but appreciate a bike that doesn't punish you at the end of a 3-4h ride.

My previous bikes have been Colnago C59, Cervelo S3, S5 (both new and old model) and 4 different Supersix Evos. I am more of a puncher than a climber, and my strongest area are efforts between 1-10min in duration. When in shape I can do around 300w for an hour, about 450w for 1 minute and about 850w for 20 seconds.

I like numbers, and frequently compare my performance on short local climbs (less than 10 minutes) to my previous years' performance.

The Supersix Evos are all around great climbing bikes and very comfortable over long distances... as everyone knows. The Cervelos are aero magic and really have enjoyed every single one of them.

I have not been on disc brakes before on the road, but this bike has been a big positive surprise.

It being a Defy, and not the TCR or Propel, I thought it would be more suitable for more casual riders, but the bike is really stiff.

Giant uses 1"1/4 instead of 1"1/8 head tube diameter and the bottom bracket is massive. This bike is very stiff indeed. Stiffer than the Supersix Evo. Yet... comfortable in the long run too.

I have been setting surprisingly good numbers this year on climbs, despite having less than 1000km since September in the legs.

Colnagos have always had a geometry that suit my short legs / long torso well, and when I compared the geometry of the Defy in size S, it was very, very similar to the C59 geometry in size 50s.

I don't race, but I am competitive by nature. The Defy has really been a big positive surprise for me and I would definitely rank it among the most versatile bikes that I have ever owned. The stock carbon clinchers are quite ok too. Haven't felt any flex or sensitivity in the wind.

After switching to Vittoria Corsa G+ 25mm tyres, the ride is very pleasing indeed.

I weighed the wheels with cassette and discs on.

Rear wheel with Ultegra 11-32 cassette and stock 140mm disc: 1312g
Front wheel with stock 140mm disc: 864g

I have to give a big thumbs up to Giant. Very nice bike.

[amngwlvs]

Because no good options were found, we created https://pic.useful.fi a few years back. It still is one of the better options. No ads, no sign-ups, no tracking. Just because sharing is caring.

Thanks for that!

Here is my Defy Advanced Pro 0.

Honestly... I was very sceptical before I tried the bike the first time, but have been very positively surprised.

As bikes behave differently under different riders, my info. I am 37 years old, 178cm tall and weigh 70-74kg depending on the time of the year. With work and kids, I have maybe 1-10h of riding per week and sometimes long breaks without any riding.

I love responsive bikes that feel plenty stiff, but appreciate a bike that doesn't punish you at the end of a 3-4h ride.

My previous bikes have been Colnago C59, Cervelo S3, S5 (both new and old model) and 4 different Supersix Evos. I am more of a puncher than a climber, and my strongest area are efforts between 1-10min in duration. When in shape I can do around 300w for an hour, about 450w for 1 minute and about 850w for 20 seconds.

I like numbers, and frequently compare my performance on short local climbs (less than 10 minutes) to my previous years' performance.

The Supersix Evos are all around great climbing bikes and very comfortable over long distances... as everyone knows. The Cervelos are aero magic and really have enjoyed every single one of them.

I have not been on disc brakes before on the road, but this bike has been a big positive surprise.

It being a Defy, and not the TCR or Propel, I thought it would be more suitable for more casual riders, but the bike is really stiff.

Giant uses 1"1/4 instead of 1"1/8 head tube diameter and the bottom bracket is massive. This bike is very stiff indeed. Stiffer than the Supersix Evo. Yet... comfortable in the long run too.

I have been setting surprisingly good numbers this year on climbs, despite having less than 1000km since September in the legs.

Colnagos have always had a geometry that suit my short legs / long torso well, and when I compared the geometry of the Defy in size S, it was very, very similar to the C59 geometry in size 50s.

I don't race, but I am competitive by nature. The Defy has really been a big positive surprise for me and I would definitely rank it among the most versatile bikes that I have ever owned. The stock carbon clinchers are quite ok too. Haven't felt any flex or sensitivity in the wind.

After switching to Vittoria Corsa G+ 25mm tyres, the ride is very pleasing indeed.

I weighed the wheels with cassette and discs on.

Rear wheel with Ultegra 11-32 cassette and stock 140mm disc: 1312g
Front wheel with stock 140mm disc: 864g

I have to give a big thumbs up to Giant. Very nice bike.

That's a great looking bike and a lot of great info there that will surely help some people on here with their decisions. I did test ride an Defy AP0 and was quite suprised how snappy and responsive it felt. I'm competivie by nature as well and if I wasn't planning on racing I'm sure the Defy wouldn't have been what stopped me from setting PR's; it was quite the bike. I'll likely be switching over to Corsa G+ tires as well as soon as the stock tires on the TCR are toast.

[tarmackev]

After looking at all three I’ve gone for this. It feels very similar to my 2011 TCR, very stiff and the 7.9kg weight isn’t that noticeable. It feels faster than my 2013 Hi-mod 6kg Evo.
Very comfy also.
Didn’t realise it was set up tubeless and I had the tyres at 120psi, when I realised they come set up I dropped them to 90psi. I’m 6ft and 79kg.
I’m not particularly fast or powerful but I have ridden a lot of carbon bikes over the years working in bike shops and I still think Giant are as good as anything out there.
I switched with a guy I was riding with today, he had an Addict HMX Ultegra-Dura Ace mix disc bike with 1450g Cero ARD23 wheels and it didn’t feel any faster than the TCR. Around a kg lighter but not as solid.

There’s always a weight weenie in me so I’ve started looking at a few lighter parts already.


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[amngwlvs]

After looking at all three I’ve gone for this. It feels very similar to my 2011 TCR, very stiff and the 7.9kg weight isn’t that noticeable. It feels faster than my 2013 Hi-mod 6kg Evo.
Very comfy also.
Didn’t realise it was set up tubeless and I had the tyres at 120psi, when I realised they come set up I dropped them to 90psi. I’m 6ft and 79kg.
I’m not particularly fast or powerful but I have ridden a lot of carbon bikes over the years working in bike shops and I still think Giant are as good as anything out there.
I switched with a guy I was riding with today, he had an Addict HMX Ultegra-Dura Ace mix disc bike with 1450g Cero ARD23 wheels and it didn’t feel any faster than the TCR. Around a kg lighter but not as solid.

There’s always a weight weenie in me so I’ve started looking at a few lighter parts already.


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Congrats on the new ride, great looking bike! Glad to hear it feel faster than bikes that are quite a bit lighter!

[parleez1]

Reviving this post as it’s been quiet for a while.
I have been looking at a 2018 TCR Advanced SL 0 with SRAM Red etap and a TCR Advanced Pro 1 with Ultegra Di2. Can anyone provide any feedback on the SL 0 and Red etap? I think I’m leaning towards the SL but have not ridden one or tried etap, so I’m curious what others think.
Price is good on a end of year deal so I have to act quickly before the remaining stock is gone. Oh, it’s the orange frame color, anyonrhave one? What do you think?
Thanks for the input!