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Giant Defy Advanced 2 vs Cube Agree GTC Race
So on the look for a new decent road bicycle that I will be using for weekend long rides 40-50 ++ miles. I have a commuter bicycle that I use and abuse so I am looking for a nice bicycle that will help me have smooth and comfortable rides. Now I have been looking for a week or so, and after a lot of reading and viewing, I ended up being in between these two:
&
Now I am aware that Giant is in the market for a lot longer, so it has a big plus on the bike manufacturing business and the frames, however the Cube is full Ultegra and roughly 0.5kg lighter of what I discovered.
Question is, that I have never ridden a Cube bicycle and I am not sure what would be the best choice ? Should I chose better components over a "better" branded frame or follow the name & brand and lose on the rest ?
Any feedback would be great guys!
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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28 comments
Not sure if you have bought a bike yet, but i came across this earlier, http://www.bikesheduk.com/cube-agree-gtc-di2-slt-compact-2013, which may be tempting @ £1,499.00
6800 groupset is excellent compared to old 5700(10 speed with first and quite failing attempt of internal cable route from Shimano), but just a little weight advantage compared to 5800.
I have 6800 on my TCR adv 2014 and 5800 on my Fuji sportif 1.1 2015.
The 5800 only takes a little extra force to shift, and the extra friction mainly comes from the cheap cables(Cheap Jagwire one).
IMHO the reach adjustment in 5800(hex metal bolt) is more handy than 6800(plastic slot bolt).
So the 6800 groupset from the Cube one may not be your primary target.
If you are happy with disc brake(the future!), then Defy Advanced is definitely your best choice.
In fact, if Giant introduce Defy SLR, the super light aluminum frame with disc brake, I won't buy my Fuji sportif but Defy SLR as my commuter bike.
Advanced grade frameset is good enough for both sportive or even race,
which gives you a quite good upgrade basement.
Trust me, upgrade frameset is a tiring and expensive thing.
And if you are not a fan of disc brake, traditional aero/light bikes from Giant also have good cost-performance ratio.
Propel/TCR adv with 105 comp will save bucks for you to upgrade wheels, which are more more important than comp, especially when 105(5800) is as good as Ultegra/DA nowadays.
Personally, if the Cube one has a 105(5800) comp with a better wheels(personally, I prefer RS81-C35, used on my TCR adv), that would be a very nice choice for non-disc bikes.
Test ride both.
One other to consider, the Trek Domane. A friend of mine bought the £2000 one, uses it for sportives etc. Has stuck mudguards and other strange things on it and can now do 400 km audaxes on the thing!
No problem giving you my advice, I quite enjoyed going back through my thought processes! Was in a similar position to you 6 months ago, although from what you have said I have more experience than yourself. My last new bike was a steel Specialised Cirrus racer with Shimano Biopace chainrings (that's what Specialised started out with as a "hybrid") 25 years ago. 3 years ago I went up the ladder, to a 90's Italian ally frame with all new Campag kit, was a huge improvement for £500. I wanted a carbon frame this time, 11 speed with a 52/36 chainset. I would have liked something "boutique" or rare or different from everybody else's, and Giant were at the bottom of the list to start with. The online companies were strong favourites initially, just because of value for money. Canyon/Rose/Dolan/Planet X/Ribble, the usual lot. Rose were number 1 for me, the specs are very customisable, their bikes look great and are very light.
Work came up with a CTW scheme which ruled out any of the above, and made a retail bike competitive . My shortlist was still in double figures, all fairly normal "race" type bikes. I found if I tried to use logic and facts, I couldn't split them, they are all specced very similarly to within about £100 of each other. I didn't want to do it on colour or looks, but when I put a slideshow together of pictures of them, they merged into one.
At that point, I heard I may be able to get a deal on last year's Giant Defy, so went to look at it in the shop. It had gone but I saw the Propel range, and started to think on those lines. Comfort was a concern at first, but looking at the rides I did the year before, only 7 were 7-8 hours, 50 odd were around 3-4 hours, and 250 were about an hour, the average ride I did was about 2 hours. So comfort moved down the priority list, especially when reviews confirmed the Propel was pretty comfy, for a bike of its type. The demo ride on the 2.5k one clinched it. On top of that, the red and white paint scheme is to my eyes very attractive, a lot more interesting than all the blacker than black bikes you see everywhere.
If you are going to keep it long term, max your budget on the frame and then the wheels. This makes the biggest difference to how it rides, and these are the most expensive and difficult parts to replace. The drive train components will wear out much before the frame or the wheels, so you can upgrade the cassette chain etc as you go along for a more reasonable outlay.
The Giant Propel (the advanced version that I am looking - if that is the correct one you are talking about) is the same like the Defy with ultregra components. The frame is the same. I have checked that at the Giant store as well... Still hard to decided but I do think the Giant a lot as I sort of test ride it twice as well...
I have had a Giant Defy 2 (not the advanced) for about a year. I ride about 150 miles per week and did the C2C on it last year. I have found it very comfortable. For me spending a lot extra (it cost £800) would only bring very minor benefits. I regularly ride 30-50 miles and up to 80.
thanks for that, but I am after a carbon bike...
Bought a Giant Propel recently, fantastic bit of kit. Did 120 miles in 8 hours on it on Sunday, that's all the comfort/endurance I want.
Wouldn't worry too much about resale value if you are planning on keeping it 2-3 years and rack up a lot of miles; there won't be a lot of difference in any of the big names after that much usage. You probably will find a big brand easier to sell though than something more unknown. I bought my son a used Specialised Allez over a year ago in case he didn't use it much, figuring it would be easier to sell. When I rode it, I was surprised how good it was and started to question if I really wanted to spend 1.6k.
Giant stores (like a lot of shops) don't have a huge demo fleet to try. I wanted to try a Propel, but a 2.5k one rather than the 1.6k I bought. It was a good ride though, over an hour on roads I know, and I could have been out longer. Enough to get me seriously considering it, but common sense won in the end.
Evans are the other good store for demos. They will get in anything you want pretty much in a couple of days; you have to book it in advance, pay a (refundable) deposit and not ride it into a brick wall, but can have as long as you like on it. The email they send you looks like you have bought it, but don't panic! I tried a Fuji Transonic (similar to the Propel, but harsher and slightly more expensive) and also a Cannondale Supersix (more traditional race bike, very nice, but a little "conventional" once I had set my heart on the Propel).
Cannondale's Synapse is a more direct comparison to the Defy than the Supersix.
When I was looking, I preferred Rose to Canyon; the Rose site lets you customise almost every aspect of the bike, whereas Canyon was much less flexible. I also wanted to test ride though, so ruled both of them out.
From what you have said, I think you may be better off spending less, say £500 on a used Allez/Secteur or Defy, riding it for a year or two, and getting a better idea of what you really want and like, and then maybe spending the big money later.
That is a very detailed answer and much appreciated for your time
I have a Carrera Virtuoso so I want to move a carbon bike (an entry level, but would not mind to spend a little bit extra) that I will use for weekend long cycles only. I know that £1399 is a very decent amount to give for a bike like that, but I might end up sticking to it for a very longer time than what I anticipate. So basically I am trying to project myself to what my future holds and how I would feel. Because, you can always upgrade the bike (the Giant that I am after), and by that I mean the components. I might be sound confused but I probably have made my mind on Giant, I am just trying - probably too much - to think how will it be in the future... which I should not! I should just stick with a decision and over think about it haha.
ah all day comfort...
This came up through Spokely , amazing bike if you like the classics- Reynolds 853 with Athena and Chorus. BUT its only available in a 52cm. Im not sure but I'd guess it's down at Gatwick for test rides.
As all day bikes go (and resale value) this is up there if you're a fan of the old school.
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cooper/revival-11-2014-road-bike-52c...
52cm is too small for me, plus I am not fun of the old school
Also regarding the Giant TCR 2014, I am not sure why cyclesurgery has it for £1399 when giant store has the 2015 for £1249...
http://www.giant-stpauls.co.uk/en-gb/bikes/model/tcr.advanced.2/19191/77...
Yeah the steel look isn't for everyone!
That is a seriously good bike for the money. Just seen the TCR 1 on there too,
Yeah, depending on the use you get REALLY good bikes at the Giant store (website), and I have heard a very good feedback for Giant frames overall... and truth to be told they are in the business for a very long time!
Spokely Cycling is showing that you can get the Giant TCR 2 at Cycle Surgery down from £1900 to the same price as the Defy. As long as you take a Med or Large. Or a one off Norco with Ultegra from Evans... (Searching for 'Bikes' with a filter of 25% off)
I did have a look on the TCR 2014 model though, so I might have a look tomorrow or tonight in Holborn that they have the model as it very similar to the Defy advanced 2 2015, with the difference of no disc breaks, but still full 105.
So lets see how it is and Thanks for the info
Rose is similar to Canyon, online only. No ability to try before you buy I'm afraid. You are basically buying on 3rd party reviews and spec.
Depends what you are comfortable with, and whether you need assistance with frame sizing and fit.
much appreciated your information, but more keen on trying before buying really, especially when I will spend over £1k for it
Because 1K is a lot of money for you to spend then it is even more imperative for you to get the best value for money bike.
What you can do is try out a few bikes at your LBS and look at their geometry stats and then compared them and to see which geometry suits you the best. Then you look at Rose's geometry and see if it is something that will suit you.
You want more racy or more comfortable and relaxed? From your choice of Giant Defy it is an indication you want Endurance type bike then Rose Xeon CDX should be just fine for you.
Choose the right sizing. If got all of it wrong or you don't like the bike you have 30 days money back guarantee. You loose nothing but a bit of your time and effort. Might be even fun to go through the whole process and in the end you will end up with a bike you love.
Well my budget is between £1000-£1500 as I want to keep it still low and get a good value for money.
I am looking for a bike that will provide endurance but also long smooth rides. Talking around in different shops, they all say that Giant Defy Advanced 2 is for those long smooth rides compared to Cube. And as I mentioned before, I will not get a bike before I try so buying something online before testing it, is not an option that I would follow
Plus one thing that I am thinking is the after sale value. If I do get very keen on the long rides, I might decide in 2-3 years to sell this one and get a much more expensive and I think Giant will always have the good value in the market...
Basically I am thinking about the purchase from every aspect possible...
As I said on another recent Cube related thread, I really like the bikes, but I've had a bit of trouble with the wheels. For me it was the cheap Fulcrum Racing 77s, on which the freewheel decided to stop working, but I suspect the OEM mavics are a bit better.
Something that does bother me about the giant is the non-series cranks, and that's one of the things that pushed me towards cube when I bought my bike.
I would agree on the crank as well, this is the only thing that actually makes me worried or think about it too much... is a win win situation I guess. My problem is that I rode the Giant for like 10 minutes, whereas the Cube is not available anywhere at the moment for me to see it and give it a go
A lot of it depends on what you plan on doing in the long term. Is this a starter bike that you might replace in a couple of years to something shinier - or is it a long-term purchase that you are likely to upgrade in future rather than replace.
For me - I'd probably lean towards the Giant of those two - assuming you'd upgrade in future.
My new Rose is currently being shipped to me at the moment - you might want to consider: http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/bike/rose-xeon-dx-2000-761503/aid:761505
I would get it as an entry bike, that will also push me to do long rides every weekend (spending that much money, I will be doing it more often!), but I am not sure whether I will upgrade it or sell it eventually for a more decent one. We are looking for 2-3 years time from now so different decisions will be taken if that makes sense.
I had a look on the Rose and it does look quite nice as well - thanks for that! Do you know if there are any stores in London that have Rose bikes to view ?
If the guy doesn't want disc then you can look at this bike.
https://www.canyon.com/en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3679
tricky. full ultegra or partial 105 and good disc brakes.
Well the Disc Break that Giant is using is also one of the top on the list of non-hydraulic ones. And apparently the 105 of 2015 only lose in weight compared to the Ultegra. That is from information that I have read online though... so nothing from personal experience...
I've a Cube at the moment (2013 Agree GTC), you get a lot of bike for the money and I've been happy with mine. I'm upgrading it now a couple of years later, but it's certainly served me well doing 60-80 miles most weekends.
Thanks sergius. I did have a chat with a guy at cyclesurgery and he did suggest Giant is better frame wise but at the end of the day is whichever makes you feel better when you ride it. But we are also talking about the comparison of components ie, Ultegra vs 105 & Disc breaks... so I might have to wait if anyone else has more to add