Giant

eddykow said:

Happy Boxing Day everyone! I was just down at my LBD getting some slicks put on my bike for my new trainer and was looking a 2009 Giant Defy2 (new) asking 1149 cdn funds. Has anyone had experience with Giant bikes, or any other info? thanks and happy new year!!

no experience with the defy, but i have three of giants in the stable--two road and one mountain. i have no complaints. my tcr3 is a smooth ride and well built, never had any mechanical problems other than the usual replacement parts due to use. the mountain is an entry level rincon i use for getting here and there and again no complaints. give the defy a test ride and see if it feels good under you.

That's what I'll have to do.It's good to get some feed back and see if anyone has had trouble. I was also looking at devinci at another dealer and was told they had a lifetime warranty on the frame which is probably good because I'm a big guy(6'2", 250lbs).

eddykow said:

That's what I'll have to do.It's good to get some feed back and see if anyone has had trouble. I was also looking at devinci at another dealer and was told they had a lifetime warranty on the frame which is probably good because I'm a big guy(6'2", 250lbs).

Getting a test ride or seven is always the best thing to do. You can never really be sure what has driven someone's opinion.

Lifetime warranties: keep in mind that these only deal with defects from manufacturing or, if you can convince the company of it, design. They almost never deal with crash damage. With that said, both Giant and Devinci have solid reputations. It seems that the Defy series is well thought of. What should drive your decision is bike fit, how the bike feels on the road, and lastly how horny to ride the bike makes you. If you can get a long test ride--hour, hours, day or two--so much the better. I had a Moots bike a while ago, and before I bought it, Moots had sent a bike to an LBS, and I was able to test ride the bike for about 4 days. It costs you nothing to ask for a long test ride.

Crazy about my TCR Composite 0. No problems outside of routine maintenance, and the ride is a blast. By the way, cleaning and lubricating freehubs is routine maintenance of Mavic wheels.

oldbobcat said:

Crazy about my TCR Composite 0. No problems outside of routine maintenance, and the ride is a blast. By the way, cleaning and lubricating freehubs is routine maintenance of Mavic wheels.

Who brought up Mavic hubs?

I had a GIANT, but it was an AL, 6000 series, worst frame ever, but seems like ANY brand carbon fiber bike it's great (as I see composite GIANT bikes are being praised), nevertheless, AL GIANT not so great, though I had an AL frame before but not as bad as the GIANT.

The Giant Defy 2 I was looking has an AL frame, am I looking at trouble?

eddykow said:

The Giant Defy 2 I was looking has an AL frame, am I looking at trouble?

No. Not at all. Frame material is a minor consideration when it comes to bike comfort. Don't base your bike buying notions on the opinions--negative or positive--of only one person. Heck, you should even take forum opinions regarding any specific bike with a grain of salt. There are many things that go into someone liking or not liking a bike: attitude; temper; personal bias; bike fit; ignorance; tire pressure; seat comfort or lack thereof; and yada yada yada. Also remember, on a bike forum you're generally reading the thoughts and opinions of people who post anonymously. That is to say, they post behind a screen name.

You should base your bike buying decisions on how a bike fits you; how it feels when you ride it; possibly it's looks; and which or how many of your pleasure buttons it pushes.

alienator said:

Who brought up Mavic hubs?

If your Giant is equipped with Mavic wheels like mine was, I thought the tip would be helpful. A little off the wall but possibly helpful. That's all.

alienator said:

You should base your bike buying decisions on how a bike fits you; how it feels when you ride it; possibly it's looks; and which or how many of your pleasure buttons it pushes.

To the OP, this is the best advice...

oldbobcat said:

If your Giant is equipped with Mavic wheels like mine was, I thought the tip would be helpful. A little off the wall but possibly helpful. That's all.

Not off the wall given Mavic's OEM market share. Speaking of which, I wonder what their OEM market share is......

eddykow said:

The Giant Defy 2 I was looking has an AL frame, am I looking at trouble?

Not at all.

I was just down at another LBS(now I'm hot to trot/ride, and making all the rounds of the LBS's) and was looking at a brand new Specialized Roubaix,2008,Elite, and I know you have to ride them for the best fit,etc. but it's -12 C here. Is it a good/great deal at 1800 cdn?

eddykow said:

Roubaix,2008,Elite

That's a fine bike. The ride (elastomer inserts and slack head angle) and fit (l-o-n-g head tube) are truly plush. Frame's all carbon, with a decent 105-ish component mix.

Is there a way I can find the msrp on that 2008 Roubaix? When I look at these bikes I would like to know what it is and then I can decide if I am getting a deal (lol).It seams very hard to get msrp on the new bikes.

eddykow said:

Is there a way I can find the msrp on that 2008 Roubaix? When I look at these bikes I would like to know what it is and then I can decide if I am getting a deal (lol).It seams very hard to get msrp on the new bikes.

If I were you, I'd just use the prices listed for each bike on the Giant USA site.

I should have started another thread "Roubaix". It seams that not very many web sites have the msrp, I know Giant does but I started talking about Roubaix.Different LBS's I have been to have different prices for the same bike and seem to have the same services,fitting etc. Just wondered, thanks, this forum is fantastic..

eddykow said:

I should have started another thread "Roubaix".

Similarly equipped (basic carbon frame, 105, FSA Gossamer cranks and Tektro brakes) 2008 bikes came with an MSRP of around $2000. Being a somewhat premium brand, the Roubaix Elite was a little higher. Any dealer who still has these should be pretty motivated to make some floor space.

Based on your info,1800cdn funds is too high, IMHO.On the Specialized web site I found a cycling mag "road test" of that model(2008) and it said high speed turns and the brakes were its weak points, however for an old guy like myself, it will probably be a good ride.The brakes concern me however,at 6'2" and 245lbs, going downhill, eeeha!