BikeRadar Senior Technical Editor, Warren Rossiter, recently tested a flagship of bikes for the 2024 Bike of the Year awards. The Giant Defy came out as the clear winner in the Endurance category and as the Overall Road winner, earning a perfect score of 5/5 in Cycling Plus.
Rossiter opens his verdict boasting the weight of the Defy Advanced Pro model, describing it as a ‘seriously light frameset’ with the Large model weighing 8.48kg complete (with two bottle cages and out-front mount).
When discussing his ride impressions, the BikeRadar editor praises the steering as being “fast and responsive, making the bike a stunning descender.”
Rossiter claims there was increased comfort and stability thanks to the skinny flattened and dropped seatstays, sculpted seat-tube and slender fork.
The Defy is designed for optimal compliance, delivering a smooth and efficient ride quality. Rossier backs this up by discussing some of the Defy’s components.
“When you add that nimble feel to the grippy, big-volume, buzz-reducing tyres, plus the outstanding power and feel of the 105 brakes, it becomes incredibly confidence-inspiring, which translates into real-world speed.”
Rossiter claims the all-new Defy shines on all road terrain, excelling in both climbing and descending.
He writes “Point to point, over varied terrain, the Defy is about as speedy as they come. It’s race-bike fast on rolling terrain, no slouch on the flat (with a faster tyre, it’d be even better), and extremely good on prolonged climbs and descents.
To summarise, Rossiter describes the all-new Defy as a class leader and outstrips rival bikes costing much more. When giving his final verdict, he describes the carbon road bike as “A pure road-bike experience with performance, price and comfort all in its favour”
Read the full review in the July Issue 2024 of Cycling Plus magazine, or on bikeradar.com
Discover more about the Defy Range
