This Bike Proves You Don't Need To Spend Big Money - 2024 Giant Defy Advanced 1 review 

A great review. I'm an 81 year old rider who recently replaced my 12 year old Roubaix with the Defy Advanced 1 and am loving it. I immediately replaced the wheels with Shimano WH-RS710-C46-TL carbon wheels and the tires with Continental Grand Prix 5000 All Season tubeless tires for a significant weight saving without any reduction in comfort. I plan to use the stock alloy wheels and tires for some light gravel riding after putting tubes in the tires.

I really appreciate your no-nonsense, get-right-to-it reviews. You focus on the real issues & concerns of the Dedicated Cycling Enthusiast. This is all a great help in making our way to the right cycling product/technology decisions that aid in the physical active experience & enjoyment of our sport.....thank you.

Hi, I brought mine in February and nearly done 900km on it. Absolutely great bike, love it! Thankfully I had some other wheels and tyres that's the only downside. But would recommend to anyone¡

I bought this model in Australia about a month ago for $4500 AUD. It's an awesome bike for the price. This video perfectly encapsulates how I feel about it. Highly reccomend.

I have this model and I did upgrade the wheels to Carbon & cranks to GRX for even easier gearing when you have COPD every breath is a struggle they say you can't fit GRX cranks 2mm+ offset over 105 but with some careful tweaking it does. and it works great with no issues at all.

I bought this model. I also considered the Advanced Pro. Beautiful bike, but I already had a set of carbon wheels and I’m not 100% confident of hookless wheels. Wrapped my carbon wheels in GP5000 STR and put the stock wheel and tire set away as a back-up/ winter set. I am absolutely thrilled. It feels so fast, nimble and comfortable.

I have the advanced 2 and after swapping wheels to That aerodynamist 40s and tires to Goodyear eagle f1 32s it really improved the speed. Finally I changed the saddle to a Selle Italia Novus boost carbon. I love it and did a 70 mile sportive yesterday keeping up with thinner guys on expensive aero Bianchi's and specialised weapons. great review

I am beyond delighted - David nailed this review - this is one of the best bikes out there for the value and for health and safety as well - super race geometry is not appropriate for many - not comfortable and over time bad for the c-spine, resulting in risk of future neck surgery - the endurance sport geometry is totally correct. Also I totally agree only flaw of this bike (as a owner) are the wheels, easy corrected - I run 39V bontrager, and vittoria corsa pro control 34, will go down to 30

That is exactly what I have and what I did. Upgraded the bars, wheels, tires and saddle for a size small at 7.3 Kg with pedals, cages and computer mount. Not too bad for something with DI2 105 for an old guy. Great ride, looks good. All and all, pretty happy with how it turned out. Good review and good on you for presenting these alternatives to the much more expensive models.

3:28 There isn't a d-shaped steerer, it is normal round profile. Another plus compared to the more expensive models.

I have the 2022 model and it checks all the boxes

Great review keep it up!

Fantastic video! I am thinking of buying this exact bike in the near future

Thank you. A great and detailed review

This is the exact bike I’ve recently purchased. I’ve swapped out the wheelset for some light weight 50mm deep ones and some top spec tires. So it’s great to see my decision justified by someone who knows what they’re talking about. Cheers David

Great review. You have helped to decide that this is the bike that I want. As someone who would be coming off a heavy commuting bike, I think it'll be a while before the wheels bother me.

I have exactly this bike and have Zipp 303S with 32mm GP5000s on it as well as Deda Superzero carbon bars and Ultegra compact chainset. Love it, really think it's the sweet spot in terms of marginal gains for more money from this point up. Mine is size L, weighs 8.1kg bare Review nails it.

Just bought a near mint condition, 2nd hand 2020 TCR Adv Pro Compact and a pair of Hunt Superdura Aero wheels for less than £1500 all in.

I bought the 2022 version of this bike recently (NOS) and you are right about those wheels I am not a weight snob but they are hefty the rear reminds me of my commuter with hubs gears......

Good review, so hard to find Giant 105 di2 endurance bikes in stock here in Canada.

Has Giant finally resolved cracking seat post with d-fuse ?

I want a bike for my 25km (50 round trip) commute. The elevation gain on the return is 400m. I am considering this specific model. Thanks for posting!

David, this review coupled with your 105 di2 v sram rival group set, is the defy 0 worth the extra couple of hundred quid ?

@David Arthur, do you know if the Giant Advanced Pro 1 ready for Giant Ridesense 2.0 ? If so, would it make sense to install it and measure power (watts) thru the GPS ? Or would it make sense to invest into power meter pedals ?

I bought the previous model (2023) with 105 di2 and a nice discount. I changed the PR2 wheels and OEM tires, but as I did not want to go hookless (what Giant carbon rims are), I purchased Roval C38 carbon wheels and Sworks Turbo tires. So far really happy about this combo!

How about the older gen compare? I’m considering getting a used one.

I bought this exact bike and had a set of carbon wheels already I swapped on to this and added nice tyres. Its an excellent summer climbing bike and very nice winter bike with full mudguards. Is it as fast as a full aerobike...nope, but its still pretty speedy for an endurance and the handling is great. Comfort is pretty good but not outstanding. I had the old defy and found it just a bit too upright so the new geometry is spot on for me. The saddle is comfy but heavy, you can save a lot of weight there. Basically I agree with what David said in his review.

I have the Deft Advance Pro 1 and it’s an awesome bike! Only change I made was to the tires to GP5000

can you do a comparison of a 2014 TCR vs like an SL7? I think its close to 70-100 watt difference with the same components in a strong headwind.

Wanted to swap my Canyon Ultimate for a Defy becasuse i wanted to try a more relaxed geometry but the 2024 Defy geo is more stretched out from older models so now its not that far for the Ultimate geo. Waiting now for Canyon Endurace to stock up.

I own this bike as well and absolutely love it!!!!

I bought the previous model with 105 Di2, put giant carbon wheels and better tyres on it straight away….i love it, rides so well and plenty quick enough for my ability level. Giant do offer great value for the money

Great review! I'm considering getting this bike. How do you think it compares to the Merida sculptura endurance 6000 wich also looks like great value for money?

very keen to get one of these. Bought the revolt advanced 0 but don't think it will realistically double as a road bike for racing

We are normalizing 3000 pounds as entry lvl now?

Picking mine up Monday 17th here in Sydney. I upgraded from a Merida Cyclocross which weighed a ton (>12kg). The group set on the Merida was SRAM Apex which was total rubbish and the breaks were equally cactus. Can't wait to get onto something decent that will LAST!

David, are you sure of the bike weight you quoted of 8.6 kg before wheel and tyre upgrade ? I bought the defy 0 and it comes in around 9.2 kg. Only difference I can see is SRAM rival over 105 Di2.

Great review. I'm still riding my 2009 version of this bike and loving it. Mine is probably a lot lighter with the upgrades I did. The Ican aero 40s wheels really made a difference. I have over 12k miles on this bike. Good you recommend replacing the wheels. Giant wheels aren't that good.

The new Defy looks smart. Although I bought 23 model TCR Advanced 1 in Jan in the sale with the same wheels as the Defy in your review. Recently picked up a pair of Scope carbon rims with pzero tyres the difference is amazing compared to the stock wheels/tyres. To make it better bike and wheels cost £300 less than RRP

Hi David! Thank you always for great reviews! I am a big fan! If you would choose only one bike and don’t race, what’s your pick? An Aethos Expert with Rival AXS or a Defy Advanced Pro 1? I know they have different purposes, but what would bring you more smile? Cheers from Japan!

Excellent, very informative review - just what I was looking for, and I suppose also for a lot of others who love cycling on nice bikes, but doesn't want/have at trillion to splash out on a bike (it won't make us any faster anyway). Thanks a lot 🙏

How tall are you? I see your using frame size ML

Very tempting 👍

Whats up david all the way from Bakersfield ca.. Can we get an update on your Giant TCR Bike build

Would love to a giant road bike comparison tcr, propel, defy. And bring back the wind tunnel test.

I got this bike at a discount and swapped out saddle, wheels and tyres just as you describe - in addition to weight reduction of c.1kg there is a major improvement in comfort on poor road surfaces.

@David Arthur, wondering if you can recommend the best pedals and GPS for GIANT DEFY ADVANCED PRO 1 bike 2024 (uni corn color)

Entry level? Isn’t my Canyon Endurace 8 AL Disc entry level?

Would like to see this Vs Revolt, like you did with the TCR

I have this bike and I love it

you re a big fan of Giant 🥰

It's like you read the dilemma in my mind. Been toying with going cheaper model and upgrade over more expensive. I think you convinced me to go cheaper though as I'd still end up upgrading stuff on the more expensive one and could be down at 7.8kg with a nice light weight set of carbon hoops and 28mm or 30mm GP 5000S TRs.

A great upgrade to this bike would be Shimano Rs710-c32 wheels. Carbon rims with a modern design, only 1504g and part of the 105 series, so match the Di2 spec. With some nice Vittoria Corsa NeXT 32c tyres and latex tubes, or go tubeless. You’d be all in for under £4k and what a great bike you’d have. I still love my Roubaix SL8 though!

I just bought a TCR adv 2 (105) for $1800. After swapping in my previous wheels, saddle and crank it weighs 16.3 lbs. It has a 73 degree head angle which I think is perfect for spritely road rides and centuries alike. The idea that a bike needs a slacker head tube or longer wheel base is a head scratcher to me. I did give it some redshift bars with a 20mm rise, and that changed the effective geometry to give the bike just a little bit more stack which makes it an all day comfortable with road racing snappiness. I guess I don't personally understand the idea behind the "endurance" segment. When I want something fatter than 28c tires im on my gravel bike. A bike like this just seems a bit boring to me. You can increase effective stack if you need to and adjust your reach with stem lengths as needed. But road bikes are fun when they are spritely. When you lose this feeling, they start to feel like a hybrid. IMO.

Awesome video as always Dave. 👌 Looking forward to the new TCR advanced pro 0 video when you get your hands on it over here, having just pre ordered one.

Caught the 2023 earlier this year for 2400€ I think, the list price was 3200€ I believe? Was a good steal. Got 24mm internal/30mm external carbon wheels with DT350 hubs built and put 32mm GP5000 with Vittoria Latex tubes and Schwalbe valve extenders on. And put Assioma Duo for power meter goodness on there. I think thats really decent value for money.

Saw one yesterday on an audax ride. Seriously tempted but Giants are everywhere

I've found that mine has an awful amount of chain slap. Any tips from others?

Looked at this but opted for Merida Scultura 4000. Thought $3000 Aussie was enough to spend. Mech 12 speed 105, tubeless. Works for me.

Hi Dave, great review as always. I have recently got a defy advance 0 and was considering upgrading the wheels. Would a pair of zipp 303s be a good choice for Uk roads?

I have the 2024 advanced pro. Nice bike but that dfuse handlebar is just marketing bs. Alu bars don't flex.

Just to answer your question, I would definitely go with an option of Giant Defy Advanced Pro 1 with carbon wheels right from the beginning and avoid the hassle of upgrading the wheels later with an option of Giant Defy Advanced 1. Anyway, you would end up spending the same amount of money later if you go with an option of Giant Defy Advanced 1. If someone decides to buy the carbon wheel set later, it is going to cost even more than than price of Giant Defy Advanced Pro 1. However, please do the math yourself.

I just want the frameset

Take a look at the new Propain Terrel CF!

David good and fair analysis but Giant either just raised prices or will in near future. It still may be an affordable package.though.

Put a 1x with a mullet set up on it and she will be a real sweet bike.

Would have been better to fit mechanical 105 with better wheels and tyres.

Great video, but you should definitely check your numbers before recording. The pro 1 has never been 4700 pounds, has always been 4600 full price, directly from Giant. Also important to mention that 10, 12 and 15% discounts happen every week - most often in smaller bike shops up North, they are already sold out in the South. You also get a better fork, lighter handlebars, seatpost, different saddle. So the undiscounted difference is 1400 pounds. Buying the wheels the Pro comes with from Giant is 1200 in itself, discounting all the other upgrades. Of course you can find cheaper good wheels, but that's not the point. And if both bikes are discounted by the same %, that brings the actual cost difference even closer. So going for this one over the pro might be a good shout if you know you want those upgrades later, but are strapped for cash right now. Meanwhile the Pro is positioned as a bike that has everything that you would want, and don't need to upgrade anything for a long while. Apart from the tyres if you are only riding on road, but they are the same on both bikes.

any idea why they are sticking with press-fit bb? the brands focusing on genuine quality are all moving over to threaded at this point on most new models..

Weight isn't everything, but I'd be disappointed to pay over £3000 for a bike that still comes just over 9kg (especially when the Boardmand 8.9 SLR is lighter, good-enough Shimano 105, and £1200). Is that really great value?

You mentioned the fit was great on the M/L frame. I am 178cm. Would I fit a M or M/L? Thanks for your great reviews!

How tall are you?

It should have carbon wheels and better tyres as standard for £3k plus. I have the equivalent of those on my Revolt, the px2 wheels which are over 2kg of landfill!

Nice slim looks. Giant makes better looking frames nowadays. Indeed my price range❤

But the seat pin sliding problem….

Shame you can't buy it as a frameset

But even that bike is spending big, it's still alot of money

Defy advanced Di2 2023 ✅

..."provided you upgrade the wheels and tyres"....sums up Giant bikes...great value, great bikes...but I wish I could order one without the stock Giant wheels

I'd looove a new Defy, but this model costs $5000 Australian and I'd still need/want to spend >$1500 on some better wheels. I had the stock PR2 wheels on my Giant Contend alloy road bike, and they were definitely >2kg tank wheels. Welcome to 2024, when dropping $5k gets you an "okay" bike 🙄 I think spending AUD$3800 on the Defy Advanced 2 with mech 105 is better value if you're going to upgrade the wheels anyway. The Adv 2 doesn't have a 105 crank but everything else looks identical.

So for around 5 grand, you can have a really nice bike with the wheels you want that cost around 1800 bucks.

Will go for the adv 2 and get 2 sets of light bicycle wheels (45's gravel and 56's for road/allroad).Will sets me back 4400 euros, so up to the pro 2 a proper holiday Budget saving😅

Dave... unless simething has changed your description of giant levels doesnt match what i have experienced: the advanced and the pro cannot be the same frame because the steerer on the pro and sl has a different size to the advanced. The steerer is thicker uses bigger bearings and is the reason you cannot swap out a normal stem on an advanced or pro bike. I belive giant calls the system overdrive 2. The idea is similar to a tapered steerer on a mountain bike (in that it is a tapered steerer) but they also run a bigger bearing up top 1.25 instead of 1.125. Hence the need for special stem... my tcr is running a zip stem which comes with set .125 shims to let you adjust stem angle. I am running it without a shim.

With a tire and wheel upgrade you made it an 8kg bike. You really have to want to spend more to justify Ultegra or Dura-Ace Di2.

So people do not understand what “budget” and “not a lot of money” is anymore? I can buy a car for that kind of money. A comfortable car that could get at least 100,000 miles out of. Do not tell me it’s raining while you’re pissing on my leg. Budget is less than a thousand…and before anyone says you can’t do that…look at Poseidon…I don’t think any of their bikes start at over a thousand and they’re good…no scratch that…they’re AMAZING bikes on a real budget.

heavyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Yeah £3k is still big money, you can pay a lot less and still get a good bike that most people would still be happy with.

I guess everyone has different definitions of “Big Money”.

Carbono frame in speed ok, MTB no because fall.....

If you’re looking for a bike and one of the features you desire is a carbon frame that will crack…get a Giant.

FFS! Stop saying that a 3k plus pounds bike with a 105 group set its good value for money.

Nice bike for sure. 👍 However, with my budget, I would be more interested in the bikes in the price range between 1000 and 2000 euros. Hence, this would be rather alloy-frame or sometimes steel-frame bikes. I would also target all-road or gravel bikes. Just saying. 😉

Since when are 3000 pounds not big money? Cycling world is crazy

When have we started to consider a 3.599€ bike + 1.200€ wheel upgrade a cheap bike!! 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

Sorry..i want my hyperbike...even though im not hyper. Tell all the guys with Harleys that they only need a scooter...or the new vet, classic Porsche you on my need a civic. Some of us can now finally afford the stuff that makes us want to get on the bike. Or get out and rude the Harley. Its not about just function for sone of us.

Someone at giant thought the geometry was not aggressive enough. W t f

You have to be pretty serious about cycling to spend even 3 grand on a push bike. The problem is we are so conditioned to accept £5k or higher as normal these days. As bikes loose money so much and quickly why not look out for a s/h 2023 model at probably half RRP.

The wheels are absolutely horrific and shouldnt be part of a £3000+ package.

Here is a $1millon dollars. Now compare that to $500k, well thats not a lot of money. 3000 pounds. Thats a lot

Still very expensive for a bicycle