dpc1192

I am looking into buying a bike for NYC. I used to live in Florida (which is totally flat, vs. NYC which has some small hills and bridges) where I had a fixed gear, but now that I live in Manhattan I decided that it's probably a good idea to get a bike with gears and brakes to ride to work and for fun/exercise. My ride will be from SoHo to the Chelsea Galleries which is a little over 3 miles each way on the days I have work, and then who knows how much I'll ride on my days off!

My budget is around $500-$600, so I thought a true road bike would be totally out of the question. BUT then I saw the DEFY 5 on GIANT's website. It looks like a solid bike, and is the only road bike made by a respected manufacturer that I found in my budget. (no clipless pedals please)

I was previously looking at Hybrid bikes before finding the DEFY 5, like the Cannondale Quick 6, the Trek 7.2, the Specialized Sirrus Sport (which is on sale at a LBS by my apartment for $499 from $600) and the Jamis Coda Sport.

Does anyone here own, or have experience with the DEFY 5, and if so would you recommend it ? I was leaning towards either the Specialized or the Cannondale Sport Hybrid, but now I'm leaning VERY HEAVILY towards the GIANT DEFY 5!

(The cheaper the bike the better, but I am looking for a proper high quality bike that will last me a long time and that I can put some money into over time.)

Please get back to me soon, I am planning on pulling the trigger tomorrow on a brand new bike!!

CafeVelo

I used to sell giant, defy 5 is fine. The price point is met by using an alloy fork rather than the carbon legged fork usually found on competitors entry level road bikes. Components are basic but reliable. It makes for a far better bike than a hybrid if you want a road bike

FeltF2Tarmac

Really good starting point if that is your budget. Go ride one and decide for yourself. Nothing wrong with a hybrid but the road bike positioning and drop bar hand placement options are nice for longer rides. It's not going to hold you back, very capable bicycle and will give many years of service. Giant is a great value for price company, at least from my experience.

Hoonigan

I have a defy 1 and I love it. I've seen the sirrus and it is also a super nice bike as well.

trainsktg

I have a 2014 Defy 5 that I bought in in late 2014. I have four bikes, but over that time the Defy has been my main winter/general training/commuting bike. The original 8sp Claris groupset performed admirably until I had to replace it after 5,000 miles. The only reason I upgraded it to an 11sp 105 was so that I could swap my power meter between bikes.

Edit. I wasn't too impressed with either the original saddle or tires, the latter of which is very thin. After several flats within the first couple of hundred miles, I installed Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires, which proved to be both puncture proof and excellent in wet weather.

Keith

Essex

The Defy doesn't seem unlike my Giant Rapid. The tires that came with it were junky. That said - the Giant is my go-to bike for junking around (fast) when I don't want to take out the Tarmac bike. It's definitely a good bike for the roads of NYC. All said- when I ride the cobblestones of Soho/Tribeca I like my MTB bike more.

dpc1192

I'm not going to get a MTB just because I may ride it through cobblestone for a couple of blocks. I have two friends who live/work in SoHo (one on Crosby, one on Wooster) who both ride fixed gear bikes, so I can't imagine the "cobblestone" is that much of an issue.

Were you saying that the Giant is a good bike for my needs ? The use of the word "junking" threw me off. I'm curious would you recommend buying new tires right off the bat for my ride home from the shop? I was thinking about possibly getting a new saddle right of the back to use on it, at first I thought I would want a brooks saddle, but now that I'm getting a new road bike I don't think a brooks saddle will go very well with it's modern aesthetic.

dpc1192

What saddle did you go with to replace to GIANT one that came with the bike?

CafeVelo

You should always use the saddle that fits your ass, not the one which is popular.

Essex

The Giant is a bargain for the price. Really. The tires that came with mine had a defect in the tire bead and I did change out the seat for a better one. One that fit me better. Of course, if you decide to park it on the street with a chain you're going to have to swap out the skewers or find your wheel missing pretty quick. Brook saddles are nice - but man of man - the ones I used to ride hurt like nutz.

The Giant is going to do you fine when you decide to ride in Central Park, go up the Hudson to the GWB, or take it on the subway to Coney Island.

trainsktg

Agreed. I've been through half a dozen until I found some that I can tolerate. I borrowed a few from friends and bought a few used ones whittling down the general shape before settling on a Specialized Toupe and Romin.

Keith