Gramin

Are you really sure you want your first post on BF to be in the Hot or Not thread? At least stage the bike correctly. For starters, remove the saddle bag. And mismatched bottle cages? Hard to imagine where two different saddle cages would look good on any bike.

NOT

Gus90

Man, this place is harsh, lol. And they're the same cages just different color to match the paint scheme somewhat, looked a hell of a lot better than if they were all white or all red imo

rjones28 

The Giant is nicely spec'd and well executed, but not my cup of tea.

gc3

As much as I think the Defy Advanced is a well-riding & comfortable machine, that one aint dressed very pretty....and this thread ain't for the thin-skinned....

Gramin

Yes, yes we are. If your bike has something on it that screams LOOK AT ME (e.g. those cages), then you're doing it wrong. We prefer understated and refined. Loud and obnoxious is rarely acceptable (such as big arse logos all over the place).

Gus90

Thanks, a kind soul at last. Its my first road bike, when i replace it i want something less....colorful.

Gus90

True, but it was on sale, I'm beginning to see why. Anyway, perhaps replacing the red cage with a matching white one would tone it down a bit. Last time i listen to the dork at the lbs.

Gramin

I'm not digging the red tape. Get an all black saddle and black tape. Match the cages. You might be able to get away with red, white or black cages, just have them the same color. Get rid of the logos on the wheels. And don't forget to stage it correctly... that is, remove the saddle bag, rotate the cranks, valve stems in correct position, etc.

bianchi10

The Giant is "Defy'nitely" NOT hot

See what I did there!!?? Sorry, Not

Gus90

That's good advice thanks, next replacement of tape will be black (originally it was white and I hated it) and I'm definitely replacing the red cage with a matching white one. May wait on the saddle for a bit but when it's time it'll be black. Thanks for the advice, its very much appreciated.

Gus90

your grammar or your clever use of defy, hard to tell.

bianchi10

Dont take this thread too seriously though Gus. The bike itself is nice. Really, its the stem angle and shifters for me. If this bike had a Flipped 6 degree and newer generation shifters, it would have a completely different look. As mentioned, swap out that red cage for a white one or black set. Not a fan of the red bartape either, I'd stick with black, but thats just me. This isn't something that I would normally say in this thread, but dont let this thread discourage you at all. If you like it, then ride it like its the hottest bike you have ever seen and be proud of it.

Yeah, I meant "The" not They. Glad I saw that AFTER I wrote the above

Gus90

Thanks, I did flip the stem that's in the one pic in front of my door. And a new set of brake shifters that use the zipp bars internal routing may be a decent investment to clean it up along with matching my cages and black tape. That should tone it down quite a bit. But taking the stickers of my new wheels is a bit too much, not going to care about that.

It's all good, I wouldn't have posted my bike here if I wasn't ready for honest critiques. Besides, I know its a little loud and obnoxious.

DXchulo

Hey Gus, if you like the way it looks who gives a **** what other people think? You're the one riding it every day.

primov8

I actually like the red tape; even better if it was the Fizik gloss red tape. IMO, it'll give it the perfect contrast. I'd also match the cages as well, either both black or white.

SirHustlerEsq

The seat bag on the Giant looks like one of those horse insemination devices used for collection on male horses. You said it was a little loud, so change the bar tape to black, cages to black, and it will probably settle-down the colors a lot.

Gus90

Do most of you carry your repair gear in your jerseys rather than a small bag?

Gus90

Thanks, I've seen that glossy tape before, not a fan though. It's its just too shiny.

Gus90

Well, you know, I'm riding with some hard core cyclists and we pass a horse ranch, you never know when one of them might get the urge to jack a horse, least I could do is let you borrow my seat bag.

SirHustlerEsq

It's comforting to know that I'm not the only rider in tune with equine sensitivities.

Gus90

Its all good, and if it were a thoroughbred you could sell it and help me finance all these changes you all suggest on my bike.

rjones28 

It's against "the rules" to make that comment in the same post you do the thing you're commenting on.

rjones28 

My repair gear goes in a seat bag.

SpeshulEd 

Listen to Bianchi10...if your bike rides fine and you enjoy it, don't feel the need to change things just to please some random people's opinions on the internet. You've been given a ton of advice to make your bike look better in a thread on a random bike message board, but in all reality, none of that matters. Just enjoy your bike. Of course, if you like to waste money on a hobby and are going for internet cred, then by all means, hang out here and you and your hard earned cash will soon part.

I don't (it's too hot in the summer to carry that crap on my back), but I do take it off for photo purposes.

If you haven't read "The Rules" yet, that's a good place to start to gain some bike snobiness...
Velominati ? The Rules

Gus90

So other than the saddle, you all are suggesting something more like this....

not mine but just did a quick search to see if I could find this bike with different parts.