Originally Posted by robacycle

Hello All,


Looking for some different opinions. Well I went into my local bike shop looking for a new bike specifically the Giant Defy. I am currently riding a cheap walmart bike (GMC Yukon) that I just can't ride any longer and I am ready to upgrade. Numerous issues with riding this bike but I won't get into all that in this thread, anybody who has ridden a cheap bike and then ridden a not so cheap bike knows exactly what I would say.

Anyway so the local bike shop does not carry Giant bikes and told me quite frankly that they are boring and he recommends the Cannondale Caad 10 105 however that is above what I am willing to spend starting out. He then pointed me in the direction of the Cannondale Caad 8 Sora which he suggest mainly because of the stiffness of the frame and then he pointed me to the Specialized Allez Elite as the step down from the Caad 8 but not as stiff but stiffer than the snapyse.

I am a tall guy so these bikes will be in a 61 however in the cycle world to say a bike absolutely fits my height I would need a 63 however the only 63 they have is well above my price point and I feel great on a 61, although I haven't ridden a 63 to compare it to. I should add I wasn't able to test ride the Caad 8 or specialized elite yet because they were at the warehouse but i was able to ride a specialized something that was a 61 with a 2000 price tag that was really nice just to see how I fit.

I would like any opinions on the two bikes or other suggestions but I think I am pretty set on these two choices. I should also add I am regular rider, few times a week, long rides on the weekend type of rider. I live in so cal so I have the opportunity to hit hills from time to time.

Thanks