Hello, I'm a new member. I've been doing a lot of research on road bikes and I'm currently deciding between a Giant TCR advanced 2 and a Giant Defy Advanced 2. I'm leaning towards the Defy because they appear to be a bit more up to date and preferable for commuting and longer rides.

I live in South Korea and the prices at the moment are around $1500/£900 for both bikes which seems like a pretty good deal, but I'm worried that the 2016 models may push the prices down more or the deals could be good on the new models.

Would you take the plunge now or hang on until after the Tour de France, when I'm assuming the new models will start appearing?

There is very little info about new models and the weather is great now so my money is burning a hole in my pocket.

I might wait, but then I'd have to wait.

This is the burning issue. I feel waiting may be more fruitful, but then I have to wait.

Some 2016 models are already in the shops in the UK, will depend on brand an model though, add to that popular models may have long sold out of 2015 stock, so waiting for the 2016 maybe the only option (have heard of this for 2015 MTB's road bikes, not so much)

I live in Seoul, so there are tons of bike shops. I can get the models I want, and there is a 20% sale on now. I know some of the cheaper models are coming out which is what's making me want to hang on, but summer is only so long and once Korean winter hits that's 6 months of sub zero temperatures.

Do you want to ride now, or next year? How important is it for you to save a little bit of money? If I were you, I would buy now and enjoy riding this summer. I doubt the discounts will be that big to make up for so much lost riding time. Someone on this forum once broke it down as price per km. If you get a more expensive bike now and ride it more vs. a cheaper bike that you get to ride less because of the approaching winter, the price per km might be about the same. I thought that was a good way to look at it.

Of course, I'm a bit of a fanatic so the idea of waiting a really long time to ride a new bike just sounds like insanity to me.

Do you want a bike to ride now, or not? unlike the last few years, there should be no major changes in bike specs for 2016. The only groupset having major change is Shimano Tiagra, Just about everthing above this is 11 speed. If you are looking at discs, that may be a reason to wait, if looking at a SRAM equipped bike, but Shimano stays the same for 2016, apart from Flat Mount, which may not be widely used till 2017.

I think you guys are right, the extra riding may make up for whatever saving I could make. Is £900 a good deal for the Defy Advanced 2?

I would wait to see which bike wins the Tour, because thats the one I want to ride.

Always buy a bike on clearance when the new models come out. That brand new 2016 that you pay full price for will be outdated in 12 months. It's like when I was chasing computer technology in the 90's and buying a new computer every 6 months when a new Pentium processor would come out. I eventually gave up.

The Giant Defy Advanced 2 uses the new 105 that's just come out for 2015 - the 2016 model is unlikely to be any different, apart from perhaps a different paintjob. It's unlikely to change for the next 3-4 years. I'd buy now.

The ones on clearance are usually very large or very small frames. The price may be lower but what good is that if they don't have your size.

2016 TCR is coming on 6/28, and should be available in the end of july in US, so I may wait if I were you.

I would wait for the 2017 models, heard there are some MASSIVE improvements coming.

There is supposed to be a redesign so if you are leaning toward TCR you might want to wait a few weeks, if you like the Defy that sounds like a great deal on the Defy

Unless you live someplace like I do in southern California. Some of the huge shops order so many popular models like Defy or CAAD that there are always leftovers in popular sizes.

I think the most important thing to watch for is the color scheme you like. If you like the looks of a current model grab it. Otherwise wait in the hopes that next year's will have cooler colors.

My fear is sizing. They might not have your size available anymore in the '15 when the '16 come out. If the price is good, everyone will jump on them.


As for me, price is everything. If the price is good, grab it and forget about the possibility for further reductions.

Have you been to this shop ast year? Was it common business practice to drop the prices further when the next gen was released?

My bike shop lowered the price and the price I paid in January was still the price in May for the 2014 I purchased. Sizes became very hard to come by in May. I am glad I grabbed when I did.

I always remember that there is someone with deeper pockets able to afford the slight price drop and it will not get to a bigger one so that I can better afford it. If you are in the middle of the road sizes, they tend to sell out faster as soon as the slightest price drop occurs.

good luck and post a picture when you get the bike.

As others have said (differently), the main reason for waiting is to get the OLD model cheaper, not to buy the new model. So if you will be buying the same bike, can you live with paying just a little more to have now?

Trying to time things rarely works out for the best. You may save a little money but you will lose the time from riding. Based on where you live, you should buy now when you can ride. Chasing the latest and greatest will only drive you crazy. If you have a bike than you could wait for the sales but if you do not than I would recommend getting one. As was stated before, deals are usually found on the smaller or larger models that are left over, not the common sizes.
The 2016 Giants that you listed are not going to be much of a difference from the 2015 anyway. Strike now and ride while you can.
Good luck either way.

strike while the iron is hot.

Maybe you could ask them if they will price match any discounts that occur in the next 30-90 days. That way you can get the bike now, but if they put them on clearance within that time frame, you can go back and get some money back (or at least store credit to buy more accessories). And if you phrase it as store credit, they may be more likely to do that type of deal.

GH

At least over here, major brand name bikes rarely go on sale, unless they're clearing them out for the next model year. It sounds like your shops are already there, so I'd buy now.

As you can tell from the many snarky posts in this thread, it's always possible to convince yourself to wait for the next model - it's got to be better! The reality is that improvements in the cycling world are usually incremental and the price never goes down, only up.

Buy it, get riding, and enjoy it for many years.

Why waste your money on an 11-speed bike, when 12-speed is right around the corner?

You jest, but new TCR will probably have disc brake option so food for thought