Giant Defy 3 or Specialized Allez?
09-07-08, 12:52 PM
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Giant Defy 3 or Specialized Allez?
I'm a beginning rider and after going to a few shops have narrowed my search down to these two bikes. Out of the two which would be a better choice? Or would I be better off trying to find a used bike? An opinions or suggestions are appreciated.
09-07-08, 04:57 PM
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'Better' is all relative - component-wise, I think they're fairly comparable, so it probably comes down more to a matter of feel and what you're looking for. Personally, I've ridden both, and while I felt the Allez was a bit more nimble and responsive than the Defy, the Defy definitely had a smoother ride - if I'd had to pick between those two, I would have taken the Defy.
Both of them are fairly low-end as far as components go (mainly Sora gear), if you get more into cycling you may find yourself wishing you had higher-level components. What's your budget?
Both of them are fairly low-end as far as components go (mainly Sora gear), if you get more into cycling you may find yourself wishing you had higher-level components. What's your budget?
09-08-08, 05:41 PM
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'Better' is all relative - component-wise, I think they're fairly comparable, so it probably comes down more to a matter of feel and what you're looking for. Personally, I've ridden both, and while I felt the Allez was a bit more nimble and responsive than the Defy, the Defy definitely had a smoother ride - if I'd had to pick between those two, I would have taken the Defy.
Both of them are fairly low-end as far as components go (mainly Sora gear), if you get more into cycling you may find yourself wishing you had higher-level components. What's your budget?
Both of them are fairly low-end as far as components go (mainly Sora gear), if you get more into cycling you may find yourself wishing you had higher-level components. What's your budget?
09-08-08, 06:08 PM
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I'm in a similar boat as you. I ended up going with the Allez and just swapping the Sora shifters for Tiagra ones. As smccready said, it's definitely not the most comfy of rides, but it is quite nimble. However, since I'm not picky about comfort, I decided good handling was more important. I've had it for about a month, and I'm quite happy with it. It gets me around. 
09-08-08, 06:19 PM
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09-08-08, 06:31 PM
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To throw another 2 wrenches into the works - if you have a Performance Bikes in your area, you might see what sort of Fuji you can get for that price. Also, if you have an REI, they're closing out their '08 bikes, and the Cannondale Synapse 6 was something like $929, which is a nice price for a solid bike that has Tiagra components - so it'd be a step up from the other two you were considering.
Hope that helps ..
-Steve
