Ebubar

Tested a Giant Defy 5 (M/L) size and Giant Defy 3 (M) today.

The frames felt great. Very nice and smooth and both reasonably comfy.
Definitely didn't like the shifting on the 2300, so would want at least the Defy 3.
The new Sora shifters felt great and were nice and smooth, IMHO.

Now to the question:

The M felt a little better but had significant heel strike on what I would call
a gentle test ride. The pedals seemed really close to the ground (I guess a lowish bottom bracket).
This, to me, is a deal breaker.

The M/L felt a little too big (stretched out too much), but no heel strike and the bike felt like it would
really move when I pedaled. When I really think about it, the bike responded very nicely to
my legs.

My first thought at the shop was a M felt better, but I really don't like the pedals hitting the ground.
Don't really see a good solution for this problem.

The M/L did respond better, but felt a little too stretched. I suspect I could get a shorter
stem and move the seat forward a little to accommodate this. I'm also wondering how much of this
is a result of me being comfortable on my upright hybrid and M size being more upright like this.
Perhaps my "discomfort" with the M/L was more a result of needing to get used to riding a road bike.

FYI: I have a 33.5" inseam and am around 5'9" (shoeless).

Thoughts on my sizing? Should I go for a M and get used to pedals that can hit the ground or upsize
to the M/L and try a shorter stem and more forward seat?

garciawork

With that inseam I would say M/L, but you are my height, and I would be on a M all day long. I have no issues with heel strike on any of my bikes, and I run 175mm cranks and just have to monitor my pedaling through corners so I don't have pedal strike, but it isn't a big issue.

megalowmatt

When you say "heel strike", your heels actually hit the ground?

jdom

I just got the giant defy 2 composite and I love it.I am 5'8" with an inseam of 32" and the medium fits me like a glove.I have not had any problems with pedal strike when cornering.If this is happening maybe your cornering technique needs some work.When pedaling through a corner I keep the bike straight up,or near straight up and lean my body in towards the inside of the corner.I think the medium would probably be the right size for you,see if you you can get the bikeshop to give you a fit to be sure though.

Ebubar

I think I might have used the wrong term. I mean to say that the bottom of the pedals were scraping the ground.
It could be chalked up to the cages/straps extending a bit lower than the pedal.

How common is it to need to adjust pedaling style for slight tilting of a road bike left or right?

I have no need to do this on my hybrid or the cyclocross bikes i've tested. I had no need to do this
on the M/L frame. It only seemed to be an issue with the M frame. I thought that was odd...

Ebubar

Good suggestions. The shop really doesn't do much professional fitting. They're a very local, small, family-owned place. Very nice and helpful, just not much professional bike fitting experience, from what I can tell. They mentioned that road bikes have a lower bottom bracket than something like my hybrid which could explain the pedal scraping.

halfspeed

The bigger bike may have had longer crank arms which would increase the likelihood of pedal strike. Also, clipless pedals tend to really reduce this problem.

mleach82

I am the same height as you with just about the same inseam. I have a Defy 5 in the M/L size and it fits perfectly. Tested the M and i felt it was too small for me so i went with the M/L

koolerb

Pedals shouldn't be hitting the ground on either bike. Weird. Check the crankarm lengths.

I just got an aluminum Defy 1, L. I'm 6' with a 34" inseam.

Ebubar

Are you used to road bike riding? I'm wondering if my perception is off based on not being used to how a road bike should fit.
I was fit to a 55 cm Bianchi Volpe when my budget was higher and was told that had the right reach. It felt a little stretched to me and I
didn't like that the top tube was nestled all snug in my...well you know the idea...

How do you like the 2300 shifting on the 5? I didn't like not being able to shift from the drops, but the $200 savings would be nice. That was my primary issue. Do you find it to be annoying in your daily riding?

Cheers and thanks for all the helpful responses from everyone!

roccobike

Tell the bike shop to remove the staps and ride the bike using flats or if you have clipless, have them put your clipless on the bike. Also tell them to use a shorter stem and move the saddle forward on the M/L frame. That shop should be doing anything you want to finalize the sale of the new bike. If they don't, then you've got the wrong shop. As an example, I purchased a new Giant OCR-C (the predecessor to the Defy), back a few years. The shop replace the stem, then altered the stem, then replaced the seatpost to a zero setback post, all to make me comfortable with the new ride. They should encourage you to take the bike on a short ride, like 10 miles or so to make comparisons. After all that you should know which size you want.
BTW, check the crank length on the smaller frame. Is it possible that it has a long crank like a 180? Should be a 172.5.

WhyFi

If it hasn't been said yet -

You move your seat forward and back to adjust your position w/r/t the cranks. You do *not* move your seat forward and back to adjust reach - that's what stems are for.
In general, it's easier to fit yourself on a bike that's a little smaller than ideal than on a big that's a little bigger than ideal.

mleach82

I've had the bike since April and have ridden nothing since. Prior to purchasing this bike i have been riding a Giant Cypress so this is my first road bike. As far as shifting is concerned, i don't really have anything to compare it to except the grip shift on my Cypress. It hasn't missed a shift yet. I would prefer to have the double paddle shifters but the thumb shifter isn't that much of an inconvenience.

megalowmatt

The Volpe has a little different geometry but the effective top tubes are very close with the M Defy at 54.5 and the Volpe at 55cm. The seat tubes are different lengths, though so that may have been your experience with the Volpe feeling "high". I am your height and ride with a total of 65-66cm reach (effective top tube + stem length), so I usually start with a bike that has ~54cm top tube.

znomit

If you're in between sizes always go smaller.

tangerineowl

About the same inseam as the OP, but an inch taller in overall height. Not sure what's going on with the pedals, but your arm length may also be playing a factor as to why you feel a little stretched out on the M/L (560mm top tube). The Defys I tested came with a 90mm reach bar. I know you'd want the whole package at the start, but another reach option (aside from going to a 90mm stem) is to swap out the 90mm bar with, say, a 70mm reach one. My setup after tweaking the reach/drop is a 90mm stem at +2 degrees, with a 70mm reach bar.

pdedes

Bottom bracket height on both those frames is identical.

JohnKScott

You are probably cornering more aggressively on the smaller frame causing a pedal strike. Proper cornering technique would help. Inside pedal up weight on outside pedal if cornering aggressively.

Or not.

Will Goes Boing

When you're cornering, inside pedal goes up and outside pedal goes down. Unless you're racing in a crit or something it's really unnecessary for you to need to pedal while leaned over in a corner. If you're 5'9 you should get a frame size that is the equivalent to a 54cm. If the bike doesn't feel right in either size, maybe you should try out a different bike brand.

WhyFi

There's no way to say that with any certainty.

RollCNY

Are there toe clips and straps on the M, which you are hanging under the pedal because you don't feel comfortable using them? And are these not on the M/L? Neither pedal strike or heel clearance should be any different on either model. Both sizes have the same chainstay length, and BB drop does not typically change inside a model (they don't list it to know for sure).