Another "what" thread - Giant V Specialized

Plastik

Sorry guys, another one of these threads, you're probably sick of newbies asking at this stage. I'm in the market for a bike under the biketowork scheme and have been looking at a number of bikes over the past week. I've looked at both Hybrids and Road bikes and I've settled on picking up the latter.

I'm looking at the Giant Defy 4 (€599) and the 2010 Specialized Allez 16 (€615) as the two main contenders. They have similar shifters - both having Shimano 2300 rear, while the Giant has a Shimano 2203 front and the Special has Shimano 2300 front - (I'm new to bikes and I don't know which is better, pardon my ignorance). The Special does have a carbon fork though, which from my reading is worth having ...

I'll be using the bike as a joint saving alternative to running. Won't do huge mileage on it, maybe 50k a month. I realise that it's important to buy a bike that fits properly, but on spec or experience, which of these bikes is likely to be better as a tool?

Special
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Specialized-Allez-16-2010-Road-Bike_27448.htm

Giant
http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=35&idproduct=31155

Thanks for looking

blorg

2200 is Shimano's old bottom rung groupset, 2300 is the new model introduced this year. Front derailleur really doesn't matter and the Giant is 2300 otherwise. The new 2300 looks good for a bottom rung groupset.

The big difference between the two though is that the Giant is a triple chainset while the Specialized is a standard double. For a beginner you really want a triple or a compact IMO.

Other than that issue I would lean for the Specialized but since you would be better with a triple between those two bikes only get the Giant.

Personally I would up your budget to the full €1,000 to get the maximum saving and get something better though- given you will only have to pay half of it. You'll get a much better bike.

Try to get a triple or compact chainset with Tiagra at a minimum, 105 if you can swing it.

Raam

I'd go for the spesh because of the carbon fork.
Also note that the spesh has two chainrings on the front, while the giant has three.

Personally I prefer two.

petethedrummer

blorg wrote: »

Personally I would up your budget to the full €1,000 to get the maximum saving and get something better though- given you will only have to pay half of it. You'll get a much better bike.

Assuming the OP is in the higher tax bracket.

Russman

If you could swing an extra €76 you could get the Giant Defy 3.5 (€675)which has a carbon fork and a triple front chainring........

Plastik

blorg wrote: »

2200 is Shimano's old bottom rung groupset, 2300 is the new model introduced this year. Front derailleur really doesn't matter and the Giant is 2300 otherwise. The new 2300 looks good for a bottom rung groupset.

The big difference between the two though is that the Giant is a triple chainset while the Specialized is a standard double. For a beginner you really want a triple or a compact IMO.

Other than that issue I would lean for the Specialized but since you would be better with a triple between those two bikes only get the Giant.

Personally I would up your budget to the full €1,000 to get the maximum saving and get something better though- given you will only have to pay half of it. You'll get a much better bike.

Try to get a triple or compact chainset with Tiagra at a minimum, 105 if you can swing it.

That's good info Blorg, thanks. Fortunately/unfortunately, I'm not on the 41% tax rate so I don't want to spend more than I need to. Certainly I'll spend if I need to, but I'm trying to work out whether, as a beginner, I'll notice any real difference in the quality of the gear that I'm using between a €600 and an €800 bike.

blorg

Plastik wrote: »

That's good info Blorg, thanks. Fortunately/unfortunately, I'm not on the 41% tax rate so I don't want to spend more than I need to. Certainly I'll spend if I need to, but I'm trying to work out whether, as a beginner, I'll notice any real difference in the quality of the gear that I'm using between a €600 and an €800 bike.

Fair enough.

Russman wrote: »

If you could swing an extra €76 you could get the Giant Defy 3.5 (€675)which has a carbon fork and a triple front chainring........

Indeed, CSS have it for just over €600, basically you are spending an extra €70 for a carbon fork over the 4 as everything else seems the same. Difficult to say if that is worth it, I have a fixed Giant with metal fork and it's fine.

Borneo Fnctn

I'd say you'd be safe with the specialized. You'll be used to the double chainset in no time at all. They are very manageable for a beginner, in my experience. Double chainsets are standard in racing.

blorg

Borneo Fnctn wrote: »

I'd say you'd be safe with the specialized. You'll be used to the double chainset in no time at all. They are very manageable for a beginner, in my experience. Double chainsets are standard in racing.

I'd say this is true only if you live in a very flat area and you never want to go up a hill- or if you are an experienced cyclist. Even then I'd say for racing only. If you want to go up hills they encourage bad technique (low cadence climbing.) I race on a standard myself but a beginner who hasn't ridden a bike before never mind raced is much better off with a compact or triple. Having said that you should be able to find the Specialized somewhere with a compact, should be the same price as the standard double. Just make sure you don't get the standard double!

Borneo Fnctn

blorg wrote: »

I'd say this is true only if you live in a very flat area and you never want to go up a hill- or if you are an experienced cyclist. Even then I'd say for racing only. If you want to go up hills they encourage bad technique (low cadence climbing.) I race on a standard myself but a beginner who hasn't ridden a bike before never mind raced is much better off with a compact or triple. Having said that you should be able to find the Specialized somewhere with a compact, should be the same price as the standard double. Just make sure you don't get the standard double!

Fair enough, I'll bow to your experience.

Plastik

I went and had a look at the Specialized this evening in Cycleways was impressed. I pressed the salesman on the provision of either the compact or the triple for the same price - as shown in the link above - but neither he nor colleagues had heard of this as an option previously and it wasn't listed amongst the choice of kit in the Specialized catalog. The Triple was also available for about €40 extra, and in silver only.

The shop made a pretty lasting impression though, the salesman I was dealing in there was an absolute gent - top notch service to be fair.

blorg

Well that was the US site I linked to, spec is different in UK/Ireland it seems. Bizarre as compacts are a big thing now across the board but especially at entry level, with other manufacturers it can be difficult to get an entry level bike without one. I'd ask them about compact options, the picture of the Allez Sport seems to have one. If spending €40 extra for a triple is the only option though, and you think you might want to go up the Wicklow mountains, it is probably worth it.

Also worth asking about the Secteur if you like Specialized, this is basically the very successful Roubaix geometry in aluminium. So slightly more relaxed and they all come with triples.