worthwhile upgrades on a (relatively) cheap bike.

Stone Deaf 4evr

Hi all, just looking for a bit of advice, I picked up a giant defy back in 2012, really happy with the fit of the bike and its remained standard since I got it (apart from spd pedals).

I cant afford a new machine, and I have a budget of about 500 euros. what in your opinion is the best upgrade path? from what I've read, most people seem to think wheels should be my first port of call. the standard ones dont even have aero spokes, so i was thinking of a set of mavic askiums, - would I notice a difference between these and standard, or should I get something a bit more expensive?

how about a carbon fork? the existing one is aluminium.

any help appreciated!

Cyclewizard

which defy did you get as the defy 4/5 etc has very different components to the 1/0. not sure how good askiums are to be honest but they might be a bit better than the wheels you have (if you have the lower specced defy)

Stone Deaf 4evr

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/defy.3/7307/44049/#specifications


this is the one exactly. thanks for the help! a defy 3

witty username

What sort of kit/clothing do you have? Set a decent bit aside for all year round stuff (i.e. comfy winter and summer gear) rather than blowing it on a groupset or some performance wheels that won't take much punishment.

crosstownk

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

how about a carbon fork? the existing one is aluminium.

Your current fork is composite not aluminum. IIRC the Defy 5 is the only Defy with an alu fork.

Stone Deaf 4evr

crosstownk wrote: »

Your current fork is composite not aluminum. IIRC the Defy 5 is the only Defy with an alu fork.

Really? That's interesting and great to hear, when u was buying, the sales guy said that the defy 2 came with a carbon fork. But I couldn't justify the extra money as I wanted to get proper gear as well.

mirv

Aksiums including tyres can be had for about 160e from ribble.

Stone Deaf 4evr

witty username wrote: »

What sort of kit/clothing do you have? Set a decent bit aside for all year round stuff (i.e. comfy winter and summer gear) rather than blowing it on a groupset or some performance wheels that won't take much punishment.

I'm sorted for gear thanks, probably more than I need!

crosstownk

From the link you posted:

Frame ALUXX SL-Grade Aluminum
Fork Advanced-Grade Composite, Alloy OverDrive Steerer

Stone Deaf 4evr

mirv wrote: »

Aksiums including tyres can be had for about 160e from ribble.

Are they a worthwhile upgrade though?apologies for my ignorance, it's my first time upgrading anything and the amount of options is bewildering.

Zen0

Not much wrong with that bike. It has a carbon fork. Better wheels might make a difference, but not unless you are prepared to spend a bit. Lighter wheels will make a difference when climbing, climbing is basically the same as accelerating constantly, so the weight of the rims is important. Upgrade if you want/can afford it, but that's a grand bike you have. The most important thing you can do with it is cycle it lots.

stas

I have Defy 3 (2009) and been thinking the same thoughts exactly. While there's nothing wrong with my bike, I'd really like to change the gearset (currently Sora). I dislike thumb operated gearshifts, especially when cold.

However the gearset turned out to be like a 60% of the cost of the whole bike.

So far I have changed these:
* Pedals;
* Wheels;
* Saddle;
* Shorter stem (I should get slightly shorter cranks too but meh);
* Bottom bracket (they break every two years or so);
* Chain;

Most people I talked to about this say that if I were to go beyond this I might as well get a different bike.

I've invested into a decent set of lights, and next thing I will probably upgrade will be my helmet.

Hope this helps.

mirv

Get the aksiums with tyres, most liklely a worthwhile upgrade at around 160e/1750g, unless you go to about 300-350e for something about 1500-1550g. Then replace the cables, brake pads, cassette and chain as they're probably worn by now, and get some form of mudguards - whether removable or not is your choice.

A tool kit, bike repair manual, repair stand, a nice track pump, and a set of good quality 25-28mm folding tyres and some nice tubes are also well worth getting. An entry level bike in overall good tune is far better than a misadjusted and neglected expensive bike.

cdaly_

stas wrote: »

I have Defy 3 (2009) and been thinking the same thoughts exactly. While there's nothing wrong with my bike, I'd really like to change the gearset (currently Sora). I dislike thumb operated gearshifts, especially when cold.

However the gearset turned out to be like a 60% of the cost of the whole bike.

In my case, I've upgraded components as they've worn out so I went from Sora -> Tiagra -> 105 derailleurs. I picked up second-hand 9-sp tiagra shifters for under €100 which are still in use. In your case tiagra shifters and cassette will do you.

smacl

I've upgraded a fair few bits on my bike. Notably worthwhile were;

Stock saddle to Brooks B17
Stock wheels to Fulcrum 7s
Tyres to Durano plus
Ergo bars to compact bars
11/23 cassette to 13/28

Next big spend will be a new bike.

slfcarro5

I recently upgraded my boardman race bike that I use for a winter bike. I changed the saddle, bar tape, wheels (fulcrum 5), cassette (ultegra), chain, front and rear derailleur (105) as well as the shifters and it probably cost me less than 200 euro all in. What I did was picked up some second hand wheels, cassette and derailleurs and sold off the sora groupset and wheels that were on the bike. I bought the shifters and chain (105) new as I couldn't get them second hand. Just keep an eye on here and pick up some bits and pieces as you see them.

macnab

I would buy a decent set of wheels, less than 1600g would be a good target and €400 Max. Then buy a pair of Continental GP4000s tyres and some medium weight tubes (80g to 100g)
The good thing about buying a decent set of wheels is that you can easily swap them over if you buy a better bike.

Pinch Flat

I had a Giant SCR which was the previous version of your bike. Decent set of wheels (I went for Mavic Askium) followed by a set of tyres is the way to go.

Stone Deaf 4evr

lads, thanks for the replies, I think I'll go for a set of new wheels alright, I might have a look at doing something with the shifters as well, the ones that are on at the moment, while functional, have a distinctly 'vague' feeling to them, plus the thumb shifters mean I cant change when riding in the drops.

Pinch Flat

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

lads, thanks for the replies, I think I'll go for a set of new wheels alright, I might have a look at doing something with the shifters as well, the ones that are on at the moment, while functional, have a distinctly 'vague' feeling to them, plus the thumb shifters mean I cant change when riding in the drops.

New Sora has the paddle shifters. Keep an eye out on adverts section on this forum - shifters are expensive new, but you might be lucky to pick up a pair here. I got a set of Tiagra ones that replaced my Sora ones a while back.

thebouldwhacker

I use thumb shifters and of all the different types I use on my bikes I find them the best interface. They are a few years old so I don't know what the build quality is like now but mine deliver perfect gear selection each and every time. For me the thumb button allows simple shifting through the full range in a split second with a few mm of movement.
If ŷou want to spend €500 to improve your cycling, buy a turbo, the full Sufferfest series and I personally guarantee* if you use them as they should be used, your cycling will improve exponentially more than it would with a gear upgrade such as wheels.






*thebouldwhacker reserves the right to personally guarantee nothing...