Is giant a better brand than cube?

byrnem31

Thinking of changing the defy advanced 2 2020 to this:

https://www.cube.eu/en/2021/bikes/road/road-race/agree/cube-agree-c62-race-carbonnpetrol/

I was looking at the cube attain gtc sl and I wasnt impressed by it at all. The defy advanced 2 2020 that I have just seems on another level in regards the finish and bike in general. The attain paint seemed cheap and it was dull to cycle.

Is the agree a good bike? Anyone here have a recent one please?

rolling boh

Think you will find the reviews for the agree fairly positive not there is anything wrong about the giants bought the agree in 2019 and love the bike the colours of cube bikes are not that exciting i suppose but you get good bang for your money .No matter what bike you get someone will tell you you should have gone for something else .

byrnem31

rolling boh wrote: »

Think you will find the reviews for the agree fairly positive not there is anything wrong about the giants bought the agree in 2019 and love the bike the colours of cube bikes are not that exciting i suppose but you get good bang for your money .No matter what bike you get someone will tell you you should have gone for something else .

I couldn't see the agree today. They will have it Monday. I'll have a look then. Not many reviews about them at all so just curious. Thanks.

Looking at both The Agree linked is 800g lighter than the current 2021 Defy Advanced 2 and easier on the eyes imo. In general I think Cube have some great looking bikes in the last few years.

Defy is 105 the Agree is full ultegra and only 100 euro more.

rolling boh

bits and pieces on cycling weekly about the agree from the last few years think the spec is about the same .

fat bloke

Cube wouldn't have Giant's behemoth status in terms of frame manufacturing but tend to be more generously spec'd or better value for money to compensate as a result. I really like them. But "agree" is a stupid name for a bike!

BoardsMember

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Looking at both The Agree linked is 800g lighter than the current 2021 Defy Advanced 2 and easier on the eyes imo. In general I think Cube have some great looking bikes in the last few years.

Defy is 105 the Agree is full ultegra and only 100 euro more.

I'm not anywhere near experienced like a lot on here, but i'd generally go Ultegra if I could. As long as you like the bike with Ultegra on it. If its also lighter, seems a no broaner to me.

fat bloke

fat bloke wrote: »

Cube wouldn't have Giant's behemoth status in terms of frame manufacturing but tend to be more generously spec'd or better value for money to compensate as a result. I really like them. But "agree" is a stupid name for a bike!

I agree :pac:

byrnem31

BoardsMember wrote: »

I'm not anywhere near experienced like a lot on here, but i'd generally go Ultegra if I could. As long as you like the bike with Ultegra on it. If its also lighter, seems a no broaner to me.

I'm happy enough with the 105 on the defy. The reason why I'm thinking of changing is because I should have got the defy in a m. Shop told me I needed a m/l, at 5,11 but I have a disc gone in my back so could do with something a size smaller. Not a hope of getting a size m defy for a while.

I have the shortest stem you can get on it at the moment and the seat moved forward to the max. But my back is not great.

nicksnikita

byrnem31 wrote: »

I'm happy enough with the 105 on the defy. The reason why I'm thinking of changing is because I should have got the defy in a m. Shop told me I needed a m/l, at 5,11 but I have a disc gone in my back so could do with something a size smaller. Not a hope of getting a size m defy for a while.

I have the shortest stem you can get on it at the moment and the seat moved forward to the max. But my back is not great.

Make sure the saddle is at the correct height. Use an online calculator (like the leMond method) as a starting point if in any doubt.

fat bloke

Yeah, be careful there. M/L is bang on 5 11 territory. It's what I am myself.
If you downsize to M, yes the reach will be shorter but the frame also shrinks vertically obviously, so for a given saddle height you'll be reaching down to the bars more which could be worse for your back and neck. I'm not saying you're definitely wrong like but definitely worth checking out thoroughly before purchase.
Probably a good idea looking at the cube and other frame manufacturers for different geometries. Although the Defy is generally considered a back friendly, endurance riding, more sit-uppy frame style.

byrnem31

fat bloke wrote: »

Yeah, be careful there. M/L is bang on 5 11 territory. It's what I am myself.
If you downsize to M, yes the reach will be shorter but the frame also shrinks vertically obviously, so for a given saddle height you'll be reaching down to the bars more which could be worse for your back and neck. I'm not saying you're definitely wrong like but definitely worth checking out thoroughly before purchase.
Probably a good idea looking at the cube and other frame manufacturers for different geometries. Although the Defy is generally considered a back friendly, endurance riding, more sit-uppy frame style.

Thanks for that. I think a bike fit might be better than an actual bike. I'll have a look at the cube though tomorrow and see if I like it. I have a set of carbons to go straight on it.

When I got on the attain gtc sl yesterday, as its smaller, it was putting more pressure on my arms and shoulders immediately. It turned me straight off it so it makes sense what you are saying.

Bluejohn1

I’ve a cube nu road race 2019. Great bike but since day one, any time you put any pressure down on the hoods the disc rotors rub. Changed the pads, rotors and wheels. Guess the fork just flexes to much.

byrnem31

Bluejohn1 wrote: »

I’ve a cube nu road race 2019. Great bike but since day one, any time you put any pressure down on the hoods the disc rotors rub. Changed the pads, rotors and wheels. Guess the fork just flexes to much.

Had a 2018 nuroad too. Great bike.

joey100

Not sure your comparing like with like. The cube seeme to be very similar to the tcr in terms of geometry. Endurance bike vs race bike.

Bike fit studio do a pre bike fit. He puts you up on a jigbike and can try out different measurements to get the right fit. Can then match that to what ever bike will fit you best. Takes the guess work out of it and means your a lot more confident when yiur buying the bike. I've used it and ended up on a size i thought might be small bit too big but actually fits perfect. You get the bike fit measurements at the end too so you can match up the new bike to them.

Paul Kiernan

fat bloke wrote: »

Yeah, be careful there. M/L is bang on 5 11 territory. It's what I am myself.
If you downsize to M, yes the reach will be shorter but the frame also shrinks vertically obviously, so for a given saddle height you'll be reaching down to the bars more which could be worse for your back and neck. I'm not saying you're definitely wrong like but definitely worth checking out thoroughly before purchase.
Probably a good idea looking at the cube and other frame manufacturers for different geometries. Although the Defy is generally considered a back friendly, endurance riding, more sit-uppy frame style.

I'd very much agree with this. Going down a size could be disastrous. I now tend to go for a size bigger than is recommended to get the extra height in the head tube. I then compensate with a shorter stem. It looks a bit silly but I have the bars (tops/flats?) about the same height as the saddle.

I did a lot of research last year on finding a relaxed comfortable bike for long days in the saddle and the Specialized Roubaix was the winner by some distance.

dub 24

Go to bike fit studio John Shortt is a fountain of knowledge. like you my back is bandjaxed and I was having the same issues, my bike is a Giant Defy advanced 1 and I'm 5 11" as well. After the fitting the bike felt more comfortable. This woukd be a cheaper option and not as much as gamble in changing bikes .
Hope this helps and resolves your issue

byrnem31

dub 24 wrote: »

Go to bike fit studio John Shortt is a fountain of knowledge. like you my back is bandjaxed and I was having the same issues, my bike is a Giant Defy advanced 1 and I'm 5 11" as well. After the fitting the bike felt more comfortable. This woukd be a cheaper option and not as much as gamble in changing bikes .
Hope this helps and resolves your issue

Thanks, what size is you defy?

martyc5674

Not sure where your based but I think a bike fit from someone like Aidan Hammond should be your next step.
I’d echo what others are saying here about getting a bike with the tallest head tube as that will be a less aggressive starting point.
Someone like Aidan will be able to recommend an optimal size.
Sitting on the cube and all your weight being on the bars may have nothing to do with geometry- it could as easily be to do with the saddle bring too far forward. No matter what bike you get it will have to be setup for you, the bike that feels the most comfortable in the shop may not be the most comfortable of all those bikes if they were all setup for yourself. (I hope that makes sense!)
Marty.

dub 24

byrnem31 wrote: »

Thanks, what size is you defy?

Medium/Large

CantGetNoSleep

I own two Cubes (an Attain and a Nuroad) and a Giant (TCR). Not really like with like comparison's as the Cube's are both relatively entry level alu frames and the TCR is a higher level carbon with Ultegra Di2. I find the Cube's very comfortable geometry wise, and great value (they are almost better value than Canyon at this stage, with the added advantage of being able to try them in a shop), but I do notice that the manufacturing quality on the Cube's is not 100%. Very minor things like bottle cage mounts constantly becoming loose on all three Cube's I have owned.

I don't think you can give a yes or no answer to your question, but I would say that Giant is a slightly better brand. As already pointed out though, the bike you are comparing is not the same as a Defy.

Macy0161

Aidan Hammond is also a physio or physical therapist as well I think?

I assume you've tried flipping the stem on the defy? I just flipped my back on my TCR (as I'm back racing, and obviously those few degrees were my issue :rolleyes: ) and was quite surprised by the change in position as I didn't recall it being as significant going the other way.

Mr. Cats

Be careful with Cube sizing also. I’m a 56 generally and was looking at a TCR and was told by bike fit guy that ML was right size for me. I’m just under 6 feet tall. I have a Cube Attain and it’s a 58 and definitely feels the right size and have had a bike fit on it without any stem adjustments etc.

byrnem31

Macy0161 wrote: »

Aidan Hammond is also a physio or physical therapist as well I think?

I assume you've tried flipping the stem on the defy? I just flipped my back on my TCR (as I'm back racing, and obviously those few degrees were my issue :rolleyes: ) and was quite surprised by the change in position as I didn't recall it being as significant going the other way.

Yeah I have the stem flipped. The shop offered me 1500 for my 2020 defy advanced 2 with a carbon wheelset worth 1k, upgraded crank to 105 and aero handlebars. Not a hope, bike is worth 3 1/2k and I know that's with everything new and upgrades but I'm not losing out on 2k. My defy is immaculate.

To be honest, I'd have to get the cube agree slt priced at 4k to make me happy with a change with my current bike. I'll get a bike fit and wait for my cycle to work scheme and then see what happens.

MojoMaker

The Defy was 2200 when you bought it last year, CSS would give you one for 2K. Even if you add wheels that you spent a grand on how does that get to 3500?

Bikes depreciate like rocks in a pond on a good day. On a bad day there's an anchor tied to the rock.

byrnem31

MojoMaker wrote: »

The Defy was 2200 when you bought it last year, CSS would give you one for 2K. Even if you add wheels that you spent a grand on how does that get to 3500?

Bikes depreciate like rocks in a pond on a good day. On a bad day there's an anchor tied to the rock.

Bike was €2250. I upgraded the crank to 105 at a cost of just over €200. I then added aero handlebars that cost €100 supply and fit. Hunt carbon wheels with new rotors at €980 so it adds up to €3 1/2 k more or less. I did say that that was the cost to me with everything new. I know bikes drop in price dramatically but I couldn't let it go for that. It's not worth changing over.

fat bloke

byrnem31 wrote: »

Bike was €2250. I upgraded the crank to 105 at a cost of just over €200. I then added aero handlebars that cost €100 supply and fit. Hunt carbon wheels with new rotors at €980 so it adds up to €3 1/2 k more or less. I did say that that was the cost to me with everything new. I know bikes drop in price dramatically but I couldn't let it go for that. It's not worth changing over.

Well leave the wheels out of it because they will carry over onto whatever your next bike is. (as will your new crank if you swop it out for the old one again). But other than that Mojomaker is right. (Though these recent days are good days for bike values). But if you upgraded to 105, I presume the rest of the groupset is tiagra? IMO you just won't get anything like 1500 quid for a tiagra equipped Giant Defy, no matter how clean it is.

The best way to get the value out of your bike is to get it to fit you properly and keep it and ride it yourself. The potential bad news obviously is if you can't get it to fit you and then you either take the depreciation hit on your own and pay full rrp for its replacement or live with an ill-fitting bike.

magicbastarder

fat bloke wrote: »

But if you upgraded to 105, I presume the rest of the groupset is tiagra?

he upgraded the crankset. often, the crankset is specced lower than the rest of the groupset on bikes, so would have been bringing the crankset up to spec, rather than beyond spec.

edit, however that does not mean the bike was worth what is claimed; it cost 3.5k with the *two* cranksets; replacing a crankset with a €200 one might only add say €75 in marginal value. ditto for the wheels and bars.

byrnem31

I went onto YouTube and seen a video of a DIY bike fit. First off, I had my saddle too high. Then I had a stem that was too short. I put the longer one back on flipped downwards as it should be. Then my saddle was miles too far forward. I used a plumb line on my knee with a weight at the end to the start of the pedal as a guide. Crank set to 50/50.

The difference is night and day. It's like a new bike. Cost nothing but 30 mins of my time.

fat bloke

Good man yourself! That's a result! Bet the bike even looks a lot better too now it's set up properly

byrnem31

fat bloke wrote: »

Good man yourself! That's a result! Bet the bike even looks a lot better too now it's set up properly

Its definitely worth 3 1/2 k now, ha ha.

rayman1

I have a Giant Defy Advanced 1 and a Cube Attain GTC Race and love both but the Defy is my favourite. It is a bit lighter and just feels livelier. It also looks a bit cooler.

gn3dr

byrnem31 wrote: »

I went onto YouTube and seen a video of a DIY bike fit. First off, I had my saddle too high. Then I had a stem that was too short. I put the longer one back on flipped downwards as it should be. Then my saddle was miles too far forward. I used a plumb line on my knee with a weight at the end to the start of the pedal as a guide. Crank set to 50/50.

The difference is night and day. It's like a new bike. Cost nothing but 30 mins of my time.

Plumb line from knee to "start" of pedal or to pedal axle?

byrnem31

gn3dr wrote: »

Plumb line from knee to "start" of pedal or to pedal axle?

It should actually be to peddle axle. Mine is slightly off so cause I have it to the front of the peddle.

https://youtu.be/okpzw_H1KmQ.