Giant Defy Advanced 2 [MY2018]

I also wish to balance my sporting activities a bit more between cycling and running so the Defy will make a nice sportive ride for sub-50 km training rides.  To setup the bike to suit my intended purposes I will be making some changes to the standard build and will document them here as they get sorted.

This blog post was last updated on November 27, 2017 and at 101.5 kilometres on the bike.

Documenting the initial bike specifications and setup.

Table of Contents

• Specifications
  
• Frameset
• Drivetrain
• Brakes
• Rims, Tyres & Hubs
• Components
• Accessories

Specifications

At this early stage the bike is in standard configuration with some small changes allowing me to to set up it the way I want to ride it.

Frameset

The frameset is stock Giant and reflects the specification of the Giant Defy Advanced 2 in 2018. My bike, a size M/L as supplied (no pedals) weighs in at 9 kg.  The frame rides well for me keeping in mind it is a endurance bike and not a racing bike is stable and accelerates fairly quickly and is not twitchee.

The colour is okay bright but I am already getting used to it and actually am growing to light it. It sure beats another black and red bike that is for sure.

Drivetrain

The drivetrain is the standard specification for the Defy Advanced 2 in 2018. Namely Shimano 105 11 speed. The shifters, front and rear derailleurs and rear cassette are all Shimano 105 11 speed.  The cost cutting comes with the cranks, being a Shimano FC-R510 34/50t compact crank and the chain being a mid-range KMC X11EL-1.

The pedals on my Giant Defy Advanced 2 are Shimano A600 SPD Aluminium pedals. I have SPD on my Surly Long Haul Trucker and my Giant Defy commuter bike so I really couldn’t justify going with road pedals and another pair of shoes specifically for this bike.  The A600 SPD are the closest I can get to a SPD road style.

Brakes

Giant Bicycles Conduct Brake System [Mechanical/Hydraulic]

Giant Bicycles Conduct Brake System [Mechanical/Hydraulic]

From what I can determine the brake pads are Giant part number 290000035 and if you want equivalent pads look for Shimano B01S (BR-M446) or their aftermarket equivalents such as SwissStop’s Disc 15 Organic pads.

Rims, Tyres & Hubs

The Giant Defy Advanced 2 as specified in Australia comes Giant PR-2 disc rims which are tubeless ready.  The front and rear hubs are 12mm through axle Giant Performance Tracker Road Disc hubs with sealed Bearings. They are 28 hole hubs. I didn’t get a chance to weigh the rims and hubs, but BikeRadar report them as weighing 2,040 grams and my front wheel will be heavier as I am going with a SON Delux 12 dynamo hub. This is something I will have on my short list to upgrade I think.

As mentioned I am swapping out the front hub for a SON Delux 12 [12 x 100] six bolt disc dynamo hub as my preference is to run a dynamo lighting setup for endurance rides which can go well into the night. As the SON Delux 12 is a centre lock hub I will be fitting a Shimano SM-RTAD05 Centerlock Adapter for 6-hole brake disc systems to match the standard Giant Defy Advanced 2 setup.

Mavic Yksion Pro UST tubeless 700cx28mm

The tyres as supplied are 700c x 25mm Giant Gavia AC 1 tubeless tyres. I don’t know who supplies the tyres but I am running the 25mm on the front and have now swapped out the rear for a 28mm tyre, a Mavic Yksion Pro UST to provide a touch more comfort on the longer rides.  The Mavic Yksion Pro UST is a claimed 290g in the 28-622 (700c x 28mm) size.

With the Giant PR-2 rims and the Mavic Yksion Pro UST tyre being tubeless ready the swap over process was quick and easy. Sure beats my experiences with non-tubeless tyres on my Salsa Mukluk!

Components

Giant Bicycles Contact Neutral saddle

Selle Anatomica X2 Next Generation saddle

The handlebar is the standard Giant Contact 31.8mm bar, the seat post is the standard Giant D-Fuse composite post and stem is the standard Giant Connect stem.  The saddle as fitted is a Giant Contact Neutral with matching ascents.  So far with rides up to 50 km the saddle is proving to be quite comfortable for me, but I am a leather saddle man, riding Brooks England saddles on all my bikes so for this bike I have replaced the Giant Contact Neutral with a leather saddle, but not a Brooks. This time I have gone with a Selle Anatomica X2 – Next Generation and will also use a Selle Anatomica waterproof rain cover on it during winter [BTW the rain cover also fits my Brooks B17 so an alternative to the Brooks rain cover] and treat it with Selle Anatomica’s Saddle Sauce.  I have in the past ruined a Brooks B17 saddle by not keeping it protected from the rain.  The Selle Anatomica rain cover looks like a better functioning cover than the Brooks product so hopefully I will be able to protect this new saddle.

Giant Bicycles Conduct Brake System [Mechanical/Hydraulic] with the GoPro mount fitted.

In the process of sorting this out I became aware of F3 Cycling’s Form Mount which can be combined with a camera-light component mount [effectively a GoPro mount]. The F3 Cycling Form Mount is a direct stem integrated mount which comes with Wahoo Elemnt inserts and when combined with the GoPro mount is a nice neat single out front mount.  To allow me to mount the Busch & Muller Lumotec IQ-X Front Light (164RTSNDI-01) I had planned to get a Supernova GoPro mount but with no availability I decided to get one of Kevin’s custom made GoPro-dynamo light mounts.

Accessories

The other changes or adds to the bike are the addition of lights, a bell (legal requirement), bidons, mirror, and as I am using the bike for endurance rides of at least 200 km a saddle bag and a frame bag.

Lights

The standard lights on the bike are a dynamo based system, so a Busch & Muller Lumotec IQ-X (164RTSNDI-01) for the front [it has the advantage of being able to be mounted upside down] and on the rear I will mount two Busch & Muller Secula rear lights. One on each seat stay.  To tick off the Audax lighting requirements when required I will also have a Dinotte battery powered front light (earlier model) and a battery powered rear light which I will mount off the Apidura saddle bag.

Bell

Bell mounted on the drops on my Giant Defy Advanced 2.

My preference is to mount a bell on the left hand drops and in past have mounted the smallest bell I had on hand such as I have done in the photo above. However I have come across Knog Oi bike bell which looks even more discreet and compact so I have one to go on my left side drops instead of the bell there now.

Mirror

All my bikes have a mirror of some type, either a Zefal Spy Mirror or a Busch & Muller Cycle Star. As I am now so used to riding with a mirror I wanted one on this bike but I wanted it to be as discreet as  possible so I opted for the Zefal Spy Mirror which I mount off the right hand drops. It is not as effective as the Busch & Muller Cycle Star but it works okay and so I can live with it.

Bidon Cages

I would have liked a couple of nice carbon bidon cages but really couldn’t justify the dollars so went with a couple of Lezyne Flow bottle cages.

Saddle and Frame Bags

For endurance riding, so rides up to 200 kilometres and hopefully longer I really want some luggage capacity. With this in mind I have decided to go with a Apidura Saddle Pack (Compact) and up front for the phone, a few snacks etc a Vaude Cruiser Bag which I hang under the top-tube and off the steer tube but it can just as easily be mounted at the seat end of the top-tube.

Other Accessories

To finish off the bike and to ensure I stay mobile out on the road I have brought a new pump for this bike, a Lezyne Digital Pressure Drive. I went with this pump as it is a reasonable small package, but has a gauge, flexible hose connection and is high pressure. I also have a few Lezyne pumps and I am pretty happy with their products. I will probably supplement  the pump with a CO2 pump in due course.

The final piece of kit is my repair kit. This consists of a spare tube, a pair of gloves, puncture repair kit, tubeless repair kit, a tire patch and a small multi-tool. All this will go into the Apidura Saddle Bag.