Giant introduced new range of Defy Endurance road bikes
Posted on in Brands & Products News , Cycles News
Giant, the world leader in cycling technology, has introduced a totally revamped lineup of its award-winning Defy endurance road bikes.
Engineered, designed and developed to be the most well-rounded endurance road bikes in the world, the 2015 Defy range features new frame technologies and disc brake integration to give endurance road riders everything they need to tackle long, hard rides on rough roads and in challenging conditions.
"As with any new project, our goal was to be authentic to the rider, and with the new Defy we focused on efficient power transfer and handling coupled with superior compliance without gimmicks," said Jon Swanson, Giant Global On-Road Category Manager. "We focused on four key performance factors-ultralight weight, engineered compliance, superior stiffness and pinpoint control-and delivered on these attributes through superior engineering and construction techniques. With Defy, the rider won't have to settle for anything less than the best overall ride quality."
Defy Advanced SL Series
The flagship series of the new range is the Defy Advanced SL. At less than 900 grams (size medium, with integrated seatpost), the handcrafted frame, featuring Giant's premium Advanced SL-grade composite, is the lightest in its class. Every tube shape, junction and layup technique was strategically engineered to optimize overall compliance. It's an approach that Giant calls Compliance Tuned Technology.
One of the most critical elements in the Defy Advanced SL is the new D-Fuse integrated seatpost. The D-Fuse design was originally implemented in Giant's pro-level TCX Advanced cyclocross bikes, helping racers including two-time world champion Lars van der Haar master rugged terrain at high speeds. On Defy bikes, D-Fuse improves comfort by adding just enough flex (up to 12mm) and absorbing road vibrations to reduce rider fatigue. The D-Fuse design also reduces weight compared to traditional round seatposts.
In addition to D-Fuse, thin seatstays with a flattened tube profile produce a precise amount of flex under vertical loads. A lower seattube/seatstay junction further boosts compliance, and the shallow angle of the seatstays produces a leaf-spring effect to help smooth out rough roads. At the front end of the Defy Advanced SL, compliance is achieved with a slimmed down and slightly curved fork leg design.
The result of all this is a balanced ride quality you can feel, especially on rough roads. In tests that measure front and rear compliance by simulating road shock and vibration to the hands and backside of a rider, the Defy Advanced SL proved to be one of the smoothest riding framesets among the top models in the endurance road category.
The Defy Advanced SL's smooth ride quality is balanced by class-leading pedaling stiffness and efficiency, which was also analyzed and tested by measuring torsional deflection. Compared to other top endurance road models from Specialized, Trek and Cannondale, Defy Advanced SL proved to have the highest level of frame and pedaling stiffness, a critical factor in overall efficiency and handling.
Beyond weight, compliance and efficiency, the fourth key performance factor with the new Defy Advanced SL is control. The frameset was engineered with seamless disc-brake integration to give riders more powerful and consistent braking performance in all types of weather. Improved braking performance combined with Defy's proven endurance road geometry gives riders the perfect balance of compliance and control.
Defy Advanced Pro/Defy Advanced Series
The super smooth and efficient ride quality of the Defy Advanced SL trickles down to the Defy Advanced Pro and Defy Advanced series. Featuring similar overall design and frame technologies as the flagship Defy Advanced SL model-including disc brake integration, the D-Fuse seatpost and Compliance Tuned Technology-Defy Advanced Pro (which comes with a full composite fork and composite OverDrive 2 steerer tube system) and Defy Advanced models are handcrafted with Giant's proprietary Advanced-grade composite frame technology.
Defy Series
The winner of Bicycling Magazine's Editors' Choice awards five years in a row, the popular Defy 1 & 2 aluminum bikes have also been re-engineered for 2015. The Defy series features the same proven endurance geometry as the composite models in a lightweight aluminum construction. These 2 models in the series feature Giant's premium ALUXX SL-grade aluminum and the D-Fuse seatpost, delivering a lively yet compliant ride quality.