NEWBURY PARK, Calif. (BRAIN) — Giant's updated Defy 2019 endurance road bike model range adds a new handlebar design intended to increase comfort. The range, which uses disc brakes and stock tubeless tires throughout, also includes one model with a proprietary dual-sided power meter.
To increase comfort, the Defy line has introduced handlebars that borrow the D-shaped cross section of Giant's D-Fuse seatpost, first introduced on Giant cyclocross bikes in 2014. The company said the shape of the bars allows compliance over bumpy roads while preserving stiffness when the rider is pulling on the bars. Giant uses the shaping on aluminum and carbon handlebar models.
Bikes in the range also have compact road geometry, "overdrive" oversized tapered steer tubes (1 ¼-inch lower and 1 ⅛-inch upper), compatibility with a chainstay computer sensor and frame shaping and layout intended to increase compliance while maintaining drivetrain stiffness. The frames have clearance for tires up to 32 millimeters. The bottom bracket has been dropped 5 millimeters to compensate for higher tire volumes.
The top-of-the-line Defy Advanced Pro model includes the original equipment Giant Power Pro power meter mounted on a Shimano Ultegra crankset. That bike model also includes a new stem, the Contact SL Stealth, that the company said improves aero performance and gives the bike a cleaner, more streamlined look.
"The Defy has long been a favorite among endurance road riders as well as gear editors and testers around the world," said Nixon Huang, Giant's senior global road category manager. "So we were already starting from a strong position with this project. We focused on finding new ways to give it an even smoother, more refined ride quality to help minimize fatigue, but without compromising its efficiency and high-performance feel on the road."
The Defy line includes seven bike models, with Shimano Tiagra, 105 or Ultegra components.
More information at: www.giant-bicycles.com/Defy
