MALLORCA, Spain (BRAIN)—Retailers will see a brand new line of road bikes for 2009 from Giant at various trade shows this fall, including Interbike.
The Taiwan company offered editors from 23 cycling publications a peek at what dealers will see and what consumers will buy once the bikes hit showroom floors worldwide.
“What we are doing here is asserting Giant’s leadership in the road bike market,” said Andrew Juskaitis, global brand marketing manager. “This is the year of the road bike,” he added.
A Giant engineer and designer took the editors through a tour of the line’s engineering and design innovations, but what U.S. dealers will be eager to see is Giant’s new Defy and Avail line of mid-price point bikes. These are primarily engineered for club riders, tours and century rides, stressing a more upright and comfortable position.
However, these bikes are as sharp looking as the TCR Advanced SL and Advanced composite bikes. Defy's line includes the Advanced, an all-composite frame, Alliance, a combination of composite and aluminum, and the Defy series, an all-aluminum frame using Giant’s proprietary 6013 Aluxx technology.
The Avail line is for women and ranks as one of the deepest line of women’s bikes on the market.
Essentially, these two lines are for road riders who want one bike that can do it all.
Dennis Lane, Giant’s global product development director, said the goal was to create a line of bikes that were light, stiff and more comfortable for the everyday rider.
Actual pricing was unavailable as of yet since Giant spec’s its bikes to meet demand in a variety of countries. However, with the cost of all bikes going up next year due to commodity, transportation and wage increases, the Defy and Avail lines will be at the heart of Giant sales in the U.S.
—Marc Sani
