# Giant Defy Standard Tyre Question



## chrisb1357 (16 Jan 2016)

Hi all,

I have my first road bike on order which is a giant defy and it comes with Giant S-R4, Flat Guard, front and rear specific, 700x25mm tyres and wanted to know how these rate as a standard tyre for all weathers.

My last bike was a giant hybrid which came with Kendra tyres and I changed them to Schwalbe Marathon Plus within the first week due to the amount of punctures but these was a heavy tyre.

Just looking to see if I should run the defy on the standard tyre for a bit to see how they areand would these be ok in wet weather or should I change them

Many Thanks


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## vickster (16 Jan 2016)

I rode on standard giant tyres for at least 1000 miles with no issues

Keep them, see how you fare. Although you may struggle to fit mudguards with 25s, not sure if the giant defy ones fit without rubbing. You will want mudguards if planning on using the bike in wet weather


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## chrisb1357 (16 Jan 2016)

No plan on fitting mud guards


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## vickster (16 Jan 2016)

chrisb1357 said:


> No plan on fitting mud guards


But riding in the rain? Hopefully not with others? Get used to having a mud splattered backside and cleaning the bike a lot!

I'd be rethinking those plans


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## chrisb1357 (16 Jan 2016)

Was a joke :-) but never had mudguards on my hybrid and never had an issue but the Giant site says this will fit if I did purchase http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb...peedshield.defy.avail.aluxx.fender/592/73459/ Fits 700c x 23-28mm Defy and Avail ALUXX bicycles

So back to tyres. How did you find them on your first 1000 miles




vickster said:


> But riding in the rain? Hopefully not with others? Get used to having a mud splattered backside and cleaning the bike a lot!
> 
> I'd be rethinking those plans


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## vickster (16 Jan 2016)

Fine, v few punctures but ymmv especially if riding on bad and wet roads


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## Doobiesis (16 Jan 2016)

vickster said:


> But riding in the rain? Hopefully not with others? Get used to having a mud splattered backside and cleaning the bike a lot!
> 
> I'd be rethinking those plans



I wouldn't put mud guards on my bike. I like cleaning it  

I would change the tyres if I was you. In this weather you need a bit more grip and a more robust tyre against punctures.


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## vickster (16 Jan 2016)

I don't like getting filthy dirty myself


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## chrisb1357 (16 Jan 2016)

Everyone to there own I guest


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## vickster (16 Jan 2016)

My winter road bike looks good with mudguards, I also have a smart new jacket which I don't want stained with muck


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## Jimidh (16 Jan 2016)

I changed the Giant tyres on my Defy after a few rides as they were terrible - the rolling resistance was shocking. Changed them to my preferred Conti GPs4000 and speed improved dramatically.

Giant specific mudguards don't look too bad actually and will keep you a loy drier over the winter.


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## chrisb1357 (16 Jan 2016)

How did u find the grip on them.

I have not been on a bike for a year so just getting back into it all again.





Jimidh said:


> I changed the Giant tyres on my Defy after a few rides as they were terrible - the rolling resistance was shocking. Changed them to my preferred Conti GPs4000 and speed improved dramatically.
> 
> Giant specific mudguards don't look too bad actually and will keep you a loy drier over the winter.


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## Jimidh (16 Jan 2016)

I think the grip id great on both wet and dry roads and they are fast tyres. 

Depends on what type of riding you are doing. I use my Defy for commuting, mostly rural roads, and winter club runs and training hence I am happy to sacrifice a bit less puncture protection for speed. 

In saying that I'vr only had one puncture in the last 6 months and that was a huge nail which most tyres would have struggled with.


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## iggibizzle (16 Jan 2016)

I think giant tyres are pretty good to be honest. Wear out a bit quick but are good otherwise. Might aswell use them until they need replacing


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## mick160 (17 Jan 2016)

I had no problems with the original tyres on my Defy. 2500 miles and never had a p****ure! They've started to 'flat off' a bit now and I've upgraded the wheels so fitted some Schwalbe Durano tyres to the new wheels.


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## Dirk (17 Jan 2016)

I've used standard Giant tyres on four different bikes; two road bikes and two hybrids. Never had a problem, or felt the need to replace them before they wore out, with any of them.


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## 13 rider (17 Jan 2016)

Over 1500 miles on my standard giant tyres no issues at all grip OK in all weathers .I ride the defy through the winter . If I was you I ride the standard tyres for a while and see how you go just changing them straight off to me makes no sense .


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## Citius (17 Jan 2016)

Said this before and I'll say it again...

Nobody buys a new car and then immediately rushes out and changes the tyres. So why do it on a bike?


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## Dirk (17 Jan 2016)

When I replaced the worn out tyres on my hybrid and road bike, I used original Giant ones sourced from the Rutland Cycles sale a couple of years ago. Prices ranged from £4 - £7 each! No problems with any of them.


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## RegG (17 Jan 2016)

I've nearly done 1000 miles on my Defy 0 with the standard Giant PR-3 tyres with just one puncture in that time. They seem to be reasonably grippy and I have no problems with them.Having said that, I am unable to personally compare the tyres with anything else. I will be replacing them soon though as I picked up some glass in my rear tyre - it didn't go through the casing but has left a split in the tyre. Looked on the Giant web site and it appears PR-3's are around £30 each - I will be replacing with some Vittoria Rubino's to begin with as I have picked 2 of these up for just over £17 from Wiggle.


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## Kevoffthetee (17 Jan 2016)

My giant tyres were OK for dry weather until the first puncture, then they disintegrated. I now use Mitchelin Lithions and had a few punctures and they are still going strong. Worth swapping out at £9 a tyre at decathlon

I also run gatorskins on my steelie, but they have never had a puncture


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## chrisb1357 (17 Jan 2016)

Many Thanks for the tips on this


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## Kashegan (25 Jun 2017)

After many years away, and having a pretty old Apollo, I'm newly to this business and have bought a Giant Defy 0. It has PR-2 tyres and I was thinking of investing in a spare wheel and tyres(s). Can someone please explain what the differences netween PR-2 and SR-2 are?


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## youngoldbloke (28 Jun 2017)

You must have been very unlucky to have so many punctures that you changed your hybrid's tyres _within the first week _- or maybe they weren't inflated hard enough? Do you have a track pump? If not buy one, and get some miles out of the tyres fitted.


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## RegG (28 Jun 2017)

Kashegan said:


> After many years away, and having a pretty old Apollo, I'm newly to this business and have bought a Giant Defy 0. It has PR-2 tyres and I was thinking of investing in a spare wheel and tyres(s). Can someone please explain what the differences netween PR-2 and SR-2 are?



Just checked my Defy 0 and I feel I should point out that the PR-2's are the wheels, NOT the tyres. I think you will find the tyres are PR-3.

When you say you are thinking of investing "in a spare wheel and tyre(s)" I am not sure what you are wanting to do.... 

Firstly, you do not need a 'spare wheel'. Just make sure you carry a spare inner tube, tyre levers and a pump as a minimum when going for a ride. Then if you do get a puncture you simply replace the tube and repair that when you get home.

The standard tyres should last a reasonable time/mileage but wheels/tyres are probably the best first upgrade you should consider. I swapped my Giant PR-3 tyres after about 1500 miles as I was suffering punctures and they had started to split. I put some Vittoria Rubino G+ tyres on the original wheels and find them to be a very good tyre, but everyone has their favourites. I eventually replaced the standard PR2 wheels with some Vittoria Session wheels which made a noticeable difference to the feel of the bike.

Just a word about the Giant SR-2 wheels - my daughter had these on her Liv Avail and had no end of problems with spokes breaking. She has now replaced them with Fulcrum Racing 3's and has found the bike to be much more responsive and quicker.


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## The Central Scrutinizer (28 Jun 2017)

Ditto what you said reg
My pr-3 tyres lasted about 2000 miles and although i had no punctures they had started to wear so i didn't want to take any chances.
I was having trouble with the the giant wheels with the spokes breaking and being out of true a lot so i also opted for the fulcrum racing 3's from merlin cycles who were doing a special deal with conti 4000's tyres supplied with the wheels.
To be honest although the fulcums are a much better manufactured wheel than the giant i haven't really noticed much difference in my average speed.


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## RegG (28 Jun 2017)

The Central Scrutinizer said:


> Ditto what you said reg
> My pr-3 tyres lasted about 2000 miles and although i had no punctures they had started to wear so i didn't want to take any chances.
> I was having trouble with the the giant wheels with the spokes breaking and being out of true a lot so i also opted for the fulcrum racing 3's from merlin cycles who were doing a special deal with conti 4000's tyres supplied with the wheels.
> To be honest although the fulcums are a much better manufactured wheel than the giant i haven't really noticed much difference in my average speed.


My daughter got a similar deal from Merlin - Fulcrum Racing 3's with Conti 4000S tyres & tubes already fitted - and she has found them to be much smoother running and quicker than the Giants.


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## kingrollo (30 Jun 2017)

I brought an older defy as a winter bike mainly because of its ability to take mudguards. These have proved very good, no rattling or adjustment required.
I am still running the standard giant tyres - no problem with them, but they don't provide the speed or say GPS400'S or Mich PR4 which I have used on other bikes.


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## CanucksTraveller (30 Jun 2017)

I've had the standard Giant PR tyres on two bikes from new last year, one Defy and one TCR, same model of tyre on both. No punctures or any other issues with grip, rolling resistance or anything else, they're a perfectly good tyre. There is absolutely no need to rush out and buy replacement tyres until the current ones are worn or causing problems.


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## Kashegan (1 Jul 2017)

RegG said:


> Just checked my Defy 0 and I feel I should point out that the PR-2's are the wheels, NOT the tyres. I think you will find the tyres are PR-3.
> 
> When you say you are thinking of investing "in a spare wheel and tyre(s)" I am not sure what you are wanting to do....
> 
> ...



Thanks for the clarification, I now see that the tyres are PR-3's. The reason for the spare wheel is because I have a turbo trainer and my old bike had an indoor 'trainer' tyre fitted. I was going to fit the 'indoor' tyre to a spare wheel so that I can quickly and easily change wheels for outdoor use. The old wheel is a 6 speed freewheel, wheras the new bike is a 11 speed cassette, so they are not compatable.


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## RegG (2 Jul 2017)

Kashegan said:


> Thanks for the clarification, I now see that the tyres are PR-3's. The reason for the spare wheel is because I have a turbo trainer and my old bike had an indoor 'trainer' tyre fitted. I was going to fit the 'indoor' tyre to a spare wheel so that I can quickly and easily change wheels for outdoor use. The old wheel is a 6 speed freewheel, wheras the new bike is a 11 speed cassette, so they are not compatable.



Can I suggest that, rather than buying just one rear wheel to use on the turbo trainer, you consider upgrading the wheels on your bike and using the original(s) on the turbo trainer and retain just in case you sell the bike. Wheels are generally considered to be the first worthwhile upgrade from the stock wheels. Keep an eye on the likes of Merlin who have wheel/tyre deals most of the time.


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## Jody (4 Jul 2017)

Daft question but how do you know when road tyres are wearing out. Other than the obvious signs of the chords showing. The standard Giant tyres don't seem to have any wear markers on them.


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## RegG (4 Jul 2017)

Jody said:


> Daft question but how do you know when road tyres are wearing out. Other than the obvious signs of the chords showing. The standard Giant tyres don't seem to have any wear markers on them.



Mine didn't so much as wear out but they did seem to be getting a lot of small cuts in them so rather than risk any problems out on a ride I swapped them for new tyres. As you say, there doesn't seem to be any wear markers.......


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