2012 giant defy 2 vs 2014 defy 0.

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surfdude

Veteran
Location
cornwall
i like my 2012 giant defy which has tiagra and sora mixed components . the 2014 defy 0 has Ultegra group set . would i notice any difference between the 2 bikes with the defy 0 having a much better group set . i live in Cornwall and am looking for a few more gears to get up and down the hills around here . defy 2 has 18 gears ,defy 0 22 gears . thanks in advance
 

MikeW-71

Veteran
Location
Carlisle
Depends what the lowest gear would be for each one. 12-30 for the Tiagra, or 11-28 for Ultegra.

If you fitted a longer cage mech to the Ultegra, you could fit 11-32. But then, you could do exactly the same for the Tiagra (fit a 105 medium cage mech). Another thing would be to go for a better pair of wheels for the 2. Something like Fulcrum 7's would see an improvement when climbing.

The only other thing you could do would be to put a triple chainset (say 50-39-30) on the 2 along with the 12-30 to get even lower than stock.
 

Cyclist33

Guest
Location
Warrington
i like my 2012 giant defy which has tiagra and sora mixed components . the 2014 defy 0 has Ultegra group set . would i notice any difference between the 2 bikes with the defy 0 having a much better group set . i live in Cornwall and am looking for a few more gears to get up and down the hills around here . defy 2 has 18 gears ,defy 0 22 gears . thanks in advance
You also say "down" the hills...

But anyway, in essence more gears per second doesn't equal easier hills or faster downhill, it's the smallest and largest cogs that determine that.

Frame on a defy 0 is a bit lighter, I think the wheels slightly lighter too.

Have you upgraded tyres yet? Low spend, high benefit!
 

Big Dave laaa

Biking Ninja
Location
Flintshire
I have recently made the move from Sora to Ultegra and the difference is quite frankly, amazing. I had a good deal on the bike so not sure I can vouch for it being worth the money but the quality of shifting is so much better. Also the 11 speed means that the ratios are nice and close so I find climbing more fun. My set-up is 50-34 compact with 11-28 cassette. Incidentally 105 and ultegra are virtually indistinguishable in every day use, so if you can get the defy 1 for a good price go for that.
 
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