Diverge A1 Sport Vs Giant Defy 1

[AJH779]

Hi, I've ben commuting on a Specialized cross trail for a while now and have decided to pick up on some of the current offers to get a road bike.

I think I am down to the Specialized Diverge A1 sport and the Giant Defy 1 Aluxx. I Thought they would be the same price at just over £700 but due to availability the Defy will be £100 more. As far as I can tell the Spec frame is a little more refined but the groupset on the defy is much better (105 compared to Sora).

What do people think is the best option?

For completeness, I am riding a 10 mile commute a couple of times a week and a few leisure rides per month.

 

[MarquisMatsugae]

The Specialized.
Or if you want a totally uninspiring ride and join the scores of people wasting their money on dull as dishwater bikes ?
The Giant will not let you down on that score.

 

[AJH779]

Ha! all the sensible people I have asked at work today said, 'go with the better groupset' I guess I have come on here hoping to find someone who thinks the spec is a good option, if only because it is SO pretty - that must make it faster, right?

 

[bondirob]

I've had a lot of fun on my Giant.
There's no such thing as a dull bike.
Talk like this is the type of bullocks you read in magazines.
Get whichever you like best.

 

[r04DiE]

^^This. About a million times over.

 

[S-Express]

Or if you want a totally uninspiring ride and join the scores of people wasting their money on dull as dishwater bikes ?
The Giant will not let you down on that score.

What makes them 'uninspiring' or 'dull as dishwater' ?

 

[MarquisMatsugae]

I owned one and demo'd another just to see if it was a one off.
Pretty generic and lifeless

 

[vickster]

I owned one and demo'd another just to see if it was a one off.
Pretty generic and lifeless

I feel exactly the same way about Specialized (I've had 3 in the past, none ridden for more than 6 months)

 

[vickster]

@AJH779 what other roadbikes have you test ridden to arrive at those two?

 

[S-Express]

I owned one and demo'd another just to see if it was a one off.
Pretty generic and lifeless

Words like 'dull', ' uninspiring', 'generic' and 'lifeless' are just meaningless adjectives, as I'm sure you know. I'm asking you what makes them dull and lifeless?

 

[bonsaibilly]

Possibly more useful advice would be that they are two different types of bike, as the Diverge is an "Adventure Road" bike (they used to just call them cyclocross) and the Defy is a straight road bike.

Personally I too had a lot of fun on a Defy, and have never ridden a Spesh road bike (or adventure road bike either), but really you want to be physically trying out a few bikes both for sizing and for that X factor that, as you can see from the petty arguments above, is different for different people.

bb

 

[AJH779]

In truth, I haven't been able to try either. Having never ridden a road bike for more than a few minutes I think either will feel pretty odd and I will struggle to know which 'feels best'. This is mainly because no one locally has either in stock in my size and I need to get them ordered in. As they are both on offer, I am struggling to get them brought in for a trial. I hadn't realised that 'feel' would be a big issue - but I realise retrospectively that this is a little silly!

Why these bikes? I went to Spesh first as I have the Crostrail and asked the guys about a road bike with a more relaxed geometry and a bit of comfort. They pointed me at the Diverge as a good road bike with just a little more comfort. They were promoting it as sprortive/comfort geometry, but said it wasn't a cyclocross.
I then went to my Local Bike Shop (Edinbrough Cycles) and they pointed me at the Defy. I have also spoken to the guys a Giant who confirmed that the Defy was their comfort/endurance offering.

 

[bonsaibilly]

Well, marketing has a lot to answer for but essentially a Diverge has a frame with clearance for wider tyres, it has wider tyres, and is road bike shaped. Basically you could do a cyclocross race on one, but you couldn't on a Defy because you can't fit cyclocross tyres on one.

Geometrically they may be similar.

Neither will be a bad bike in technical terms and there's nothing wrong with Sora gears. I can't really advise any better than to not buy without trying, as something that looks pretty on a website a) looks different in the flesh and b) if it ain't the right size or lacks the X factor for you, it will be a waste of money.

Finally, don't be misled into thinking that because the Spesh frame looks prettier or neater (to you), it is a better frame. Giant make half the road bike frames sold across the world and make the frames for most of the other big brands. There isn't much they don't know about bike frames.

bb

 

[Dave7]

I feel exactly the same way about Specialized (I've had 3 in the past, none ridden for more than 6 months)

They were so bad you bought 3 off them ???
or you just couldn't believe they could be so bad you tried another..........and another
I borrowed a Spec' Roubaix carbon for a week-end. I thought it quite good but nothing to get excited about.

 

[vickster]

They were so bad you bought 3 off them ???
or you just couldn't believe they could be so bad you tried another..........and another
I borrowed a Spec' Roubaix carbon for a week-end. I thought it quite good but nothing to get excited about.

My LBS sold them, I was quite new to cycling, didn't know that far more fun to ride (for me) bikes exist. I got a Crosstrail which I bought on C2W to get my confidence back after a nasty fall and bad knee injury, barely rode it, then I got a Sirrus on
Impulse as thought it would be quicker on roads, never thrilled by it...which got stolen (but not before it contributed to chronic tennis elbow). I needed a bike to replace the stolen one, got a deal on the next Sirrus model up in
the right size with insurance money, hated it. Sold within 6 months and replaced with a road bike...had a few since then, never again Specialized. For me, dull to ride, dull stylistically and as common as muck around here

Ymmv however