Help me decide which should be my new road bike

54and56

So I currently have a 2014 Cube Peloton which I use mainly for weekend 80km - 120km type spins around south Dublin and north Wicklow at a fairly leisurely 24km pace. I enjoy the bike and it has never let me down.

Being the wrong side of 50 and a big(ish) lad weighing the guts of 95kg I'd like to move up to hydraulic brakes as I've had a few hairy downhill experiences over the winter where the Shimano BR-R561 caliper brakes really struggled, particularly in the wet.

Now that my 5 year BTW scheme has come around again I'm thinking of treating myself to a new bike and possibly re-purpose the old bike to being a turbo trainer.

Given my use is primarily Sportives and the odd multi day charity event (max 200km per day) I've been searching for a relaxed geometry bike with good hydraulic brakes, a decent group set and half decent wheels.

My search has narrowed to:-

The Giant Defy Advanced 2 or the Cube Attain GTC SL.

The Cube is cheaper at €1,999 and seems to have both the better Ultegra groupset albeit 105 Hydraulic brakes Vs the Giant 105 groupset all round plus the Cube has Fulcrum racing 77 DB wheels Vs the Giants own brand P-R2's.

Both have carbon frames so I'm definitely leaning towards the Cube but can cheaper really be better? What am I missing?

fat bloke

They both look great, but the giant crankset isn't even a 105, so ultegra is a significant upgrade on the cube, plus the branded fulcrum wheels. - I'm never really a fan of oem branded finishing kits personally.

crosstownk

If it was me, I'd choose the Cube. I prefer the look of the Giant (but that's just a personal thing) but the spec of the Cube is better.

Plus you'll have €250 spare to buy other stuff like a saddle bag and it's contents, Garmin mount, or whatever you happen to need.

Tony04

Literally had another poster chose between the 2 a few weeks back, he went for the giant as he could ride it on gravel.
The defy is really endurance orientated and would have a better frameset. While the cube has slightly better spe and would be a little bit faster.
Are you sure you dont want to get a lighter bike like the giant tcr, it would be faster up the climbs and really what makes a bike comfortable is a decent fit not an endurance frameset.
Other decently specced bikes you mightnt have looked at would be canyon endurace/ultimate and vitus vitesse.
You dont need carbon btw cannondale cadd is also nice

ED E

Tony04 wrote: »

Other decently specced bikes you mightnt have looked at would be canyon endurace/ultimate

Canyons stock is pretty nonexistent last time I checked.

CramCycle

Personally i would pick the Cube as it is far superior. but pick the red/black, the Black/white is awful.

Wishbone Ash

Cube (but the colour scheme is all wrong).

byrnem31

Tony04 wrote: »

Literally had another poster chose between the 2 a few weeks back, he went for the giant as he could ride it on gravel.
The defy is really endurance orientated and would have a better frameset. While the cube has slightly better spe and would be a little bit faster.
Are you sure you dont want to get a lighter bike like the giant tcr, it would be faster up the climbs and really what makes a bike comfortable is a decent fit not an endurance frameset.
Other decently specced bikes you mightnt have looked at would be canyon endurace/ultimate and vitus vitesse.
You dont need carbon btw cannondale cadd is also nice

Yeah that was me. I went with the defy advanced 2 in the end. 4 weeks later, I love it. It's very comfortable and floats along the road at speed.

I was going for the cube but the giant lifetime frame warranty clinched it for me in the end. Cube offer 3 years frame warranty so I wasn't risking it on a carbon. Giant will also replace the frame for the first 2 years if you crash and damage it and it's your fault. Plus they make their own frames whereas cube get theirs in and assemble the rest of the bike in Germany.

I can upgrade my parts if I wish at a later stage but as I said, the frame on my giant is the best out there. Giant are years ahead in frame technology and make frames for other big brands. My bike has d fuse seat post and stem technology meaning the bike bends as your are cycling it depending on the road conditions. I thought the bike shop had left something lose when I was getting use to it.

105 is more than enough for me, tubeless tyres with tyre clearance I reckon up to 38s with a push. 32s are stock. The wheels aren't the lightest but they are very robust as this can be a gravel bike if you want. It's just an amazing bike, put 28s on it, it's a racer, 38s and it's a gravel bike etc. It's a Swiss army knife of bikes.

The cube on the other hand although had better parts, would not have as good tyre clearance, it's more racing orientated therefore would not be as confident on gravel and the frame warranty of 3 years is no good to me when I want the bike to last me the rest of my life. Parts can easily be replaced but frames can't.

When cycling home from work, I want to keep going on the defy. I just don't want to get off it. I'd try both though and see what you like best as it may come down to personal preference.

54and56

Thanks all for the great feedback and info.

@Tony04 Thanks for the alternative suggestions some of which I'd already looked at but not the Vitesse which looks very nice and at 8.26kg is about .4kg lighter than the Cube but at almost €3,000 it isn't a runner. The Giant TCR Advanced 1 Disc looks like a good option but I can't see the weight in the specs. Is it sub 8kg? The cube is 8.6kg.

I also agree about the value of a bike fit and have had one done for my current bike which I'll repeat with the new one for sure.

@byrnem31 Sounds like you landed on the perfect bike for your needs, well wear as they say!!

I have a narrower requirement. Purely road and purely Sportive type riding so I don't need the flexibility the Defy offers. I won't ever be going gravel riding and when I do want to go off-road I use an Orbea MX 29 MTB for trails etc.

I'm not worried about the frame warranty but the Giant Defy frame dynamic with its D-Fuse seat post and handlebar system is definitely appealing. If I could stretch to the Ultegra equipped Defy Advanced 1 that might be the optimum spec for my needs otherwise I think the Cube also looks to be a pretty good fit and excellent value for money. It may be a little heavier than the Giant TCR Advanced 1 Disc but I don't think the TCR has the Defy D-Fuse seat post and handlebar system and is €400 more than the Cube.

I'm not in a rush as the trusty 2014 Cube Peleton is still serving my needs well, particularly in summer, so I might wait for the current Covid driven bike demand to dissapate and see what deals are available in Nov/Dec as manufacturers clear out 2020 stock to make way for 2021 models.

byrnem31

54and56 wrote: »

Thanks all for the great feedback and info.

@Tony04 Thanks for the alternative suggestions some of which I'd already looked at but not the Vitesse which looks very nice and at 8.26kg is about .4kg lighter than the Cube but at almost €3,000 it isn't a runner. The Giant TCR Advanced 1 Disc looks like a good option but I can't see the weight in the specs. Is it sub 8kg? The cube is 8.6kg.

I also agree about the value of a bike fit and have had one done for my current bike which I'll repeat with the new one for sure.

@byrnem31 Sounds like you landed on the perfect bike for your needs, well wear as they say!!

I have a narrower requirement. Purely road and purely Sportive type riding so I don't need the flexibility the Defy offers. I won't ever be going gravel riding and when I do want to go off-road I use an Orbea MX 29 MTB for trails etc.

I'm not worried about the frame warranty but the Giant Defy frame dynamic with its D-Fuse seat post and handlebar system is definitely appealing. If I could stretch to the Ultegra equipped Defy Advanced 1 that might be the optimum spec for my needs otherwise I think the Cube also looks to be a pretty good fit and excellent value for money. It may be a little heavier than the Giant TCR Advanced 1 Disc but I don't think the TCR has the Defy D-Fuse seat post and handlebar system and is €400 more than the Cube.

I'm not in a rush as the trusty 2014 Cube Peleton is still serving my needs well, particularly in summer, so I might wait for the current Covid driven bike demand to dissapate and see what deals are available in Nov/Dec as manufacturers clear out 2020 stock to make way for 2021 models.

If you look at the Japanese giant website they have bike weights on that website.

Cee-Jay-Cee

I too would recommend the Cube. Its a better spec bike and you don't need bigger tyre clearance. The fulcrum wheels are also lighter and better than the Giant wheels. I have the rim brake version of the Attain and they're a greatbike, very well engineered and finished and comfortable.

py

Go for whichever bike has the better frame. You can upgrade the components as they wear out but you can't really do that easily/cheaply with a frame.

magicbastarder

that's basically what i was going to come in to post.
the cube may have better finishing kit, sure; but is it genuinely better value for money, or did giant put a better frame on the bike, a move which is far harder for an average browser to determine?

Tony04

You cant go wrong with the cube and it does have good specs for the money.
The giant tcr advanced 2 disc is about the same weight as the cube so the tcr advanced 1 might be a bit lighter. The frameset on the tcr is probably better engineered and lighter than the cubes but then the cube has better components bringing the weight down.
The tcr 2020 is discontinued as it has been redesigned for 2021 so you might get a discount if you can find old 2020 stock in stock.
I dont see the point in getting the defy for you if your not riding the worst or roads.
At your price range the lightest bike I've seen is the Canyon ultimate disc 7.0 but the aero handle bars means it diffucult to get a good bike fit. The Endurace cf disc 7.0 also from canyon might be good option for you, bit lighter than the cube but has 105.

The vitus vitesse 105 comes in at 2089 and is lighter than the cube but again is 105, it's out of stock right now but should probably restock soon. Or if you want to stretch to 2600 you can get a vitesse vitesse with full ultegra.

Tony04

magicbastarder wrote: »

that's basically what i was going to come in to post.
the cube may have better finishing kit, sure; but is it genuinely better value for money, or did giant put a better frame on the bike, a move which is far harder for an average browser to determine?

Giant and merida always have the best frames for the money as they are Taiwanese based manufacturers who manufacture alot of other brands frames aswell as there own. While alot of brands use standard toray carbon fiber with a specificly designed mould giant have the scale to manufacture their own carbon fibres to use with their moulds.

ednwireland

py wrote: »

Go for whichever bike has the better frame. You can upgrade the components as they wear out but you can't really do that easily/cheaply with a frame.

that in my experience rarely happens, you just replace whats worn out, once your're at 105/ultegra level whats the point of upgrading further.
if your're getting lower spec components that that the i doubt the frames high end and the wheels will probably be cheap.

i bought a cannondale synapse with ultegra di2 cost 2.8k but theres nothing im not happy with after 3 months. (it was a discounted 2019 model)

id actually look for disc only models as they appear (according to the marketing blurb) to be a frame designed for disc brakes rather than a rim brake frame with discs bolted on.

edit:
ive broken 2 steel frames zero aluminium and zero carbon so far

fat bloke

byrnem31 wrote: »

the bike bends as your are cycling it depending on the road conditions. I thought the bike shop had left something lose when I was getting use to it.

Jeez, when I read that I thought - well definitely the Cube then!

Not sure I'd be on board with that kind of flex on a road bike.

Wildly Boaring

OP, I made a very similar decision last year.
Went for the cube.
Happy out.

The attain is a relatively relaxed geometry.
I've found myself dropping the stem completely to get into a reasonable position.

Also you're well aware of cube sizing already I assume. Often need the next size up from other brands.

Tony04

ednwireland wrote: »

id actually look for disc only models as they appear (according to the marketing blurb) to be a frame designed for disc brakes rather than a rim brake frame with discs bolted on.

Yeh you cant mount disc brakes on a rim brake frame and vice versa also disc brak frames come with thru axles so if your looking for a bike with good upgradeability, resellability for the long term go for a disc brake bike. Another little niche that might sway me towards a bike is a threaded bb but they are hard to find these days.

magicbastarder

ednwireland wrote: »

edit:
ive broken 2 steel frames zero aluminium and zero carbon so far

crashed?

byrnem31

fat bloke wrote: »

Jeez, when I read that I thought - well definitely the Cube then!

Not sure I'd be on board with that kind of flex on a road bike.

That's the thing though. It's an endurance road bike with gravel capability as opposed to a pure road bike.

The flex kicks in when you are going over bumps and that meaning you don't have to move or swerve to avoid rough patches. This makes it faster and more comfortable to cycle. It's great cause you feel more connected to the bike.

54and56

Thanks for the additional advice, much appreciated.

Those Canyons look like great options also @Tony04 as 105 spec is plenty good for my needs.

I'll keep a short list of the Cube and the two Canyons and do a bit of shopping around later in the year.

I agree that the idea of upgrading lower spec components on a higher spec frame is more theory than practice for most people.

I also know the importance of only buying a bike which was frame designed for disc brakes rather than having them added to a frame which was originally designed for V brakes.

@Wildly Boaring, yes aware from the current bike as to how quirky Cube sizing can be. Thankfully I've had a full bike fit so I've all the data from that to help me select the right frame size but I'll be getting another bike fit on the new bike, no question. I might even get the fitters input into selection of frame size once I've zeroed in on a purchase.

ednwireland

magicbastarder wrote: »

crashed?

one breakage caused a crash, broke going round a roundabout seat tube broke near the BB decent frame. other one chainstay broke - it was cheap frame though.

Tony04

54and56 wrote: »

I'll keep a short list of the Cube and the two Canyons and do a bit of shopping around later in the year.

Usally you dont see the more value for money bikes getting significantly reduced, if your waiting around for something on sale I'd add the generally more expensive cannondale supersix evo and specialized tarmac sport etc. to your list as they see bigger discounts.

54and56 wrote: »

I agree that the idea of upgrading lower spec components on a higher spec frame is more theory than practice for most people.

Imo its acctually a pretty economical way of getting a light weight better specced bike because you have lighter frameset with heavier wheels, cranks, saddle etc. But for a couple of 100 you could shave 1kg off and have a much better fitting bike if you replacing cranks, saddle etc.

54and56

Just to update.

Ordered a Cube Attain GTC SL (€1,999) from my local LBS who are a Cube dealer in Sept. Supply chains are broken, it was due in, then not, then due in then not etc etc.

LBS contacted me last week to say a customer had backed out on buying a Trek Domane SL Custom Frame in my size with IsoSpeed front and back etc which they'd build up to 105 gearset with 105 shifters, Ultegra Disc Brakes and Bontrager Affinity Pro TLR Wheels with Continental Grand Prix 4 Season 700x32 tyres which is literally the opposite of the Cube which had an Ultegra Gearset and 105 Disc Brakes.

They have been great to deal with and gave me a solid discount for all the messing waiting around for the Cube so I pulled the trigger and picked it up today.

Funny how things work out!!

That’s a pretty good result you for there.