I’m no expert but considering that (if i’m not mistaken) the 2018 defy is already carbon, yes you will get gains from a more aggressive bike but it’ll be minimal gains.
When i went from my aluminium frame flat bar commuter to my carbon bike, i gained a good 3-5km/h in speed as it was hella lighter, i was a lot more hunched forward, frame is a lot more stiff and compliant at the same time (carbon soaks up the bumps)
But then also the commuter meant i didn’t need as much padding on my bike shorts, and i was comfortable for whichever distance i was doing and the rack meant more cargo capacity…so they each had their function.
But then i also did some training on the trainer over the winter so even without the bike, i was about 2-3 km/h faster on the hybrid commuter…
To be honest i personally was looking at the defy/contend sl1 a lot and came close to pulling the trigger on one as an alternative to my commuter, but i went more aggressive because an opportunity/deal came up that i just couldn’t pass.
So maybe upgrade components on the bike, like wheels but i wouldn’t break the bank to get another one to be faster.
Some of the responses here don’t seem very scientific. I agree, there are lots of things you can do to get faster and it should be a matter of priorities. Training, weight loss, nutrition, equipment are all things that can make a rider faster. To those saying it’s the rider and not the bike, that seems to avoid physics to me. Yes, you get strong on the bike, you will be faster. But if you get strong on the bike and get a more aero or light bike and you will get even faster. To me it comes down to priorities and resources. Most people here would advocate training for obvious reasons, but if you have the resources to buy a bike, buy a fast bike.
I recently upgraded from a beginner Felt Z90 to the new Specialized Roubaix. My average speeds increased from 15-16 to 18+. Not really the biggest change. I did find interesting that my cadence shot up from 75 most rides to 85 at a minimum.
I mentally feel faster on the Roubaix and I think part of it has to do with Im way more comfortable with the braking. I love the feel of it and how it looks.
The problem is that the question - if the question was; I’m an okay rider, will an aero bike make me significantly faster than a non aero bike?
I think most people would agree on ‘no’. But then everyone would disagree on what is significant. Some people would even say they’d do it for the placebo effect…
I bought a used Defy for my wife - so I’m not sure if the seller got faster with whatever he replaced the Defy with, but my wife did get faster with the Defy. So if you hesitate in buying bike n+1 because you don’t know if it will make you faster, there’s always the argument that your now-old bike may make someone else faster.
Anyways, everyone kows that logic and buying a new bike are like parallel lines - they only meet at infinity.
Might I suggest something else: get a proper bike fit. That’ll do you much more good and is very cost effective. Especially if this is your first proper road bike, then you probably don’t know what “feels” right. Apart from this, learn how to become more aerodynamic. A more sporty bike will be useless if you can’t hold a more aggressive position for long.
I’m actually going to get this done soon. The problem is that I’m trying to find a good fitter in my area that’s not booked for the next three months! I put out more power the lower I go with elbows at 90º, but my undercarriage complains so I can’t hold it for a long time. If I can get that issue resolved, I can ride aero for more than 5 minutes.
Wider saddle, cutout, push the saddle forwards (fore), lower the saddle, pedal harder (lifts your butt). You can’t sit on the nose like pro’s do unless you weigh 70 kg and push 350 W.
I’d suggest against ISM (only cutting off the nose to bypass rules) and tilting the saddle down (more pressure on your hands).
Personally I think it comes down to a few percent, varying rider to rider. The placebo of owning a more expensive bike can do wonders to some people, maybe letting them dig a bit deeper than before. I’m on a high-end beginner bike, Merida Scultura 400, 11-28, compact cranks and super light. I love the way it looks and don’t feel I’m missing anything compared to an Aeroad/Madone etc …
Having said that I’d feel like I could go faster if I “only” had a Defy. I know once I get a pair of deep section rims I’m going to feel faster (and look slicker )
I loved my 2018 Giant Defy Advanced 1 for this past year. It was my first expensive bike and I went from weakling to intermediate noob on it.
A few months ago I started pushing for faster average speeds as extra motivation to work harder on the road and it definitely worked as my speeds slowly went up and I grew stronger on the bike.
Another huge factor is I gradually lowered the stem (not slammed) over a few weeks and at last count I think I was 15mm under the stock ride and yes, lowering the stem did make the bike faster due to the enforced riding position.
2 weeks ago I decided to move on to something a little racier and settled on either a TCR or Propel and tested them both. In the end I went for the TCR because I loved the colour and my lbs did me a great deal.
Now to the interesting stuff.
My first week with the TCR I rode all my local loops/training roads and there’s no denying it - it’s a faster bike than my Defy. Gentle inclines sometimes feel like flats and on actual flats the bike is quicker to get up to speed and once there stays there with slightly less effort. It climbs easier too although for me this is somewhat offset by the racier gearing compared to the hill friendly cogs on the Defy.
I haven’t been out on the TCR on fresh legs yet and I still managed to smash some strava pb’s without really trying. If you were to put a gun to my head I’d say for me personally the TCR is on average about 1 mph faster than the Defy.
Some facts on the two bikes -
The Defy rrp was £1800, the TCR £3000
Both size large
Both same gavia ac1 tubeless tyres
The Defy with pedals weighs a whopping 10.7kgs. I have yet to weigh the TCR but I reckon it’s about 1kg lighter
The extra speed can not be attributed to the riding position as currently my Defy handlebars sit noticeably lower than my stock TCR bars. In other words the way I have my bikes set up at the moment the Defy actually has a lower, more aero position than the TCR.
Personally I believe the biggest factors in this are weight and the slightly deeper section Slr carbon wheels the TCR is equipped with.
Assuming your bike fit is good! The happiest my numb bits have been was the day I went to Specialized bike store and got a pressure profile of my sit bones, they reccomended one specific saddle /width for me.
It has made the biggest difference, a month later I bought a second one to put on my commuter. Changed cycling for me!
Thanks for the reply! Haha, great minds think alike I guess?? If I can, I plan on test riding the TCR this weekend to see how it feels. The problem with me is that I am fully into the whole “new bike syndrome”, i.e. placebo effect that makes me think the bike is faster, but I’m actually just excited to ride a new bike.
Thanks for the reply! I got a pressure profile at a Specialized LBS too but it didn’t work out well for me. I was told you can be comfortable or you can be aero, you can’t have both.
Unlucky with the saddle! The right one will be out there for you!
This will be the least scientific thing I say, but buying a new bike, new wheels, gearset, computer, tyres, are all little things I treat myself with. Which encourages me to get out on the bike a ride more…which ultimately results in speed!
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