Looking for a new road bike.?

Yes...I do like the Giant Defy series of bikes - a lot! Why? The main reason, they don't outsource their rim & wheel supply. They make their own. I'm not exactly "thin" by any stretch of the imagination. If their wheels will withstand my chunky body & not get out-of-true - you should be fine.

Another reason is they stand behind what they sell. Last spring I was getting a creaking or popping noise from the headtube area. The bike shop replaced the bearing cones first, then the entire headset. The noise was still there. After consulting with Giant, they finally admitted a few Defy 5 bikes were developing a hairline fracture where the steer tube met the fork. Not being able to come up with an exact match, Giant sent a CARBON FIBER fork with carbon fiber steer tube - NO charge.

I'm not a big fan of a carbon fiber seatpost on a bike with an aluminum frame. There's a special type of lube that must be used to keep it from seizing up - the name of which escapes me now.

But...my opinion is only one of thousands (or millions) of cyclists. The final decision has to be yours after a few test rides. Find one you like better than the rest. Buy it.

It's all very well to look at components, but fit and the way a bike handles is much more important. Properly set up, you probably wouldn't see much difference between a bike with 105 and a bike with Tiagra, at least until the next generation 11 speed 105 becomes available later this year. So just get out and test ride the bikes you are interested in to see which one suits you best. Don't rely on the impressions of others, because what works best for one person may not be as good for someone else

Would trade the Meridas for WILIER Montegrappa Elite Racing and La Pierre Audacio 400 Compact ---both specified w/ features on leisurelakesbike.com----

defy