Giant Defy Advanced Pro 1 (2025)

The Giant Defy Advanced Pro 1 is a (relatively) affordable performance road bike. Its single purpose is to get you to point B as comfortably as possible. Oh, and it's also quite fast.

There's a lot behind the Defy Advanced Pro 1 that the marketing fluff doesn't tell you. So, this preview will shed a little more education and light on what you're actually buying.

What is the Giant Defy Advanced Pro?

The Giant Defy is a comfort road bike. We call it an Endurance road bike. Because it's designed to keep riders comfortable on long, epic road rides.

Next:

The 'Advanced' in the name simply means it has a carbon-fibre frame.

Lastly, the 'Pro' in the name tells you it's got carbon wheels, electronic gears and a power meter.

Who is the Defy Advanced Pro 1 for?

This build will suit the rider who is:

• Upgrading from an old road bike with mechanical gears, rim brakes or older disc brakes.
• Older and prefers a less racy, more comfortable road bike. And better stability at high speeds.
• New to road riding and wants to start on a build package that doesn't need any significant upgrades.

Why is the Giant Defy Advanced Pro 1 the sweet spot?

It's the perfect sweet-spot build because it delivers exceptional value.

More details on the components will follow. To summarise:

The Advanced Pro 1 has above average carbon wheels. Low friction hubs and super-fast engaging 30T rear hub really elevate how the Defy Advanced Pro 1 reacts to rider input.

SRAM Rival AXS wireless electronic gears shift gears smoothly with the press of a button. 

The accompanying power meter lets riders train far more intelligently than ever before.

So, it ticks all the boxes for workhorse performance-level components.

The Defy Advanced Pro 1 Build

Giant uses their 2nd-tier carbon to produce the frame. And their best Advanced SL-grade carbon to manufacture the front fork.

This keeps the front end light and responsive while delivering exceptional sideways stiffness. Helping the front end track through corners much better.

The D-Fuse SL handlebar has specifically been designed for comfort. It helps cushion the rider against road chatter and impacts.

How?

Its special D-shape allows the handlebar to flex downwards. With no upwards or sideways flex. Ensuring there's no unwanted flex negatively impacting handling.

The D-Fuse SL bar is paired to a matching D-Fuse SL carbon-fibre seatpost.

Like the handlebar, the D-shaped section along the post allows it to flex (significantly) more than a traditional round or aero/tear-drop shaped seatpost.

SRAM Rival AXS

At the heart of this build is SRAM's Rival AXS groupset.

A single button on each shifter allows you to adjust the front and rear gears, electronically. All components are connected via Bluetooth, with no ugly electrical wiring.

SRAM's gearing ratios are also completely different to Shimano's.

The front chainring combination is 46T/33T paired to a 10T-36T rear cassette.

This is equivalent to a 50T/34T front and 11T-34T rear cassette. But with much more range. Riders get a slightly higher top speed and an easier climbing gear.

Riders also get a power meter with the Defy Advanced Pro 1.

Giant's Power Halo is connected to the Rival crankset via a spider. The spider connects the chainrings to the crank arms.

Power Halo has a +/- 1.5% accuracy, so it's up there with some of the best options. It also does the following:

• Measures power on your left and right side.
• Maps your power throughout your pedal stroke.
• Measures cadence.
  

Giant SLR 1 36

Giant's SLR 1 36 wheelset weighs about 1,442 grams. These are definitely lighter than the average carbon wheelset at around 1,500 grams.

Hubs use fast, low-friction bearings for instant response.

The rear hub has a 30T ratchet which allows the rear wheel to help deliver power every 12-degrees.

Dynamic Balanced Lacing (DBL) ensures each spoke carries the correct tension under load. This is critical to power transfer and durability.

At 36mm deep, these rims are the perfect all-rounders.

Unlike 50mm or 60mm deep rims, the SLR 1 36's will not be as fast at higher-speeds. They just don't have the same aerodynamic benefits.

But:

They are going to be far more comfortable to ride on. And easier to climb with.