Upgrade from Cross city

[Mrstuu]

Hey, just after some advice can help.

I have had a cross city (1 DISC 2015) for 4 years now and currently ride 30 K each way to work.

I'm looking to get an upgrade as I plan to do longer rides at weekend as well is my daily commute.

I have been looking at the giant Defy's obviously I know that the largest difference will be the geometry of the bike. Just wondering if anyone has any advice or has recently upgraded from a commuting bike to something that was substantial.

Cheers,

stuart

[rodneycc]

Yeah the Defy Advanced/Pro would be a solid choice. Maybe go secondhand. After 4 years you would know a bit now about what to look out for and could save a thousand bucks on a really nice bike.

[Mububban]

I have been looking at the giant Defy's obviously I know that the largest difference will be the geometry of the bike. Just wondering if anyone has any advice or has recently upgraded from a commuting bike to something that was substantial.

Cheers,

stuart

I think the biggest difference you'll find is in the hand positions on drops handlebars. You've got down low in the drops for going extra fast or low stability like cornering or descending, on the hoods where most roadies ride most of the time, and on the flat tops, usually reserved for slowly spinning up a long climb. Drop bars give you more comfort simply because you can change your hand position whenever you feel like it.

Going from commuting on a mountain bike, and now having picked up a second hand Cross City as my bash-around bike, the road bike (even a Defy) will make you feel a bit more stretched out and your weight will be more over the front wheel. So be prepared for a different balance point the first time you get off the saddle to pedal hard!
If you're doing 30km each way on a flat bar city bike, I think you'll eat up the miles on a "proper" road bike.

Get some padded bike shorts if you don't already have them, drink more than you think necessary on rides of 50km+, and take some small snacks like muesli bar or energy gels and a second water bottle if you're aiming for 100km+. One with water and one with sports drink.

A free app like Strava can help record your rides and give you motivation to crack certain distance records you may never have achieved before.

[Duck!]

The geometry is actually not all that different between the Cross City and Defy/Contend series. The biggest difference is that the Cross City is actually a little bit longer to correct for the different bar shape, so that ultimately you end up in the same place.....

The advantages of the drop-bar setup are that you have a greater range of hand positions, and in particular you can get lower not just for aero, but helps with stability and front end traction when descending.

[robbo mcs]

I agree with Duck. I have a defy and a fastroad comax (which is similar to cross city). The geometry between the two is actually very similar, and the main difference is obviously the bars. It is not just the drops that are different. The defy bars are narrower as well. I swap between the two bikes all the time with no dramas.