Giant’s Defy Advanced Pro 1

If ever there was a brand that could see into the future, it would surely be Giant. Back when rim brakes were standard across the board, the Defy came out equipped exclusively with disc brakes, and weighed just 7.25kg. At the time that was mildly mind-blowing, and yet today it looks all too conventional. And while the new Defy doesn’t look any different, rest assured, this is no less a vision of the future than its forebear.

‘Aside from the D-Fuse seatpost, the headset bearings and the rear derailleur hanger, pretty much every part of the bike has changed,’ says David Ward, product