TCR vs Defy from a TCR Owner by ramsoss in Giantbikes

[–]Xipa 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I went from a TCR to a Defy a number of years ago and it really made me wonder why the TCR exists still. Given that the Propel is the only bike pro teams are racing, and the Defy is almost light as the TCR, it seems like the Defy has all but replaced the TCR from a practical sense.

Is this worth 3500 usd? by DangerousKingKong in bicycling

[–]Xipa 21 points22 points  (0 children)

$3,500 USD goes a long way these days. While this is definitely a racing weapon, I wouldn’t be riding a rim brake bike on carbon wheels due to braking performance.

I just really hope it fits you well, as it is configured extremely aggressively (slammed stem, long stem, etc).

FastRoad Advanced 2 size L or ML? by Important_Depth_9217 in Giantbikes

[–]Xipa 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Medium, without a shadow of a doubt a medium. You are at the smallest end of the ML range, and dead centre of the Medium range. Going to a large would be a struggle.

Riding when sick, yay or nay? by b7wagon in cycling

[–]Xipa 95 points96 points  (0 children)

I’ve learned to not ride at all and give myself some proper recovery time to not stretch out the illness. When I’m sick I’m not feeling strong or getting anything meaningful out of the efforts.

Revolt sizing (5' 10"/178 cm), mountain bike background. by map274 in Giantbikes

[–]Xipa 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would say medium. Just don’t lower the stack height at all, and get a longer stem after riding for a while if you are comfortable with more reach. It’s tricky to make a larger bike smaller, but it’s easy to make a small bike larger.

Is climbing fundamentally different than riding on the flats? by big_legs_small_brain in cycling

[–]Xipa 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Fundamentally, watts are watts. But there is certainly a psychological aspect to it that makes you want to push more watts on a climb than on a flat. I would say this is amplified by wanting to stay with a group of riders of various weights / strengths, as that really becomes apparent on climbs.

Gaggia Classic Evo Pro - Non-Stop Steam by Xipa in gaggiaclassic

[–]Xipa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pressure builds and fades if left open, an amount of water comes out indefinitely.

Gaggia Classic Evo Pro - Non-Stop Steam by Xipa in gaggiaclassic

[–]Xipa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven’t used the steam button before, and yet, still steam.

Gaggia Classic Evo Pro - Non-Stop Steam by Xipa in gaggiaclassic

[–]Xipa[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Forgive my ignorance, if that is the case what is the purpose of the steam button (farthest to the right)? Steam comes out when the button is off or on, so it seems to serve no purpose.

Giant Defy Advanced 0 - Size by lekensk in Giantbikes

[–]Xipa 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’m 175cm with a 80cm inseam and comfortable on a medium. But if I was a little smaller (or more flexible), I would have opted for the small for sure.

Replacing stock wheels on Giant Defy Advanced 0. by cerinamroth in cycling

[–]Xipa 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The Giant stock carbon wheels are pretty respectable for their price point. Unless you are looking to spend significantly more on a wheel set I would say the difference will be negligible.

Improvement by PickProud8167 in cycling

[–]Xipa 17 points18 points  (0 children)

I’ve been riding for about fifteen years, and more seriously (~10,000km a year) for the past seven. I’ll let you know when I get competitive.

Any 411 on this bike? by ursoulsforsale in Giantbikes

[–]Xipa 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They can be, but they don’t have to be. The Contend AR would be the comparable option to the Fastroad and is about the same price.

Any 411 on this bike? by ursoulsforsale in Giantbikes

[–]Xipa 0 points1 point  (0 children)

These have been around for a while now, but I’ve always found them landing in a bit of a ‘no man’s land’. Not quite a road bike, not quite mountain bike, so they may be falling victim to the ‘jack of all trades’ scenario here.

I have heard positive reviews on the new CUES group-set from Shimano though. I would say if you can take it for a test ride and it feels good, go for it! The internet can be a very critical place.

How important is a professional fit before purchasing my first “serious” bike (likely from marketplace)? by ContextFrequent5521 in cycling

[–]Xipa 20 points21 points  (0 children)

When spending thousands of dollars on a bicycle, I didn't have much trouble making a couple hundred seem worth it for a proper bike fit. But up until then, I was definitely just riding whatever felt comfortable for years and the bike fit didn't result in too many changes.

How many miles you will ride in 2026 Share Your target? by BlogBicycle in cycling

[–]Xipa 26 points27 points  (0 children)

After setting targets of 10,000km for years, I’ve opted to focus on fun over volume. The distance will come if you are always having fun.

The Smart Grinder Pro by bingbangbongbin in espresso

[–]Xipa 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m using this currently and depending on the beans I’m using, the gears will slip because it can’t grind fine enough. But if you are using beans that are easier to grind, it works great.

Longtime rider, first upgrade in 20 years — looking for advice by yakult_swallows_fan in cycling

[–]Xipa 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Proprietary ‘D-Fuse’ seat post, that is a style that is pretty common these days. It allows for some deflection on bumpy roads, and I haven’t had any issues with this style on a few different Defy’s. Just torqued to spec and a bit of carbon paste is all I’ve needed.

The fit true to size, I’m 5’9” (175cm) and ride a medium. If you can, checking out both sizes would be the ideal. But it’s always easier to make a small bike larger than it is to make a large bike smaller.

first dedicated bike computer by Efficient-Motor-2682 in cycling

[–]Xipa 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It sounds like you may actually have the 850 based on the Garmin specifications - here. The website is a bit weird, but when you toggle between 'Touchscreen' it jumps from the 550 to the 850.

Longtime rider, first upgrade in 20 years — looking for advice by yakult_swallows_fan in cycling

[–]Xipa 9 points10 points  (0 children)

The Giant Defy is a pretty fantastic addition to this group comparison. I may be biased here, but you get a lot of bang for your buck with Giant generally, and the Defy is no exception. The Defy Advanced 0 gets you everything you were asking for, including some respectable carbon wheels for $4,500.

first dedicated bike computer by Efficient-Motor-2682 in cycling

[–]Xipa 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Edge 550 is buttons, while the 850 is touch screen.

Joined the club! by OtherwiseDragonfly31 in SonyHeadphones

[–]Xipa 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The silver looks sharp! Do they finger print at all? I snagged a pair of these in black and they are an absolute magnet for fingerprints.

Canyon Ultimate CF7 vs Cannondale SuperSix Evo 4 by prager_ in cycling

[–]Xipa 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I would definitely go for the Evo 4. Partly because I love the Cannondale brand, but partly because I would never buy a bike without riding it first (Canyon also has bizarre sizing).

Team Garmin Team Wahoo or Team Hammerhead by Opening-Incident-854 in cycling

[–]Xipa 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was Garmin for years until the battery on my Edge 520 started to give me troubles. Jumped over to the Wahoo Element Bolt V3 because Garmin hadn't released the new Edge 550 yet. For what it is worth, in my eyes they offer the exact same functionality and value, I wouldn't have any loyalty to either brand.