Giant tell us that the Giant Defy Advanced SL Road Bike is ……….
THE PINNACLE OF ENDURANCE ROAD PERFORMANCE. ULTRA-LIGHT, COMPLIANT AND SMOOTH – FOR EPIC DAYS AND EVERY DAY.
Quite a claim but I really needed to be sure so I planned an epic day, setting off at 12 noon to ride for 24hrs, heading for Oban from my home near Settle.
My route would be around the 300 mile mark, a distance I have ridden before but not in under 24hrs and not with the amount of climbing I had planned, throw in the March weather and it was quite a challenge. I dressed for the cold, with a forecast of possible rain in the early hours and a cold wind giving a wind chill of -1 overnight it would be crucial to stay warm whilst riding at a conservative endurance pace.
The Defy Advanced SL 1 isn’t built to carry much of a load but I wanted to travel as light as possible so it wasn’t a problem, a minimalist repair kit with three tubes, a spare tyre and an emergency waterproof jacket fitted under the saddle, a couple of bottles and a pump on the frame and a top tube mini bag for food and other essentials with “on the go” food in my jersey pockets. My route card was written in permanent pen on the wide flat top tube (covered with white insulation tape Tony……) giving me a rough outline of my route through Glasgow where I knew I’d struggle.
The first 100 miles were pretty steady away but quite hilly, climbing out through the Dales and the Eden Valley to my first shop stop at Carlisle, with some more grub on board I headed north through the Scottish Border to the 24hr café at Lockerbie Truck Stop where I had a brew and some hot food. Leaving the warmth of the café I was quite nervous about the climb after Moffat but it turned out to be steady away, a puncture and more rolling hills dropped me into Glasgow where I planned to follow the National Cycle Network signed routes through the city. Unfortunately I fell foul of the route signing, accidentally heading east on the NCN 75, when the Clyde failed to materialise and the signs started saying Edinburgh I realised I’d messed up, luckily the traffic was very quiet and I headed into the city centre on a main A road and picked up the Clyde bankside path and then the NCN 7 to Dumbarton where a coffee and a bacon butty gave me a much needed boost. I headed north and soon hit a rather damp dawn on Loch Lomond. The A82 wasn’t as bad as I’d thought it’d be but the hill up to Crianlarich, at 260 miles, was brutal. My last pit stop was Tyndrum, a quick bottle of coke saw me buzzing again and heading west on the run down to Oban. With the clock showing 300 miles but only 23hrs gone I dragged out another 15 miles finally rolling in to my friends house in Benderloch with 315.5 miles ridden in 23hrs 58mins and over 16000ft climbed.
Happy but knackered I had a quick brew and a shower, finally getting to put my feet up on the Calmac ferry we had to catch at 1pm to the Hebrides.
Invaluable kit was my Endura Exo Softshell and without a doubt the Exposure Blaze rear light.
For the Strava users out there my route’s here.
The bike? Awesome, bloody fast but with a comfortable all-day geometry and frame that soaked up bigger hits. I’d say Giant’s got it spot on.
Harry Carpenter
All Terrain Cycles Ride in Peace – The Mile Monster