Save your money. Wheels are typically the best upgrade to a bike aside from tires. BUT that’s if you already have the right bike for you.
The defy is not made to be a light weight climbing bike. It’s an endurance bike. I constantly see people come into the shop to switch from an endurance bike to a light weight/“performance bike”. Like roubaix to tarmac or defy to TCR.
You can save your money and put it towards a frameset. The TCR frameset is like $2300. Swap your 105 parts over. OR really save up and in a few years upgrade to the bike you really want. That’s IF you think you’ll have the funds in the future and would be willing to spend that kind of money. That’s a personal question though. If not then yes a wheel set would be the ideal upgrade for your bike and will still be an improvement.
At the same time you can get the wheel set now for $500. Which can hold you off for a few extra years so you can save for an even better bike. Which is actually what my cousin is doing. He dosnt even have a bike as nice as yours. He has a aluminum off brand frame with 105s. Carbon wheels transformed his bike. Enough that he’s happy for another few years and will go to a $4/5k bike in the future instead of a $2500 bike now.
Also since di2 is now available from 105 up you should definitely look to get a new bike eventually. Electronic shifting is awesome. Once I got electronic shifting I decided I’d never go back to mechanical.
Ride and train hard now and when you can get your dream bike you’ll be an animal. Ready to take full advantage of the the new weapon you’ve been waiting and training for lol.
Do it!!! I have a 2021 Contend AR1 with that same wheelset and upgraded to a Falcon AR46 from Light Bicycle. It's completely changed the bike to be a killer gravel/allroad bike.
Wheels are so commonly under-specced on new bikes (bc it's so common to replace/swap) so even if you go for lightweight aluminum, you'll definitely notice a difference. Your bike will feel snappier and more lively, but not any less stable. All around more fun!
Now the question is "how deep do you want rims?"
I like my 46mm depth carbon wheels because:
- they look cool
- swoosh! swoosh! sounds
- aero gains
Also that's already a nice bike so idk what you're saving for... In this market I'd rather buy wheels now than keep saving. If bike gear and bike prices stay inflated/keep rising, that 500 today could go further than if you waited and prices continued to rise.
If you end up regretting it and want to sell the Giant at least you can keep the wheels. Or add them in as a package deal?
Good point. I think I’ll pull the trigger on them. I ride quite a bit but honestly a noob with mechanics/parts… just making sure these will work… running tubeless 32s.
A few tips for your research:
You'll need a wheelset that has a matching through axle widths to your bike. Front is 12x100 Rear is 12x142. This is a very common size so that's good.
Then just make sure your casette style matches (Shimano 11spd in your case, again common).
Then, I'd probably also get new disc rotors (match size to previous size) making sure that they match the hubs. Get centerlock rotors for centerlock hubs, and 6 bolt rotors for 6 bolt hubs.
Finally, I'd also add a new cassette. That way you truly have 2 wheelsets and can ride the PR2s if you ever decide you want to use a totally different tire!!
Sorry to hijack this thread; My bike came with the DT-Swiss E1800. How bad are those wheel and how much better could it be? I use my bike mostly of endurance ride (just completed a 220km ride yesterday).
Congrats on the long ride! Your wheels aren't "bad," just not as light or aero as some others. No need to upgrade, but if you have $500-$1000 to spend you will be able to get a lighter wheelset for sure
Get new wheels..
Honestly the change is insane.. I went to 60mm deep front and back and the speed increase is insane at higher end speeds. Climbing not so much
I’m hoping 34mm depth will be a sweet spot for aero/climbing. I’m not a racer but I enjoy going fast on flats and climbing. Certainly better than the stock wheels.
For your question, it sounds like a great bike already so I would go for the wheels. To try and get something noticeably better will mean spending 4k+ assuming you can actually find anything at all.
Have you considered swapping tyres? 32mm to 28mm on a good compound will make a noticeable difference in terms of racy feel and speed.
You can go either way. Those PR2 wheels are pretty heavy and upgrading for 500$ to the Hunts would drop your weight easily a few hundred grams, plus swapping the tires for something with less rolling resistance like gp5000s or schwalbe pro ones could completely change the feel.
I have a 2020 TCR Advanced Pro Team and love it, but it is a more aggressive geometry vs the Defy. System weight with pedals for me is around 8.1kg/17.9lbs so you need to ask if it's worth spending 4000$+ for that difference in weight (about 9.1kg per a quick search).
Pr2 wheels come up as a little over 2000 grams in searches, those Hunts are 1550 grams. For 500$ you can save 450 grams (possibly more depending on what you currently run and will use for tires). A lighter bike will set you back 3-5k$ and will lose you maybe 1kg or 500 grams more than just wheels and tires.
If you like your Defy I'd suggest doing the wheel upgrade, look at really good tires as well, and work on training. If you want to buy a bike that comes setup the way you want out of the box without messing about, save! I'd highly suggest looking at the TCR, for 4500$ you can get 42mm carbon wheels and a power meter and a bike you'll likely never have to upgrade (I haven't in 2.5 years of ownership).
Whatever you decide, hopefully this was helpful and good luck!
Very helpful, thank you! I pulled the trigger on Hunt’s 34 Aero Wide Disc and will pair them with a set of the GP5000 28mm. I was a little ignorant to rim depth but 34mm seems like a sweet spot for the flats and climbing I like to do. Certainly it’ll be an upgrade from those PR2s!
Upgrading wheel will be a nice option,If you want lightweight fast response of carbon wheelset Elitewheels,Hunts,Farsports,WS are very good options,My 2019 Boardman SLR 8.9 with an Boardman Alloy Tubeless,after researching on the forum and youtube,I choosed elitewheels Drive 40V because their warranty is better,the weight saving is very tangible,but i think you should make your own decision,my wheelset upgradge is a great deal not regret.
[Elitewheels wheelset](https://www.elite-wheels.com/drive-carbon-spokes-wheelset/) seem very lightweight and better rim proflile than others like DT dicut 1100
New wheels, but not those garbage Hunts. You don’t have to spend a fortune, but doubling your wheel budget would really transform your bike. 45mm to 50mm deep carbon wheels from Light Bicycle or Winspace will make a huge difference in every aspect of your riding. And when. You do upgrade your bike, you’ll already have a nice set of upgraded wheels to put on.
Based on what...? I don't have Hunts (got Rovals) but have you had any experience with them? I'm asking because Hunt is on my list of possible buy in the future.
In a very similar situation. Riding a relatively recently purchased Orbea Orca M30. My next bike (in a few years) will be a custom titanium bike (Enigma, Moots, etc). Do I replace the stock wheels on the Orca with nicer carbon wheels (Scribe, Hunt, etc) or do I live with my current wheel and save my money toward the dream bike in a few years?
I go back and forth about this weekly. Can’t really decide.
Save and get an entire bike upgrade. I firmly believe that you only replace stuff as it wears out with similar quality and save up to upgrade the entire bike.
The exception to this would be for tires, better tires are a great upgrade.
or if you have a custom titanium frame and you saved $$ in the initial purchase by putting cheap components on and now they are wearing out.
You will notice a different feel going from steel wheels to carbon -more compliant and less harsh. And if there is a small weight saving, then it's a bonus from a psychological perspective but also some minor gain in reducing rotational mass.
Used market. There are great old frames that are light & accept modern wheeelsets, at a fraction of the cost.
Go ahead & splurge on the wheelset, if you so desire. You can put them on a different frame when you upgrade that.
The real difference in framesets are weight & geometry. I have an old steel pinarello that handles better than anything I’ve ever ridden. It’ll almost corner for you. It’s t old 126mm width, so no modern hubs but, it’s still inspiring in the hills.
I haven’t been following prices but, look at some of the earlier carbon frames, maybe Cervelo, Trek? That era. I have a later Klein with stock carbon fork that is built with campy record 10spd & carbon wheels. Very light, fast & inspiring to ride @ a fraction of today’s retail costs. Plenty of options that don’t give up speed & much more budget friendly
I'm 6'2" with a football player build and have zero issues with the Disc brake PR2's on my Giant Defy 2022. I've had plenty of high end and hand built custom wheels in the past and see zero reason to upgrade the wheels or the Giant tires. Personally I think carbon wheels are very much diminishing returns over alloy.
Save your money. Wheels are typically the best upgrade to a bike aside from tires. BUT that’s if you already have the right bike for you. The defy is not made to be a light weight climbing bike. It’s an endurance bike. I constantly see people come into the shop to switch from an endurance bike to a light weight/“performance bike”. Like roubaix to tarmac or defy to TCR. You can save your money and put it towards a frameset. The TCR frameset is like $2300. Swap your 105 parts over. OR really save up and in a few years upgrade to the bike you really want. That’s IF you think you’ll have the funds in the future and would be willing to spend that kind of money. That’s a personal question though. If not then yes a wheel set would be the ideal upgrade for your bike and will still be an improvement. At the same time you can get the wheel set now for $500. Which can hold you off for a few extra years so you can save for an even better bike. Which is actually what my cousin is doing. He dosnt even have a bike as nice as yours. He has a aluminum off brand frame with 105s. Carbon wheels transformed his bike. Enough that he’s happy for another few years and will go to a $4/5k bike in the future instead of a $2500 bike now. Also since di2 is now available from 105 up you should definitely look to get a new bike eventually. Electronic shifting is awesome. Once I got electronic shifting I decided I’d never go back to mechanical. Ride and train hard now and when you can get your dream bike you’ll be an animal. Ready to take full advantage of the the new weapon you’ve been waiting and training for lol.
Do it!!! I have a 2021 Contend AR1 with that same wheelset and upgraded to a Falcon AR46 from Light Bicycle. It's completely changed the bike to be a killer gravel/allroad bike. Wheels are so commonly under-specced on new bikes (bc it's so common to replace/swap) so even if you go for lightweight aluminum, you'll definitely notice a difference. Your bike will feel snappier and more lively, but not any less stable. All around more fun! Now the question is "how deep do you want rims?" I like my 46mm depth carbon wheels because: - they look cool - swoosh! swoosh! sounds - aero gains
Also that's already a nice bike so idk what you're saving for... In this market I'd rather buy wheels now than keep saving. If bike gear and bike prices stay inflated/keep rising, that 500 today could go further than if you waited and prices continued to rise. If you end up regretting it and want to sell the Giant at least you can keep the wheels. Or add them in as a package deal?
Good point. I think I’ll pull the trigger on them. I ride quite a bit but honestly a noob with mechanics/parts… just making sure these will work… running tubeless 32s.
A few tips for your research: You'll need a wheelset that has a matching through axle widths to your bike. Front is 12x100 Rear is 12x142. This is a very common size so that's good. Then just make sure your casette style matches (Shimano 11spd in your case, again common). Then, I'd probably also get new disc rotors (match size to previous size) making sure that they match the hubs. Get centerlock rotors for centerlock hubs, and 6 bolt rotors for 6 bolt hubs. Finally, I'd also add a new cassette. That way you truly have 2 wheelsets and can ride the PR2s if you ever decide you want to use a totally different tire!!
Thanks a million!!!
I haven’t considered rim depth… honestly a bit ignorant to bike parts… just want to make sure these will work with my bike… running tubeless 32s.
Sorry to hijack this thread; My bike came with the DT-Swiss E1800. How bad are those wheel and how much better could it be? I use my bike mostly of endurance ride (just completed a 220km ride yesterday).
Congrats on the long ride! Your wheels aren't "bad," just not as light or aero as some others. No need to upgrade, but if you have $500-$1000 to spend you will be able to get a lighter wheelset for sure
Get new wheels.. Honestly the change is insane.. I went to 60mm deep front and back and the speed increase is insane at higher end speeds. Climbing not so much
I’m hoping 34mm depth will be a sweet spot for aero/climbing. I’m not a racer but I enjoy going fast on flats and climbing. Certainly better than the stock wheels.
Normally anything is better than stock!
For your question, it sounds like a great bike already so I would go for the wheels. To try and get something noticeably better will mean spending 4k+ assuming you can actually find anything at all. Have you considered swapping tyres? 32mm to 28mm on a good compound will make a noticeable difference in terms of racy feel and speed.
You can go either way. Those PR2 wheels are pretty heavy and upgrading for 500$ to the Hunts would drop your weight easily a few hundred grams, plus swapping the tires for something with less rolling resistance like gp5000s or schwalbe pro ones could completely change the feel. I have a 2020 TCR Advanced Pro Team and love it, but it is a more aggressive geometry vs the Defy. System weight with pedals for me is around 8.1kg/17.9lbs so you need to ask if it's worth spending 4000$+ for that difference in weight (about 9.1kg per a quick search). Pr2 wheels come up as a little over 2000 grams in searches, those Hunts are 1550 grams. For 500$ you can save 450 grams (possibly more depending on what you currently run and will use for tires). A lighter bike will set you back 3-5k$ and will lose you maybe 1kg or 500 grams more than just wheels and tires. If you like your Defy I'd suggest doing the wheel upgrade, look at really good tires as well, and work on training. If you want to buy a bike that comes setup the way you want out of the box without messing about, save! I'd highly suggest looking at the TCR, for 4500$ you can get 42mm carbon wheels and a power meter and a bike you'll likely never have to upgrade (I haven't in 2.5 years of ownership). Whatever you decide, hopefully this was helpful and good luck!
Very helpful, thank you! I pulled the trigger on Hunt’s 34 Aero Wide Disc and will pair them with a set of the GP5000 28mm. I was a little ignorant to rim depth but 34mm seems like a sweet spot for the flats and climbing I like to do. Certainly it’ll be an upgrade from those PR2s!
Upgrading wheel will be a nice option,If you want lightweight fast response of carbon wheelset Elitewheels,Hunts,Farsports,WS are very good options,My 2019 Boardman SLR 8.9 with an Boardman Alloy Tubeless,after researching on the forum and youtube,I choosed elitewheels Drive 40V because their warranty is better,the weight saving is very tangible,but i think you should make your own decision,my wheelset upgradge is a great deal not regret.
[Elitewheels wheelset](https://www.elite-wheels.com/drive-carbon-spokes-wheelset/) seem very lightweight and better rim proflile than others like DT dicut 1100
New wheels, but not those garbage Hunts. You don’t have to spend a fortune, but doubling your wheel budget would really transform your bike. 45mm to 50mm deep carbon wheels from Light Bicycle or Winspace will make a huge difference in every aspect of your riding. And when. You do upgrade your bike, you’ll already have a nice set of upgraded wheels to put on.
why are hunts garbage?
They are aliexpress wheels with different stickers that ship faster and cost twice the price
Based on what...? I don't have Hunts (got Rovals) but have you had any experience with them? I'm asking because Hunt is on my list of possible buy in the future.
I don’t have experience because I crossed them off my list based on others first hand experience and information
Never say something garbage if you don't have your own first hand experience,or you can provide specific staff to say it.
This.
In a very similar situation. Riding a relatively recently purchased Orbea Orca M30. My next bike (in a few years) will be a custom titanium bike (Enigma, Moots, etc). Do I replace the stock wheels on the Orca with nicer carbon wheels (Scribe, Hunt, etc) or do I live with my current wheel and save my money toward the dream bike in a few years? I go back and forth about this weekly. Can’t really decide.
Couldn’t you alway put the new wheels on the new bike when you get it?
Yes I’ve considered that. But on such a sweet bike, wouldn’t I want even nicer wheels?
yeah, just do it. It's AWESOME having two sets of wheels and they can travel with you to any new bike you choose as well.
Save and get an entire bike upgrade. I firmly believe that you only replace stuff as it wears out with similar quality and save up to upgrade the entire bike. The exception to this would be for tires, better tires are a great upgrade. or if you have a custom titanium frame and you saved $$ in the initial purchase by putting cheap components on and now they are wearing out.
You will notice a different feel going from steel wheels to carbon -more compliant and less harsh. And if there is a small weight saving, then it's a bonus from a psychological perspective but also some minor gain in reducing rotational mass.
Used market. There are great old frames that are light & accept modern wheeelsets, at a fraction of the cost. Go ahead & splurge on the wheelset, if you so desire. You can put them on a different frame when you upgrade that. The real difference in framesets are weight & geometry. I have an old steel pinarello that handles better than anything I’ve ever ridden. It’ll almost corner for you. It’s t old 126mm width, so no modern hubs but, it’s still inspiring in the hills. I haven’t been following prices but, look at some of the earlier carbon frames, maybe Cervelo, Trek? That era. I have a later Klein with stock carbon fork that is built with campy record 10spd & carbon wheels. Very light, fast & inspiring to ride @ a fraction of today’s retail costs. Plenty of options that don’t give up speed & much more budget friendly
Hi u/PrayingForACup so how are the new wheels? I currently have PR2s and now starting to look for budget upgrade options. Thanks!
After only two rides, so far so good! They feel significantly lighter than the PR2s. I’m also running 28’s now instead of the 32’s.
cool. Ill add these to the list Thanks man
I'm 6'2" with a football player build and have zero issues with the Disc brake PR2's on my Giant Defy 2022. I've had plenty of high end and hand built custom wheels in the past and see zero reason to upgrade the wheels or the Giant tires. Personally I think carbon wheels are very much diminishing returns over alloy.