We pit two of the market’s latest endurance road bikes against each other

By Warren Rossiter

Published: Saturday, 25 November 2023 at 14:00 PM


This year has seen the launch of the latest Giant Defy and Specialized Roubaix endurance road bikes.

Both are steeped in cycling lore as leaders of the pack when it comes to embodying a more relaxed ride position and fast performance.

The Roubaix, of course, is named after the most famous spring classic of them all (and was born to conquer it), while the Defy helped make the endurance road bikes category what it is today.

However, which is best?

While the Roubaix is now firmly ensconced in the all-road bike genre and a compellingly versatile machine, the Defy bucks the latest trends and doubles down on what endurance bikes should be, to amazing effect.