Steel, or not

Also, if you buy direct from Giant you get a no-hassle 30 day ride and return guarantee. And you can easily check if your size/colour is available. Either direct sales or deliver to your local Giant dealer who will build it up for you.

I had a Faran for a couple of years (actually a prototype model) which morphed into the Secan when the 650B/massive clearance/1x trend happened. Fairlight build consistently great bikes which really do live up to their Fit. Function. Form ethos. You're not just buying the thing for the bling, there's performance there too. Plus the team are consistently awesome customer service wise. Obvs they're not actually welding the frame but they do feel like a very British success story.

Having moved away from road for a while and riding a hardtail MTB I sold my Faran. I'm now back on the road and riding a Giant Revolt (2021 model). The Revolt is a Toyota. Brilliant, easy to live with, well engineered, but a bit dull. For me, unless you're actually racing, it's an N=1 bike. Loads of clearance for gravel duties, lightweight frame, and proper road geometry (the '21 model is identical to the Defy in terms of stack and reach). That means if you so wish you can chuck a set of 28s on it with a nice set of carbon rims and have a very capable road bike. Depending on tyres it should then build into something around 8kgs. Two wheelsets, one frame to do it all. All the D-Fuse stuff (seatpost and bars) really does work. I smash around forest lanes on 28mm tyres and it doesn't beat me up, I can feel the seatpost flex over potholes and cattle grids. Means I can ride further, faster. I can't say I love it but I certainly appreciate it and am happy with it - it will do me until I get a bit older and need an e-bike. 

Just a note on the current models (which is somewhat moot as there are still '21 models available) - there is some concern about seat tube failures which Giant haven't done a brilliant job at addressing. They changed the longstanding D-Fuse design to accommodate a dropper (because that's where gravel is going these days) and a few buyers have reported cracks which have been fixed under warranty. If you're buying a newer Revolt definitely get it from an official Giant dealer (or direct from Giant). 

I haven't ridden the current Secan so can't comment on stiffness/snappiness but the Revolt certainly has no issues in that regard. The BB is massively overbuilt. I'm a heavy rider and nothing budges, even under a standing sprint. I run carbon aero wheels on mine and it gets up to speed nicely and stays there. I've also had steel bikes in the past (Bowman Layhams) which were also plenty stiff enough for me, even built around a standard BSA threaded BB shell.

In summary: I think a Revolt is a safe bet. It might not make your heart skip a beat like the Secan but it will do the job and probably be faster.

I rode steel racing bikes (whilst actually road racing) for many years, as there was nothing else easily available decades ago. Since then I've become a convert to framesets made with carbon fibre and resin.

In my (extensive) experience, a well-designed and made frame of carbon fibre & resin not only feels more efficient at transmitting your pedalling power into forward motion but actually is so.  I've measured this in the best way many times - by comparing experiences of how different bikes I ride with framesets of steel, aluminium or CF behave compared to other riders in various group rides.

In short, even with the best frameset designs (for going fast) CF is generally better than framesets of other materials at turning your power into forward motion. .... All other things being equal.

Of course, there are exceptions to the rule. Sometimes a frame designer/manufacturer manages to produce an exceptional steel or alumnium frame despite the lesser opportunities those materials offer a bike designer compared to CF & resin. But CF & resin frames can be almost magical in their ability to go whoosh when you press hard on the pedals whislt also remaining comfortable in a way that similarly "efficient" metal frames often aren't.

I wouldn't go back to steel, no matter how pretty or inducing of a nostalgia-burst. 

I have a Fairlight Secan and I am very happy with it. It's very comfortable, very versatile, looks good, and the attention to detail in design and maufacturing seems excellent. 

But, if you want "snappy", I'm not sure that is the word I would use. It's hard to say how much is the result of the frame, versus the tyres, versus all in my head, but it certainly doesn't feel as "snappy" as my (aluminium-framed) road bike.

It's also hard to say how much that feeling of snappiness translates into actual speed differences - with slick tyres on and sticking to tarmac roads, my Strava data would suggest there's very little difference between average speed on my Secan versus my road bike.

Like SS, I've recently "upgraded" from steel to Ti; but I would definitely say go for steel. 

FWIW.  I had a Fairlight Strael for a while and also an 853 Hardtail.

I sold both to "upgrade" to a Ti N=1 , and my head thinks and mostly my heart feels it was the right decision.   Part of me still pines for the Strael and the HT. 

I personally have never noticed "snappy acceleration" from one bike to the next tbh.  Its about as measurable as "Vinyl Sound" 99% industry bullshit imo unless its demostratable on an engineering test rig.

Everyone should try steel at least once.  You'll have the occasional slow day when you'll blame the extra weight for your slow speed up a hill (hint its 99% likely its not).  But if you're of the type - Steel will be your Vinyl.

 In my memories I frolic through the cornfields holding the Straels hand with a massive grin on my face.  Its 99% nostalgia and not real or rational but it feels real and true in a way no other biking memory does.

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