Roxlimn
Member
I'm going to make a confession right off. I'm not a habitual or regular trail rider. The main reason I got the Dirt-e was because it was the most available ebike in my locality and it had the best aftersales support. I got the 2016 spec with the 400 Wh battery. It's the International version, too, so it tops out at 16 mph. After that, the engine cuts out. I could feel that it's got a fair bit of go left in it, though. It's the same engine as the one in the Quick-E so reflashing it to the US version will probably get me to 20 mph.
I live in Metro Manila in the Philippines. The asphalt is unreliable at best and trail-like at worst. There are many parts in the city where the asphalt simply gives way to fire roads, or is so badly maintained that it resembles a rock garden more than anything else. An XC mountain bike actually makes sense for regular commutes, so the Dirt-E is right up my alley, in retrospect.
The Dirt-E 2 spec is on the lower end so it's relatively cheap - I got it for a little over $2ooo. The fork is trail-ready, being a Suntour XCR. It's coil so it's heavy, but it's an ebike so that doesn't matter quite so much. In fact, most of the spec is geared towards durability rather than weight, which strangely matches the ebike platform. I could get more gears in the back, but I don't use most of it anyway, and I like to think that the thicker chain handles the motor strain better. At least, it hasn't shown any sign of wear over the 2ooo km I've put on the ebike.
I put Zefal fenders and a Giant rear rack on it. I don't feel the weight, of course, but it makes the bike into a natural commuter. You don't go as fast, of course, but going much faster than 17 or 18 mph would be dangerous on a trail or in Metro Manila anyway, so 16 mph turns out to just be a sensible limitation. Sometimes, I think I want to get to 20 or 28 mph. Then I hit a section that's suddenly gnarly and I'm grateful that the motor didn't allow me to go faster.
My daily commute distance is 16-17 miles. I make it in about 80 minutes, counting all the stops for traffic lights, pedestrians, motor traffic, and stray dogs.
The capable front fork makes the ride comfortable if you can stand on the pedals for the rougher sections of road. I switched the Giant Connect saddle for a Selle Royal Freeway. With padded cycling shorts underwear, I've been able to ride for 5+ hours without any discomfort. I've taken the bike on Green trails and a couple technical sections at night. It handled most things quite well. If anything, I'm the limiting factor. The weight is about 50 or 51 pounds without the rear rack (but with fenders). You're not going to want to take it on any trail that requires you to shoulder your bike for any length of time.
The 400 Wh battery sounds meager, but I get about 80 km (50 miles) usable range out of it on Normal. Terrain is rolling with some hills. 50 miles takes the battery from about 90% (Giant does not recommend 100% charging for Li ion batteries) to 30% (also doesn't recommend fully discharging the batter). I imagine you could squeeze another 10 miles out of the battery on Eco mode at 30% charge without completely flattening it. Charging is surprisingly fast. The manual says it takes about 3-4 hours, but I get something like 40% charge on it in about 90 minutes. Even at 25%, I got to 90+% in just under 3 hours.
Without integrated lights, I had to purchase separate lights for it which is a bit of a hassle. I'm currently using a pair of Cateye Volt 700s up front and a Cateye Rapid X2 out back.
I live in Metro Manila in the Philippines. The asphalt is unreliable at best and trail-like at worst. There are many parts in the city where the asphalt simply gives way to fire roads, or is so badly maintained that it resembles a rock garden more than anything else. An XC mountain bike actually makes sense for regular commutes, so the Dirt-E is right up my alley, in retrospect.
The Dirt-E 2 spec is on the lower end so it's relatively cheap - I got it for a little over $2ooo. The fork is trail-ready, being a Suntour XCR. It's coil so it's heavy, but it's an ebike so that doesn't matter quite so much. In fact, most of the spec is geared towards durability rather than weight, which strangely matches the ebike platform. I could get more gears in the back, but I don't use most of it anyway, and I like to think that the thicker chain handles the motor strain better. At least, it hasn't shown any sign of wear over the 2ooo km I've put on the ebike.
I put Zefal fenders and a Giant rear rack on it. I don't feel the weight, of course, but it makes the bike into a natural commuter. You don't go as fast, of course, but going much faster than 17 or 18 mph would be dangerous on a trail or in Metro Manila anyway, so 16 mph turns out to just be a sensible limitation. Sometimes, I think I want to get to 20 or 28 mph. Then I hit a section that's suddenly gnarly and I'm grateful that the motor didn't allow me to go faster.
My daily commute distance is 16-17 miles. I make it in about 80 minutes, counting all the stops for traffic lights, pedestrians, motor traffic, and stray dogs.
The capable front fork makes the ride comfortable if you can stand on the pedals for the rougher sections of road. I switched the Giant Connect saddle for a Selle Royal Freeway. With padded cycling shorts underwear, I've been able to ride for 5+ hours without any discomfort. I've taken the bike on Green trails and a couple technical sections at night. It handled most things quite well. If anything, I'm the limiting factor. The weight is about 50 or 51 pounds without the rear rack (but with fenders). You're not going to want to take it on any trail that requires you to shoulder your bike for any length of time.
The 400 Wh battery sounds meager, but I get about 80 km (50 miles) usable range out of it on Normal. Terrain is rolling with some hills. 50 miles takes the battery from about 90% (Giant does not recommend 100% charging for Li ion batteries) to 30% (also doesn't recommend fully discharging the batter). I imagine you could squeeze another 10 miles out of the battery on Eco mode at 30% charge without completely flattening it. Charging is surprisingly fast. The manual says it takes about 3-4 hours, but I get something like 40% charge on it in about 90 minutes. Even at 25%, I got to 90+% in just under 3 hours.
Without integrated lights, I had to purchase separate lights for it which is a bit of a hassle. I'm currently using a pair of Cateye Volt 700s up front and a Cateye Rapid X2 out back.
