Giant Road E+ review and questions

[RabH]

New wheels arrived today, I went for Mavic Allroads so I hope these last longer than 15 months...I'm hoping to try them out later today!

 

[Jaxx]

New wheels arrived today, I went for Mavic Allroads so I hope these last longer than 15 months...I'm hoping to try them out later today!

Decent wheels Rab. Mavic have always been a goto for me, when it comes to wheels since the 60's. Riding Cosmics at the moment. You wouldn't be trying them out today if you lived round here? We have four days of heavy rain forecast til Friday. Man it's wet.

 

[RabH]

Decent wheels Rab. Mavic have always been a goto for me, when it comes to wheels since the 60's. Riding Cosmics at the moment. You wouldn't be trying them out today if you lived round here? We have four days of heavy rain forecast til Friday. Man it's wet.

Mavic are good at making wheels, first impressions are really good They got a good test today with big descents and climbs, I broke them in with a 42mph descent Shame about your weather, a little better here but very windy which is where an e bike comes into its own

 

[Jaxx]

Mavic are good at making wheels, first impressions are really good They got a good test today with big descents and climbs, I broke them in with a 42mph descent Shame about your weather, a little better here but very windy which is where an e bike comes into its own

Yeah, I noticed not long ago, you did a reasonably long ride in not very good conditions. I recall the old Wienmann sprint wheels for tubs. They had a wooden insert inside the rims. You're first ride, was literally a case of breaking them in. They creaked and groaned for the first few miles. Sounded like snapping twigs. Happy Days.

 

[RabH]

Yeah, I noticed not long ago, you did a reasonably long ride in not very good conditions. I recall the old Wienmann sprint wheels for tubs. They had a wooden insert inside the rims. You're first ride, was literally a case of breaking them in. They creaked and groaned for the first few miles. Sounded like snapping twigs. Happy Days.

I'm a glutton for punishment, if I waited for nice weather in Scotland I wouldn't get out much I think my rear wheel bearings were made of wood going by the awful creaks coming from them...

 

[Amazer98]

Wow, this thread has given me pause, especially reading Giantbadge’s saga of mishaps with his Road-E + Pro. I’ve been considering this bike, but now I’m concerned about Giant’s quality control.

It appears that the biggest issues with this bike have little to do with its electrical system or motor, and more about the bike itself— or, wheel bearings, head tube quality, overall creaking. Are Giant bikes in general plagued by these issues? I always thought Giant was considered a decent brand.

Are there others on this forum using the 2029 Road-E+ Pro with no issues? Or should this model be red-flagged, so to speak?

 

[Dave Bodnar]

Are there others on this forum using the 2029 Road-E+ Pro with no issues? Or should this model be red-flagged, so to speak?

Amazer - I have had this bike since November 2018 and have about 5500 miles on it. I reported my experiences with it a few months ago - see:

https://electricbikereview.com/foru...review-and-questions.23941/page-2#post-184188

To update my observations then I can add that the bike continues to be super with some minor exceptions:

1. The display got wet on a few occasions causing the unit to randomly turn on or off or freeze - pulling the battery briefly usually took care of it - I reported this to the local bike shop where I purchased it and Giant promptly replaced the display and control unit with one that has been updated to be more water proof. Since that repair the display has been perfect.

2. The bike goes through brake pads every 1200-1500 miles - not a big deal but something to consider. I weigh about 210 and the bike adds 40 so the brakes are stopping 250 lbs on hilly western Pennsylvania rides.

I typically ride 32+ miles most mornings and get home with 60% or more of the battery remaining - this is in the lowest power mode that has been decreased from 100% to 75% using the Android App (see earlier post)

All in all I am very pleased with the bike and the service from both Giant and the shop I dealt with.

I am looking to get a 2nd e-bike, probably a lighter bike with a smaller battery and motor -

dave

PS I have had none of the issues noted with headset, wheels, etc.

 

[Saratoga Dave]

Not a Road E but a Toughroad GXE, 1300
miles in about three months so far, nothing negative whatever. My third ebike and the best by far.

I have read about water or fogging in the displays so ran a strip of electrical tape across the front seam as a prevention measure and have had no issues, despite being caught out in the rain several times.

I think Giant and Yamaha have done a great job with this stuff. Highly recommended.

 

[Amazer98]

Thanks, Dave & Dave, for your comments. It sounds as though Giant makes a decent bike and stands behind them with excellent customer service.

I will keep this option on the front burner as I consider moving ahead with an ebike. Giant seems to offer the best value for a class 3 road bike that’s pretty sporty.

The Domane looks great, but too pricey for me.

 

[RabH]

I have covered almost 5000 miles in 16 months on my Giant Road E+1 Pro and I can honestly say its a fantastic bike, I have only been let down once with my back wheel problem! I would definitely recommend this bike, it just eats hills even on the lowest assist level and it is the most stable bike I have ever come across for fast descending, it makes me smile everytime I ride it

 

[Amazer98]

Hey, thanks RabH- that’s high praise indeed for the bike, and your comments definitely help mitigate my concerns about Giant’s quality.

I like drop bars and fast descents, but the long climbs are getting to be a deterrent. I rode a friend’s Cannondale Neo SE and was blown away by the pedal assist. Still got a great aerobic workout, but wished the assist would go up to 28mph, not cut out at 20.

The Road-E+ is one of the few dropbar sporty roadie ebikes that are Class 3.... certainly the most affordable I’ve come across.

 

[RabH]

Hey, thanks RabH- that’s high praise indeed for the bike, and your comments definitely help mitigate my concerns about Giant’s quality.

I like drop bars and fast descents, but the long climbs are getting to be a deterrent. I rode a friend’s Cannondale Neo SE and was blown away by the pedal assist. Still got a great aerobic workout, but wished the assist would go up to 28mph, not cut out at 20.

The Road-E+ is one of the few dropbar sporty roadie ebikes that are Class 3.... certainly the most affordable I’ve come across.

Over this side of the pond we are restricted to 15.5mph, although I would love to enjoy the full power of this amazing bike, I actually like the lower cut off as I can get 100 miles range and enjoy a full day in the saddle Even on shorter rides you certainly get a good aerobic workout with this bike, now I can't wait for Sunday when I should be doing around 80 miles

 

[Amazer98]

yeah, no doubt the faster cutoff level will affect the range, but I’m planning on doing most of my riding in Eco mode.

From what I’ve read, the Yamaha motor has minimal drag when deactivated compared to other brands. This could come in handy if you miscalculate and run out of juice somewhere before the end of your ride ?!

 

[RichardL]

My total problems with my Road E is one broken spoke. I'm 230 pounds. The dealer told me that if one more spoke breaks they will re-lace the wheel and bill Giant for that. Other than that no problems.

 

[drewberz]

Well I hate to be the negative one but I took my bike into the shop for a squeak and they are in the process of warranty replacing the motor. I'll update here with details once I get it back.

 

[Amazer98]

I think it’s about time to set up a spreadsheet with the positives and negatives of this bike!

 

[AltaShred]

I have a CDN 2018 that appears to be the same as the US2019 model. I only have around 1000 miles on but have had no issues with the original components from giant. The bike rides great on the paved trails curves etc and the only issue I had was dragging the odd pedal on sharp corners. It has taken a bit to get used to leaving the inside foot up and not pedaling through sharp corners. I have installed a dongle to allow assistance above 20 mph and the motor is very powerful. Longest ride to date has been 60 miles and battery was at 40% on return.

 

[Amazer98]

I have a CDN 2018 that appears to be the same as the US2019 model. I only have around 1000 miles on but have had no issues with the original components from giant. The bike rides great on the paved trails curves etc and the only issue I had was dragging the odd pedal on sharp corners. It has taken a bit to get used to leaving the inside foot up and not pedaling through sharp corners. I have installed a dongle to allow assistance above 20 mph and the motor is very powerful. Longest ride to date has been 60 miles and battery was at 40% on return.

Do you use a standard flat pedal or a clipless one like SPD or Speedplay? The pedal shouldn’t touch the pavement when cornering- the proper technique is to keep the outside pedal down as you corner.

 

[AltaShred]

Do you use a standard flat pedal or a clipless one like SPD or Speedplay? The pedal shouldn’t touch the pavement when cornering- the proper technique is to keep the outside pedal down as you corner.

I had standard flat pedals on last season, I changed to low profile clips this year.
Where I ride has a lot of curves and sharper corners, when there are not a lot of people around we will go through them at a pretty good clip. Last year I tried to pedal through them to keep the speed up and got caught on a few of the sharp ones when I was leaned over. As I indicated, I now keep the inside foot up on the corners and resist the urge to pedal through them.

 

[Amazer98]

I had standard flat pedals on last season, I changed to low profile clips this year.
Where I ride has a lot of curves and sharper corners, when there are not a lot of people around we will go through them at a pretty good clip. Last year I tried to pedal through them to keep the speed up and got caught on a few of the sharp ones when I was leaned over. As I indicated, I now keep the inside foot up on the corners and resist the urge to pedal through them.

Sorry, I missed that sentence thru sloppy reading! Do you think this bike has a lower bottom bracket than most road bikes?