new member from Brisbane Australia

[almikel]

My first post on this forum, after googling for reviews of the Giant Revolt E Pro...and found this thread:

Anyone with a 2020 Revolt E Pro?

Very nice! Did the lbs need to do any drilling or major mods to get a fit?

electricbikereview.com

I joined the forum after reading this thread - great info, helpful people!

I thought I should introduce myself.
I live in Brisbane, Australia, and commute 8km each way to work, almost always on a Cannondale "acoustic" roadie (only learned that term from the thread above, but I love it!)
I got back into cycling about 25 years ago when a mate suggested I try mountain biking - what a blast!
I added the Cannondale roadie to the quiver (GT duallie and GT hardtail) about 12 years ago.
I don't do much mountain biking anymore, but the duallie gets out occasionally on the trails, and the hardtail is used for commuting if the roadie is in the shop, or if it's wet (the hardtail has disc brakes)...although if it's properly raining I'll normally slack out and take the bus (yes I know - soft).

Brisbane is quite a hilly city (not San Francisco hilly, but it's not flat like say Melbourne), and over the last few years, age and creaky knees has made my commute into a chore - especially the ride home as we live at the top of a steep hill - I've been riding around it for about 5 years now, but even the gentlest way home has become a challenge for my knees.

I started investigating peddle assist e-bikes mid last year to help me up the hills.
I wanted to get a road style drop bar e-bike, and I liked the concept of the rear hub drives - no more stress on the chain/rings/cassette than an acoustic bike and very "stealth"...
I took an Orbea hub drive for a test ride (I think around 40Nm torque), specifically seeking out hills similar to my commute and I was quite disappointed with the assistance it provided on the steep hills, even in the lowest gear.
The bike shop let me next test a Focus mid drive with a bit more torque (I think around 55Nm) - again it didn't give me enough assist up the hills, but noticeably better than the hub drive...
...time to look for e-bikes with more torque!

The bike shop recommended the Cannondale Topstone Neo Carbon 4 - what a beautiful bike! but at AUD$8700 it was never going to get approved ... my top end was between AUD$5-6K
...but that led to investigating what other bikes had the Bosch Performance CX (Gen 4) motor, and other motors of similar torque (eg Shimano EP8, Yamaha PW-X etc).
These motors are typically found in e-mountain bikes, but crossing over to gravel bikes like the Cannondale Topstone, Canyon Grail:ON...both too expensive for me.
Focus has some flat bar hardtails with the Bosch gen 4 motor, and Merida has similar with the Shimano EP8 motor...but I wanted drop bars and no front suspension and something under 20kg (44lb).

I "stumbled" across the Giant Revolt E+ Pro 2020 through random google searching for bikes with the Yamaha motor...
For some reason when I review all the e-bikes on the Australian Giant website https://www.giant-bicycles.com/au, the Revolt E+ isn't there...
...If I search on the same site (https://www.giant-bicycles.com/au) for Revolt E+ it appears...WTF?...

...anyway, the Giant Revolt E+ Pro seemed to tick all the boxes - Giant branded Yamaha motor with 80Nm torque (I think it's a re-branded Yamaha PW-X), drop bars, reasonable groupset...in my price range...
...further googling found this forum and the thread I linked to above with mostly good reviews of the bike.

I visited a Giant store in the CBD of Brisbane close to work, but they only had a medium and a large, and I needed an XL, and only floor stock was available - with no possibility of ordering an XL in ?...? - I asked him about the Giant Revolt E+ Pro 2021, which is available in New Zealand, but he said they didn't come to Australia...
The proprietor suggested I get on the phone to find a Brisbane shop that has an XL sized Revolt E 2020 on the floor.

I located another Brisbane shop that had an XL in stock (their only model) and test rode it the next day...found some steep hills...and wow, this thing is the bomb.
I'll have no issues getting up our steep street home !
I don't have it yet, as I only put a deposit down to secure it - the bike shop puts it in storage (ie no-one else test rides it etc) - and I'll pay it off over the next few pay cycles...
...can't wait to get it...

...I'm very much looking forward to my cycle commute being a joy again!...

Great forum!

cheers
Mike

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Welcome to the Forums, Mike!

the Giant Revolt E+ Pro seemed to tick all the boxes - Giant branded Yamaha motor with 80Nm torque (I think it's a re-branded Yamaha PW-X)

PW-X2

 

[PDoz]

Congrats.

Giant Australia dumps their bikes from the active website as soon as the warehouse runs out of stock. So the 2020 revolt e doesn't show up any longer.

SAVE YOUR LINK - because 2/3 years from now it'll help to be able to find specs about your bike.

As for the motor, it'll either be a pwx2 or pwx1 depending on when in 2020 the bike was put together. Giant never advertised the transition and it's hard to tell without riding the bike. If you can spin the cranks beyond 80 cadence without a huge drop in performance, it's a pwx2 . If it growls under load, it's a pwx 1. Both are nice motors, but the pwx2 would be much nicer in a road bike ( higher cadence support , and this motor gets much more range if you spin the cranks)

Enjoy the bike, but KEEP THE ELECTRICS DRY - smear some dielectric grease on ever connector - giant build good bikes but their waterproofing wouldn't match a brisbane downpour.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@PDoz: Syncdrive Pro is the PW-X2.

 

[almikel]

Welcome to the Forums, Mike!


PW-X2

Hi Stefan,

thanks for the welcome to this community!

I can't find much info on the motor in my Giant Revolt 2020, other than it's a "Giant SyncDrive Pro, powered by Yamaha" with 80Nm of torque - it was a completely different website that mentioned the motor was a re-branded Yamaha PW-X...the PW-X2 appears to be an updated model to the PW-X.

The Yamaha motors seem to have a good reputation...does this apply to the X2 also?

cheers
Mike

 

[Stefan Mikes]

One of my e-bikes is equipped with a Syncdrive Pro. A fantastic motor indeed and it is not afraid of any hills. Also, PDoz is afraid of the waterproof quality. No worries, she'll be fine! My Giant Trance E+ 2 (2020) was capable to ride through water-holes so deep the motor was completely immersed and nothing wrong happened. My brother has once disassembled the e-bike and we could see the motor was made waterproof. Don't worry. Enjoy!

P.S. The great feature of the SyncDrive Pro is its reaction to pedalling:

1. "Zero Cadence" feature means the motor kicks in immediately after you have stamped on the pedal. It allows re-starting an uphill ride easily.
2. High cadence releases tremendous boost from the motor.

Be careful. Zero Cadence and powerful motor can produce a wheelie if you start uphill in the POWER mode and low gear!

 

[almikel]

Giant Australia dumps their bikes from the active website as soon as the warehouse runs out of stock. So the 2020 revolt e doesn't show up any longer.

SAVE YOUR LINK - because 2/3 years from now it'll help to be able to find specs about your bike.

but KEEP THE ELECTRICS DRY - smear some dielectric grease on ever connector - giant build good bikes but their waterproofing wouldn't match a brisbane downpour.

Thanks for the tips PDoz - very useful...and it now makes sense why I couldn't find the bike on the Giant Oz site...
...my personal waterproofing is usually no match for a Brisbane downpour...and drivers get even more crazy when it rains...then I jump on a bus and leave the bike at home or at work...but great tip on the dielectric grease...I was wondering about waterproofing...

thanks
Mike

 

[Frank/Delaware]

My first post on this forum, after googling for reviews of the Giant Revolt E Pro...and found this thread:

Anyone with a 2020 Revolt E Pro?

Very nice! Did the lbs need to do any drilling or major mods to get a fit?

electricbikereview.com

I joined the forum after reading this thread - great info, helpful people!

I thought I should introduce myself.
I live in Brisbane, Australia, and commute 8km each way to work, almost always on a Cannondale "acoustic" roadie (only learned that term from the thread above, but I love it!)
I got back into cycling about 25 years ago when a mate suggested I try mountain biking - what a blast!
I added the Cannondale roadie to the quiver (GT duallie and GT hardtail) about 12 years ago.
I don't do much mountain biking anymore, but the duallie gets out occasionally on the trails, and the hardtail is used for commuting if the roadie is in the shop, or if it's wet (the hardtail has disc brakes)...although if it's properly raining I'll normally slack out and take the bus (yes I know - soft).

Brisbane is quite a hilly city (not San Francisco hilly, but it's not flat like say Melbourne), and over the last few years, age and creaky knees has made my commute into a chore - especially the ride home as we live at the top of a steep hill - I've been riding around it for about 5 years now, but even the gentlest way home has become a challenge for my knees.

I started investigating peddle assist e-bikes mid last year to help me up the hills.
I wanted to get a road style drop bar e-bike, and I liked the concept of the rear hub drives - no more stress on the chain/rings/cassette than an acoustic bike and very "stealth"...
I took an Orbea hub drive for a test ride (I think around 40Nm torque), specifically seeking out hills similar to my commute and I was quite disappointed with the assistance it provided on the steep hills, even in the lowest gear.
The bike shop let me next test a Focus mid drive with a bit more torque (I think around 55Nm) - again it didn't give me enough assist up the hills, but noticeably better than the hub drive...
...time to look for e-bikes with more torque!

The bike shop recommended the Cannondale Topstone Neo Carbon 4 - what a beautiful bike! but at AUD$8700 it was never going to get approved ... my top end was between AUD$5-6K
...but that led to investigating what other bikes had the Bosch Performance CX (Gen 4) motor, and other motors of similar torque (eg Shimano EP8, Yamaha PW-X etc).
These motors are typically found in e-mountain bikes, but crossing over to gravel bikes like the Cannondale Topstone, Canyon Grail:ON...both too expensive for me.
Focus has some flat bar hardtails with the Bosch gen 4 motor, and Merida has similar with the Shimano EP8 motor...but I wanted drop bars and no front suspension and something under 20kg (44lb).

I "stumbled" across the Giant Revolt E+ Pro 2020 through random google searching for bikes with the Yamaha motor...
For some reason when I review all the e-bikes on the Australian Giant website https://www.giant-bicycles.com/au, the Revolt E+ isn't there...
...If I search on the same site (https://www.giant-bicycles.com/au) for Revolt E+ it appears...WTF?...

...anyway, the Giant Revolt E+ Pro seemed to tick all the boxes - Giant branded Yamaha motor with 80Nm torque (I think it's a re-branded Yamaha PW-X), drop bars, reasonable groupset...in my price range...
...further googling found this forum and the thread I linked to above with mostly good reviews of the bike.

I visited a Giant store in the CBD of Brisbane close to work, but they only had a medium and a large, and I needed an XL, and only floor stock was available - with no possibility of ordering an XL in ?...? - I asked him about the Giant Revolt E+ Pro 2021, which is available in New Zealand, but he said they didn't come to Australia...
The proprietor suggested I get on the phone to find a Brisbane shop that has an XL sized Revolt E 2020 on the floor.

I located another Brisbane shop that had an XL in stock (their only model) and test rode it the next day...found some steep hills...and wow, this thing is the bomb.
I'll have no issues getting up our steep street home !
I don't have it yet, as I only put a deposit down to secure it - the bike shop puts it in storage (ie no-one else test rides it etc) - and I'll pay it off over the next few pay cycles...
...can't wait to get it...

...I'm very much looking forward to my cycle commute being a joy again!...

Great forum!

cheers
Mike

Welcome Mike, as another Revolt rider, you are going to love it

 

[almikel]

Thanks PDoz and Stefan for your replies - greatly appreciated.

Do you happen to know if this bike/motor has safeguards for the motor/battery against overheating, assuming stock and no dongles?
I'm a large person (6' 2" and 242lb) - if I go on a long steep climb will the bike warn me/cut out prior to damage being caused to engine/battery?

My brother is much heavier (prob about 330lb - I don't ask), and I was discussing my new bike with him today, and he said he'd like to take it for a run on the flats.
I said he should try it on the hill I live on, and he said, "I'll probably break it"...I thought, "maybe he would"...
It's a 100m steep suburban hill - my iPhone reckons it's 8 degrees - it's getting late in the evening, but my trigonometry says that's 14% (tan 8 degrees = 0.1405)
...would a test like that pose a risk to the engine or battery on a 1 off run, with time to cool off after?

Apologies for the "piece of string" questions...if the motor/controller has inbuilt overheat/overcurrent protection I'd expect it would be OK...but I don't know enough about this bike yet.

cheers
Mike

 

[almikel]

Welcome Mike, as another Revolt rider, you are going to love it

I literally took the bike for a ride around the block, but it was all downhill from the bike shop and a steep pinch up hill to get back (like 14%).
I was in the middle power setting and I just cruised up the hill - so much more assistance than the other e-bikes I'd tried.
I think the sales guy thought there was a problem as I was back so fast until he saw the smile on my face...he knew he's made a sale.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Thanks PDoz and Stefan for your replies - greatly appreciated.

Do you happen to know if this bike/motor has safeguards for the motor/battery against overheating, assuming stock and no dongles?
I'm a large person (6' 2" and 242lb) - if I go on a long steep climb will the bike warn me/cut out prior to damage being caused to engine/battery?

My brother is much heavier (prob about 330lb - I don't ask), and I was discussing my new bike with him today, and he said he'd like to take it for a run on the flats.
I said he should try it on the hill I live on, and he said, "I'll probably break it"...I thought, "maybe he would"...
It's a 100m steep suburban hill - my iPhone reckons it's 8 degrees - it's getting late in the evening, but my trigonometry says that's 14% (tan 8 degrees = 0.1405)
...would a test like that pose a risk to the engine or battery on a 1 off run, with time to cool off after?

Apologies for the "piece of string" questions...if the motor/controller has inbuilt overheat/overcurrent protection I'd expect it would be OK...but I don't know enough about this bike yet.

cheers
Mike

As I said, no worries Mike. You're riding a premium e-bike. (High power hub-drive motors tend to overheat but not the mid-drive SyncDrive Pro, especially as you downshift before riding up steep hills).
P.S. I have no way to determine the Giant motor temperature but I had steep mountain rides in the summer and never had any overheat error. I'm certain the overheat detection/protection exists. Anecdotally, let me tell you another story. On 8th of August last year, I and brother decided to make this uphill ride very fast:

Actually, a segment of the Road Cycling Championships of Poland. We were racing against a young competing roadie. I and brother were faster uphill, the roadie was winning on descents. See the average speed, average gradient, maximum gradient.

I rode Specialized Vado 5.0 in Turbo mode. My strong brother rode my Trance E+ in Level 3 of 5 (Active). The ambient temperature was 25 C. When we reached the end of the ride, the motor temperature of my Vado (which I can measure) was 60 C, and it was still in the "yellow" zone, far from motor cut due to high temperature

So, no worries.

 

[almikel]

Anecdotally, let me tell you another story. On 8th of August last year, I and brother decided to make this uphill ride very fast:

wow - that looks like a gruelling ride...and the short steep pinch right at at the end...you'd be trying to get your wind back on the flat bit knowing the steepest bit was to come...

...good to know the engineering of the motor/controller on my Giant is solid - thanks heaps.

cheers
Mike

 

[TheEqualiser]

Welcome Mike! I'm in Brisbane too and just upgraded from an NCM Moscow to a Giant Fastroad (same motor and similar spec to yours but flatbar) and I love it. Fabulous ride and really makes my 38km commute a pleasure.

 

[PDoz]

@PDoz: Syncdrive Pro is the PW-X2.

No, "syncdrive pro " has been used by giant for the pwx1 and 2 . For your entertainment, the link for my 2018 full e pro that originally had a pwx 1 syncdrive pro https://www.giant-bicycles.com/au/full-eplus-1-pro-2018

 

[Stefan Mikes]

No, "syncdrive pro " has been used by giant for the pwx1 and 2 . For your entertainment, the link for my 2018 full e pro that originally had a pwx 1 syncdrive pro https://www.giant-bicycles.com/au/full-eplus-1-pro-2018

OK, @PDoz. The 2020 Revolt for Australia is listed with 6 sensors. Does it mean anything? (The previous iteration of Giant e-bikes had 4 sensors).

 

[PDoz]

Thanks PDoz and Stefan for your replies - greatly appreciated.

Do you happen to know if this bike/motor has safeguards for the motor/battery against overheating, assuming stock and no dongles?
I'm a large person (6' 2" and 242lb) - if I go on a long steep climb will the bike warn me/cut out prior to damage being caused to engine/battery?

My brother is much heavier (prob about 330lb - I don't ask), and I was discussing my new bike with him today, and he said he'd like to take it for a run on the flats.
I said he should try it on the hill I live on, and he said, "I'll probably break it"...I thought, "maybe he would"...
It's a 100m steep suburban hill - my iPhone reckons it's 8 degrees - it's getting late in the evening, but my trigonometry says that's 14% (tan 8 degrees = 0.1405)
...would a test like that pose a risk to the engine or battery on a 1 off run, with time to cool off after?

Apologies for the "piece of string" questions...if the motor/controller has inbuilt overheat/overcurrent protection I'd expect it would be OK...but I don't know enough about this bike yet.

cheers
Mike

Mike, I've never had an issue with over heating my motor. The mtb park I ride has a 3.5 km shuttle with 350 m elevation , the motor doesn't complain when I tow my ( adult sized) kids up there.... I've ridden it in temps up to 42 c ( admittedly slowly when over 36 ...) , plus slow technical climbs at pull assistance.

You DO need to be cautious with Brisbane levels of rain. My first pwx1 started playing up after a particularly nasty trip over Mt Hotham (admittedly it was cairns style rain' .....replaced under warranty and I scored the pwx2 ( a couple of weeks before my warranty ran out) .

I'm not fussed about creek crossings or normal rain, but have had several electrical gremlins over the past 3 years and they all developed after a big downpour. I niw run dielectric grease on all my connectors

 

[PDoz]

OK, @PDoz. The 2020 Revolt for Australia is listed with 6 sensors. Does it mean anything? (The previous iteration of Giant e-bikes had 4 sensors).

THAT 2020 version. It was halfway through 2020 when giant made the switch , and they are not exactly carefull about the truth on their website ( eg their website claimed there was a giant cr app available when I bought the bike but it was a good 3/4 months until the first useless version was released - and only a couple of hours later it was pulled because it shut bikes down) . Hopefully Mike will score a version with the pwx2

 

[Stefan Mikes]

wow - that looks like a gruelling ride...and the short steep pinch right at at the end...you'd be trying to get your wind back on the flat bit knowing the steepest bit was to come...

...good to know the engineering of the motor/controller on my Giant is solid - thanks heaps.

cheers
Mike

More anecdotes! Jacek and I had an 85 km / 1500 m elevation gain ride on the day before. I let my brother ride my Giant Trance E+ as I owned only a single 500 Wh Giant battery at that time. My brother (56) is lightweight, healthy and very strong. He made most of the trip in Eco, occasionally in Basic, and only used Active on a very steep climb called "Specialized Tarmac Roll" in Strava. When we reached a valley in Szklarska Poręba, Jacek had so much charge left in the battery that he switched to the POWER mode, and started overtaking cars uphill!

See my brother's calves! Yamaha PW-X2 rocks!

THAT 2020 version. It was halfway through 2020 when giant made the switch

I got my 2020 Trance E+ 2 Pro in May, and it already had the PW-X2 Bear in mind, the production of 2020 models started in 2019. To confirm your observations, I was able to pedal at 110 bpm, and my brother could make 120 bpm on the Trance. The motor makes the bike skyrocketing at that cadence!

 

[FlatSix911]

I literally took the bike for a ride around the block, but it was all downhill from the bike shop and a steep pinch up hill to get back (like 14%).
I was in the middle power setting and I just cruised up the hill - so much more assistance than the other e-bikes I'd tried.
I think the sales guy thought there was a problem as I was back so fast until he saw the smile on my face...he knew he's made a sale.

Congratulations on your new Giant Revolt... you should have many trouble-free miles with the Yamaha PW-X/2 drive system.

 

[almikel]

I now run dielectric grease on all my connectors

very cheap insurance after all - it got put on my list after you mentioned it in your first reply

THAT 2020 version. It was halfway through 2020 when giant made the switch , and they are not exactly careful about the truth on their website ( eg their website claimed there was a giant cr app available when I bought the bike but it was a good 3/4 months until the first useless version was released - and only a couple of hours later it was pulled because it shut bikes down) . Hopefully Mike will score a version with the pwx2

Is there anyway to tell easily whether it's a PW-X or PW-X2?
I don't have the bike yet - I have to pay for it over the next few pay cycles - but once I have it can you tell by visual inspection? it will only have "Giant SYNCDRIVE PRO" on it.

Congratulations on your new Giant Revolt

Thanks @FlatSix911

FlatSix911's post shows some mounting bolt pattern variation across the Yamaha range, but it doesn't include the old PW-X1, which I expect is identical to the X2.
On Giant models with their OEM version of the Yamaha motor, how can I determine whether it's an X1 or an X2?

cheers
Mike