12,000 Mile Review
For those interested in the long term viability and cost of a bike like this, I thought I'd add in my experience with my 2017 Quick-E. I've had it a little over two years and its main use is a commute between 6 and 20 miles each way M-F, and a grocery getter/kid hauler the rest of the time. I have the US spec Class-3 model and almost always use the highest power setting. I'd say I'm an 'intensive' user, I ride it a lot and ride it hard. it's a size small and weighs 21.5kg. I live in Los Angeles which is hot and dry, most of the roads I ride are fairly hilly. I got it as a very fast commuter and a work horse and has been great at both.
Drivetrain
its been through 3-4 chains and 2 cassettes. Wear seems consistent with other non-e bikes I've had, surprisingly, and 10-speed parts are relatively cheap. I've oiled the chain every few months (it's dry here in LA) but have given it no other servicing otherwise. It has been incredibly durable and reliable through the years. I 'converted' to 1x around a year ago as I don't think I've ever used the inner chainring. This consisted of removing the shifter and mech, and adding on a chain guard.
Wheels and brakes
The original wheels lasted well, although they were a bit stiff and heavy. I probably could have saved them with a thorough overhaul but instead upgraded to a new set of tubeless wheels. I got an
incredible deal on eBay and set them up tubeless - I would recommend this to all owners - saves 750g and should be much better at handling punctures (of which I've had maybe 8 since I got the bike). They also ride nicer (I am 155lb). I swapped tyres almost immediately on buying the bike to
WTB Horizons and have gone through 2-3 sets it the 12k miles. All very impressive considering a 50lb bike at 30mph on LA's crappy roads - It takes some big hits and the original wheels did tremendously well. The stock Shimano brakes work very well. I had anticipated changing these as they retail for like $25 and I had low expectations, but have been amazed that the actually do a good job. Pads don't last long (every 2000 miles or so on the front) but they are cheap and easy to swap out. I think the fluid is original and I just changed the rotors with the new wheels.
Battery and Motor
I don't know the number of charge cycles on my battery but it must be in the 400-500 range. That said it still holds around 65% of its original charge. If anyone knows of how a battery refresh, or upgrade to better cells works - please reach out to me as I'd like to be back to the original range or better. I occasionally get error codes but don't have the diagnostic tool to read them. all of them go away with a power off/power on, save for when the bike overheats. I only get this on hotter days on a long climb - above 85deg climbing on full power for 10min+ so it's mostly avoidable, but annoying when it happens. I let it cool off by peddling without the power, then reengage after a few minutes. Two chargers (one at home and one at work) have been useful as 20 miles of full power and peddling hard leaves me somewhere under 50% battery.
Cargo
I commute with a large pannier and 25lb of laptop/coffee/books/clothes etc on me everyday, hundreds of times in total and the low profile rack has never let me down. There's plenty of heel clearance (I have 10.5 feet) and having the bag lower helps with handling. I've seen a lot of people annoyed at the lack of a proper rack on the bike, I guess everyone has different needs but I can attest to the provided rack being very useful, as well as looking a whole lot sleeker that anything that would replace it. I have a child seat that I use 2-3 times a week and a front rack/basket on it and can happily carry a weeks worth of grocery's, my three year old son and a 5 gallon jug of water all at once. I could carry 4 panniers, a child seat and the basket and am confident the bike could handle it. I'm really impressed here as I initially bought it to go fast, and the extra utility is a huge bonus.
Lighting/Electric
The original light was junk. it was a little scary past 15mph as it didn't light up enough of the road to be confident. Replacements are kinda limited as it seems the Yamaha system only allocates 0.7A to the front light - not enough for most lights out there. I replaced it with a
Supernova E3 V6s which was at least twice as bright but very expensive. it was great until it broke and I replaced it recently with a much cheaper (but still very effective)
lezyne Hecto E50. These are super cheap and a worthy upgrade. Has anyone had success with anything brighter? Other changes were removing the computer bracket and hiding the control screen as I never need to know what speed I'm going and almost never need to know the battery level. It was an eyesore and I saved 300g (the mount is a beast!)
All in its a great bike and I would say it has saved me thousands of dollars I would have spent on a second car/gas/insurance etc. it's fun enough to ride and still feels like a bike, and I still get a kick out of accelerating past traffic on my daily commute - it can genuinely 'do it all.' It probably costs me $4-500 a year in electricity and consumables for the mileage I do, not accounting for all the extra food I eat!!
Things I don't like
1. I cannot fit a larger front chainring. On long descents I spin out fairly regularly and would like to have a slightly larger gear. The chain stays bulge out restricting the size to 38T.
2. The screen is massive and the information isn't particularly useful. probably a personal thing but I would like to see a more seamless integration of the electronics like the specialized bikes with just a small control pad.
3. the power is all low down, at low cadences. above 80rpm there is a noticeable drop-off in assistance. Probably due to the lack of gearing in the motor.
4. Ride can be a little jarring. overbuilt alloy frame and fork. Wheels have helped here but still..
5. a faster charger would be nice - I think the stock one is 3.0A, it's ok, but not great. Is there a faster option?
Future plans
1. Comfort - has anyone used something like this
suspension stem? I think I might try it, and the
seat post next. part of me wants a fork like a
Lauf, might try make it fit one of these days. $$
2. change the tyres to
WTB Byway and explore some of the local fireroads with my kids. $
3. a new, brighter rear light - any advise here would be appreciated. $
4. since I can't get a bigger chainring, I might try SRAM's XD gearing as I could go to a 10T on the back, increasing the gear a little. Kinda expensive as I'd need a new shifter, mech and a free hub and cassette to make it all work. $$$
5. Is there was a well integrated, 28mph cross/gravel bike with rack mounts that's <20kg. Anyone know of one? Id probably upgrade. $$$$
6. get rid of those zip ties
I've had 'upgrade fever' for the last year but honestly can't think what I'd upgrade to. There are more expensive/exotic bikes but all seem to be heavier with useless (to me) extra features. This might all sound like an ad, but this has been all very positive, the best bike I've owned. I need light, fast and simple with good cargo capacity and haven't seen anything that seems to do all of these better. I've not been nice to it, never cleaning it, rarely oiling it, thrashing it daily and it's never left me stranded. good work Giant!
Happy to answer any questions, and would appreciate any wisdom you all have on the above!
AF