Hot on the heels of the Pinnacle Lithium Ion we’ve just taken delivery of is this fast commuter from Giant, the Quick E+. It’s the top bike in Giant’s Urban range; we’ve previously tried the Ease E+ and the Prime E+ and both of them got good reviews here at ebiketips.
The Quick E+ doesn’t follow the stripped-down format of some fast commuters: this is a full-spec city bike with mudguards, a rack, kickstand and integrated lights.
The rear mudguard and rack are integrated together, with the rack forming the stays of the mudguard. There’s a rear light plumbed into the back of the mudguard too with the wiring running internally.
The Giant is unusual in that it has a double chainring. That’s not an option on a Bosch bike as the Bosch motors use a smaller chainring that’s not directly driven by the cranks. The Yamaha PW motor at the heart of Giant’s Sync Drive system is direct drive, though, and the Quick E+ uses a 42/28T chainset with a 10-speed 11-36T cassette for a very wide gear range, probably the widest you’re likely to see on any bike. Shimano’s Deore components make up most of the transmission: it’s reliable mountain-bike-derived equipment and built to last. You get Shimano hydraulic discs to stop you.
Yamaha provide Giant with the motor but they’ve built a custom system around it, which they call Sync Drive. It uses four sensors to match your input with the motor output, which peaks at 80Nm, more even than the Bosch Performance Line CX motor. The remote control is built into the handlebar grip which puts it in a very good position for easy control.
The battery is made by Samsung and at 400Wh it’s a typical capacity for a good-quality city bike. Giant claim a range of up to 130km in Eco mode, although real-life range will be alot lower than that. Even so, it’ll probably be good for a week of average commutes between charges. Both the motor and the battery are well integrated into the frame, giving the Quick E+ a clean look.
The Quick E+ doesn’t have a suspension fork, opting instead for an alloy frame and fork and high-quality Schwalbe Big Ben tyres to cope with the potholes. Overall it’s designed for quicker commuting with a more aggressive position than most city bikes, although it’s no lighweight, tipping the scales at 25kg. We’ll get some city (and country) miles logged and let you know what we think.
