We’ve already had a look at Giant’s mid motor Prime E +3 city bike. At £1,799 that’s a really good bike for the money but if your budget won’t stretch that far then Giant have you covered with the Ease-E+. For £1,099 you’re getting a step-through frame with a front hub motor, Shimano derailleur gearing and lots of practical extras.

“The Ease-E+ offers the comfort and style of a traditional bicycle with added power”, say Giant if this bike. “Tackle anything as you flatten hills and embrace the future of uncomplicated mobility.” Sound good? Well the bike certainly looks good, it’s a nicely put together alloy frame with a low step through and a matching rigid alloy fork. The motor is Giant’s SyncDrive hub, which has a silent clutch mechanism to allow friction-free rolling when you’re not under power.

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Giant Ease E Plus - motor (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

The Ease-E+ uses a cadence sensor (that checks for the pedals turning) rather than a more expensive torque sensor (that measures how much effort you’re putting in) and adds power that you can control from a bar-mounted LED display. The battery is rack-mounted and it’s a 300Wh unit like the more expensive Prime E +3.

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Giant Ease E Plus - display (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

There are three modes – Eco, Normal and Sport – and the display also lets you turn the lights on and off. There’s a throttle too: you can use it in walking mode to help you push the bike along, and when you twist it when you’re pedalling it acts as a boost, giving you a bit of extra oomph up the hills or away from a standstill.

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Giant Ease E Plus - rear mech (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

You get eight speeds on the Ease-E+ thanks to a Shimano Altus derailleur setup. The bike uses a wide-range 12-32 tooth cassette so there’s a good spread of gears, and a half chaincase is fitted to keep your trousers free of grime. Brakes are Tektro V-brakes with Shimano Tourney levers; they’re nothing special but should pull you up just fine.

The Ease-E+ is available in three sizes and within each one there’s plenty of room for tweaking the position, with a nice long seatpost and an adjustable stem. The swept alloy bars give a nice comfy position. You get good quality bar grips and a Selle Royal saddle that’s wide without being massive. Mudguards and a kickstand are part of the package.

For more on the Giant Ease-E+ head over to the Giant website, and look out for a full review soon.