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If you have been looking into some of the best commuter bike and electric mountain bikes on the market, then you've probably come across the bike brands Giant.
Giant has been making traditional bicycles and high-quality electric bicycles since 1981 and focuses on integrating their sync-drive pro, smart assist and EnergyPak technology in all of their electric road bikes.
But with the huge range of Giant bikes on the market, figuring out which one you need or whether or not they are worth it can be overwhelming.
So to help you out, we have split all the Giant bikes up into their categories and reviewed each model to see which Giant bikes design is right for you.
Let's get into it!
First of all, before we get to review the Giant electric bike range, let's briefly discuss who Giant are and what they stand for.
Giant was created way back in Taiwan and have started producing electric bikes and e-road bike types since 1981. Giant are most well-known for being one of the first brands to produce carbon fiber bikes and created compact modern road bikes.
Their range includes all kinds of modern bikes you could think of, from mountain trail bikes to all-road electric bicycle types.
One thing that all the electric bikes by Giant have in common is their technology. We have listed the high-end electric road bike technology that Giant uses below.
Below we will separate Giant electric bikes into their categories and briefly go over the electrics and components of each bike to see which model might suit you best, we will then review the whole range later on at the end.
These bikes are most suited for people who are after a multi-purpose electric road bike, the general feel of these road bikes are reported to be a little on the heavy side, but we will dig deeper into each model below.
This road bike is one of the most powerful bikes in the Giant road bikes range, the pleasant bike features a 250W SyncDrive pro powerful motor and has a 500Wh battery which can help you ride up to 50 miles of range with the bike.
We appreciate the big range of this electric bike and that's its motor is road legal, enabling you to use it on bike paths as well as public roads too.
Gear-wise the bike uses a Tiagra 10-speed shifter with a rear derailleur and has Shimano hydraulic brakes, the wheel size of this bike is 27.5-inches in total.
We think the set-up of this bike is pretty great for road use, but it could include more gears.
This e-bike by Giant features a SyncDrive motor from Yamaha and has a 500Wh battery for power, it can reach a range of around 120km and has a top speed of around 25km/h. The RideControl EVO display even lets you monitor your heart rate when riding bike paths.
We like this bike with drop bars in terms of range, it is excellent for bike sports such as touring but the big battery set-up does make it a heavy bike.
For gears the e-bike uses a 2x11 Shimano Ultegra Rear Derailleur system like high-end bikes and hydraulic disc brakes, the wheel size of the bike is around 28-inches.
The double chainring bike might be better suited with single ring transmission, but the overall bike with its powerful motor could be taken off-road as well as on and we appreciate the tubeless wheels.
Power-wise, the La Free model comes with a 250W SyncDrive life motor and a 400Wh battery, the motor is mid-mounted and can reach a maximum range of 65 miles in total.
In terms of the battery, it is also removable for charging and is very lightweight.
Overall, for the price of this bike, its power is suitable, but we wouldn't plan on taking this bike long distances due to the 400Wh battery having limited range.
For components, the bike has a step-through frame and a 1x10 Shimano Deore RD-M6000GS Derailleur system. Its wheel size comes in at 26-inches and it uses hydraulic disc brakes.
The adjustability of this electric bike is excellent but it does lack accessories in our opinion.
These series of bikes by Giant are great affordable mountain bikes and all-road bikes for beginners who are looking for a fun bike that is durable and simple to use.
This grave e-bike by Giant is one of the only commuter type bikes from the series and has a SyncDrive Life motor and an EnergyPak 500Wh battery giving you a range of around 65 miles on a full charge.
We think the battery range of this bike is great but the motor outputs torque of 60Nm is pretty low for tackling hills.
The electric bike has a mid-range Shimano Alivio group of gears, suspension fork and comes with excellent accessories for commuting such as a rear rack and lights. It also uses hydraulic Shimano disc brakes.
Featuring a SyncDrive core 50Nm motor and a 400Wh Lithium-Ion battery, the Roam E+ bike is great for all-purpose use on gravel or road and features the Giant RideControl display to monitor your ride with ease.
The bike is fitted with hydraulic disc brakes and has a suspended fork for extra comfort when riding, the only downfall has to be the bikes heavyweight and motor position which does hang down compared to other Giant e-bikes.
This electric bike is built for riding on gravel roads, the class three electric bike houses a SyncDrive Pro motor with 80Nm of torque and uses a 375Wh battery for power. The top speed of the bike is 28mph making the comfort bike excellent to use on hard terrain with the powerful motor.
The biggest downfall of the power setup here has to be that the integrated battery is not removable.
Component wise the bike uses full Shimano GRX groupset gears and has tubeless tyres, it is also fitted with Shimano hydraulic brakes.
For design, the bike saddle of this model is pretty uncomfortable, however.
Coming with a Giant SyncDrive Core mid-drive motor that has 50Nm of torque along with 5 pedal-assist modes and a 400Wh battery this mountain bike is perfect for average trail riding. The power set-up does lack torque from the mid-motor compared to other Giant bikes but this is probably down to its low price.
Fitted with a Shimano Alivio 9-speed rear derailleur gearing system, 29-inch wheels and a 100mm fork this bike is built for off-road use. The giant bicycles gears are a little limited however for incline use on technical terrain.
The Stance E+ electric bike has a powerful motor rated 250W in a central motor position and is paired with a Giant EnergyPak 500Wh battery which can give a range of around 105 miles. This full-power SyncDrive motor is great for getting up inclines but also stays within road-legal power.
Its components feature 29-inch wheels and has a full suspension for better comfort when riding the bike with 130mm of travel. The bike uses hydraulic brakes for stopping power too.
The biggest downfall of the bike has to be its weight which is very heavy with the mid-drive motor.
If you are serious about getting the best electric mountain bikes model then the Trance X E+ Pro has everything you need.
For power the electric bike uses a powerful motor with 80Nm of torque and has a battery with a 625Wh rating, it can provide top speeds of up to 20mph and the fat tire mountain bike uses a centrally-mounted LCD.
All these components do make the bike very heavy.
In addition to the fat tyres on this bike it also is equipped with 150mm of travel suspension with adjustable geometry for comfort, this does make the frame quite bulky, however.
With its SyncDrive Sport motor and 500Wh battery, the Fathom E+ electric bike allows you to ride for longer and climb hills with ease. The dynamic motor can reach top speeds of 20mph too. The display uses the RideControl ONE remote which shows battery level as well as modes when riding.
The e-bike comes with 27.5-inch wheel size and is fitted with a new updated 120mm travel suspension fork as well as Deore 9 speed gears and Tektro hydraulic disc brakes. Biggest drawback of this e-bike is its bulky size with no smaller version available from Giant.
This is the most expensive e-bike from the Giant Electric Mountain Bike Series and it uses SyncDrive Pro mid-drive motor with 80Nm of torque along with a 500Wh battery for extra range when riding.
One of the best features of this e-bike has to be its 170mm suspension which is what makes the bike so expensive, allowing you to have comfort on even the hardest of trails. It also uses Shimano drivetrains and SRAM paired with 27.5-inch tyres.
All of the Lifestyle e-bikes by Giant are aimed at urban commuters and use Giant’s SyncDrive mid-drive motors, hydraulic disc brakes with an upright geometry for comfort when road biking. These light bikes are not too fast and feature both step-throughs and step over frames making them great for beginner e-bikers.
Currently in the range are; the Vida E+, Transcend E+ and LaFree E+.
Overall, some of the electric mountain bikes and road bikes from Giant do have a pretty hefty price tag but are excellent value for money and uses higher quality parts than cheap bikes which will last you long after multiple uses.
In our opinion we would say the Giant electric bike lineups is worth it if you have a higher budget with their excellent motor assistance from their SyncDrive technology and large battery capacities, they are also a great choice for beginners who are just starting e-biking.
Are Giant bicycles only for experienced riders?
No, the best advantage to Giant bicycles is that they are great for both advanced and beginner e-bikers with simple to use technology and durable designs.
For complete beginners we would suggest checking out the Lifestyle electric bikes by Giant as these are simple to use and don't come with too much power or fancy controls, making them perfect for everyday commuting or road biking.
Do you need to buy extra cycling gear accessories with these bikes?
Some of the Giant electric bike ranges do include accessories with their bikes but you may have to equip them with extras such as mudguards depending on your model.
Which is the best bike series for a performance-oriented road or MTB rider?
We would suggest looking into the mountain bike series by Giant rather than the gravel or road bike series if you are an MTB rider. This is because these bikes often come with a better range, larger groupset of gears and fat tyres which make riding off-road more enjoyable.
To conclude, there is a huge range of bikes in the Giant electric bike series which include many assistance modes, styles and varying ranges according to the type of e-bike you need, whether for mountain biking or standard commuting.
Although you might find Giant electric bikes a little expensive, the price is worth it for durability and reliability on the bike's parts.
