When it comes to bicycles—both electric and otherwise—few brands hold as strong a reputation as Giant bicycles. An industry giant for several decades now, Giant has both economies of scale and impressive quality as credentials that enable it to continuously grow and innovate in the industry. We’ve seen many new e-bikes from Giant lately, however, none of them are like the new Stormguard E+.
At a glance, the Stormguard E+ looks imposing, intimidating, and expensive. Indeed, it’s all those three things, and it’s Giant’s first utility-focused, full-suspension electric bike. Styling-wise, it’s clear that the bike makes use of tried and tested Giant geometry. I can see a bit of Giant Trance peeking through all the ruggedness here, but other than that, the bike is a machine of its own. For starters, the huge rear racks look like they can double as a luggage rack and pannier rack in one. Furthermore, the large fenders on both wheels make it clear that this bike is capable of serving as a commuter, too.
From a performance standpoint, the Stormguard E + packs a Yamaha mid-drive motor mated to a belt drive system for quiet operation It gets an Enviolo stepless internally geared hub for added efficiency, and draws power from a large EnergyPak Smart 800Wh battery pack. Incidentally, this is the first time Giant is making use of the larger 22700 type of battery cells. In theory, these larger cells—especially considering that there are 40 of them in the battery pack—should provide more range, but more importantly, durability to withstand more charging cycles.
Other features include a cockpit that’s designed with practicality in mind. More specifically, it ets a bar and stem integrated full-color display called the RideDash Evo. This gadget allows you to connect your smartphone to the bike, letting you access features like navigation and ride stats from your phone to the built-in display. The bike will be offered in a premium E+1 trim and an E+2 version with a more affordable setup. The bikes are expected to hit the European market in 2023, and will retail for 7,999 Euros for the E+1, and 6,499 Euros for the E+2.
