2020 GIANT FASTROAD E+ EX PRO
R I D E R E V I E W
P84
comparison, my gravel bike weighs
just 20 pounds, but it does not in-
clude the fenders, lights and rack.
So how about
that E assist?
Riding the Fast road feels like a
typical bike as the power assist
is noticeable but very natural. So
how much does it help? The first
day that I rode the Fastroad to the
office, I knocked 18 minutes off my
typical 1:10 minute commute on
my gravel bike. Due to government
regulations, the assist is capped at 28 miles per
hour, and I easily hovered at that max on most of the
ride on just the second power level, and it doesn't
slow down much on the hills. A few stoplights, stop
signs, and a dirt section that included a water cross-
ing dropped my average speed to 21 mph. And this
was fully loaded down with my laptop, clothes and
lunch in the paniers. My average is about 17 miles
The motor and management system is where
the e-bike becomes less like a bicycle and more
like a motorcycle. Giant has developed its own
SyncDrive Pro 360% tunable management sys-
tem, and the motor is produced by Yamaha. The
SyncDrive system utilizes six parameters to deliver
the proper assistance: incline, acceleration, motor
speed, ground speed, pedal input and cadence
(pedal RPM). It includes five power-assist modes
that are easily changed via a thumb shifter next
to the left handle grip. ECO, the easiest setting,
provides a 100% power assist while the POWER
mode provides up to 360% boost. The Giant
RideControl EVO display allows you to easily moni-
tor your power level selected, speed, remaining
battery life, estimated remaining range, cadence,
distance, odometer average speed, max speed
and trip time. One of the other key components is
the battery pack, which is developed in partner-
ship with Panasonic.
Due in large part to the battery and motor, the
Fastroad E+ EX Pro weighs in at 50 pounds. For
The Giant
Fastroad E+
Pro comes with
a rack, and we
installed the
optional large
panniers to carry
a laptop, clothes,
lunch, and
battery charger
for commuting.
They are large
enough to carry
a couple bags of
groceries.
