BIKE TEST: LIV’S WOMEN’S TAKE ON AN E-BIKE

Of all the major bike brands in the world, none are currently as aggressive in marketing to women than Giant is through their affiliate Liv brand, which offers a wide range of women’s-specific road and mountain pedal bikes.

For 2018 Liv is determined to be the first bike brand to also offer a range of e-bikes that are also designed specifically with women cyclists in mind. Both a mountain and city bike currently fill Liv’s e-bike catalog.

Both the Vall-E+ mountain bike and the Amiti-E+ city bike utilize Liv’s own Hybrid Cycling technology. Despite the fancy name, it’s really just the brand’s own take to describe their range of pedelec bikes that, like most other e-bikes, rely on the combination of both pedal and power assist for forward motion.

THE BIKE
The Vall-E+ mountain bike platform is powered by a Yamaha-made motor that Giant has branded SyncDrive Motor technology. Three different displacement motors are found under the SyncDrive umbrella—Pro, Sport and Life—each with varying degrees of power output. The Pro model is destined for the higher-performing mountain bikes, while the Sport motor is intended for less aggressive riding and the Life system for casual city bike use.

Like the SyncDrive motor family, Liv’s line of lithium batteries, or “energy packs,” are made in three versions determined by the end-use platform—300 Wh, 400 Wh and 500 Wh. The Vall-E+ Pro’s motor has 80 N/m of torque with three levels of speed control from 80 to 300 percent. Both Vall-E+ models are designed with the new side-pull battery and case for easy removal for charging or storing.

The Vall-E+ uses an aluminum frame with a 120mm-travel suspension fork and rolls on 27.5-inch wheels. Liv says their range of e-bikes is “designed from the ground up specifically for women,” and they rely on their own LivRight sizing to ensure an optimized fit. www.liv-cycling.com/vall-e