Looking at a Giant ROAM E+ GTS

Hoop66

Roam E+ GTS (GUK) (2022) | Adventure bike | Giant Bicycles Ireland (giant-bicycles.com)

What do experienced cyclists, electrical & "manual", think of these? I had a good look at one in a shop at the weekend and I liked it.

The main thing I found, coming from a "normal" bike was the extra weight, but on the test drive I didn't really notice.

Squidgy Black

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058266865/looking-at-a-giant-roam-e-gts

A lot of e-bikes are generally 6+ kg heavier than a non-ebike equivalent, but you never notice with the motor. It's only if you ever get caught out with a dead battery that you truly will notice it.

I'm not a fan of suspension on bikes unless it's for specific use cases like mountain bike trails etc, it's fairly pointless on Irish roads, particularly with tyres of the width that come with the bike. Ends up feeling too floaty and spongey in my opinion.

Other than that, looks like a great bike. 500wh battery is fairly massive so you won't have many range concerns and mid-drive is always better than rear or front wheel. From reading reviews online the only concern would be that the motor doesn't have shift detection so you'd just want to be mindful that you dont want to shift under load

Hoop66

Ah good, this is exactly the sort of advice I was looking for. I will check out about the shift detection, thanks.

magicbastarder

usual question would be, what is the intended use of the bike? e.g. if it's for commuting, you might want a more commuting oriented bike (integrated lights, mudguards, carrier, stand, etc.)

Hoop66

There will be a bit of commuting but mostly I will use as a tourer, doing 40-50 mile runs out to Wicklow and maybe further afield next summer.

Ferris

Did you get to the 25kph cut-off? Was the bike nice to ride beyond that speed?

That bike would be very capable and likely give you a lot of service but you may get fitter and then the speed cutoff might frustrate you. For touring you may want to add a rack and panniers but it looks to support fitting those but you sometimes can get these included when buying new. Other things to consider fitting is mudguards and lights (some ebikes have integrated lights which are great in my experience). Have a look at Cube bikes also - they are no better or worse than the Giant but they have a huge range that can give more options for accessories etc. Their equivalent Bosch motor is the Active Line Plus I think as it has 50NM of torque also - this would be on the low end of mid-motor power but likely perfectly adequate. On the drive system I wouldn't worry, they are all generally very good and really you just need to decide if you want an ebike, find one thats comfortable and has the spec you need and then buy whatever you can get cheapest.

On the weight thing it is a consideration especially for lifting onto a bike rack etc. Looks like the battery can be removed easily on that bike so that would reduce the weight by 3-4kg.

magicbastarder

speaking of weight, that has always annoyed me that giant (and maybe other manufacturers) won't state the weight in the specs online.

Squidgy Black

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119731214#Comment_119731214

Common thing now for a lot of manufacturers, Orbea doesn’t provide it to retailers or on their site either, think Cannondale have gone the same route too

8valve

Most ebike manufacturers don't quote weights, as they vary due to different frame sizes/configurations etc.

I've sold a LOT of Roam E bikes in the last year and a bit; every customer, bar none, has been delighted with it.

The 2022 model got the battery upgrade from 400w to 500w, which makes it even better.

Bang for buck, I think it's one of the most competent ebikes out there, for touring, load-lugging or commuting.

Alkers

I haven't ridden it but I have a Giant EMTB with similar motor and larger battery and it's brilliant.

I easily get 50+km off road including 1000m of climbing. You will get significantly more on road, especially if less climbing and making any effort to conserve battery.

One warning though is it is pretty much unusable without the battery assist, it's like pedalling through treacle, yours won't be as bad - lighter and smaller, smoother tyres etc but it is not as easy as cycling a normal bike at all. Same applies when the motor kicks off at 25km/hr, this isn't a big deal off road but will be more so on road. There are ways around this, through configuring your bike as American (where the kick off limit is higher) or with a bypass chip but either of these may have warranty implications and also technically render the bike non roadworthy.

Weight is not a big deal at all with the assistance, as you said you dont notice it.

The giant app is very glitchy, recording wild distances for rides when I use it - lots of complaints online but it's not a big deal for me, just use Strava or whatever.

For lifting onto a carrier etc shouldn't be a problem unless you have mobility issues.

Research buying abroad, my bike was over 1000e cheaper from Germany than from giant store in Ireland.

Lastly, make sure you insure whatever you get, ebikes are thief magnets