Giant Stance E+ Review
- Fully integrated drive unit
- Room for a bottle cage in the frame
- 2.6” Maxxis Rekon tubeless tyres
- 400Wh battery on base level bike
- No Maestro rear suspension
- No dropper post option
Discipline:
Trail e MTBUsage:
Pedal assist trail ridingWeight:
24.7Kg (54lbs)*With an electric motor adding to your natural pedalling power, the Giant Stance E+ is a great way to ride more trails with less effort.
2020 Update
Giant have expanded the Stance range and there is now a 29” wheeled version the Stance E+ Pro. This has a similar component spec to the E+1 but rolls on larger wheels. The Stance E+ Pro and E+1 now both get a SRAM Eagle 1x12 speed drivetrain for a wider gear range. Other than colour schemes, the rest of the range remains unchanged for 2020.
Updated: 19th December 2019
Overview
Giant have completely revamped their electric mountain bikes for 2019 with three new ranges. The new naming system of these new bikes mirrors their regular MTBs. The Stance E+ is the new entry level full suspension e bike that offers the same great value as its non-powered MTB cousin. In this Giant Stance E+ Review we take a detailed look at the both models in this full sus e MTB range.
An affordable way to boost your natural pedalling power, the Giant Stance-E+ is an electric bike for riding more mountain bike trails. Offering full suspension performance for the same price as many hardtail e bikes the Stance-E+ is hard to beat on value.
The Stance-E+ is a built around an ALUXX-SL grade aluminium frame. This high-performance 6011 alloy is Giant’s highest-grade aluminium, which they say offers the best-in-class strength-to-weight ratios. It’s great to see this material on their entry level full sus e MTB. All the cables are internally routed and there is also routing for a future dropper post upgrade.
The battery is neatly integrated inside the downtube which flows seamlessly into the bottom bracket mounted motor. This leaves plenty of room inside the front triangle, so you can fit a bottle cage. The battery is easily removable; for charging it away from the bike or to reduce the weight when lifting it on to a rack. Unlike on many e MTBs the battery is lockable.
Where the Trance line are high-end bikes with almost no compromises, the Stance line is half the price, but certainly not half the performance. Electric Bike Action
The Stance E+ is aimed at slightly more recreationally focussed mountain bikers; those looking to get in to e-MTBs as a starting point or those whose position on the bike favours a less aggressive style of machine.
Bike Radar
The FlexPoint suspension system is the same as found on the regular Stance models. This simple single pivot design offers 120mm of rear wheel travel and is controlled by a RockShox Monarch shock. The Stance E+2 gets a basic Monarch R with adjustable rebound damping. The Stance E+1 is fitted with the RT version which also gets a 2-position compression damping lever. This means that you can select the ‘Pedal’ position to firm up the shock for more efficient pedalling on the climbs. For the descents simply flick the lever back to ‘Open’ for maximum compliance over rough terrain.
The suspension fork gives you 130mm of travel up front, which is a little longer than the regular Stance models. This helps the suspension to deal with the extra weight of the motor and battery. The Stance E+2 has an SR Suntour XCR 34 air fork while the E+1 has a RockShox Recon RL. The XCR 34 actually has wider 34mm stanchions (lower legs) which suggests that they might be stiffer than the 32mm on the RockShox. With Motion Control the compression damping can also be adjusted on the RockShox Recon which gives you a little more ability to fine tune the performance of the fork. The Suntour XCR has simple on /off lockout instead of a compression adjustment dial. Both forks have adjustable rebound damping.
The Yamaha SyncDrive Sport motor has been custom tuned by Giant and offers up to 80Nm of torque to deliver a maximum 350% assistance to your natural pedalling power. The Ride Control ONE remote sits neatly on the handlebars and allows you to change the five support modes on the fly. The buttons are easy to use, even with gloves on. LED lights on the remote display the current mode as well as the remaining battery capacity. The Stance-E 2 has a 400Wh battery pack while the Stance-E 1 has a larger capacity 500Wh battery, so you can ride further. The battery pack on both bikes slots neatly into the underside of the downtube.
The power delivery of the Stance E+ motor is smooth and seamless. Sensors on the bike measure the amount of force that you put through the pedals as well as your speed. This means that the motor adds just the right amount of power to enhance your ride. Press harder on the pedals and the motor will give you more assistance, slack off a little and the drive power will ease off too.
Giant have ditched the monstrosity of a display unit that was previously found on the Full E+ in favour of a far more streamlined remote they’re referring to as ‘RideControl ONE’.
Flow Mountain Bike
There’s a lot of bang for your bike out of the Stance, it was sure-footed and fast through technical terrain, able to climb almost everything we threw at it, and just plain fun! Electric Bike Action
Both the Stance-E+ 1 and 2 have a Shimano 1x10 speed drivetrain with a wide range rear cassette. This gives you plenty of gear ratios for trail riding on varied terrain. The SLX Shadow+ rear derailleur has a clutch mechanism that stops the chain bouncing around helping to keep it in place as well as offering a quieter ride.
The hydraulic disc brakes have large 203mm rotors front and rear to give you plenty of stopping power. The Stance E+1 has Shimano stoppers while the E+2 has Tektro brakes. While you don’t get an adjustable post on either model, this is an easy upgrade as there is routing ready to take a stealth dropper.
The Giant Stance E+ rolls exclusively on 27.5” wheels. The high volume Maxxis Rekon 2.6” tyres are wider than those found on the regular Stance. This gives you more grip as well as offering more cushioning to smooth out the trail a little more. These tyres well with the extra weight of an e bike. The wheels feature extra wide Giant AM rims with a 35mm inner width. This helps to give the tyres extra support, especially when running lower tyre pressures. EXO side wall protection guards against cuts and abrasions when riding rocky terrain.
As with high-end Giant MTBs the Stance-E+ is supplied ready set-up for tubeless running. All you need to do is add the supplied sealant and you are ready to take advantage of this puncture reducing technology.
High-quality Maxxis tubeless tyres give you plenty of grip and improve the ride quality of the Stance E+.
With an electric motor adding to your natural pedalling power, the Giant Stance E+ is a great way to ride more trails with less effort. Ideally suited to mellower trail centre loops and cross-country rides the Stance E+ is one of the most affordable full suspension mountain bikes to offer a powerful boost to your natural pedalling power.
With assistance for your natural pedalling power this e MTB is perfect for those who are recovering from illness or injury. That said anyone who finds the climbs a struggle and wants to ride more trails will benefit from the pedal assist power that the Stance-E+ offers. For an even more affordable e bike boost have a look at the Giant Fathom hardtail e MTBs. If you want a more capable and powerful ride takes a look at the Giant Trance E+.
