Exclusive First Ride Review: New Liv Avail Advanced E+ Elite

Liv, Giant’s sister brand dedicated to women’s cycling, is today launching a lightweight and discreet electric-assist road bike for those who want to broaden their horizons, whether in terms of distance to cover or difficulties to overcome. An elegant, safe, and racy machine that provides the necessary boost to keep every ride enjoyable, as we found out during this exclusive first test.

By Béatrice Barralis – Photos: ©DamienRosso/Giant

Whether in terms of its design or the integration of components, the Liv Avail Advanced E+ Elite initially hides its game well. Only the rear hub, more massive than average, betrays the presence of a compact electric motor that delivers up to 75 Nm of torque when needed. This assistance is very useful on steep climbs, against strong headwinds, or during repeated accelerations in traffic. But also to keep up with a group of experienced cyclists when you lack training or physical condition, without them getting impatient at the top of climbs. A bike that allows you to go further, longer, while maintaining the pleasure of pedaling. And, like its silhouette, which is very close to a modern high-end road bike, the Liv Avail Advanced E+ Elite always provides very natural sensations, which only make you feel like you’ve eaten a lion for breakfast. For every breakfast.

High-end design

To achieve this, the Avail Advanced E+ Elite is built around an Advanced Composite carbon frame and fork, a classic Sram 12-speed double chainring drivetrain, discreet controls and charging port, and full integration of all cables. It is equipped with a Giant Contact D-Fuse SLR/SL carbon handlebar, designed to improve comfort and precision, thanks to a 40% increase in longitudinal flex, but also a 2% increase in lateral stiffness. A carbon seatpost of the same name also offers more flex to limit the effects of small road vibrations. Also for comfort, while the production bike comes with 32 mm tubeless tires, it is designed to accommodate tires up to 38 mm wide, making it compatible with gravel riding on not-too-harsh terrain. It is also designed to accommodate fenders if needed, and already features a rear light perfectly integrated at the junction between the seatpost and seat tube.

Weighing just over 12 kg for the high-end version with Sram Red AXS and carbon wheels with 36 mm rim depth, the Liv Avail Advanced E+ Elite handles like a traditional road bike, whether on descents or in traffic. And when you exceed the assistance speed limit (25 km/h in Europe), its rolling qualities offer a smooth and almost transparent transition, allowing you to follow a group without undue effort, just like with a traditional bike.

Giant SyncDrive Move Plus motor and 400Wh battery

The Avail Advanced E+ Elite benefits from a discreet Giant SyncDrive Move Plus motor in the rear hub (only 1.7 kg), with a maximum torque of 75 Nm, connected to a RideControl Go unit placed on the top tube of the frame with five assistance levels. This new motor provides assistance sensations very close to natural pedaling, thanks to sensors that use Smart Assist technology, to provide exactly the necessary help based on the effort exerted. To optimize the overall integration of the bike, the motor is wirelessly connected to the rest of the system, allowing the wheel to be mounted or removed without touching any cables.

On the RideControl Go unit, two rows of colored LEDs display the assistance mode and battery level. You can switch between modes by pressing the single button on the unit, or by using the Bonus buttons (for the latest Sram Red AXS group) on the brake levers, or by using Sram Blips (additional controls originally intended for gear changes) for Avail Advanced E+ Elite models equipped with Sram Force or Sram Rival.

The system is connected to an application called Giant RideControl App (downloadable for free on the App Store and Play Store) which allows you to connect your phone to the bike to customize the motor’s assistance percentage, the assistance trigger speed across 11 levels, and the torque according to your preferences or use. For example, you could imagine a different setting for mountain use or urban areas, to favor maximum torque during accelerations in traffic. The application also offers control over the bike’s integrated rear light, a diagnostic of the status of each system component, and tracking of all your ride statistics before sharing them on social networks like Strava.

The Avail Advanced E+ Elite features an integrated and invisible Energypak Smart 400Wh battery in the frame’s down tube, which can be supplemented by an additional 200 Wh battery (1.1 kg) that can be placed in the second bottle cage, for a total range that can reach over 150 km depending on use. The performance of these batteries is optimized through the use of 22700 lithium-ion cells (22 mm in diameter and 700 mm in length) which offer increased density and reduced weight, to optimize operation at lower temperatures than those typically used on the market.

Beyond its fluid and high-end appearance with the perfect integration of the entire assistance system, the Liv Avail Advanced E+ Elite seduces with the progressive nature of the motor’s assistance. When starting, regardless of the mode engaged, the assistance is delivered very gradually, so the machine does not feel difficult to control as is sometimes the case with some urban electric bikes. You can start smoothly, simply feeling like you have an extra fifty watts in each leg. A jubilant impression with a bike that has undeniable rolling qualities, especially in this high-end version with Sram Red AXS, which stands out for the ergonomics of the hoods, the modularity and control of the braking, the precision of the gear changes, and a weight that is ultimately not excessive given the embedded technology.

During each slowdown to a stop, the sensation is identical, with no latency between the force applied to the pedals and the power supplied by the motor. The assistance decreases and cuts out, again, without a jolt, which reinforces confidence, especially in the city.

As the assistance speed limit (25 km/h) is approached, the motor gradually reduces its support and the transition appears very fluid under the pedals, even if one remains a little disturbed by the cutting off of the motor’s whistle, or by its restarting as soon as one drops below this speed. This new Giant SyncDrive Move Plus motor thus appears to be generally a little noisier than some of its competitors.

Like many electric-assist road bikes, the Avail Advanced E+ Elite delivers its maximum power around 15 km/h by default (before any customization via the app), a pace at which most road difficulties are erased, which helps reduce the gap with more trained cyclists. Liv has even designed this bike with an additional Boost mode, so you can get out of the trickiest situations, with a kick that offers up to 450% more power than you produce. Generally, to optimize motor operation and battery life on this type of bike, you should try to pedal at a cadence of 80 to 90 rpm. This is still the case here, but Boost mode allows you to accelerate sharply if the system detects forceful pedaling (below 70 rpm) and if the speed is below 18 km/h. To benefit from this mode, you must first have engaged the highest assistance mode.

In terms of verified range, we observed a loss of about 50% of the main battery’s capacity after a 47 km ride with just over 500 m of positive elevation gain, including two nice climbs of nearly two kilometers, a strong headwind on the way back, and the end of the ride in a violent thunderstorm. The two climbs were cleared at a good pace without struggling on the steepest gradients, and while still feeling the effort. Just with legs that felt more powerful when climbing, and less muscle tension than after the same type of ride with a traditional bike. On descents and in terms of general bike handling, we didn’t feel any noticeable change compared to any other type of bike. Ultimately, this bike acts as an accelerator of sensations. A unique effect for us, accompanied by a wide smile throughout the ride, as it was our first time with this type of bike. The Liv Avail Advanced E+ Elite clearly offers new perspectives to all those who might fear embarking on long distances or difficult climbs, as is sometimes our case.

Liv Avail Advanced E+ Elite pricing

The Liv Avail Advanced E+ Elite seems perfectly balanced, and its high-end equipment contributes to the overall satisfaction experienced on the road. Equipment that doesn’t excessively inflate the bike’s price, as this version with Sram Red AXS is offered at €10,500, which is lower than most traditional bikes of the same range. With Sram Force, the machine is offered at €8,000, for a weight slightly under 13 kg. Finally, the entry-level model with Sram Rival and aluminum wheels is offered at €6,500, for a weight of 13.7 kg. These prices are far from exorbitant and can be found in one of the 140 Giant network stores across France.