- Sorry, discontinued -

This is an abridged version of A to B's April 2007 review
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The bike was launched a few weeks ago at a distinctly eye-catching price. It seems to be the only bike under £1,000 to be fitted with a decent lithium-ion battery, and it's the biggest battery of its kind on the market.

So the Liv started life as a back-to-basics model, but has become a high-tech commuter. It still holds true to the Ezee philosophy of simple, practical everyday transport, but with superb spec where it counts.

Equipment-wise, the bike comes with full mudguards, lights and - where other cheap brands are fitted with nasty, cheap 6-speed derailleur sets - a Nexus 3-speed hub gear. This light, simple hub is ideal for purpose - changes up or down are very slick, and the gear range (46", 62" and 85") is limited, but sufficient on an electric bike.

You can cover a lot of ground by spinning fast in that 85-inch top gear, and with reasonable assistance from the willing little motor, the Liv will climb quite steep hills at a good speed.The result is an impressively fast bike, completing our 10-mile commuter course in 33'/2 minutes. It just goes to show what you can do with three hub gears, sensible ratios and some modest power assistance. In hillier country, the bike does equally well, recording an average of 15.7mph with NiMH and 16.9mph with the Li-ion battery over our new 14-mile course.

That's much faster than the other budget electric bikes, and a hefty three to four mph faster than the Giant Twist or Sparta Ion (see A to 6 58), which cost nearly three times as much. Speed isn't everything, we hasten to add, but as with a car, it makes sense to have something in reserve. Sooner or later you'll be climbing a gradient into a headwind with a bad leg.

With only three gears, the maximum gradient is a bit limited, but we found 13% (1:8) easy enough, and climbed 17% (1:6) at a steady pace. Restarting on that sort of gradient is feasible, but with a 46-inch bottom gear, this obviously takes a bit of legwork. Maximum motor output is similar to the Sprint, at a shade under 600 watts, so there's plenty of oomph for most situations.

More for Your Money

If you're searching for a budget-priced, practical electric bike, it's the battery that counts, and the Liv offers no less than 370Wh of Lithium-ion power - exactly the same battery fitted to its more expensive cousins.With the older NiMH battery, range in hilly country is 23 miles, but with the new battery we recorded a range of 27 miles, still averaging 16mph despite plenty of hills and some town work. Remember, that's at quite a high speed - if you keep speed down, 30+ miles should be well within its capabilities.

When the battery does conk out, the Liv is a pleasant bike to ride unassisted - not quite up to Lafree standards, but perfectly rideable. At 28.5kg, the Liv weighs the same as the Sprint, give or take a few grams.That's 4kg heavier than the new breed of lightweights like the Windsor, but 10kg lighter than most £600 electric bikes. And this is a solid machine, offering more range and a great deal more speed than most, particularly on hills.

Conclusion

The Ezee Liv has a lot of competition, but most of these machines (and quite a few costing £700 or more) can be dismissed. Against such single-speed, overweight monsters as the Powabyke Shopper, Sakura Cruiser and even more horrible things, the Ezee Liv is light years ahead. The only real competition comes from the Giant Suede and the new LPX versions of the Powacycle Windsor and Salisbury, but their performance and equipment just doesn't come into the same ballpark as the Liv.

Order securely online or call 0844 800 5979 Liv+ 3-speed £595 discontinued

Things may change, but at the moment, this is the best all-round machine we have seen: it offers astonishing value, and with saddle height of 86cm-101 cm, it fits almost anyone. If you want an electric bike on a budget, don't hesitate - the Liv is a great buy.

Specification
Ezee Liv £595 .Weight Bicycle 24.1kg Battery 4.4kg Total 28.5kg (63lbs) . Gears 3-spd Nexus hub . Gear Ratios 46", 62", 85" . Battery Li-ion . Nominal Capacity 370Wh Max Range 27 miles . Full Charge 5hrs I5mins . Consumption I5Wh/mile inc charger losses. Running Costs 7.1 p/mile .