The Giant Avail Advanced 0 is a rare but lovely thing: a true women’s geometry frame with Shimano’s amazing electronic gears.

Men’s bikes with Shimano’s Ultegra Di2 electronic shifting were everywhere last year, but there weren’t many women-specific bikes with the super-cool computer-controlled gears.

Giant was one of the first to fit a women’s bike with Di2 and we’re excited to have the gorgeous 2013 version in our hot little hands.

This is a genuine women’s frame design in carbon fibre, and not one of Giant’s smaller men’s models in a different livery. The geometry is different from Giant’s men’s frames, with a slightly shorter reach and higher ride position, though the difference is not huge. Rather than being a super-upright cruiser, like some women’s sportive bikes, the Giant Avail Advanced 0 is a still very much a go-faster machine.

The frame is made from high-strength Toray T700 carbon, which means it should be super-tough, and it’s certainly feather light. Our Small framed bike weighs a piddling 7.37 kg without pedals.

As you’d expect, the important bits have been selected for suitability for a woman’s needs. The saddle is a fi’zi:k Vesta with pressure relief channel to pamper your bits, and up front there’s a short-reach, shallow-drop Giant Contact handlebar.

All the components are Shimano Ultegra, the second-highest group in the Shimano range. It’s great stuff: light, good-looking and reliable, with brake levers you can move closer to the bar by popping in some optional inserts.

The Avail Advanced 0 rolls on Giant’s own P-SL0 wheels with P-SL1 tyres. With no tread pattern, these are super-quick ‘slick’ tyres that we love for fast days out.

Giant has included some useful details in the Avail Advanced 0. The carbon fibre seatpost has two-bolt clamp so you can fine-tune the angle of the saddle. Getting the saddle in just the right place is vital for comfort and this design makes it much easier.

If you’re a data freak, there’s no need to fit a Garmin or other ANT+ sensor to the Avail Advanced 0 because it has one built in.

At £3,499, the Giant Avail Advanced 0 isn’t cheap, but it’s on a par with similar quality and spec men’s bikes, and about right for the performance on offer, on paper at least.

Check back in a few weeks when we’ve had a chance to take it for a spin!

More information:  Giant Avail Advanced 0