Gocycle Plus White Electric Bike Review - BikeRadar

I think it looks great and after seeing one at Condor it seems to be of far superior quality to the Eastern stuff sold by some - note to readers - looks like some posters are worried about their business enough to comment on the Go Cycle!

I think the Gocycle is awesome. It looks like an ipod. and ipods are well popular. It's the sort of design that is likely to attract more people to the cycling industry which can't be a bad thing. At long last somebody has come up with a solution for the 'less committed cyclist'; they don't want to get their trousers oily, they don't want to build up a sweat on the way to work; but they are open minded to alternative modes of transport to get around on. I wonder where Pedegos are made? Gocycles are made in Cambridge, so there's no environmental impact from shipping them over from the east like many other manufacturers. Respect to Gocycle - I think it'll bring good things to the industry.

On the face of it I am impressed. It's British, it looks nice, good website and available in shops. BUT....... what happens with the chain sealed into the magnesium swingarm once it wears out? Why NiMH batteries? And I have no idea where there got 'quick yet stable' from, the one I rode was very twitchy, a feature usually associated with small wheeled bikes due to super steep head angles. Also the low BB meant the long crank arms bottomed out easily when cornering and pedalling. Seemed very noisy to ride too. I really wanted it to be good, but it seemed lacking and I would be worried about servicing in the long run.

I do think that there should be more british innovators out there though!

Sorry guys. :(

I believe the new version (which is due out,) has Lithium Ion batteries...

I was looking into buying one when my employers started the Cycle to Work scheme, however, the lack of communication I had from GoCycle when I contacted them really put me off...

Good concept, ideal for a 3 or 4 mile commute in town but wouldn't want to do my 12.8 mile commute on one...

FAQ from the website:

"How long will the brake pads last?

The brake pads should last the lifetime of the product." (disc brakes)

How do I get access to the chain?

It should not be necessary for you to gain access to the chain. It is lubricated, self-tensioning and sealed within the Cleandrive®. Opening the Cleandrive will void the Gocycle warranty. The Cleandrive should only be opened by the technicians at the Gocycle Service Centre.

Very interesting ;-)

shame they are as reliable as chocolate teapots..... a certain large bike shop used to stock them but had nothing but warranty issues and a few recalls. never mind the endless unanswered calls and emails to gocycle led to them no longer stocking gocycle anymore.

@russ0228,

That wouldn't be Evans would it? lol

Not normally a fan of these things, but after seeing #russ0228's comment, I have to say my bit! :)

I bought one of the early ones and have since bought one for my wife and we love them! We bought direct and have nothing but praise for the great aftersales service that we have received.

My Gocycle was affected by the bottom bracket recall, but the process was smooth and painless. We had the option to have the work carried out by a dealer, but I chose to be sent the bits and followed some very simple instructions.... can't have taken more than 15 minutes!

Also, the original mudguards were pretty brittle, but the new ones are great! They even refunded me for the price of the originals against the purchase of the new sets.

Can't wait to see what the G2 brings!!! More information please Gocycle!!!

I cheated a customer, please excuse the translation.

I bought all my illusion Gocycle on January 15, 2011 to give to my wife.

That same day, at my house, start to charge the battery, once charged, and all excited when I go to test the function e-bike, to my surprise, the engine is dead KO, not responding.

I am contacting the central Gocycle, customer service and after following his instructions and verify that there is no solution, I suggest that they send the Gocycle a factory (I wonder, have quality control in manufacturing?).

Well, after 2 MONTHS, YES 2 MONTHS, I delivered at home Gocycle theoretically repaired. But it was not repaired, this time, pressing the button the motor to noise, but did not transmit power.

Re-check everything and Gocycle conclusion I have to replace the motor.

May 5, I get the new engine, but continued in exactly the same problem, if noisy, but does not transmit power.

I STRESS THAT I FEEL CHEATED WITH YOUR PRODUCT.

Please, I ask me the That They collect the money back Gocycle and me.

They initially proposed to me that I replace the entire Gocycle, but then insist on changing the engine for a super special. I copy text from your mail.

"We Have Been in contact with regarding your Gocycle ProCycle motor-gearbox. We Have Offered to send you an alternative motor-gearbox s, which is German-made, with INCREASED reliability. Typically, this has-been reserved as an upgrade option for customers Who Their use in hilly regions Gocycle or on rough terrain. We are Offering this free of charge (retail value £ 220 excl VAT). "

My surprise is when I get the motor and see inside the package.

The engine is used, this rubbed and scratched. It's the same engine as the original, you can see that you have removed the labels (or bothered to remove the tail).

This is shameful, 27.05 TODAY AND RECEIVE NO RESPONSE YET.

I've been robbed.

Excuse all this text, but please have it before you buy encuenta Gocycle.

[IMG]http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i476/Yoryino/Gocycle005.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i476/Yoryino/2011-05-26151208.jpg[/IMG]

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[IMG]http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i476/Yoryino/Gocycle002.jpg[/IMG]

1. Gocycle stands behind our product and our service. We keep service levels of all warranty and returns and have on average 95% of returns that enter our facility repaired and sent out within 48hours. Customers that purchase through dealers, such as in this case, may experience longer lead times than this due to the interaction of a third party. Equally, dealers that understand and have knowledge with the product can solve most issues at there site more quickly. Dealers that carry spares can service repairs even faster.

2. We cover parts and labour for all items in warranty. We do not cover shipping, but do generally cover outbound shipping in appropriate cases.

3. Regrettably, this situation is not straight forward since the customer did not purchase the product from Gocycle directly, and therefore we can only offer refunds and support via the dealer. Gocycle did offer a refund through the dealer on May 6th, but we are not sure if this offer was passed on to the customer or if the customer did not accept the offer.

4. We gave the dealer a hard case and heavy duty lock to pass onto the customer as a measure of goodwill - we do not know if this was passed onto the customer.

5. The customer lives in Spain, but purchased from a dealer based in Portugal and does not have local dealer support. We are not sure if the customer is getting normal full service pre/post sales support - such as test riding and basic checking of the product by the dealer prior to hand over. This is an important and valuable service offered by dealers.

6. There are good dealers and not so good dealers. In this case, the relationship here is between the customer and the dealer and we have to respect this. We are fully supportive of the customer - through the dealer - as per the refund offer above and the free accessories we offered.

7. All Gocycles sold through dealers

7. Having looked into this case personally, I empathise with the customer - he has had a negative experience. Equally, I have seen the background on the case and the tremendous and high quality service and support Gocycle has offered.

8. I sincerely hope that the dealer and the customer can come to a reasonable agreement.

Had one for almost 3 years it is a pleasure to drive/ride everyday. As some reviews have said on its own it is a great bike. It has 3 gears which are enough for general use. Still brings a smile to my face.

It has had two issues over the years both of which involved return of the bike but this was dealt with excellently. However I think if you go into owning an electric bike understnading that there is more chance something could go wrong then a push bike then you will not be disappointed. I would buy another one if I ever had to replace it without hesitation.

I've just acquired a dealer's ex-demonstrator G1. It's the fifth electric bike I've owned and the best.

I started with a 24-speed original Powabike: tough, reliable, incredibly powerful and weighed a ton, so a bit of a problem, if you ran out of battery at the bottom of a hill. I then went through two bikes from British companies that were based on Chinese frames and were very cheap, an Alien Lynx and a Pro Rider Mobility Wayfarer. Both were remarkably good value but suffered from the same problem: a flat on the rear wheel means you're stuck, because removing the wheel, in both bikes, means major surgery. Despite fitting Kevlar tyres with Slime inner tubes, I had to go through the pain of puncture repair, on average, once a month. In consequence, I kept both bikes to back one another up, as I rely on having a bike for commuting.

I then saw the Powabike X6 at my local dealer and it's clear that the company has learnt a lot. After a short test ride, I snapped one up and have nothing but praise for it. As a leisure bike, it has just the right combination of weight, battery power and mechanics. I donated the Lynx to a local training scheme and kept the Wayfarer for commuting, with the X6 as backup. Just as well I did. Last week I had two punctures on the Wayfarer within 3 days. The level of frustration this engenders will be familiar to many users of electric bikes. I decided that enough was enough.

I wanted something that I could rely on and the first requirement was easy wheel removal. Well, the GoCycle certainly scores on that front. So long as you carry a pump and a pocket tyre repair kit (make sure it has soft plastic tyre levers) punctures are not going to stop you for long.

Then there's the ease with which you can disassemble the G1 into its carry bag. This is just amazing. It's early days yet, but I reckon that, with practice, I'll be able to store and extract the G1 in two or three minutes. OK, it's not quite the same as shaking your Brompton open, when you step onto the platform but have you seen the price of an electric Brompton?

When it comes to handling, I don't quite understand what machine some of the other posters are talking about. On short acquaintance, I find my G1 to have excellent handling characteristics, even over very poor surfaces. When it comes to performance, I thought that three gears would be a serious limitation but they're so well chosen, any more would be overkill. Basically, use 2 for everything, drop to 1 for the steeper hills, go to 3 when you have a clear run ahead.

Now the motor. First point, this is a pure assist design. It's intended for people who want to pedal most of the time but like the idea of a little help when required. In that respect, the G1 meets the spec very well. Bad point: the motor is noisy, very noisy. The good news is that people will hear you coming, which I consider a major safety advantage, on those many cycle routes that are shared with pedestrians. On the other hand, it isn't really in keeping with the rest of the design and I suspect I will come to dislike it after quite a short period of ownership. I'll be interested to see how the G2 compares.

The battery life isn't great on paper. On the other hand, I've only charged mine once, so the reality, for me at least, might be rather different. The good news, here, is that the new LiON batteries will fit, so upgrading looks like an option.

It's early days yet but I think, motor noise apart, that I'm going to really like the G1.