# GoCycle GX/G4 - really as good as the hype?



## DSK (28 Feb 2021)

I'm starting to look at buying a suitable bike to get me to a new office in London which is about 3/3.5 miles from St Pancras as we come out of lockdown. I'm looking at a GoCycle G4 (releasing March 2021) which, the store say's is an updated GX and worth waiting for and they can tweak it for maximum performance. I have only seen the YouTube reviews of the GX which, all seem to praise it with the only cons being the price tag and punctures. Does anyone here have one and what do you really think of it? Is it really as good as the hype?

A gzillion watt personal E-scooter would be ideal but, I hear you will be done for riding one and taking a full size bike is not an option. I did buy a Btwin Tilt at the start of lockdown incase of any adhoc trips were need into London. However, that did not need to be put to use but a spin around the block meant I didn't like it. Fixed bar height, cramped riding position, no quick release for wheels and it was loose around all the folding points on the road and as expected, nothing like a decent road bike for speed.


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## gzoom (1 Mar 2021)

I nearly bought one. Their biggest issue was price, but given £2k in now accepted as the benchmark for even Halfords eBikes, the cost of GoCycle is quite reasonable.

I didn't get one in the end because my commute is 6 miles, 2/3 of which is on country roads where I know I can easily do over 15.5mph, so wanted a more traditional design.

For 3 miles of London commuting I think they look like excellent tools.


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## DSK (1 Mar 2021)

15.5mph is slow on the open road up here in the Midlands but may be adequate in London. However, GoCycle can tweak it to the USA 20mph firmware  which, is more like it in terms of speed and should suffice in London. Seems ideal to fold up, drive to the station, hop on the train and then whizz to the office on as I'm not a fan of London Tubes or the pathetic 'legal' Escooters.


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## sheddy (1 Mar 2021)

I think someone on CC is getting a https://flit.bike


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## DSK (1 Mar 2021)

sheddy said:


> I think someone on CC is getting a https://flit.bike



That's a nice design but, I think with the GoCycle, the hidden drive train, a single external cable (now all will be hidden), non adjustment magnesium wheels etc make it worth the extra in terms of a 'frustration free' commuter.


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## dodgy (1 Mar 2021)

I have a Gocycle GX, what do you want to know?


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## DSK (1 Mar 2021)

dodgy said:


> I have a Gocycle GX, what do you want to know?



Have you had any problems with the bike?
Does it jiggle and rattle at the points where it folds like the cheaper folding bikes?
How do the wheels hold upto typical pot holes?
Is the claimed range in realms of reality give or take?
If you whack it upto full assist/max speed, how far will it go?

Just really is it really as good as the hype in reality?


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## dodgy (1 Mar 2021)

DSK said:


> Have you had any problems with the bike?
> Does it jiggle and rattle at the points where it folds like the cheaper folding bikes?
> How do the wheels hold upto typical pot holes?
> Is the claimed range in realms of reality give or take?
> ...




_Have you had any problems with the bike?_
Not at all


_Does it jiggle and rattle at the points where it folds like the cheaper folding bikes?_
No


_How do the wheels hold upto typical pot holes?_
A lot better than say a Brompton, the wheels are 20" with balloon type tyres on that soak up lots of abuse. Also no spokes, they're mag wheels.


_Is the claimed range in realms of reality give or take?_
This is where it gets interesting. Effectively, the Gocycle has a power meter built in and you can set the app so that the assist only comes in once the rider is contributing a certain wattage, you can store these in profiles. For instance I have one profile where the motor only cuts in when I develop 250watts, but I have a 'lazy' profile where the motor comes in at about 100 watts. It's up to you what you set it at, but I reckon on the right profile 50 miles is doable - just don't expect continuous assist!


_If you whack it upto full assist/max speed, how far will it go?_
As above really. If I had the motor cut in on full power at(say) 5 watts, I wouldn't expect more than about 15 to 20 miles on flat ground. But I really don't know for sure, this isn't my usage profile.


_Just really is it really as good as the hype in reality?_
I love mine, it's not had as much use as anticipated (I bought it about 5 months before the pandemic). But I use it to go into supermarkets folded, it really does take 10 seconds and is so compact that nobody will challenge you. I've also had it in buses, taxis and trains. You will, however, be stopped by lots of people when riding it, it has some kind of appeal I can't put my finger on.
Hope that helps!
Edit to add, you can buy the GXi battery and it will fit the GX so you get more range, if you did that, you'd have 2 batteries for more than double the original range, the batteries are large but will fit in a small backpack or the front mounted pannier bag.


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## Drago (1 Mar 2021)

DSK said:


> 15.5mph is slow on the open road up here in the Midlands but may be adequate in London. However, GoCycle can tweak it to the USA 20mph firmware  which, is more like it in terms of speed and should suffice in London. Seems ideal to fold up, drive to the station, hop on the train and then whizz to the office on as I'm not a fan of London Tubes or the pathetic 'legal' Escooters.


Considering the meagre battery capacity a 20mph upper assistance limit is not a clever idea for the model.


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## DSK (1 Mar 2021)

Thank you @dodgy, that's really helpful!

I was thinking of getting a 2nd battery or doing a deal for an upgraded battery from the get go.


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## dodgy (1 Mar 2021)

Drago said:


> Considering the meagre battery capacity a 20mph upper assistance limit is not a clever idea for the model.



The model on sale in the UK is identical to that sold in the US where it has the 20mph assist cut-off, there doesn't seem to be a particularly significant amount of actual owners saying it's a problem.


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## DSK (1 Mar 2021)

dodgy said:


> The model on sale in the UK is identical to that sold in the US were it has the 20mph assist cut-off, there doesn't seem to be a particularly significant amount of actual owners saying it's a problem.



Its a fair point. I've never cycled on London, dread the thought of it but, I'm guessing central London traffic is used to cyclists and surely its a great way to nip to/from the station.

I contacted GoCycle who said that the UK and USA models (GX) use identical motors (unlike falsely claimed on YouTube channels) and its the firmware that controls the speed maps and its "technically possible"  to have the faster USA firmware. I've not heard any complaints about the GoCycle other than the tyres love punctures for which, I think Schwalbe have an offering.


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## figbat (1 Mar 2021)

They do look good, but just to point out...


DSK said:


> A gzillion watt personal E-scooter would be ideal but, I hear *you will be done for riding one*...


...and yet...


DSK said:


> 15.5mph is slow on the open road up here in the Midlands but may be adequate in London. However, GoCycle can *tweak it to the USA 20mph*



Same problem. Of course the chances of being caught on the scooter are higher since they are ALL illegal for use in public, whereas with the bike some are OK and others are not (and the difference is not always easy to tell). However, in the theoretical "what if?" scenario (accident/injury/damage/legal stuff) an illegally-upgraded e-bike may well be a factor in how it turns out.

Theoretical accidents notwithstanding, the chances of being nabbed are pretty low anyway - there are plenty of e-scoots and throttle-driven e-bikes about that are getting away with it.


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## T4tomo (1 Mar 2021)

DSK said:


> 15.5mph is slow on the open road up here in the Midlands but may be adequate in London. However, GoCycle can tweak it to the USA 20mph firmware  which, is more like it in terms of speed and should suffice in London. Seems ideal to fold up, drive to the station, hop on the train and then whizz to the office on as I'm not a fan of London Tubes or the pathetic 'legal' Escooters.


When London is in a non pandemic traffic mode, then you don't get may stretches where you get beyond 15mph without a bus / car / taxi / other bike / junction / traffic light slowing you down. Maybe up the Mall on a good day, but then you can pedal yourself beyond 15mph to 20mph+ , it will only stop assisting, not stop accelerating at 15.5 mph.


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## gzoom (1 Mar 2021)

DSK said:


> I was thinking of getting a 2nd battery or doing a deal for an upgraded battery from the get go.



If you are really only doing 6 mile return commute I wouldn't bother with a 2nd battery, especially if you do some pedaling your self.

The G4 looks inciting....My current 'last mile' bike is pretty lame even tough it does fit in the boot of the car without folding......I need to repeat this 'Must not get another eBike'.


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## CXRAndy (1 Mar 2021)

I always thought 20mph was the ideal assist speed


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## Drago (1 Mar 2021)

I dont.

15.5 is already a higher average speed than most folk who _need _the assistance could manage on their own.


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## figbat (1 Mar 2021)

Drago said:


> I dont.
> 
> 15.5 is already a higher average speed than most folk who _need _the assistance could manage on their own.


By my calculations, a rider plus bike at 20 mph has 67% more kinetic energy than the same combination at 15.5mph.


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## sheddy (1 Mar 2021)

4 miles each way. 
Can you borrow or hire a Brompton to see if you really need electric ?


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## CXRAndy (1 Mar 2021)

sheddy said:


> 4 miles each way.
> Can you borrow or hire a Brompton to see if you really need electric ?



Electric allows completely sweat free ride- if you want it. Desirable if showering facilities not available


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## CXRAndy (1 Mar 2021)

figbat said:


> By my calculations, a rider plus bike at 20 mph has 67% more kinetic energy than the same combination at 15.5mph.



It makes no difference to kinetic energy whether bike is propelled by human power or assisted. Many a rider can ride well above 15 mph. I know I can comfortably


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## figbat (1 Mar 2021)

CXRAndy said:


> It makes no difference to kinetic energy whether bike is propelled by human power or assisted. Many a rider can ride well above 15 mph. I know I can comfortably


Indeed, but if an e-bike can do it then more people will do it more often, so statistically the risks increase.


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## CXRAndy (1 Mar 2021)

figbat said:


> Indeed, but if an e-bike can do it then more people will do it more often, so statistically the risks increase.



I see as more folk riding is a good thing. Exponentially safer than driving a car for other road users


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## DSK (1 Mar 2021)

I'm a traditional road race cycle enthusiast. Got back into Cycling in a big way since the original lock down and got some local 2nd places on Strava (without trying but, rather doing my own route as briskly as I could) so speed is not an issue. If I could take either of my road bikes I would but, this is not an option.

The issue is the new office does not have shower facilities so I need to get there in the least sweaty manner and I hate London tubes. A brisk power walk which I used to do for my last place of 3.5 miles each way was easy but could get you into a sweat in summer and I'm guessing I'd sweat less or not at all on a brisk Ebike. This is where the GoCycle looks like winner, clean and efficient and should take me around the same time as it would on the Tube from St Pancras to near Victoria.


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## gzoom (2 Mar 2021)

DSK said:


> I'm guessing I'd sweat less or not at all on a brisk Ebike. This is where the GoCycle looks like winner, clean and efficient and should take me around the same time as it would on the Tube from St Pancras to near Victoria.



This is exactly how/why I've managed to commute most of winter on my eBike. On max assist mode, even with 'just' 250watts going up a 7% hill is like sitting on the sofa.

I use max assistance and little effort on the way into work, and on the return leg I use minimal assistance but put the effort in. You can tailor how much work/effort to put in, even if there is a 20mph headwind all the way into work the eBike will see you there hardly out of breath.

Commuting also means adding lights, mudguards, spare inner tubes, D locks + laptop/lunch all to carry. Its enough to turn the most mimble road bike into a lumbering beast. But with eBikes you just don't notice the extra mass, I even stop enroute to pick up shopping these days. Yes a normal bike can do commuting fine, but I don't enjoy riding along at sub 10mph struggling against every hill like most bike commuters I pass, which is why I've never really commuted by bike before, certainly not during winter.

I see my eBike as a partial car replacement and not as a replacement for a bike.


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## Pale Rider (2 Mar 2021)

DSK said:


> St Pancras to near Victoria.



Fantastic route, passing literally hundreds of points of interest.

Lots of options for varying it as well.

I have limited ebiking experience in central London, but don't think I would worry about illegal speed derestriction.

Not really needed, and London is the most heavily policed/camera covered area in the country.

One could attempt the mathematics, but occasional bursts of 15.5mph+ will make very little difference to the elapsed time over such a short journey, assuming you intend to ride responsibly, obeying traffic signals and the like.

Much more fun and much less stress to sit up and enjoy the ride.


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## CXRAndy (2 Mar 2021)

gzoom said:


> This is exactly how/why I've managed to commute most of winter on my eBike. On max assist mode, even with 'just' 250watts going up a 7% hill is like sitting on the sofa.
> 
> I use max assistance and little effort on the way into work, and on the return leg I use minimal assistance but put the effort in. You can tailor how much work/effort to put in, even if there is a 20mph headwind all the way into work the eBike will see you there hardly out of breath.
> 
> ...



I've been using my wife's ebike to get early ride fitness without trying too hard. First few rides I was using level 3 or 4 out 7 to waft me up gradients or into headwinds. Now just a week later Im using level 2 mainly, adding shopping weight. With a tailwind I go to zero assist, cruising 18,19 mph. Soon as I turn into headwind, or climb over a bridge etc, I dial in a level of assistance. This and my effort allows me to almost sustain the pace without going into the red on HR. 

I sometimes now outride the limiter for a bit of a workout, then to recover but still have a decent pace add assistance for 30secs to aid recovery


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## DSK (2 Mar 2021)

@Pale Rider - I worked in Wimbledon for the last decade. Driving from Nottingham to my Berkshire based man pad and then driving around the M25/A3 into work. Only been Central a few times and hated it, people just pushing in, lack of mannerS and for a new the tube system looks like spaghetti.

Google maps states I'd go past Buckingham palace which, I've only ever seen on Yotube/TV so POI's would be a nice change. 

With the Ebike the purpose would be, rather than rely on a tube, just take the bike if it takes roughly the same time and as cyclists, we enjoy a nice ride rather than being stuck in a tin can.


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## Pale Rider (2 Mar 2021)

Cycling in central London is not for everyone, but I really like it, not least because even on a push bike I'm faster than the average speed of the motor traffic.

I also thought 'Buck house' when considering your route, although you might be able to hack around the south of St James's Park, depending on where in Victoria you are aiming for.

Horse Guards (dodge the piles of poo) and Storey's Gate may assist in this endeavour, although I'm not sure of cycle access.

On t'other hand, your tube journey is straightforward, being all on one line.

My gut feeling is the elapsed time on the tube would be shorter, although the Victoria line is fairly deep, so you would lose a few minutes burrowing underground, then climbing back up to ground level.

Not to mention however far your office is from Victoria station.

I've ridden a GoCycle (outside London) and there's no doubt they ride nicely and are quite perky for a legal ebike.

As with all folding ebikes, they are not very wieldy for humping on and off trains, but that's one only you can decide.

At least you would only be doing it once in London at St Pancras.


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## T4tomo (2 Mar 2021)

DSK said:


> @Pale Rider - I worked in Wimbledon for the last decade. Driving from Nottingham to my Berkshire based man pad and then driving around the M25/A3 into work. Only been Central a few times and hated it, people just pushing in, lack of mannerS and for a new the tube system looks like spaghetti.
> 
> Google maps states I'd go past Buckingham palace which, I've only ever seen on Yotube/TV so POI's would be a nice change.
> 
> With the Ebike the purpose would be, rather than rely on a tube, just take the bike if it takes roughly the same time and as cyclists, we enjoy a nice ride rather than being stuck in a tin can.


Its a great route - I used to do Euston to Victoria (and before that Euston to Liverpool street) and I've used both a Brompton and a hack bike at each end method. At the end I was doing Eus to Vic on a single speed, we didn't have showers at the last place I worked, but I rode a leisurely pace and its downhill or level on the way there, only a small rise through Traf square on the way back. Even without e-assistance, a change of shirt and quick spray was all that was needed, you get more sweaty using the tube on a crowded morning. Even on hot days the morning is cool for cycling, and riding up the Mall and past Buck House is a great way to start the day. With E-assistance it will be ideal.



> My gut feeling is the elapsed time on the tube would be shorter, although the Victoria line is fairly deep, so you would lose a few minutes burrowing underground, then climbing back up to ground level.


 and factor in (in pre covid times) queueing on the platform to actually get on the Vic line, plus its quite a schlep from Pancras to the Vic line platform. It used to be pretty similar times for me bike or tube to v close to one of the Vic station exits, but tube had a bigger chance of delay.


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## gzoom (2 Mar 2021)

CXRAndy said:


> I sometimes now outride the limiter for a bit of a workout, then to recover but still have a decent pace add assistance for 30secs to aid recovery



If you want to do some metered training the power meter on these eBikes is surprisingly informative. Absolutely zero need to do a power analysis on the commute home today, but its good to confirm I was giving it a good effort (100watts max assistance) even though a roadie went past me as if I was standing still .


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