G-tech bike,has anyone seen a proper test

[Kudoscycles]

if you Google G-Tech electric bike,you come up with perhaps 30 reviews from the Mail,Telegraph,Metro etc who all have clearly regurgated the G-tech marketing spiel but it's obvious not one has ridden the bike any distance.....I did find it amusing when one tester said ' G-tech have cleverly hidden the battery in the water bottle,that's a first',what planet are these testers on?
But I cannot find a proper test of the bike.
It's important because the volume of advertising these guys are pushing out are making non informed customers interested and they may accept the G-tech is the benchmark for e-bikes.
Kudos are already being compared by customers to G-tech,I am sure others in the industry are also finding the same.....the 30 mile range,zips up hills.no gears to worry about,only 16 kgs of the G-tech marketing package....why do your bikes have 10Ah battery with only 35 mile range,why do you bother with gears,why do your bikes weigh 19kgs?
The Freego Raptor is now less than £500,is that pretty much the same spec as the G-tech?
The power of good advertising!
KudosDave

 

[trex]

I disagree. By Christmas, the Gtech will be the best selling e-bike ever in the UK, except perhaps the Sinclair C5. The Gtech should be the benchmark.It does not mean it's the best, but it shows the way that UK e-bike market can expand and should expand.

 

[Yamdude]

Its obviously going to become the biggest selling ebike, when its the only one being advertised on TV.
Advertising works, if it didn't companies wouldn't spend a fortune on it.

 

[flecc]

I'm not so sure. Firstly I wonder if this is the sort of e-bike that can expand the market into the wider population. No mudguards, carrier, lights or gears tends to say no to me.

Then there's the matter of how good it is. We've previously had mass sales in many thousands from big outlets, but the inadequate or very poor nature of the e-bikes putting people off ever owning one again.

And then there's the damage of their optimism based selling methods. Many will expect to jump on and be wisked up to speed without effort, climbing hills similarly with a minimum of their own input, yet still expecting the promised 30 miles range. If it doesn't live up to expectations, they may never e-bike again.

Time will tell if my pessimism is justified, but after the efforts by Thompson, Tesco, Sports UK etc to popularise e-bikes, I'm not confident advertising can achieve it. All the evidence is that e-biking only really succeeds in cycling countries, and Britain isn't one.
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[trex]

Thompson's bikes look like made in Russia, Tesco's and Sport UK's look cheap, none of them have the drooling factor that you get from European bikes. The Gtech is the first that looks European. The best effort so far is from Halfords with their Crossfire Es. I think the Gtech will attract the 40-50 age group that traditionally buys German.

 

[flecc]

I think the Gtech will attract the 40-50 age group that traditionally buys German.

Agreed, but probably only those who already cycle or are ready to. And a single gear bike will have limited appeal.
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[trex]

Gtech can easily introduce a new version with chain and derailleur.Their first bike will still have made the biggest impression since the Sinclair C5.
Can anyone suggest a more iconic UK bike for 2016?

 

[flecc]

Gtech can easily introduce a new version with chain and derailleur.Their first bike will still have made the biggest impression since the Sinclair C5.

I haven't known anything about this, other than in this forum. I've seen some in here mention TV ads, but I haven't seen one. I've also seen some say they have other Gtech products, so maybe they've been direct mailed about the bike?

Thats why I'm a bit baffled as to why you say it's had a big impact?
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[trex]

may be I shouldn't say this, but I know that it boosted the number of visitors to the woosh website about 20%-25% and their google adwords impressions about 20%-25% since February/March compared to the year before.

 

[anotherkiwi]

Gtech can easily introduce a new version with chain and derailleur.Their first bike will still have made the biggest impression since the Sinclair C5.
Can anyone suggest a more iconic UK bike for 2016?

If they are smart (pun intended) they will use a gear hub and keep the belt drive. They will make you pay through the nose for that option.

 

[flecc]

may be I shouldn't say this, but I know that it boosted the number of visitors to the woosh website about 20%-25% and their google adwords impressions about 20%-25% since February compared to the year before.

How and why is that Trex? See my post number 8 above to explain my puzzlement.
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[Alan Quay]

If they are smart (pun intended) they will use a gear hub and keep the belt drive. They will make you pay through the nose for that option.

They can't do that, because it has a rear hub motor.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

 

[trex]

How and why is that Trex? See my post number 8 above to explain my puzzlement.
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I've seen their TV advertisement and was very impressed. Straight to the point. Sell the bikes. That's a who dares wins proposition.
People who saw that would go on to google up about electric bikes. I always use google adwords for my market research. April this year: 14,800 searches against 9,900 last year. 2400 of them come from related Gtech e-bike searches. A percentage of them will go on and buy a bike.

I am watching Halfords at the moment. Their Crossfire E is lightweight, has hydraulic disc brakes and front suspension. They have the distribution, purchasing power and also TV advertising but not yet for e-bikes. When they start including e-bikes in their TV ads, I think the small guys will have to stop their petty squabblings and consolidate to reduce their marketing and distribution costs.

 

[tillson]

I haven't known anything about this, other than in this forum. I've seen some in here mention TV ads, but I haven't seen one.

I think they must be advertising mainly on cable / satellite channels. I saw their advert for the first time on BT Sports this afternoon.

It's a slick advert, but the bike looks impractical for serious cycling. I think whoever buys one will experience crushing disappointment and it will end up at the back of the garage leaning against the forlorn looking and redundant cross trainer.

I wouldn't be surprised to see them selling at 50% reduction within a year.

 

[anotherkiwi]

They can't do that, because it has a rear hub motor.

I was thinking SRAM e-matic, I doubt they would use a Xiongda.

 

[flecc]

I've seen their TV advertisement and was very impressed. Straight to the point. Sell the bikes.

The TV ad is what I haven't seen, so maybe that's the answer if it does turn out they sell lots.

Time will tell.
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[trex]

I was thinking SRAM e-matic, I doubt they would use a Xiongda.

I have built for woosh a bike based on Gtech strong points, just in case, with the GSM motor + Automatix, optional Nexus 7. I am waiting for the Bluetooth from Lishui.

 

[flecc]

I think they must be advertising mainly on cable / satellite channels. I saw their advert for the first time on BT Sports this afternoon.

It's a slick advert, but the bike looks impractical for serious cycling. I think whoever buys one will experience crushing disappointment and it will end up at the back of the garage leaning against the forlorn looking and redundant cross trainer.

I wouldn't be surprised to see them selling at 50% reduction within a year.

Thanks Tillson, that explains a lot. With Freesat and Freeview and ability to record up to 6 channels at any one time, I don't have need to pay for any additional TV services. Also not taking newspapers means I've seen no Gtech ads at all.
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[Yamdude]

The TV ad is what I haven't seen, so maybe that's the answer if it does turn out they sell lots.

Time will tell.
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[trex]

...
I wouldn't be surprised to see them selling at 50% reduction within a year.

They have already reduced nearly 50% within a year. Originally priced at £1,799. It didn't sell. So the new price £999. It's still expensive compared to the £999 Crossfire-E but supported by TV ads and 14 days return, it sells well enough for them to carry on TV advertising since March.