My Gtech eBike Sport review!.

[Neilgriff]

I posted on another thread earlier, but I really should have posted here. Sorry moderators, I am new.

I took delivery of my gtech sport on Friday.

Packaging was great. I only had to fit handle bars, levers, seat, front wheel and battery. The bike itself looks stealthy and it is light. I carried it up stairs no problem. Battery has % charge indicator.

Riding is easy. Off, eco or max. I live in a hilly area and plan to use it for a station commute.

My first ride was 8.5 miles and took me 41 minutes. I used 29% battery. The ride is mostly hills, with the final mile a steep incline. The hill is popular with cyclists and I was able to overtake a fairly young rider (I am54) with ease. In fact I was one handed with other in my jacket pocket.

I was a little apprehensive having no gears, but it works. As I am a lone cyclist I have no one dictating my speed and as a commuting bike it will work for me. The riding position is comfortable and the bike feels responsive, especially when starting.

Having never ridden an e bike before I didn’t really know what to expect, but I can say this is a lot of fun. Particularly not having to change gears.

There are some downsides. The seat is really uncomfortable and I feel every chink in the road. I either need a new seat or a new seat post with suspension.

On climbs I sometimes have to slow my pedalling so I can feel the benefit of the motor, then it seems to kick in with more power and I accelerate. I need to practice I guess.

I also feel the bike holds me to 15 mph. On some flat roads I feel I could go faster and when I push it, I feel the motor pulling me back. Is this a characteristic of e bikes?

Overall, I am pleased. I like the looks, simplicity, quick battery charging and the ample power of the motor to get me up the hills. I just need to sort that seat.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

That's great info, but anything about performance is meaningless without knowing your weight.

 

[Neilgriff]

85 kilo

 

[Warwick]

After c.15.5MPH the motor will stop assisting you & you're on your own! Drop back below 15.5MPH and it will kick in again. That's the law.

 

[topographer]

Suspension saddlepost will relieve your bum problem a lot more than a different saddle. So I'd start there.

 

[George Bond]

Your push bike is fairly heavy at 16kg, so you've been used to putting in some effort.

It would be interesting to see how you do on a lightweight 7/8kg road bike.

My only experience of the Gtech is third-hand.

A guy bought one so he could go out with a mate of mine and a few others.

He was disappointed by the range and power, but he is the typical ebiker as described by KudosDave - overweight and unfit, and he's in County Durham which has hills.

You are not overweight, reasonably fit, and ride in York, a flattish area, all of which makes a big difference.

 

[George Bond]

I have gtech sport and I am not overweight and am fit for my age 79, 80 in february I bought the gtech because it does exactly what it says on the tin. I cycle to get out and about I don't do great distances 10 to 30 miles depending where I am going. I usually use the low power setting it is hilly where I live and on the north end of the village you are into the ochil hills which are steep.There is a track round loch leven which is pretty flat only two hills of any consequence appox. 13 miles round but 17 starting where I live and getting back I can go round twice on a single charge ie 34 miles the battery is pretty well flat by then. Depending where I cycle the range is 20 to 30 miles. I bought my gtech for £745.00 I put mudguards on and bought another battery total cost £1075 so my range is between 40 and 60 miles approx. The gtech is light you can pedal it quite easily, easy to maintain 2 years warranty. I also have raleigh trail bike which is about 20 years old which I ride sometimes.

 

[silles]

Here are my initial thoughts about this bike after the 1 week (100 miles)

(me: 39 years old, 70 kg, think i'm fit, i recently climbed Everest basecamp,
was commuting on a trek hybrid non e-bike, but got bored of climbing some hills)

Pros:
- good range for the battery size
- simple, low maintenance
- affordable
- brakes are better than I expected (coming from hydraulic brakes)
- very light
- can pedal up to 18 mph on flat, but my cruising speed is around 13-16 mph
- good power, even in eco, I'm flight up highgate hill in London, around 10%
- battery indicator seem to be pretty linear

Cons ( from most annoying to least)
- the ride is not comfortable,loads of vibration, maybe I need a carbon fork? or bigger tires ? I already changed the saddle
- motor cuts out too early at 12 mpg (eco) and 14 mph (max mode)
- hard to stick to a certain speed, especially in max mode, not so good in slow traffic, like trying to follow other slower bikes, it's just want to accelerate to 14 mph
- hard to change mode while u cycling, a button on the handle bar would have been better
- no brake sensors
- only one colour

About range:
on my first ride i used 40% battery in Eco mode, 18 miles ride, stop-start London traffic, around 300-400 feet ascent
second ride, used 67%, same route, but in Max mode all the time + wind + rain, kind of worst case scenario for my commute.
So Even in the worst case scenario my range was 27 miles, but bear in mind I'm putting an effort, using assistance to accelerate and tackle some hills, and cruising around 13-14, where there is only minimal motor assistance

Overall I'm happy with the GTech ebike

 

[KeithMac]

Well 5 years on and 8,000 + miles and what can I say?.

Apart from brake pads my V1 GTECH Sport has needed nothing really, the battery is about 60% capacity now which to be fair isn't out of the way.

It's been though all weathers as it's my daily commuter all year.

I was just about to by another V1 battery when my ex boss said he had his V2 Sport up for sale, just had a brand new battery fitted as well. Price was too good to pass up so I now have two!. This bike looks brand new!.

I'm considering converting my V1 to a V2 battery as my wife would like to use it at weekends and the V2 looks a better battery imho.

My V1 has been one of my best purchases, really happy with it and the belt is barely run in, a bit of a clean and it will do many more years of service.

The new work steed..



They're just simple, quiet, clean and VERY low maintenance which is excellent for a motorcycle mechanic (busman's holiday and all that).

 

[vfr400]

I thought I heard that V1 batteries are no longer available, so the only option is to upgrade to V2.

 

[KeithMac]

I thought I heard that V1 batteries are no longer available, so the only option is to upgrade to V2.

You can still get the V1 batteries, they had a shortage but back in stock now (last week at least).