When I see a £600 bike being sold for 3 times that I feel quite angry. I think of people who don't know the market and spend precious savings, perhaps retired people,for something which is for their purposes effing useless.
New Gtech ebike
- Thread starter spikey
- Start date
Well here goes. We have had one on trial for a couple of weeks and are (gulp) keeping it. It really is a neat little bike. We have the "city" version.
I have to say that there a some negative issues with it, but the positives for our circumstances outweigh them.
The positives for us are:
No gears. This bike is for a family member (teenager) with various disabilities. An ordinary bike is simply not an option. The lack of gears makes it simple to use, you just pedal.
No chain. There is very little likelihood of the belt coming off, something that our teen wouldn't be able to deal with.
Looks. When you have difficulties doing what your peers are doing the last thing you want is to look different. Enough people like to have a good gawp anyway, so why add to it.
Weight. Sure lots of posts here suggesting the cheaper alternatives, and yes there are many with good reasons for choosing an alternative, but so few are as light and as good looking at this one.
Customer Service. The staff have been very good as we have had some issues.
The negatives.
No gears. This bike will also be used by me, and to be honest I want some gears. 15mph is sooo slow at times. It will go faster, but blimey my little legs are exhausted!!
The price. It is not an impulse buy. We have been trying to find a suitable bike for ages, and this one is very costly.
Quality. Some of the parts have been poorly made. GTech have responded well, but the quality control needs some work if they are going to keep this price point and avoid a reputation for low qualtiy. You don't expect poorly manufactured parts for the price, and there should be robust pre-delivery checks in place to ensure the customer never sees the mistakes.
Also looking at some of the other suggested alternatives, the step through / city versions are comparable prices, heavier & geared.
All in all, if you want a good looking bike for commuting from the station, or get about in your local area, visiting friends, pop to the shop, post that letter or a ride to the pub for lunch (no drink pedaling of course) then this bike is surprisingly good. For the purchased needs it is a delight to use.
I haven't had the time to ride it until the battery runs out, but I suspect it would out do me.
I have to say that there a some negative issues with it, but the positives for our circumstances outweigh them.
The positives for us are:
No gears. This bike is for a family member (teenager) with various disabilities. An ordinary bike is simply not an option. The lack of gears makes it simple to use, you just pedal.
No chain. There is very little likelihood of the belt coming off, something that our teen wouldn't be able to deal with.
Looks. When you have difficulties doing what your peers are doing the last thing you want is to look different. Enough people like to have a good gawp anyway, so why add to it.
Weight. Sure lots of posts here suggesting the cheaper alternatives, and yes there are many with good reasons for choosing an alternative, but so few are as light and as good looking at this one.
Customer Service. The staff have been very good as we have had some issues.
The negatives.
No gears. This bike will also be used by me, and to be honest I want some gears. 15mph is sooo slow at times. It will go faster, but blimey my little legs are exhausted!!
The price. It is not an impulse buy. We have been trying to find a suitable bike for ages, and this one is very costly.
Quality. Some of the parts have been poorly made. GTech have responded well, but the quality control needs some work if they are going to keep this price point and avoid a reputation for low qualtiy. You don't expect poorly manufactured parts for the price, and there should be robust pre-delivery checks in place to ensure the customer never sees the mistakes.
Also looking at some of the other suggested alternatives, the step through / city versions are comparable prices, heavier & geared.
All in all, if you want a good looking bike for commuting from the station, or get about in your local area, visiting friends, pop to the shop, post that letter or a ride to the pub for lunch (no drink pedaling of course) then this bike is surprisingly good. For the purchased needs it is a delight to use.
I haven't had the time to ride it until the battery runs out, but I suspect it would out do me.
If you choose a bike with hub gear, like one with Shimano Nexus 3-speed and a full size chainguard, the benefit of having a chain that won't come off is the same as with belt drive and you can select the most appropriate gear out of 3.
I have seen e-bikes helping people with disabilities, including converted wheelchairs. A full throttle with cutout button is very useful.
The Gtech is simply not a good choice for someone with mobility of movement control problems.
Excellent review Wobble, I doubt anyone can argue with those points!
For what it's worth the GTech ad is what got me turned on to e bikes.
I was seriously considering buying the sport version and had they not mailed me I'd
A. Never had heard of e bikes
B. Never considered buying another bike
C. Found this invaluable forum and source of info
D. Not have just purchased a Haibike Sduro full nine which I absolutely love!
So thanks to G Tech for sending me your email!
For what it's worth the GTech ad is what got me turned on to e bikes.
I was seriously considering buying the sport version and had they not mailed me I'd
A. Never had heard of e bikes
B. Never considered buying another bike
C. Found this invaluable forum and source of info
D. Not have just purchased a Haibike Sduro full nine which I absolutely love!
So thanks to G Tech for sending me your email!
So just to clarify regarding the lack of gears.
I did say
The positives for US are:
No gears. This bike is for a family member (teenager) with various disabilities. An ordinary bike is simply not an option. The lack of gears makes it simple to use, you just pedal.
This is the perfect solution for our teenager. No movement control problems, but disabilities that make the complication of gears as something that puts a barrier between riding a bike or sitting at home doing no exercise whatsoever. I'll leave it someone with movement and mobility problems to comment on whether this is a good choice for them.
My review of the Gtech stands. Over the years we have tried so many options, and this works for us. Like so many things there are positives and negatives, you just have to balance what is available across the ranges vs YOUR need and how strongly you want to part with what is without doubt a lot of money.
One thing that all electric bikes seem to have in common is compared to non electric bikes is you pay a lot more no matter what one you buy.
D
Deleted member 4366
Guest
You must have missed the Freego Wisper Raptor, that's lighter, is less than half the price and also has no gears.They've been in the business a long time, so I can imagine that their bike is well sorted, though I've not tried it because I prefer gears.
We did look at it, however it has a cross bar, not great for the ladies! My review is for the "city" step through version. Shame because it does look a great ebike, but alas not for us.
Believe me my research has been extensive..... The Gtech may have only been out for a few weeks but I have been looking for a solution for considerably longer.
did you look at the Momentum Model T?
Very simple bike to ride, good specs and well made. Good price too.
http://www.momentumelectric.co.uk/products/electric-bicycle/model-t/
Yep, no street cred! Get on down Mary Poppins! Not to mention the weight.did you look at the Momentum Model T?
Very simple bike to ride, good specs and well made. Good price too.
http://www.momentumelectric.co.uk/products/electric-bicycle/model-t/
Sorry my research really was extremely extensive! The Gtech ticked our boxes.Personally I'd have gone for a bike and not an ebike at all, but there you go. Cheaper, better value for money, lots more choice, etc etc
I'm going to leave it at that. Bouncing back photos of alternatives doesn't change my review and probably pretty boring for everyone else. Cheers for the suggestions though, you never know someone with different needs may see them and be grateful.
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C
Cyclezee
Guest
It's still not good value for money when compared to say an EMU bike.
The EMU has a 10Ah battery, mudguards, lights, rear carrier, USB connection, Nexus 8 speed hub gears, 2 year warranty for £999.
https://www.emubikes.com
John,but almost looks a bargain when compared with the Coboc or Freygeist.....G-tech didn't do their market research or did,then jumped to the wrong conclusions,surprising for a company that is very marketing led.
With regard to the Coboc and Freygeist there seems to be a new generation of e-bikes in Germany which is sort of what I call the Armani syndrome,forget the value look how much I paid for it! Can't see them selling well in Yorkshire though.
KudosDave
With regard to the Coboc and Freygeist there seems to be a new generation of e-bikes in Germany which is sort of what I call the Armani syndrome,forget the value look how much I paid for it! Can't see them selling well in Yorkshire though.
KudosDave
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That doesn't look half as stylish tbh. Also it's worth noting that you cannot get the weight of it anywhere.
I would be interested if the Gtech doesn't work out though.
Edit. Just seen on a review website it's an eye watering 23kg. That's far too heavy for me.
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