New Gtech ebike

[anotherkiwi]

What is an "average rider"? I contend that riders fall into different groups and that one bike does not fit all. I started out on a single speed bike on hilly gravel roads (lucky me my three uncles were bachelors when I was 12 years old
) . I wouldn't be able to ride on that now. So even your "average rider" over the span of his life will have changing needs.

 

[Fingers]

I see they are now offering free kick stand, helmet, mudguards, lights. All worth £99 So the bike is now less than £900.. Looks good value to me..

I got that deal. The lights are amazing. The mudguards are perfectly fitted before it arrives and very, very light. Kickstand. Great, whatever. The helmet is genuinely as good if not better than I've seen and tried in Evans for 80 quid.

I showed it to a group of people last night and everyone, EVERYONE, smiled as they had a go. A couple were serious cyclists and took off like rockets. Much faster than me. I was slightly concerned they were going to crash and mark my new pristine joy.

These things are going to fly at this price. I might buy some shares.

 

[lukewilson78]

Those battery indicators are normally a long way out, in an optimistic way because they measure voltage. Voltage drop/capacity is not linear on any battery, but with lithium batteries the non linearity is even worse.

I can't find the battery capacity on the web page (which is full of BS) and I note that they continue to insist that's it's an 'electronic bike', which it is not.

Also, 'Aircraft grade aluminum' I suspect is another piece of marketing nonsense. I'd guess it's 6061 or 7075 aluminum alloy. (Don't know for sure as website fails to elaborate).

Another way to put this would be: It's made out if the same stuff that the vast majority of bikes are made of, and have been since the turn of the century.

While I'm sure it's a good choice for some, for me the deliberate obfuscation of fundamental specifications is a big turn off.

However, I'm guessing I'm not the intended demographic.

Ok, so next week when I'm back at work I'll try to resist charging the battery and I'll see how far I get. I'll post screenshots from the app that I use that'll show distance, elevation and speed, etc so you can see that I'm not just coasting down hills or anything.
What I have definitely noticed is that once your legs are spinning at a nice rate then really the motor is doing very little, which will obviously affect battery life. So I guess it's all about how you ride a 'pedelec' as opposed to a thumb-throttle-no-human-input-bike, the pedalling directly affects battery life. Two Gtechs with 2 different riders on exactly the same route will not get the same battery life, as those riders are different.
Anyway, You've got me interested in the total range of my bike now. It wasn't an important thing for me when I bought it as my work is a 6.75 mile round trip and any longer distance is done off-road on MTB. The lighter weight of the bike was the real selling point.

 

[lukewilson78]

I bought one a 10 days or so go.

I love it! So smooth and well designed. And light.

And like you say, the carbon chain is a revelation. Will probably be buying the missus one too and plenty of people at work are seriously thinking of one as well now.

There is a bit of snobbishness about the bikes, although I would say the majority, the vast majority on here are more than helpful. Contrast that with ringing up a couple of Ebike stores and they were pretty pathetic tbh. Mainly just interested in selling their old stock. The one in London Bridge wanted to charge me 1300 for a 24 kg Raleigh I'd seen online for 900. He went down to 1100 with the promise they would fix it when it went wrong.... Not really the best sales angle. Plus he said the Gtech is basically a vacuum cleaner on wheels....I asked if he tried it. He stumbled and said no. I asked him if he would give me any of his Ebikes on a 14 day free trial with free postage and packaging both ways if I didn't like it. He laughed and said no
one would do that....

Anyway. I'm glad you like it as much as I do. One of the best leisure things I've ever bought.

"Vacuum cleaner on wheels" - brilliant. That bike shop guy needs to seriously think about a career change. Clown, maybe?

 

[lukewilson78]

Those battery indicators are normally a long way out, in an optimistic way because they measure voltage. Voltage drop/capacity is not linear on any battery, but with lithium batteries the non linearity is even worse.

I can't find the battery capacity on the web page (which is full of BS) and I note that they continue to insist that's it's an 'electronic bike', which it is not.

Also, 'Aircraft grade aluminum' I suspect is another piece of marketing nonsense. I'd guess it's 6061 or 7075 aluminum alloy. (Don't know for sure as website fails to elaborate).

Another way to put this would be: It's made out if the same stuff that the vast majority of bikes are made of, and have been since the turn of the century.

While I'm sure it's a good choice for some, for me the deliberate obfuscation of fundamental specifications is a big turn off.

However, I'm guessing I'm not the intended demographic.

Gtech battery sticker with capacity.

 

[Kudoscycles]

The trouble with any advertising on the G-tech bike is it is not backed up by any independent reviews or impartial feedback. Fingers....you should take up marketing as a profession,your last posting uses words straight out of the DTP guidebook.
I did a Google search and all roads seem to lead back to the Pedelecs forum,it seems you guys are the only ones who bought one. There is a review from a lady from the Daily Mail but she has lifted all her article from G-techs publicity blurb,the 'it does 30 miles so I get 2.5 x 12mile journeys before I need to recharge'....yeh!!!!
Does it say anywhere the Lithium type that the battery uses?
The rule of thumb that we all use is average rider input,average terrain .....3 miles per Ah,that would give 15 miles max out of a 5Ah battery,but with no gears to help up the hills my guess is 12 miles max,if you use max PAS in a hilly area,then 8 miles.
I see it uses Lithium-Ion,I suspect Samsung 18650 cells,to get 30 miles reliably you need minimum 10Ah battery and that will be on the limit, My e-bike uses the same cell type,8Ah battery with careful power usage and optimum gear usage,24 miles max....normally I am getting very low on juice at 20 miles.
Soon we intend to hire the Redbridge bike circuit for some testing of new models Perhaps you could organise a G-tech bike to come along and show the claimed 30 miles,that circuit with its bends,steep and shallow hills is a pretty faithful representation of e-bike usage,the venue is well known to Pedelec forum members.
This is important because a lot of Pedelec users cannot get up hills without the power,even a 15 kg bike gets very heavy when pushing it up a steep hill.
At this time the Woosh Karoo with its bigger battery and gears would seem to be a more useful all round bike.
KudosDave

 

[Fingers]

Forum members were trying to be protective to someone who was proposing to buy a bike that seemed expensive at £1700.00 and trying to suggest alternatives.
The fact it has been bought down to less than £1000.00 would seem to justify those comments.
There was a time when the forum was flooded with manufacturers pushing their product through plants,who tended to talk about their bike in unrealistic glowing terms,this was especially true of members with few postings,hence the questioning of authenticity.
I still question the range that can be achieved on an e-bike with no gears,especially in a hilly area,despite the lightness of the bike,after all you cannot assist the motor up a steep hill by changing the gear torque.
Does anybody know the range of the G-Tech bike with average rider input and over average terrain,despite reading all the current postings nobody seems to offer that info....yet that is one of the most important criteria when members are considering an e-bike purchase.
KudosDave

You are right KD people were only suggesting slight alarm and concern over people buying this unit at 1800, I'm sure I saw it at 1795.

Tbh it was the people saying at a grand it would be a good deal that swayed me into finally committing my cash, that and the no quibble return.

For a town terrain and a very half fit person this bike is a joy. And the battery life is at lease 30 miles If anyone can be arsed I would happily give the approx AA map route to check terrain to calculate torque, weight of rider, wind conditions, use of breaks etc.

I was in New York in Jan just before the snow storm and I was amazed. Literally every bike cycling around the city was an Ebike. I can only recall seeing 2 normal bikes and that was in Central Park not the city.

The demographic will change here and soon. Bike lanes will be built. Wind won't be the heart break every cyclist feels. Hills will be a good daily excercise, no oily chains coming off. Not riding the mass transit system. It will make Space 1999 look positively Stone Age.

Bikes will be a joy to cycle again. Just like when you were kids. It's a different want now. There's a huge market for people who want to cycle, and I mean cycle, don't Mind a bit of effort to pay off the engineering advances but don't want a heavy, obviously electric bike, that might take them up a hill without pedalling isn't the problem.

 

[lukewilson78]

The trouble with any advertising on the G-tech bike is it is not backed up by any independent reviews or impartial feedback. Fingers....you should take up marketing as a profession,your last posting uses words straight out of the DTP guidebook.
I did a Google search and all roads seem to lead back to the Pedelecs forum,it seems you guys are the only ones who bought one. There is a review from a lady from the Daily Mail but she has lifted all her article from G-techs publicity blurb,the 'it does 30 miles so I get 2.5 x 12mile journeys before I need to recharge'....yeh!!!!
Does it say anywhere the Lithium type that the battery uses?
The rule of thumb that we all use is average rider input,average terrain .....3 miles per Ah,that would give 15 miles max out of a 5Ah battery,but with no gears to help up the hills my guess is 12 miles max,if you use max PAS in a hilly area,then 8 miles.
I see it uses Lithium-Ion,I suspect Samsung 18650 cells,to get 30 miles reliably you need minimum 10Ah battery and that will be on the limit, My e-bike uses the same cell type,8Ah battery with careful power usage and optimum gear usage,24 miles max....normally I am getting very low on juice at 20 miles.
Soon we intend to hire the Redbridge bike circuit for some testing of new models Perhaps you could organise a G-tech bike to come along and show the claimed 30 miles,that circuit with its bends,steep and shallow hills is a pretty faithful representation of e-bike usage,the venue is well known to Pedelec forum members.
This is important because a lot of Pedelec users cannot get up hills without the power,even a 15 kg bike gets very heavy when pushing it up a steep hill.
At this time the Woosh Karoo with its bigger battery and gears would seem to be a more useful all round bike.
KudosDave

It's 100%, definitely more than 12 miles.

 

[lukewilson78]

It's 100%, definitely more than 12 miles.

It's a lithium-ion battery too. It says it on the battery sticker.

 

[trex]

the Gtech does not have suspension fork, therefore loses less to the roads. The battery says 200WH, that will yield about 200WH/8WH per mile = 25 miles range. About 20 miles before the motor starts cutting in and out.
One good thing about e-bikes without suspension: it's less tiring to pedal without power. There is definitely a market in London for this type of e-bikes, light enough that you can carry up the stairs.

 

[anotherkiwi]

Gtech battery sticker with capacity.

You should be able to charge that up to 41.5 and get 232.4 Wh back out which would give me on my geared bike with my riding style and input about 34 odd km range. If it has quality Panasonc, LG or Samsung cells inside...

 

[lukewilson78]

the Gtech does not have suspension fork, therefore loses less to the roads. The battery says 200WH, that will yield about 200WH/8WH per mile = 25 miles range. About 20 miles before the motor starts cutting in and out.
One good thing about e-bikes without suspension: it's less tiring to pedal without power. There is definitely a market in London for this type of e-bikes, light enough that you can carry up the stairs.

Those battery stats are correct if it was entirely battery power you were using to ride the Gtech. That isn't the case. So 25 mile range with zero input, easily 30 plus with my input.

 

[Fingers]

The trouble with any advertising on the G-tech bike is it is not backed up by any independent reviews or impartial feedback. Fingers....you should take up marketing as a profession,your last posting uses words straight out of the DTP guidebook.
I did a Google search and all roads seem to lead back to the Pedelecs forum,it seems you guys are the only ones who bought one. There is a review from a lady from the Daily Mail but she has lifted all her article from G-techs publicity blurb,the 'it does 30 miles so I get 2.5 x 12mile journeys before I need to recharge'....yeh!!!!
Does it say anywhere the Lithium type that the battery uses?
The rule of thumb that we all use is average rider input,average terrain .....3 miles per Ah,that would give 15 miles max out of a 5Ah battery,but with no gears to help up the hills my guess is 12 miles max,if you use max PAS in a hilly area,then 8 miles.
I see it uses Lithium-Ion,I suspect Samsung 18650 cells,to get 30 miles reliably you need minimum 10Ah battery and that will be on the limit, My e-bike uses the same cell type,8Ah battery with careful power usage and optimum gear usage,24 miles max....normally I am getting very low on juice at 20 miles.
Soon we intend to hire the Redbridge bike circuit for some testing of new models Perhaps you could organise a G-tech bike to come along and show the claimed 30 miles,that circuit with its bends,steep and shallow hills is a pretty faithful representation of e-bike usage,the venue is well known to Pedelec forum members.
This is important because a lot of Pedelec users cannot get up hills without the power,even a 15 kg bike gets very heavy when pushing it up a steep hill.
At this time the Woosh Karoo with its bigger battery and gears would seem to be a more useful all round bike.
KudosDave

What is the DTP notebook KD?

I would happily write good things at a price for your shop. Just from my brain, so it would be mates rates I'm not trained in DTP, if I liked it I would write it and do it for free if you stopped ending every post with.
KudosDave

 

[Kudoscycles]

Fingers...I thought in New York there was a ban on e-bikes,there was some serious anti from the taxi lobby.
Sorry but you are not going to convince me about the 30 mile range,especially without gears to help the motor.
I assume the bikes single gear uses a big tooth chainring,that would be normal for this sports style of bike,to offer low cadence at high speed. To help up the hills it would be possible to fit a smaller chainring but that would be out of character with the style of the bike,the riders legs would be whizzing round at 15 mph,not a good look in your Paul Smith suit!
I assume you mean by 'for a town terrain and half fit person this bike is a joy' .... that it is therefore unsuitable to climb hills and you have to have a level of fitness to ride one. That surely defeats the object of owning an e-bike,most Pedelec buyers want assurance that it will do steep hill starts without undue pedal effort,to start this bike on a steep hill you must be standing hard on the pedals....90% of Pedelec purchasers want a lot of help on steep hills.
I think G-tech moved into an area that they didn't understand,they didn't do their homework,they thought they were going to sell hundreds via expensive advertising at a high margin. But Pedelec buyers are a knowledgable lot,they research the marketplace and seek value,not impulse buyers like vacuum cleaners.
It must have been a shock to have to reduce the price by half to make it attractive. The weight is right but they should have engineered it better to appeal to a more broader market.....they thought lightweight sports bike with power but they should have thought how they could reduce the weight but not at the expense of battery capacity or deleting gears....maybe they will come out with G-tech Mk2 or maybe they will be keen to sell off their current stock and move on...my dad used to say that the man who never made a mistake,never made anything,hehe!!!!
KudosDave

 

[Fingers]

You should be able to charge that up to 41.5 and get 232.4 Wh back out which would give me on my geared bike with my riding style and input about 34 odd km range. If it has quality Panasonc, LG or Samsung cells inside...

Here is my journey give or take.

http://www.theaa.com/route-planner/index.jsp#fromNode=0|Crouch End||-0.123677|51.579746|toNode=0|Oxford Street||-0.141289|51.515309


It takes less than 2 bars both ways.

I did a 12 mile run on 3 came home as I crossed my door it went to 1. One thing I haven't checked is on one. Will it just die or heroically carry on? I don't know is the honest honest answer.

One thing I will say without the max power on it isn't as fun. But it is rideable

 

[anotherkiwi]

I don't think you get it KD. EddiePJ doesn't ride his road bike cross country nor his MTB on the road. Here we have a city rider who is happy with the Gtech in his city commute.

"Most pedelec riders" doesn't mean a thing in today's market. People will have different bikes for different purposes not just one general purpose bike.

 

[Kudoscycles]

the Gtech does not have suspension fork, therefore loses less to the roads. The battery says 200WH, that will yield about 200WH/8WH per mile = 25 miles range. About 20 miles before the motor starts cutting in and out.
One good thing about e-bikes without suspension: it's less tiring to pedal without power. There is definitely a market in London for this type of e-bikes, light enough that you can carry up the stairs.

But Trex,the bike has no gears so you would have to use max PAS up any hill,you cannot use gear torque changing to assist the motor.
KudosDave

 

[Kudoscycles]

I don't think you get it KD. EddiePJ doesn't ride his road bike cross country nor his MTB on the road. Here we have a city rider who is happy with the Gtech in his city commute.

"Most pedelec riders" doesn't mean a thing in today's market. People will have different bikes for different purposes not just one general purpose bike.

Another Kiwi....I do get it,but the publicity from G-tech would suggest that you can Wizz up steep hills with minimal rider input and still maintain 30 miles range. It doesn't say you need to keep to the flat and put Wiggo to ride it,even Wiggo uses gears to get up hills on a vanilla bike.
If you search back there was a Pedelecs member who sent one back because it didn't do what it said on the tin!
KudosDave

 

[lukewilson78]

Fingers...I thought in New York there was a ban on e-bikes,there was some serious anti from the taxi lobby.
Sorry but you are not going to convince me about the 30 mile range,especially without gears to help the motor.
I assume the bikes single gear uses a big tooth chainring,that would be normal for this sports style of bike,to offer low cadence at high speed. To help up the hills it would be possible to fit a smaller chainring but that would be out of character with the style of the bike,the riders legs would be whizzing round at 15 mph,not a good look in your Paul Smith suit!
I assume you mean by 'for a town terrain and half fit person this bike is a joy' .... that it is therefore unsuitable to climb hills and you have to have a level of fitness to ride one. That surely defeats the object of owning an e-bike,most Pedelec buyers want assurance that it will do steep hill starts without undue pedal effort,to start this bike on a steep hill you must be standing hard on the pedals....90% of Pedelec purchasers want a lot of help on steep hills.
I think G-tech moved into an area that they didn't understand,they didn't do their homework,they thought they were going to sell hundreds via expensive advertising at a high margin. But Pedelec buyers are a knowledgable lot,they research the marketplace and seek value,not impulse buyers like vacuum cleaners.
It must have been a shock to have to reduce the price by half to make it attractive. The weight is right but they should have engineered it better to appeal to a more broader market.....they thought lightweight sports bike with power but they should have thought how they could reduce the weight but not at the expense of battery capacity or deleting gears....maybe they will come out with G-tech Mk2 or maybe they will be keen to sell off their current stock and move on...my dad used to say that the man who never made a mistake,never made anything,hehe!!!!
KudosDave

It starts great on a hill, the slightest revolution of the crank kicks the motor in and you get a definite push. You obviously will not be blasting along the road, as you would on a geared bike but if you're looking for a solid 15-20mph, uphill included, then this set-up works. You still need to cycle though so without even realising it you're putting in effort. But I'd say you feel the motor the most when pulling off or when on a hill.
I'm giving only facts about owning my Gtech, I have no reason to "convince" anyone about anything. I'll tell you it exactly as I see it.
You definitely reach top speed quickly but you definitely don't need to try hard to get there and getting uphill is when I am most aware of being on an ebike.

 

[Fingers]

Fingers...I thought in New York there was a ban on e-bikes,there was some serious anti from the taxi lobby.
Sorry but you are not going to convince me about the 30 mile range,especially without gears to help the motor.
I assume the bikes single gear uses a big tooth chainring,that would be normal for this sports style of bike,to offer low cadence at high speed. To help up the hills it would be possible to fit a smaller chainring but that would be out of character with the style of the bike,the riders legs would be whizzing round at 15 mph,not a good look in your Paul Smith suit!
I assume you mean by 'for a town terrain and half fit person this bike is a joy' .... that it is therefore unsuitable to climb hills and you have to have a level of fitness to ride one. That surely defeats the object of owning an e-bike,most Pedelec buyers want assurance that it will do steep hill starts without undue pedal effort,to start this bike on a steep hill you must be standing hard on the pedals....90% of Pedelec purchasers want a lot of help on steep hills.
I think G-tech moved into an area that they didn't understand,they didn't do their homework,they thought they were going to sell hundreds via expensive advertising at a high margin. But Pedelec buyers are a knowledgable lot,they research the marketplace and seek value,not impulse buyers like vacuum cleaners.
It must have been a shock to have to reduce the price by half to make it attractive. The weight is right but they should have engineered it better to appeal to a more broader market.....they thought lightweight sports bike with power but they should have thought how they could reduce the weight but not at the expense of battery capacity or deleting gears....maybe they will come out with G-tech Mk2 or maybe they will be keen to sell off their current stock and move on...my dad used to say that the man who never made a mistake,never made anything,hehe!!!!
KudosDave

Your old man was right my friend. Sounds like a sensible chap.

I daresay there will be Gtech 2. I for one can't wait to see it.

From your post;

There are no bans on Ebikes in NYC. Believe me.

The chain is like nothing I've seen on a bike. I'm a big bloke. 17stone 6'4" and I've always had problems standing on my pedals. They always gave way. Of course I would learn how much power I could exert and do that. But it meant that I was never using bike correctly. So far this carbon chain is amazing. Imagine a bloke my size going up seriously steep hill on his pedals! It feels great. Hard. But it's a great feeling. Helped or not.

I think you are outdated in your thinking who wants electrical assistance nowadays. The secret needs to come out. We have always been behind the curve on bikes since the bone shaker.

Fingers