New Gtech ebike

[anotherkiwi]

Then maybe not, if your mother rides this bike then it can't be cool.

Since when has good taste, coolness or being fashionable got anything to do with your age (or sex)?

Good taste and design sense has more to do with education than being over 60 and a member of the Conservative party. Despite what many forum members would have us believe I am sure that there are also members of the Conservative Part who have good taste in design... Well a few anyway...There are also some very old people who are the height of cool - coolness depends on a certain je ne sais quoi, you have it or you don't and age has no role to play in that either.

My personal opinion on the design of e-bikes for sale in the UK is just that - my personal opinion, but I may have let slip that I think the Germans and the Swiss do better design when it comes to e-bikes. The British exceptions are, well... just exceptions. Shame because there are many brilliant UK industrial designers.

For me the Gtech is good industrial design. No gears? That isn't a problem in most cities. Too limited a market? Remind me of the population of London?

 

[Alan Quay]

Since when has good taste, coolness or being fashionable got anything to do with your age (or sex)?

Good taste and design sense has more to do with education than being over 60 and a member of the Conservative party. Despite what many forum members would have us believe I am sure that there are also members of the Conservative Part who have good taste in design... Well a few anyway...There are also some very old people who are the height of cool - coolness depends on a certain je ne sais quoi, you have it or you don't and age has no role to play in that either.
?

Just like a vicar in trainers, a politician can never be cool.

 

[Cyclezee]

Like Cllr Linda Robinson (Cons)?

she is pretty cool.

Then maybe not, if your mother rides this bike then it can't be cool.

This young lady's already spoken for and is apolitical

and this lady has looks happy with her eZee bike

 

[trex]

I am sorry but your bike's BMI* is like your BMI - measured in kg/m2, big battery, big motors and small wheels are definitely uncool.

*The Gtech's BMI is 16kg/(700mm * 700mm)=32.65kg/m2

 

[Cyclezee]

I am sorry but your bike's BMI* is like your BMI - measured in kg/m2, big battery, big motors and small wheels are definitely uncool.

*The Gtech's BMI is 16kg/(700mm * 700mm)=32.65kg/m2

You missed my point, it wasn't the bikes I was comparing

 

[Alan Quay]

But I'm over 60 and get 6.75...

You can't generalise (god I'm sounding like some of my secondary school teachers, I really am heading into "grumpy old man" territory) about energy use it depends on the rider, her bike and the state of the battery...

I think you mean Wh/k, which would be just over 10Wh/m.

 

[anotherkiwi]

Oh right! I feel much better but am still on the right side of 12 Wh/mile

I bet if I didn't use assistance level 4 and 5 I could get down to 5.5 Wh/km. In fact tomorrow I start the experiment with controller limited to 11 Amps peak

 

[trex]

@kiwi a lightweight bike with skinny tyres can go as low as 5wh per mile or 3.5wh/km.

 

[Alan Quay]

@kiwi a lightweight bike with skinny tyres can go as low as 5wh per mile or 3.5wh/km.

What are you getting on that Giant? At what point would you ditch the electric assist?

 

[trex]

I am half way through trialling a new bike in the spirit of the Gtech.

The bike has pedal assist only but it has a crank drive and an SRAM automatix.
It weighs 17kgs at the moment. I am trying to shed 2kg from it and getting rid of the LCD.
It's nowhere near as flexible as with an 8-speed derailleur but I actually quite like it.
You just sit on it and pedal away. 24mph max and no fiddling with anything.

 

[anotherkiwi]

That looks interesting. I am thinking that maybe I can integrate the LCD and the assist button into my custom battery box. Just a quick glance down to see what assistance level I am in and how many bars are left on the battery. Would get rid of quite a bit of cable weighing 96 grams.

Honestly I can't see where you would lose 2 kg other than the battery?

 

[EddiePJ]

I happened to see a FreeGo Raptor in a shop today. Now there is a bike that is a complete waste of time.

 

[Izzyekerslike]

I am half way through trialling a new bike in the spirit of the Gtech.

The bike has pedal assist only but it has a crank drive and an SRAM automatix.
It weighs 17kgs at the moment. I am trying to shed 2kg from it and getting rid of the LCD.
It's nowhere near as flexible as with an 8-speed derailleur but I actually quite like it.
You just sit on it and pedal away. 24mph max and no fiddling with anything.

 

[anotherkiwi]

I happened to see a FreeGo Raptor in a shop today. Now there is a bike that is a complete waste of time.

You didn't like the handlebars either?

 

[Fat Andy]

I happened to see a FreeGo Raptor in a shop today. Now there is a bike that is a complete waste of time.

I quite like mine and it suits my needs where most didn't!

 

[kareng]

Can any Gtech owners help? I already have a Wisper Alpino which I love but I want to buy a Gtech to take away with me with the motorhome and am attracted because of its lighter weight. How sturdy is the bike I am an overweight lady but don't plan on using it to go on long rides or to go offroad. Helpline says 16 stone weight limit but what are anyone's views on this?

 

[derf]

I am half way through trialling a new bike in the spirit of the Gtech.

The bike has pedal assist only but it has a crank drive and an SRAM automatix.
It weighs 17kgs at the moment. I am trying to shed 2kg from it and getting rid of the LCD.
It's nowhere near as flexible as with an 8-speed derailleur but I actually quite like it.
You just sit on it and pedal away. 24mph max and no fiddling with anything.

very interesting (the gears I mean really), but I gather 137% range - it must mean it has a very high gear low? If one could combine a mini Brompton style derailleur with it it might have acceptable range, but otherwise it sounds too limited? How did you find it?

 

[trex]

the Sram automatix is an interesting one. Very good on flat roads, even without power, but useless on steep hills.
I had to set the BBS01 kit to highest assist level to achieve the design objective which is 'this bike will flatten hills with the greatest economy but with no grease, no wire, no gear, no maintenance'. It's a bliss to ride a bike that only has brake levers.
I guess the bike would work better with a throttle and a Nexus hub gear but then that would be too complicated for some, according the the Gtech spiel.

 

[anotherkiwi]

Your BBS01 is a 15 Amp one or an 18 Amp one? I have no problem with using the assistance levels instead of gears but am intrigued to see how the Sram would work here on these hills.

I just got back from Irun along the coastal road into a stiff easterly all the way
12.45 W / mile (7.74 W / km)
Outgoing trip
8.58 W / mi (5.33 W / km)
Total
10.63 W / mi (6.61 W / km)

This was a real world test (less use of assistance level 5) and with a bag full of shopping on the way home (about 10 kg). I had to change down into 2nd twice for 2 hills. I still have a sore backside because of lack of cycling over the winter months so I am not back to normal fitness yet.

 

[trex]

15A. BTW, your consumption figures are pretty impressive, the area around Saint Jean de Luz is always very windy even on sunny days, IIRC.