The Times seems to have discovered the electric bike!

[flecc]

You've added to your reply while I was answering it, so here's the additional answer.

I've made no mention of cadences, but have been aware of the benefits of high cadences for well over half a century. My objection was to the ratio spacing and it was my opinion. You are entitled to yours.

My posting was about what I don't like about the GoCycle as I made clear at the outset, simple freedom of expression.

The only worthwhile advantage I can see is as a style icon, nothing else, so please tell me what I've missed in your opinion.
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[flecc]

If you had a look at the Gocycle website you would see there is a provision for a front and rear carrier, so i dont understand your point!

That was not my comment as I made clear, so I wasn't verifying it's accuracy. My point as stated was that a bike doesn't need to be ridden to see it has no carrier.
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[UrbanPuma]

The only worthwhile advantage I can see is as a style icon, nothing else, so please tell me what I've missed in your opinion.
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Well, there are a few things:-

1. The pitstop wheels are a great idea, easy to remove and would make repairing punctures and replacing inner tubes a breeze.

2. The slot for the battery, hidden out of view and easy to insert and remove.

3. Easy attachements for provisions of the accessories to the front and rear for storage.

4. The widely spaced out gears (for reasons i've expressed previously)

5. Sealed chain - no maintenance required

Overall, i think its a fun bike which looks great and would suit short journeys and and city use, but also can be ridden like a normal bike so maybe assistance and a long range would be totally unnecessary, in my opinion.

 

[flecc]

It's the worthwhile bit I mentioned that calls some of these into question

1. The pitstop wheels are a great idea, easy to remove and would make repairing punctures and replacing inner tubes a breeze.

One sided support does have advantages as the Mike Burrows designs show (Giant Halfway and 8freight), but without the disadvantage of those thin and fragile rims with their long unsupported sections.

2. The slot for the battery, hidden out of view and easy to insert and remove.

A very small low energy battery in consequence, so not the advantage it seems.

3. Easy attachements for provisions of the accessories to the front and rear for storage.

All bikes have those available in a huge variety.

4. The widely spaced out gears (for reasons i've expressed previously)

Knowledgeable cycling opinion differs, hence the multiple gears used on the most efficient bikes. I can't think of anywhere in the main cycling world where I'd find someone who thought wide spaced gears a benefit, quite the opposite.

5. Sealed chain - no maintenance required

Agreed, a benefit resulting from the new hub design.

Overall, i think its a fun bike which looks great and would suit short journeys and and city use, but also can be ridden like a normal bike so maybe assistance and a long range would be totally unnecessary, in my opinion.

Agreed again on the range, but not an advantage, just a valid reason for the range. It's normal bike efficiency will be inferior to good conventional designs though, so why design it this way? The answer is that this racecar engineer wanted to get away from conventional design as he stated. That's not the right reason for doing this in my opinion, a better reason would be to make the bike better, both as a bicycle and as an e-bike, not just to make it different.

Bikes have long needed an an enclosed, better and stronger chain and gear transmission and with the work and expenditure put into the GoCycle, the basis for a universal system could have been achieved, more gears and higher strength being important parts of that. The greatest failing with virtually all small wheel bikes to date has been the lack of an adequate range of gears and all manner of after-market efforts have been made to try to correct that. This could have provided the way forward, but I think the opportunity has been missed.
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[UrbanPuma]

Well, i still think too many people are fixated on high gearing for speed purposes but i think for those who are leisure cyclists the current ratios will be fine. The accessories are very stylish and you'd have a hard job finding anything that fits and looks as good as they are designed specifically for the Gocycle.

Anyway, in future i'd like to see more positive contributions about new bikes...in addition to the downsides - thats all!

 

[lectureral]

I think, Urbanpuma, that you can assume that everyone on this site is generally positive about electric bikes. I think it is right that we subject new bikes to critical analysis though - where a really good bike comes along there is plenty of praise - witness the release of the Kahlkoff bikes. This bike does seem a bit of a toy in comparison.

 

[Mussels]

Well, i still think too many people are fixated on high gearing for speed purposes but i think for those who are leisure cyclists the current ratios will be fine. The accessories are very stylish and you'd have a hard job finding anything that fits and looks as good as they are designed specifically for the Gocycle.

Anyway, in future i'd like to see more positive contributions about new bikes...in addition to the downsides - thats all!

OK, if you live in the centre of a large and flat city and don't travel far and hate public transport and you are a fashion victim then the gocycle will be good for you.

 

[flecc]

Well, i still think too many people are fixated on high gearing for speed purposes but i think for those who are leisure cyclists the current ratios will be fine. The accessories are very stylish and you'd have a hard job finding anything that fits and looks as good as they are designed specifically for the Gocycle.

Anyway, in future i'd like to see more positive contributions about new bikes...in addition to the downsides - thats all!

I agree that many are quite happy with a leisurely high gear and didn't criticise that. My criticism above was of the wide ratios, big steps between gears in order to get three to give a wide range out of only three gears. That's bad from a cycling point of view no matter what kind of cyclist. You find a gear is too low for a circumstance, change up and find the new gear too high.

Like many others I make positive comments about good new bikes, but it's difficult to make many when style replaces function and makes a bicycle worse in various respects. The oddest thing for me is the way this design conflicts with the designer's statement on his website.
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[Bigbee]

OK, if you live in the centre of a large and flat city and don't travel far and hate public transport and you are a fashion victim then the gocycle will be good for you.

plus add,and you're not bothered about trying other bikes too,and I think you're pretty much spot on!

 

[flecc]

To UrbanPuma

As I've said, my first post was just on what I didn't like about the design, so to show that neither I nor other members are being only critical, I've gathered up these past comments in this site on the GoCycle, author of each comment in brackets after. I hope that satisfies you regarding our balance and fairness:

That is a remarkably good price for anyone who wants to make a statement with one of these. (flecc)

I particularly like the attention to detail in the execution of the 'clean ride' design concept. (essexman)

It would be good to see it succeed, but it could hardly have arrived at a more difficult time. (flecc)

Excellent web presentation of the bike. A great for the likes of Cambridge.. or other flat towns and cities.. (musicbooks)

A very neat and tidy looking bike also looks sturdy and has that modern look (Nigel)

very clever (wotwozere)

with it's relatively small size and light weight, the electric version should be easy to travel with. It's looks should ensure some quite good sales. (flecc)

I like the design and the details. (Wohi)

I must be on the same wavelength as the Gocycle designer because all the design details make sense to me. (Oritatami)

the review seem to indicate a well thought out and engineered bit of kit. Nice to see more cutting edge quality engineering coming out of the UK (torrent99)

Despite these reservations, I hope it makes it and rewards all the effort that's gone into it's design and production. (flecc)
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[winterdog]

the thing is as a transport medum gains ground i imaging you will have quite a few displays of form over function this seams to happen with cars and bikes and planes. I feel this is just a diffrent market, as the mass market makes their puchase from an 80% emontonal point of view(or so read once). I think most of us are the more informed less emontonal consumers

davidk

 

[UrbanPuma]

To UrbanPuma

As I've said, my first post was just on what I didn't like about the design, so to show that neither I nor other members are being only critical, I've gathered up these past comments in this site on the GoCycle, author of each comment in brackets after. I hope that satisfies you regarding our balance and fairness:

That is a remarkably good price for anyone who wants to make a statement with one of these. (flecc)

I particularly like the attention to detail in the execution of the 'clean ride' design concept. (essexman)

It would be good to see it succeed, but it could hardly have arrived at a more difficult time. (flecc)

Excellent web presentation of the bike. A great for the likes of Cambridge.. or other flat towns and cities.. (musicbooks)

A very neat and tidy looking bike also looks sturdy and has that modern look (Nigel)

very clever (wotwozere)

with it's relatively small size and light weight, the electric version should be easy to travel with. It's looks should ensure some quite good sales. (flecc)

I like the design and the details. (Wohi)

I must be on the same wavelength as the Gocycle designer because all the design details make sense to me. (Oritatami)

the review seem to indicate a well thought out and engineered bit of kit. Nice to see more cutting edge quality engineering coming out of the UK (torrent99)

Despite these reservations, I hope it makes it and rewards all the effort that's gone into it's design and production. (flecc)
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Thats more like it!

 

[flecc]

Thats more like it!

Glad you saw this UrbanPuma, as you see, I do try to be fair.
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