New Gtech ebike

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
15,971
6,292
As rider fitness increases ranges of 30 miles and more can be expected. In tough conditions, such as sustained climbs, heavier, less fit riders, heavier terrain such as mud or soft sand and strong headwinds, the range will be reduced considerably.

Runtimes may vary depending on length and dampness of grass.

∆ Run-times quoted may vary between hedge types.
 
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Crockers

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 19, 2014
821
689
70
Nonsense. I get a minimum of 24 miles at full power.
I think you're wrong in respect to this bike. Firstly it has a higher rolling resistance due to its tyres. Secondly it sounds to be a bit heavier. And most importantly if ridden off road as intended the amkunt of assistance needed is greater therefore draining the battery quicker. In fact I suspect that up steep up hill you may get your 20 miles as you may be pushing it quite a bit.
 

Fingers

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 9, 2016
3,373
1,552
45
I think you're wrong in respect to this bike. Firstly it has a higher rolling resistance due to its tyres. Secondly it sounds to be a bit heavier. And most importantly if ridden off road as intended the amkunt of assistance needed is greater therefore draining the battery quicker. In fact I suspect that up steep up hill you may get your 20 miles as you may be pushing it quite a bit.

Sorry I thought he was talking about the original G tech not the mountain bike version.
 

coolcity

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jun 14, 2017
5
3
123
Blackpool
Agreed, d8veh.

I haven't read all the thread but came on here looking for a few user reviews of the Gtech ebike as I am considering buying one for my wife.

I note early on that a lot of people were complaining it was overpriced, but I believe the original price was something like £1699. It's now £999. The main product was described as a City bike, although I know they now do a sports version but I'm surprised at the number of people discussing it's potential up hills, off road and so on as it specifically seems to be aimed at people who are most likely to be pottering around town.

I would point out that it's like car manufacturers, when they are talking about MPG that would be under "ideal" conditions, not driving over mountain ranges so it's fairly obvious to me that 30 miles would be a best case scenario. As it happens where we live is as flat as it gets.

I do know they will offer up a lights and helmet pack without too much squabbling, and as I have purchased their vacuum cleaners which I'm generally pleased with (original Air ram excellent, Multi not so much but I believe the Mk.2 versions are much better) I was offered a further 10% discount when I enquired, without even asking which seems quite decent. I do know that from time to time they also have an extra free battery offer on.

Gtech seem like a decent company and although these are probably aimed at people who don't know a lot about bikes, and ebikes in particular, the overall product seems to be very good with lightness, the carbon belt and rust free alu frame all standing out.

My wife is 62 and suffers extensive arthritis, and doesn't drive so this seems like it would be a good buy. I think the elderly, possibly occasional user not doing a lot of mileage is probably the market they're aiming for. I know they're not the cheapest but the goods they produce do seem to be of a very high standard, and although we haven't made a final decision yet I would be confident of getting a decent product rather than pay less and get something of questionable quality.

I'll take a good look around the site though and see what else is available. Incidentally I don't ride bikes at all so I'm definitely no expert.
 

coolcity

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jun 14, 2017
5
3
123
Blackpool
Those rules look Ok to me. What is it you don't like?
I agree. I run an online retail business and the biggest problem is many people think they can return goods in just about any condition they like and expect a full refund. The reality is that over 80% of goods come back in various stages of "used" condition, and I can count on one hand the number of items returned looking like brand new.

The rules are there for everybody, not just customers and the general idea behind the rules is a retailer should be able to resell the goods as nearly new and expect a decent price for them. Margins on many goods are often tight and anything returned in less than nearly-new condition almost certainly represents a loss in the case of many items. My business generally auctions off most returns on ebay but few fetch more than the price we paid for them, and of course with every return we also have to write off the cost of outgoing post and packaging.

Granted that on the Gtech ebike there is a fair margin but that quickly gets swallowed up by the cost of returns. Just the shipping cost alone, both ways, can add up and I think I'm correct in saying that Gtech cover the cost of return postage, which they don't have to do. I'm not sure if Aero-bike do the same but many of these smaller businesses (not particularly referring to Gtech here) don't make nearly as much profit as you might think.
 

coolcity

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jun 14, 2017
5
3
123
Blackpool
in general, you must return the bike well packed and in a new condition, no scratches and clean tyres.
The last bit is difficult after 14 days. Most bikes now have odometers. If you return the bike with more than 1 mile on the clock. Is it new?
No. It's not.
"In a new condition" isn't the same as new.
 
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Chainring

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 24, 2013
328
158
Agreed, d8veh.

I haven't read all the thread but came on here looking for a few user reviews of the Gtech ebike as I am considering buying one for my wife.

I note early on that a lot of people were complaining it was overpriced, but I believe the original price was something like £1699. It's now £999. The main product was described as a City bike, although I know they now do a sports version but I'm surprised at the number of people discussing it's potential up hills, off road and so on as it specifically seems to be aimed at people who are most likely to be pottering around town.

I would point out that it's like car manufacturers, when they are talking about MPG that would be under "ideal" conditions, not driving over mountain ranges so it's fairly obvious to me that 30 miles would be a best case scenario. As it happens where we live is as flat as it gets.

I do know they will offer up a lights and helmet pack without too much squabbling, and as I have purchased their vacuum cleaners which I'm generally pleased with (original Air ram excellent, Multi not so much but I believe the Mk.2 versions are much better) I was offered a further 10% discount when I enquired, without even asking which seems quite decent. I do know that from time to time they also have an extra free battery offer on.

Gtech seem like a decent company and although these are probably aimed at people who don't know a lot about bikes, and ebikes in particular, the overall product seems to be very good with lightness, the carbon belt and rust free alu frame all standing out.

My wife is 62 and suffers extensive arthritis, and doesn't drive so this seems like it would be a good buy. I think the elderly, possibly occasional user not doing a lot of mileage is probably the market they're aiming for. I know they're not the cheapest but the goods they produce do seem to be of a very high standard, and although we haven't made a final decision yet I would be confident of getting a decent product rather than pay less and get something of questionable quality.

I'll take a good look around the site though and see what else is available. Incidentally I don't ride bikes at all so I'm definitely no expert.
Just bear in mind that GTech are VERY good at marketing...... If you have a look at the Woosh site, or EBikes Direct, you will see how much you can get for £1000. For example, this one on EBay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281744168836?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT is almost identical to the model I bought from Woosh four years ago, at a slightly lower price. There are some even cheaper on EBay, but I don't think you'll get much help if you have problems.
 
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coolcity

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jun 14, 2017
5
3
123
Blackpool
Oh yes, don't get me wrong, as a small business I've been in sales and marketing for over 30 years and I know Gtech do a lot of marketing.

But it's the quality of the goods that are important and to a point I know what you're getting with Gtech, and where to get hold of them if things go wrong. Conversely there are endless numbers coming in from China and the quality of many of them is questionable at best. That aside it's also important to consider if parts are readily available. You wouldn't buy a Chinese car for the same reason.

The thing with an established brand, especially UK based, is none of that should be a problem. The bike itself seems to fit the bill too for her limitations, as it's essential she has something that is as light as possible and is as easy to operate as possible. I'm not saying the Gtech is the final choice but it's a strong contender and though I haven't looked at too many others in any depth, I haven't seen anything yet I would be happy to pay for that would be suitable, even if I'm paying £300 less.

Incidentally if anybody else is interested in this you can get 5% discount via Quidco, but will probably get more by negotiating over the phone. On a couple of occasions they have included the extra light and helmet pack PLUS a spare battery for an extra £99 which is worth having if you're prepared to wait for the offer to come around, assuming it will again - nothing to lose by asking!
 

LeighPing

Esteemed Pedelecer
Mar 27, 2016
2,547
1,944
The Red Ditch
The first GTech, in this video, is a 'step through' ladies bike. Probably the one you're considering for your wife? The next one is a man's bike. Both owners said they liked them.



The one that I had a ride on felt very light and spritely on the flat. I liked it. People will advise you to try as many bikes as you can before buying. That's just common sense of course. But many bikes on sale here, within the same budget range, might also suit your good lady.

This older chap 'Brian' liked my off roader better than his GTech bike, because it has a lot of comfortable suspension. You can always add your own later, at additional expense. I couldn't be riding without a gel saddle and a suspension seatpost now. Good luck in your final decision. :)

 
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fatwomble

Pedelecer
Apr 1, 2017
135
129
55
Southampton / Winchester
I'm putting my Gtech sport up for sale. I actually thought it was a reasonable price, the belt drive was one of the things that drew me to it.

Ultimately though, I've ended up using my converted mountain bike as part of my route is an old railway line and part has full width speed bumps every 100m.

The Gtech motor kicks in straight away and works very well in urban situations and where you're not overly fussed about top speed.

If you are interested it will be going in the for sale section soon, or message me.
 
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Bigg1es

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jul 24, 2017
7
7
59
Stockport
I'm going to annoy a few people, as I have just joined the forum to say how wonderful my Gtech is.


I bought the girlie bike version as I decided it was less attractive to thieves and more attractive to old gits who can't get their leg over. I'm most definitely not a MAMIL, more an OGAR - Old Git About Riding.


I'm not interested in spending my Sundays holding up traffic, I just wanted to get around. I live in town run by an extremist Marxist sect which have declared war on Cars and the causes of Cars ( jobs) and so its easier and quicker to get around on a bike.


There was also the health aspect as I have the usual middle aged shape and slightly overweight so my choices are either diabetes, heart attack and death ... or a bike. I thought about it long and hard over several years but eventually decided that a bike was marginally preferable than diabetes and death.


I read a fair reviews and most were positive of the gtech but complained that the range was low and it had no gears. I'm not sure if people who write these comments are sure about the properties of electric motors which are that you do not need gears. Gears are for riding without the motor, I want to ride with so for me gears are just unwanted extra weight. Similarly I'm sure MAMILs will be horrified by a bike that can only do 30 miles but for me I usually do 1 mile to the post office or 6 miles to the supermarket so as you can imagine in a year of use I have never flattened the battery and seen its red lights only once.


I liked the style of the machine and the way its put together. I would rather spend 1k on something I like the style of than save 300 quid and have something ugly. I am also reasonably confident that a big company like Gtech will have thoroughly tested their product. Certainly after a year of riding I have had no problems, not even a puncture.


There are lots of things I don't like but all are a result of the legislation and I am not going to buy anything which needs registering etc, so while it would be nice to get 30mph its not necessary. I would like full suspension but that would just add weight and reduce performance when legislation limits it to 250w motor. Thus given the constraints of the legislation the GTech is as good as is practical.


I do find the ride a bit hard so perhaps I may look at fitting a suspension seat post ( anyone done that? did it fit OK ) The only other drawback is there does not seem to be mounting holes for a rack AND mudguards, just one or the other. Currently I have a stem mounted rack but want to fit something more stable. Im sure I will figure out a way of mounting both on one pair of holes.( come on Nick, for a grand you could give us some extra holes ! )


One thing which should be mentioned and never is in the "spend your money as quickly as possible" articles, Ebikers have a very high fatal accident rate, mainly due to older people like myself suddenly getting on a bike when they haven't ridden on the roads for 30 years or more. Be careful out there. I don't ride on roads where the cars are going faster than me. I am fortunate that there is a network of paths near me, in fact it has been fun exploring routes I never new existed. There is no way I would ride one of these things along a busy road. Contrary to what politicians will tell you , a white line measuring 10 cmm x 1mm thick will not protect you from a 42 ton truck travelling at 30 mph, so before you buy think how and where you will use it.