GoCycle review published

[flecc]

This month's Velovision issue 34 has the long awaited full review of the GoCycle.

It seems my previous strong criticism of the shallow rim profile of the cast magnesium wheels was justified, since the handbook now warns owners to check them every 500 miles for cracks, especially around the five spoke heads, clearly something that has cropped up. This is exactly what I'd warned of since the rim should have been either deep V profile or have an internal circumferential rib to reinforce the unsupported arcs. The current thin and wide profile is just plain bad engineering design, permitting the distortion under impact that strains the spoke junctions.

I don't think a handbook warning is satisfactory when design correction was so easy, and I don't think style should ever have precedence over safety as has happened here. There are numerous good examples of how to design these cast wheels in the motorcycle world so there's little excuse.

GoCycle
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[flecc]

Good point Scott.

In fact Richard Thorpe left Maclaren some years ago now and I don't remember him when he was with them, despite closely following Formula One over those years.

I admire his dedication in bringing the GoCycle to market after years of development, but it's flawed in too many ways for me, quite apart from the wheel issue. The very noisy whining motor is something that e-bikes left behind years ago, the power is low, the small battery if the motor is used continuously as so many e-bikers do can last for as little as 6 miles, it's too low geared for most riders, and I don't see the point of having a folder's disadvantages on a bike that doesn't fold.

I've no doubt some will buy it as a fashion statement, and it is at least light and reasonably priced.
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[frank9755]

Despite those flaws, they have managed to run an effective PR campaign with journalists in several publications appearing to pretty much swallow their press releases.

It's a shame that an inferior product has been more effectively marketed than the many far better ones around. While I think people find the Go-Cycle interesting and it is a fun way to fill a column in a newspaper, I still can't see a market for it. I believe that people want e-bikes that look like bikes, and that is what I see on the roads - when I see any!

 

[the_killjoy]

Wasn't there a similiar 'ordinary' plastic cycle in the 70s with plastic wheels which looked like a reject from action man?

 

[Rod Tibbs]

Noise is intentional

When I rode the Gocycle over a year ago I questioned the levels of noise made by the motor. I was told that this was deliberate and intended to make it a sort of whizzy machine that might appeal to the young.

Frankly I don't know if this will ever be the case. All I can say was I found it very irritating.

I am slightly surprised that an ex-McClaren designer could not get the stresses on the wheel worked out with some accuracy or at the very least seek some advice on the subject.

Either way I won't be buying one.

Rod

 

[frank9755]

When I rode the Gocycle over a year ago I questioned the levels of noise made by the motor. I was told that this was deliberate and intended to make it a sort of whizzy machine that might appeal to the young.

Frankly I don't know if this will ever be the case. All I can say was I found it very irritating.

That's a good one!

If only they'd given it a few more spokes to twang they could have made it even more appealing by providing different thicknesses of correctly shaped card to allow the user to moderate the sound to their choice!

 

[flecc]

Wasn't there a similiar 'ordinary' plastic cycle in the 70s with plastic wheels which looked like a reject from action man?

There was indeed, and there have been a few more since, but none have stood the test of time, despite some of those plastic wheels being well designed and satisfactory. When it comes to the crunch customers still mostly prefer the conventional bike style as Frank remarked above.
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[frank9755]

Here's a picture

and a gocycle

You might have a point!

 

[the_killjoy]

Thanks, I didn't think I was dreaming it.