A comprehensive review of the Gocycle G3

The third generation of the Gocycle electric bike came out in April this year and I have been using one everyday since and would like to portray my feedback for everyone’s benefit. It was my G2 that started my Gocycle obsession, I rode a total of 2500 in 8 months, then as soon as news of the G3 broke I sold that and I am now the proud owner of a matte black G3. Before I start with the G3 I want to take a glance back at the G2. If i could give one piece of advice to a Gocycle owner it is simply, get to know your bike, treat the bike with a bit of care and maintain it regularly. The bike is robust but like anything being used regularly there are always points of weakness.

• If you change gears regularly while cycling quickly, just like on a normal bike you should expect the gears to slip every so often.
• A little bit of tlc goes a long way, make sure the different parts of the folding mechanism are as they should be (cam levers, handlebar quick release etc…)
• Over charging your bike is an expensive mistake so don’t do it
• If you are a G2 owner you are probably experiencing a small squeaking around the handlebars. Unfortunately this is a common occurance for G2 bike, A little bit of wd40 spray under the wires in the handlebars will go a long way to prevent it in the short term but there is not cure.

Some may look at the G3 and quickly comment that it looks the same therefore what could have changed. Just like the latest mobile phones, they may look very similar to their predecessors but don’t be fooled, the G3 is double the bike of the G2.

Battery – Ok this hasn’t doubled in capacity but it has improved by 25% giving a stated range of up to 50 miles now which dwarfs most other folding ebikes. I had my G2 set to give me maximum assistance and with that in mind i was getting 26 miles between charges. I have since played with a number of different more economical settings and have been regularly get 40 miles from each charge, still with plenty of assistance.

DRL (Daytime running light) –Most of my cycling is done in central London earlt in the morning or late at night. Road presence is the key to staying safe, I am less concerned by cars as the rear light is more important in this instant. I believe that in London the biggest danger to cyclists is pedestrians, whether is it not looking while crossing roads or walking into the road from between cars.  The DRL gives a Gocycle rider huge presence that people take note of and therefore are more likely to stay away and you avoid a big proportion of danger. Take note, there are four modes for the DRL but as standard only two come enabled. Ask a premium reseller to guide you through the simple stages to change these settings.

Handlebar stem – It is mentioned above that most G2 owners will know about “the squeak”, which is the unfortunate result of a couple of parts rubbing against eachother. On the new G3 there is half the number of components in the stem therefore not only do you get a much more rigid handlebar but it has alleviated the potential for squeaking. The G3 like the last generations of G2 has four different positions for the handlebars. There are two choices for heights and two for distance from handlebar to rider.

Locking Cam Levers – As a regular folder of my G2 I always kept my cam levers well maintained and doubled checked everytime I put a wheel on that all three levers had been clipped into place. For those that may be unfolding the bike in more of a rush than me then you can be rest assured that the new locking mechanism will only work if all three cam levers have been correctly fastened.

Battery Management System – This is the most subtle of upgrades as there is no evidence of this until you turn the bike on. Now the bike powers up in less than 5 seconds whereas before it was an agonising 30 seconds minimum on the G2’s. This is the same improvement when powering down too, so big savings all-round.

Shock lock arm – You have to look really hard for this improvement but this was one improvement I was praying for. If like me you regularly fold a G2 then you would have found yourself pushing the cleandrive underneath the main frame thinking that it will counterbalance itself automatically against the fold leg, only to see the bike topple over because it has been resting on one piece of the rear shock that inevitably gets in the way every time thanks to gravity. This wasn’t the biggest piece of engineering to fix, just a simple washer, but thank heavens this has been put right.

Ergonomic Handlebar grips – Comfort is an important factor when riding any bicycle and if you have never tried ergonomic grips then you should. With a section to rest the palm of the hands, not only do they take some of the strain off the wrists but they also help you to grip the handlebars better in general.

Twist Grip gear levers – Reliability was the issue with the G2 buttons, the grip shift brings a whole new dimension to the electric gears now that you can shift both up and down rapidly. Now it feels less like a rocket launcher button and more little a normal bike.

New front light bracket – There was nothing in particular wrong with the old light but in keeping with Gocycle traditions, they have improved it. The light is identical but the bracket that supports it is much stronger and now integrates the cable meaning there is no external cabling at all on this bike.

Kickstand boots – Again a very small and subtle upgrade, but such an important one as you are likely to be using your kickstand several times a day. There is now a small accent on each side of the kickstand legs therefore making it easier to ‘catch’ the kickstand with your foot when you want to deploy it.

Pedals – The new pedals are much in keeping with the Gocycle theme, they have a new thin profile, internal ball bearings and more surface grips.

Conclusion

I had no major complaints with the G2 but when I realised exactly what they had changed and improved i could not resist. The Gocycle is not for everyone, but for anyone that has even considered it then it won’t let you down. Just like any modern gadget, the more that you use it, the more you learn and the greater your experience.