GROUP TEST E-BIKES
Assisters of mercy
Your thighs called – they can’t face that hill on their own any more, so please get a push from one of these e-bikes
Gocycle G4i
What’s the story?
Ditching McLaren cars to design e-bikes might have seemed mad at the time… but demand for Richard Thorpe’s pricey foldaway Gocycle is outstripping supply – and that’s with a steed that’s remained virtually identical in appearance since 2009. Strip back the fourth iteration, however, and you’ll find new carbon-fibre forks and a smooth motor delivering more torque. Stump up an extra £600 for this ‘i’ version and you get a 25% bigger battery, a glitzier LED dash, a front light bar and electronic shifting.
Is it any good?
The improvements in the new G4 range are immediately obvious. Whereas before there was a slightly annoying lag before the motor kicked in, here the 375Wh powertrain provides instantaneous acceleration.
It’s almost silent too, which is unnerving compared to the previous Gocycle’s electrical whirring. Still, that’s great for stealthy hill climbs without alerting fellow riders that you’re a filthy lying cheat. The ride is also incredibly smooth, thanks in part to slicker tyres – though this does put paid to tackling anything tougher than a well-laid gravel track. Gocycle claims a 10-second folding mechanism, and with practice this is entirely achievable.
The dash display is a definite improvement, and especially useful for checking which of the four light-bar modes you’re in so you don’t have to lean over to see how bright it is. Not that you’ll be blinded if you do, because we found it pretty murky when the street lights ran out. Oh, and a rear light costs extra.