Anybody own a GTech ebike?

As I cycle to work, I've now been looking at the ebikes on offer out there. I fancy the GTECH ebike, as it has a carbon belt rather than a chain, with no gears, so maintenance levels are reduced.

I used to do a lot of off-road mountain biking, but as I'm "moving on" in years now, my cycling is reduced to commuting.

Although I've read reviews, I was wondering if anyone on DW, or if you know someone who owns one, if the bike is any good. As it has no gears, after the electric motor cuts off after 15mph, what kind of top speed can you get out of it before you end up "pedalling out" and reach your top speed?

I know they've sold out at the moment, but I'm still interested.

Thanks in advance,

snapman

I cannot comment on the bike but a friend had one of their cordless vac's & says it sucks! (But in the wrong way lol!)
I too decided that as my knees are wearing out it was perhaps time to think about getting some assistance for the hills. Although I live in a small town, getting about is a lot easier by bike and of course the climate here makes it all the more agreeable.
I like my 'conventional' bike. It's about about 10 years old and has had the odd modification over the years and is still perfectly useable, so, rather than fork out for a whole new bike, I decided to 'electrify' my own.
I bought a 1000W wheel/motor off the 'well-known auction site' and a suitable 48V 11AH battery from a different seller.
Fitting it all was a cinch (even though some of the instructions were just pure wrong) and within a couple of hours I had a kick-ass electric bike! Total cost £420; £120 for the wheel kit & £300 for the rather posh (apparently) battery.
Once I had it up & running, the first thing I did was unplug the 'pedal-assist'. It's scary & you never know when it's going to kick in.
It will happily do 50km/h on the flat without pedalling, fastest I've managed is 68 pedalling flat out going downhill.

Edit: It's a direct drive motor, so no transmission losses. BUT it's cheap and made in China so how long it lasts is a glass coffin.....

@trevortron I was looking at the conversion kits to turn a conventional bike into an ebike, but one of the major selling points of the GTECH Ebike for me was the carbon belt rather than a chain. No messy, oily chain, no need to replace a chain/cassette over time, no gears as well, so no gear cable maintenance/adjusting. The only maintenance required is the brake blocks and cables. I've read more reviews and it looks like I'm going to bite the bullet and get one. Seems a decent ebike for the price.

Can't get one at the moment though, as they've SOLD OUT! Have to wait another two weeks before I can try and place an order.

Thanks for the reply mate. Sounds like a good set-up you've got there!

With thanks,

snapman

i bought an electric bike almost 2 years ago now, with a 1000w motor, full suspension mountain bike which folds in half, for storage during the winter months lol as i got no garage or shed to store it in for £700 ....

its got a 48v 11ah battery and will do between 25 and 30 miles on 1 charge and will happily chug along at 25mph.
i got a twist grip on mine so i don't have to peddle i know its not legal lol but whos going to stop me
@snapman you only need to peddle slowly for the electric motor to kick in and keep going, you don't need to peddle like fook to reach top speed lol

snapman said:

@trevortron I was looking at the conversion kits to turn a conventional bike into an ebike, but one of the major selling points of the GTECH Ebike for me was the carbon belt rather than a chain. No messy, oily chain, no need to replace a chain/cassette over time, no gears as well, so no gear cable maintenance/adjusting. The only maintenance required is the brake blocks and cables. I've read more reviews and it looks like I'm going to bite the bullet and get one. Seems a decent ebike for the price.

Can't get one at the moment though, as they've SOLD OUT! Have to wait another two weeks before I can try and place an order.

Thanks for the reply mate. Sounds like a good set-up you've got there!

With thanks,

snapman

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I suppose part of it is that I quite enjoy getting my hands oily from time to time, and you'd have to do a fair old mileage before having to replace cassettes etc. My o/h's bike does do some miles- about 5~6k a year! One chain & cassette /year plus occasional brake pads, it's no biggie. The key to it is keeping them clean so the grime doesn't wear them away, so a good blast with a pressure washer after a muddy run pays dividends.

Ratts said:

i bought an electric bike almost 2 years ago now, with a 1000w motor, full suspension mountain bike which folds in half, for storage during the winter months lol as i got no garage or shed to store it in for £700 ....

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Ratts said:

its got a 48v 11ah battery and will do between 25 and 30 miles on 1 charge and will happily chug along at 25mph.
i got a twist grip on mine so i don't have to peddle i know its not legal lol but whos going to stop me
@snapman you only need to peddle slowly for the electric motor to kick in and keep going, you don't need to peddle like fook to reach top speed lol

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That sounds like quite a good buy @Ratts, especially if you are still using the original battery; is it still as good as when new?
Mine had the option of 'pedal assist' where the motor kicks in automatically when pedalling, but I didn't like it as it was a bit unpredictable so I just unplugged the crank sensor. I do pedal to 'help' the motor (usually) even though the original intention was for the motor to help me!!

@Ratts I know the motor kicks in as soon as you start to pedal, but I was just wondering that, after the motor cuts off once it has reached 15mph, how much faster can I take the bike under my own steam? As it only has one gear, I'll only be able to peddle so fast before the single gear reaches it's maximum speed. I'm buying the ebike to take the sting out of climbs and head-winds when I commute to work.

@trevertron I know a guy that owns a bike shop, and he let me take an ebike out a few years back. I actually liked the pedal-assist, which is why I'm keen to own an ebike.

Thanks for the replies lads

because it hasent got gears i dout very much you will be able to peddle it much if any faster except free wheeling down hills...

the gear ratio of the bike would probably inhibit you from peddling the max legal limit imo .....

@Ratts looking at the pictures I knew I wouldn't get much out of it, I was just wondering if someone had one and said something like, "You'll be lucky to get to 18mph" or something, as I can't find a review anywhere that quotes the top speed of it. I've resigned to the fact that it will be low, just wondered how low.

My off-road mountain biking days are well behind me now, squeezing as much out the bike as I can without causing some serious injury! I still like cycling, and I still want to use my own steam these days, but, as I've said, I just want to take the sting out of the hills/winds as I cycle all year round to work (Winter is especially where my arse twitches like a rabbits nose! Need to keep your wits about you then! lol)

Thanks again @trevertron @Ratts

mate, you wont go wrong in getting one and if i was you i would deffo get one what ever anyone says ...

getting an electric bike makes you enjoy riding a bike again

where i live Bristol, is a very hilly city and has the steepest road in the country lol and i used to love cycling but as you get older
those hills and riding against the wind gets hard work and not enjoyable lol

hope you get yours soon and please report back how you get on with it mate

Will do @Ratts

I just invested in an electric golf trolley a couple of weeks ago and its brilliant lead battery tho not lithium but if the battery runs out I I think it will be quite heavy to push, I'd imagine the bike when used on your own power would be the same but without gears could be an issue, don't you get a x amount of day return with gtech

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@casuk From what I've read, as soon as the motor gets to around 15mph, it shuts off leaving you to pedal freely. When you buy it you get a 14 day trial period, and if you want to return it, as long as it's still in good condition and packed in it's original packaging, you'll get a full refund.

That was another reason why I thought I'd "bite the bullet" and go for it.

Seems a winner and as your doing the miles you should have a good test in those 2weeks, iv always been hesitant about assisted motors but now I'm a convert

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casuk said:

Seems a winner and as your doing the miles you should have a good test in those 2weeks, iv always been hesitant about assisted motors but now I'm a convert

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You won't look back mate. Might put on the odd pound or two though- I have lol! But the knees don't ache like they used to so worth it

Slightly late reply, but if you're anywhere near Worcester you can have a play on them at the factory shop. Went yesterday - not to look at bikes, but other visitors were having a go along the cycle track there.

@trevertron @Ratts

Well, that's me had it for a little while, and for commuting to work it's great! I had to adjust my mind-set that if I'm cycling uphill, or cycling into a headwind, that pedalling less is more (kind of). Pedalling less means the motor kicks in and stays on. Headwinds were always a bug bear of mine, took the pleasure out of cycling. You try and pedal harder and the force of wind against you is stronger, almost cancelling out your hard effort. Now I just let the bike take over and cut me through the headwind with little effort! Brilliant.

The downside is that the top speed on the flat is around 20-22 mph before I 'pedal out', but the pluses outway the minuses. This little bike has taken the negatives out of cycling into work, as I'm cycling uphill quite a lot. Cycling uphill, plus a headwind, had me thinking sometimes that I would be better off walking! They say the battery would last up to 30 miles, but the distance you'd get out of the battery would depend on your weight, and how hilly and windy it is.

Although I may not get as much cardiovascular activity out of my ebike than my old bike, you still get quite a bit if you start to pedal over 15 mph. I've still kept my old bike for that though

Regards,

snapman

P.S. I had a look at the prices of spares.... OUCH!
An additional battery would cost you 299 quid! And the rear wheel with the motor in the hub.... 699 quid! For 3 quid less you could by a brand new ebike!!! lol

glad you like it mate I told you it will make you enjoy cycling again and don't worry about that cardio vascular stuff as it over rated and will kill you quicker lol

don't ever let your battery run flat or keep it fully charged for a any amount of time as this stresses lithium batteries and the battery wont last long. I always try and switch the charger off when the light changes to amber to stop the battery from charging to full but I don't use my bike as often as you will as I'm a fair weather kind of rider lol

you should never have to replace the motor tbh maybe the battery once or twice. by the time you will need to replace your motor the bike will probably be obsolete by then which you will have to buy mark 2 or 3 bike .....

Ratts said:

...you should never have to replace the motor tbh maybe the battery once or twice. by the time you will need to replace your motor the bike will probably be obsolete by then which you will have to buy mark 2 or 3 bike .....

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My main concern is the wearing of the rims. For the past few years I've been using hydraulic disc brakes. I know from experience using v-brakes, if the brake pads collect debris, they can wear the wheel rim down. I always apply more brake pressure on the front anyway, but if the rim on the rear becomes degraded (there's a rim mark on the GTECH to let you know when the rim may need replacing) that they have you over a barrel with buying the rear wheel. Hopefully by then, like you've said, if it gets to that stage I'd probably be looking at getting a new bike anyway.

As for the info on the battery, I'll heed your advise. I've always charged the battery full, but never let it go flat when it comes to Lithium-Ion batteries. I'll get into the practice of not fully charging it.

Thanks for the advise again @Ratts

Regards,

snapman