Gocycle Review: Are These Folding E-Bikes Any Good?

For most of us  – the closest we’ll come to a racing a McLaren car is on a Scalextric track. 

And while that might be better for the planet than its full-sized counterpart, it does lack… some of the wow factor.

So, what if we told you the McLaren comes in e-bike form? And a folding one at that? 

Gocycle are a UK bike brand, founded by an ex-F1 engineer more than twenty years ago. Although Gocycle isn’t affiliated with McLaren, founder Richard Thorpe stresses that decades spent honing lightweight chassis for the team fed into the design of the Gocycle range.

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The bikes themselves are slick, monocoque designs – worthy of LeMans. They’ve garnered a raft of glowing reviews from key cycling publications. 

Interested? Here we provide a round-up of reviews to help you get acquainted with the British brand. 

Who are Gocyle?

Gocycle are a British bike brand, founded in 2001 by ex-McLaren engineer Richard Thorpe.

In a market dominated by American and Asian manufacturers, it’s one of a handful of e-bike brands to be based in Europe. Their head office is actually based in Chessington, England.

When Thorpe quit his engineering job at McLaren, no one could have predicted how popular e-bikes would become. Automobile pioneer, Lee Iacocca, of Mustang had had little success in selling his prototype to the public. Undeterred, Thorpe drafted designs for an intuitive ride

Now, Gocycle is busy lapping its competitors. CNN, Bike Radar, and Cycling Weekly have all given the latest model four stars or more. The latter even called it a design classic.

What Does Gocycle Specialize In?

Gocycle specialise in high-spec, integrated folding e-bikes, inspired by racing cars. Their prices reflect this.

The current generation – which comes with barely-there motors, integrated chassis, and lightweight frames – costs upwards of three-thousand pounds. Consider them Brompton’s flashier cousin.

Are Gocycle Bikes Good?

Sometimes, a shiny award speaks louder than any ad campaign, and thankfully, Gocycle have awards to spare.

The majority of the brand’s offerings have ended up on an end-of-year Best E-Bike round-up at one point or other.

We haven’t had the chance to test them out, so we can’t verify their claim that their new fast folder collapses down in under ten seconds – or whether, their app really does offer a uniquely personalized riding experience.

If you’d like to try a Gocycle model for yourself, there’s a link on the website to arrange a free test ride.

Is Gocyle a Good Brand?

A quick Google search will indicate that GoCycle is a well-reviewed British brand – liked by members of the public and the cycling press.

It’s likely this popularity which saw its most recent GoFundMe reach the top 1% of projects.

Some Google reviews do mention delays in repairing and an inconvenient need to have the bikes shipped overseas to fix more serious problems.

What does make Gocycle attractive, regardless, is its location. For shoppers in the UK and Europe, the brand is a welcome chance to buy a bike that hasn’t flown or sailed thousand of miles to your retailer.

If you ditched your combustion engine on environmental grounds, this alone is a selling point. If you’re an American consumer, you might want to check out our post on US bike stores for a retailer closer to home.

Where are Gocycle bikes made?

GoCycle bikes are developed and manufactured in England – making one of the few European-built e-bikes currently available. The brand is a regular exhibitor at London’s Cycle Show – often premiering new design features to their cycling peers.

Does Gocycle Make E-Bikes

Gocycle does make e-bikes. Thorpe founded his brand in a bid to produce a pedal-assist bike as slick as the cars in Formula One.

At a time when e-bike technology resulted in surprisingly clunk machines, Thorpe wanted a design that would please casual urban cyclists and design nerds alike.

Light rides that could fold down in seconds – while ideally possessing the same road manners, rolling resistance and power as a full size frame.

Gocycle Bike Review

Like a smartphone, Gocycle‘s bikes come in various generations. The most recent is the G4. Below, we’ve created a round-up of their current offering.

Best Gocycle E-Bikes