Gocycle G4 Electric Bike Review 2023

To get an idea of how the GoCycle’s 36V, 8.1Ah (291.6Wh) battery performs in the real world, we put it through two range tests where we rode the bike from a full charge to empty in a single sitting.

What we found was a bike with solid range that’ll likely outlast even the most ambitious commutes.

In the G4’s Eco mode, its lowest pedal assist level, the bike lasted for 32.7 miles with an average speed of 13.5 mph. In City+, it lasted for 21.81 miles at an average speed of 16.2 mph.

Those are both really solid battery ranges. Especially when compared to other e-bikes that have similar sized batteries.

The GoCycle is a city-dweller, and outside of an urban area like San Francisco, big hills are not really a thing most bikes like this are going to need to contend with.

But nonetheless, hill climbing capability is one of the most important yardsticks we use to measure e-bike performance. Even in cities, hills happen. And on a bike like this power can mean the difference between sweating through a suit jacket and not.

So like all the other e-bikes we test, the GoCycle was put up against our test hill Hell Hole. at 12 percent on average and a third-of-a-mile length, it’s probably steeper and larger than most hills you’d find in this bike’s natural habitat. But nonetheless, the Gocycle was put through the same treatment all our review bikes get.

We put the bike through two timed tests on Hell Hole, the first using just the throttle and the second on PAS 5. The test panned out about as expected, with the GoCycle not clearing the hill using just the throttle and it easily making it on max assist.

Though unsuccessful in the throttle-only test, the bike did spectacularly well on max assist, clearing Hell Hole in 1:15.00 with an average speed of 14.5 mph

That result puts it in the top half of all the e-bikes we’ve tested on max assist up Hell Hole, which is remarkable for a small folding bike. A Lot of factors contributed to this result, ranging from the bike’s low sub-38 lb weight to its really nice pedaling position. But, to me, the standout is that 500W front hub motor. It’s so grunty on climbs and showed no sign of wavering, even on the upper portions of the hill where you’ve got almost no momentum going into some of the steepest pitches.

Now, before you readers over analyze its throttle-only result, let me add some context: While we often see 500W e-bikes not clear Hell Hole without at least a little help from the rider’s legs, I wouldn’t qualify the GoCycle’s result as an all-out motor failure.

Instead, the motor simply turned itself off. On well designed e-bikes we often see built in safety mechanisms designed to protect the electrical componentry from high heat or excessive strain that could otherwise cause lasting damage on sensitive and expensive parts. That’s what seems to have happened here.

Instead of straining the motor to a degree that it was risking damage, the bike simply turned off. This is important, and honestly refreshing to see, especially considering we’ve seen cheaper 500W e-bikes arguably do damage to themselves in the name of clearing Hell Hole using just the throttle.

I chalk the GoCycle’s throttle-only result up as a good thing. Instead of a failure, I think we may have actually seen some good engineering in action.

The GoCycle G4 is specced with a set of proprietary hydraulic disk brakes. We don’t know a ton about this setup, but it has performed very well in our testing.

To get a feel for how well they stop we put the bike through five full-power stops from 20 mph to get an average stopping distance. For the G4, it came to a stop on average in 12-feet 5-inches, which is substantially better than the current all-time braking average of 15-feet 8-inches.

That’s a solid result, especially from an e-bike designed to tackle crowded environments where quick stopping may be crucial to avoiding vehicles and pedestrians.

Based on its looks, small wheels and generally overengineered personality, you might expect the GoCycle G4 to be quick, snappy and predictable.

And you’d be right.

Like just about everything else on this e-bike, quite a lot of thought has gone into how it handles. Though small in stature, the bike had no problem fitting my lanky 6’1” frame thanks to a very long seatpost. I usually have a bit of trouble getting a full leg extension on many of the folding bikes I’ve reviewed, but not the G4.

GoCycle took inspiration from MotoGP for its semi-slick tires, which handle very well but are a little flat prone. Flats are a thing we deal with often in our desert locale, as most plants present with some sort of hypodermic needle-like thorns, but we got a higher-than-average number of flats on the G4.

The tires are light and don’t have the thickest tread, which likely contributed to our flatting issue. This bike is likely a good candidate for some sort of sealant, tire liner or thicker tube. One thing I will say, though, is the single-sided front fork and rear swingarm made flat fixing exceedingly easy because you don’t have to remove the wheel. Simply pop off the tire on the open side of the frame, fix the punctured tube and viola — you’re rolling again.

As I mentioned before, this wasn’t my first rodeo reviewing one of GoCycle’s e-bikes. I rode the more blinged-out version of the G4 (with carbon wheels and electric shifting) at the Big Gear Show in Park City last year.

That first impression was one of awe — the huge hills of Park City are hardly friendly to most hub-driven folding bikes, but the G4 handled them with ease. Of the (many) e-bikes I rode that week, the GoCycle was my favorite. I loved its quirky look, I loved its extremely functional folding mechanism and I loved how well it handled.

But that first impression was fleeting, only lasting a few hours before the bike had to be returned to the nice people manning the GoCycle booth. I wanted to see how this bike actually integrated into daily life; how it stood up to the rigors of commuting and what it was like to actually fold it up and tote it around. So we brought the bike in for a full review and did just that.

If you’ve made it this far in the review, I think it goes without saying that the GoCycle G4 only continues to live up to the hype. Of the many electric folding bikes I’ve ridden, this is my personal favorite. It’s fast, handles supremely well and the folding mechanism is bar-none the best designed. Granted it is pricey, but for those that need the convenience of a folding bike or just appreciate good design, I’d argue the price is more than worth it.

The GoCycle G4 can be bought online and shipped directly to your door.

‘Happy Riding, make sure to let us know if you have any questions down in our comments section or if you think we left anything out in this review of the GoCycle G4.