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Electric Bike Challenge – GoCycle vs Brompton Nano

Brompton Nano

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First Impressions. If the GoCycle is all flash and dash stallion, then this e-bike is a stately old dray, not so much slow as steady. Unprepossessing, reliable, not one to make a fuss. It’s really a classic case of the English understatement. When I were a lad, there used to be a class of car which were called Q cars. They looked totally normal, but underneath the bonnet the owner had shoehorned in something huge and menacing, and the first the Porsche owners knew about it was when this super tuned monster screamed past them on the dual carriageway.

This bike reminds me of that.

In use. The Brompton Nano melds a classic Brompton M3L folding bicycle with an impressive Tongxin 250W brushless motor and Lithium Ion battery. All of this translates into a bike which moves impressively well under throttle control. The first thing you notice about riding this Brompton is the fact that the throttle control is very smooth. So smooth in fact compared to the GoCycle that you only realise you’re travelling at a fair rate when you zoom up behind a conventional cyclist and pass them with a smug grin. And only a whisper of sound. Oh yes, this is a beautifully quiet motor indeed.

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Practicality. The absolutely most greatest thing about this e-bike is that it’s invisible. No one takes any notice of you as you effortlessly whizz up the hill, dumpy little legs silkily pumping away, smile on face. You don’t worry about nasty thieves nicking your pride and joy as you park it against the railings outside the local grocery store. It’s just another little folding bike among many. And as for riding it. Well it’s a Brompton. That means you have to push yourself a little more to get it going because it’s got smaller wheels, but if you cheat and twist the throttle, whoosh.

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The result is you cheat a lot more on this than with the GoCycle. Cheat off the lights, cheat up the hills, cheat down the hills, along the straight. In fact it’s hard not to cheat, because it’s just so much fun. Who wants to pedal when you’ve got a massive Lithium battery willing to send you up to 50 miles on a charge? And maybe that’s the problem. Rather than being a nice bike with a battery assist, the Brompton feels more like an OK bike which really comes to life under power. So you use it.

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It’s also great to have a useful bag there into which you can stuff shopping, as long as you are careful of the battery nestled at the bottom. You also quickly learn the trick of how to carry the bike when you’re not riding. Take the battery out first! Otherwise it’s a heavy unwieldy carry, what with all the weight of motor and battery at the front. And let’s not forget it folds like a trouper. Unlike the GoCycle you can lug this thing onto a crowded train within seconds of arriving at the station. Beautiful.

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Verdict. The Brompton Nano is like a cuddly, quixotic old uncle with a bundle of quirks and old fashioned habits, but you love him all the same. You’ll need to remember the bike clips if you don’t want oily bits on your troos, those little wheels are a tad unforgiving on deep potholes and the cute little gearchange feels like something out of a 1950’s movie. But the thing has *bags* of character and a game little heart. It’ll puff itself up just about any hill you throw at it – albeit slowly sometimes – and still come back for more, mile after mile. Just give another twist of the throttle and your grin returns each time.

Price: From £1449.00

Pros: Great little motor allied with a hefty Lithium Ion battery gives you real commuting power on tap. Renowned for its light weight and amazingly compact folding ability, the Brompton really is a versatile workhorse in all conditions. Whisper quiet motor and ultra discreet design makes it a more secure option too, especially in a hostile urban environment. Available in kit form for £749 as a retro-fit for your existing bicycle.

Cons: Small wheels are bound to be more unforgiving on rough urban terrain, and the handling is not quite as balanced and assured as the Gocycle. A little pricey in comparison to alternative options, although you’re getting top class components, and you can always retrofit a 2nd hand model on the cheap.

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11 Comments

  • Both bikes are pretty amazing and have their pro's and con's as pointed out. I have test driven the GoCycle a year ago and a couple of years ago when it was still a prototype. It is a stunning design but did not care for the motor noise too much. I think electric bikes should be quiet, hopefully they tone it down a bit.

    I have been riding my electric Brompton for 8 months now an totally love it. It has doubled in weight since I am using a large 10ah battery and a beefy motor but it will run forever. I am usually hauling my (British) dog (2x 8 miles a day) click the picture tab following this link: http://www.nycewheels.com/brompton-electric-bicyc

    I usually pull a 180 lbs trailer with it as well and it just keeps going, see pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/Electrorad/DemoTraile

    Pros: Nothing is more fun than leaving road bikers in the dust, riding in Birkenstocks with a dog in the basket.
    Cons: doubled the weight of the Brompton but I don't have to carry it anyways.

    Bert, electric and folding bike enthusiast http://www.nycewheels.com

    • Hi Bert, thanks for the comment. Like you I was a little put off by the noise of the GoCycle, but it's a great little motor, and I definitely like the Brompton as well.

      I think we need to reduce in retail price on all e-bikes a little more before we'll see mass adoption though. :)

    • cheap ebikes are already everywhere, including hundreds of websites, Walmart, Best buy and Sears. I am afraid that these bikes which are not supported by their sellers or local bike shops (for good reason) are necessarily a good thing.
      We get a lot of phone calls from customers that have purchased one of those and hate how badly they ride or have an issue that nobody is willing to help them with.

      We do sell a good number of bikes to customers that got one of those cheap bikes, realized they are crap, but liked the idea.

    • Hi Bert, was wondering what is your experience with Wisper electric bikes?

  • The Brompton Nano electric kit is an interesting combo. But I personally believe that electric folding bikes have a long way to go and won't catch on for some time – probably why the Nano is not sold as standard by Brompton and is a seperate kit. The reason is that when you consider a folding bike that you are taking on and off trains, into the office, into taxis, buses etc., – you are carrying it. The current Brompton – which in my opinion is the best folding bicycle in the world – is actually on the limit of weight that most people can handle easily and practically. And so if you then add a battery/motor/controller, you actually tip the balance and the product becomes totally impractical. The early Gocycle prototypes folded up smaller than a Brompton and included all the electric power too and were lightweight – and when folded, they rolled on their wheels so you didn't have to carry it. But it just was not practical due to the extra (although small) weight of the battery/motor. Richard Thorpe: Designer of Gocycle

  • By the way, I spent many many late nights designing the cable lock to fit neatly behind the Cleandrive over the number plate, on the downloads section of the website you can see how to store it correctly – and also safely as the way it is shown can rub on the tire. Sorry, designer's eye hurting a bit here :) The Lockshock will also suit a silver sold secure rated heavy duty chain.

    • Hi Richard, thanks for dropping by. :) Yes I can see what you mean about the weight, it really does make a difference, which surprised me. I think what makes the GoCycle so easy to carry is also the weight balance, it just seems to hang in the hand better (if that's possible).

      Regarding that lock thing? Yeah well let's just say that much as I feel for your late night design trials, it is definitely one of the fiddly parts of the design. Getting the lock undone and secured to a railing takes a tad longer than it should I think. But it is still very handy, so thanks! :)

  • Hi Nigel. The Nano Brompton M3L weighs 18Kg with our big battery – which is about 2Kg heavier than the Gocycle (you do get more than twice the range through!) – but when folded – the battery and bag (4kg) is in one hand and the bike is in the other hand which makes it quite practical for getting on and off trains. I use mine all the time from Paddington and miss out getting all sweaty on the tube. If it's raining – I can always fold it up and get on a tube or bus – not so easy with the Gocycle.

    We have recognised that not everyone needs such a big battery though – so we have developed a new battery that will bring the weight of the Nano Brompton to about 1Kg LESS than the Gocycle and gives about the same battery range as the Gocycle. We will be launching this in a couple of months.

    Glad you liked our bike.

    Martin – The Electric Wheel Company, makers of the Nano Brompton.

  • Hi.
    I took delivery of a GoCycle 3 days ago. It is easy to ride, nippy, and the motor helps when I have to deal with hills and/or strong winds. I found the gear ratios excellent – but a 4th gear would have been good. I also liked that it is clean, quiet when not running on motor, and is a good size for me.I bought it purely for fun and convenience and this it delivers.

    However, I do feel disappointed. I had to take the bike back on Day 2, because the twist-grip gear cable fixing broke. The bike shop repaired it, but it feels noisy now and I'm still considering if I want to keep it. I certainly don't want to risk waiting for the 6-wek free service to confirm my £1500 bike isn't as it was on Day 1.

    Even with the Cycle To Work scheme, I will still pay over one thousand pounds – a point not lost on my wife. This premium, and the cost of every single accessory, sours the fun of the purchase for me. Things I consider essential – such as a stand to stop my pristine bike geting scratched – are expensive extras. I can't carry the bike on public transport even if I wanted to, until I fork over £70 for an oversized back pack or £110 for a hard case.

    Why is it that the vast majority of dealers all charge EXACTLY the same price for the bike and accessories? Buy a car and, with some time spent in price comparisons, you could save a bit of cash. Not so with the GoCycle – cheapest quote is £1500 and accessories are all the same price everywhere. That feels very like a fix, even if it isn't, and again I wonder if I've been unwise?

    If the new Nano Brompton performs as promised, the GoCycle might have a really hard fight on its hands. On the plus side, that may mean the price of GoCycle accessories will get real, in this "We're all in it together" time of austerity. Given the upcoming wage freezes and job losses, there may not be many willing or able to pay a premium for fun.

    I anticipated this bike for a long time and worked very hard to get it. No doubt it is fun to ride and performs well and although that will probably convince me to keep it, I just wish I felt better about buying it.

  • Martin,

    Is this new battery available on your website ?

    regards,

    matt

  • Hi, what experience do you have with promoting electric bikes among general public – we're selling electric bikes in Ireland and not really successful so far! Any advice welcome.

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