Cowboy is bringing crash detection smarts to its e-bikes by the end of this month. It has been beta testing the feature with a thousand users, but it’ll soon be available for free to all Cowboy 2 and Cowboy 3 owners.

The bike uses its sensors to watch out for potential falls. If it detects one, and you don’t confirm that everything’s okay within a minute, Cowboy can alert up to two emergency contacts. If you don’t have your phone with you or the bike can’t communicate with the Cowboy app, it can use its built-in SIM card to let your contacts know something might be wrong. It’ll also provide your location to them in real-time through GPS tracking.

Would ‘free’ Citi Bike rentals sway you on Lyft’s Pink subscription service? That’s what the Uber rival is testing with a new pilot program in New York City. Starting next week, select Lyft customers — including those who are yet to try Pink — will be offered two-month access to Citi Bike’s blue two-wheelers. The experiment will include unlimited ‘classic’ Citi Bike rides with a 45-minute cap, which should be long enough to travel between Central Park and Brooklyn Bridge. E-bike enthusiasts, meanwhile, will get a 10-cent-per-minute discount during the trial. If you start an electrified trip outside of Manhattan, Lyft will also cap the first 45 minutes at $2.

The ride-hailing company launched Lyft Pink as a replacement for its All-Access Plan last October. It costs $19.99 per month and gives subscribers a 15 percent discount on all car rides throughout the US. In addition, members get airport priority pickups and — more importantly in the current climate — three ‘free’ rides on a ‘classic’ Lyft bike or scooter, capped at 30 minutes. In select markets, the company also offers three e-bike unlocks and discounted rates in New York City and San Francisco. Adding Citi Bike’s fleet to the mix could increase Pink signups and persuade a few more people to ditch cars and mass transit until the pandemic is over.

While not without its flaws, the bike is an easy recommendation for those who want power and flexibility at any cost.

Design

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From afar, the GXi looks identical to Gocycle’s previous wares. And that’s perfectly fine because the company’s trademark design language doesn’t feel outdated in 2020. The frame doesn’t have a top tube and is, therefore, both eye-catching and easy to step over. The removable battery is contained in the chunky downtube, and the front hub motor, while noticeable, matches the smaller five-spoke wheels nicely.

The clever design elements extend to the handlebars, too. You won’t find any exposed cables — they’ve all been cleverly routed through the frame — or plastic gear shifters because the company opted for a stealthier twist-grip option instead. They might seem small, but these details add up to ensure the bike’s clean lines are rarely interrupted. Of course, they could also make the GXi difficult to repair. The bike comes with a three-part warranty, though — one year for the battery, two years for basic components and three years for the frame — and Gocycle is older than other e-bike upstarts, which increases the chance they’ll still be around when you need advice and replacement parts.

Unlike the GX, the bike has a strip-shaped Daytime Running Light (DRL) between its two brake levers. The beam has four possible settings — high and low, with an optional flashing strobe effect — that makes you more visible to other road users. The DRL isn’t designed to help you see at night, though. If you want to illuminate your surroundings, Gocycle recommends buying an aftermarket solution (the review sample I rode already had front and back Supernova bike lights installed.)

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On the opposite side is a Formula One-inspired “cockpit” that uses bright LEDs to visualize important information. When you’re standing still, 10 lights on the left-hand side will display the bike’s remaining charge. They fill from left to right and each LED represents 10 percent of battery life. Once you start pedaling, the lights will switch off temporarily and fill in the other direction to show how hard the motor is working. Four blue LEDs placed above and below this section explain the current DRL mode. Shift your eyes toward the center and you’ll notice three vertically aligned LEDs — these denote your current gear. Finally, 10 LEDs on the right-hand side explain how fast you’re riding. 

It’s a massive improvement over the GX, which only had five LEDs capable of showing the battery’s remaining charge. Still, the new cockpit is not intuitive. Would anyone understand what it meant without referring to the bike’s manual first? I don’t think so. My brain adjusted after a few rides, though, and quickly appreciated the size and brightness of the LEDs. In a laid back or upright riding position, they’re easier to read than a traditional bike computer, which usually has a small, monochromatic display, and practically fade into the handlebars when the GXi is switched off.

I used the app for my first ride but quickly switched to the LEDs.

If you don’t like the LED lights, you can use Gocycle’s companion app instead. The GX comes with two rubbery loops that can slide on to the handlebars and hold your phone in landscape mode. In this orientation, the app will switch to a car dashboard-inspired view with relevant riding information. That includes your current speed and gear, the battery’s remaining charge, how hard the motor is working, the distance you’ve travelled and a button that cycles through riding modes. I used the app for my first ride but quickly switched to the LEDs to save my phone’s battery life and, more importantly, innards from the occasional shower.

Performance

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When you first set up the bike, the companion app will ask whether you want North American or European firmware, which caps your top speed at 20MPH and 15.5MPH respectively. These restrictions are set by local regulators and are standard for the industry.

Out of the box, you have four riding modes to choose from: City+, City, Eco and On Demand. On City+, the motor will kick in immediately and slowly scale up as you pedal harder. In City mode, the motor won’t activate until you supply some light (100 watts) pedaling, but scales up to 100 percent with less effort. Eco mode, meanwhile, is a battery saving option that requires slightly more effort (200 watts) to trigger the pedal-assisted motor. In all of these modes, you can twist the left handlebar grip for a temporary boost that disengages when you stop or slow down your pedaling.

Finally, there’s On Demand. In this mode, the motor won’t switch on until you wrist-down. Once held, the system will engage until you let go, stop pedaling or reach the firmware-controlled maximum speed. It makes the bike feel more like an electric scooter, though you still have to pedal and can’t, therefore, treat it like a Vespa or Ducati.

If none of the modes suit your riding style, you can build one from scratch. The app’s Mode Editor lets you drag two nodes on a graph — similar to an audio equalizer — to set exactly when and how strong the motor should spring to life. I was happy with the City mode for most of my riding but occasionally switched to a custom profile that forced the motor to engage immediately and ramp up to 100 percent assist with minimal pedaling.

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The GXi has three gears that help you pedal at low and higher speeds. Unlike its fast-folding predecessor, the bike will automatically shift up and down when it senses a change in momentum. In theory, that means you should never be in the wrong gear after stopping at a traffic light or climbing a steep hill. 

I found the system to be a tad unreliable, though. Sometimes I would reach top speed and momentarily stop pedalling to examine a road sign or let a looming car overtake. The bike would then downshift even though I was still cruising at a speed that demanded a higher gear. Thankfully, you can change gears manually by twisting the right handlebar grip up and down. There’s a small learning curve — the system won’t execute the change until you’ve eased off the pedals slightly — but it doesn’t take long to understand and memorize the timing.

Another small nitpick: The motor is a little noisy. It’s not loud enough to be a dealbreaker or spoil an otherwise idyllic ride through the countryside. But for this kind of money, I would prefer the electrical innards to be a smidge quieter.

The bike is generally responsive and aware of how you’re riding.

The bike is generally responsive and aware of how you’re riding. While climbing a slope, I could see the motor’s assistance slowly building on the left-hand side of the cockpit. Conversely, the LEDs would disappear when I started cruising down a hill at higher speeds.

Gocycle has nailed the basics, too. The GXi’s Velo D2 saddle was comfortable, and the hydraulic disc brakes were sharp but not overly aggressive. I appreciated the one-inch ‘Lockshock’ suspension, too, which helped absorb the odd pothole and speed bump. (The GXi isn’t a mountain bike, though, so you shouldn’t take it on dirt and gravel trails.)

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The GXi promises up to 50 miles on a single charge. Of course, that number will fluctuate depending on your riding mode and the number of hills that you like to conquer each day. I managed 30 miles, for instance, riding predominantly in City mode around my hilly neighborhood. (In line with the UK’s social distancing guidelines, I only rode the e-bike once each day.) Some of my excursions were in the evening, too, which meant the DRL was working a little harder.

Any range anxiety was mitigated by the Fast Charger, which can replenish the battery in roughly four hours. While functional, the accessory is a massive and utterly hideous brick. Still, it’s better than the GX’s charger, which needed seven hours to top up the bike’s smaller battery. You can charge the GXi using a large port hidden by a rubbery seal on the frame. Alternatively, you can fold the bike down and charge the battery separately — a convenient option if you work in a fancy office that doesn’t appreciate muddy or rain-soaked tires.

Folding

It can be daunting at first, but the GXi is surprisingly quick and simple to break down. Here’s the process:

1. Ensure the kickstand is lowered.

2. Turn the cranks so the pedal on the side with the chain guard is pointing down and away from the rear wheel.

3. Pop the red switch on the head tube and lower the handlebars so they rest against the front wheel.

4. Flip the red switch on the center of the frame and fold the front half so the two wheels sit next to each other.

5. Unlatch the rubber band on the frame and stretch it over the designated hook on the handlebars. If you don’t do this, the front half of the frame can freely swing back and forth.

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The band is functional and barely noticeable while riding the bike. It’s plenty thick, too, and never showed signs of stretching or tearing. Still, I worry about its long-term durability — if anything is going to break or perish, it’s probably this. The band doesn’t feel like a particularly graceful solution, either. And that’s a shame because the rest of the bike feels oh-so cohesive and cleverly thought out. I just wish they had found a smarter way to keep the two halves glued together (magnets in the wheel hubs, perhaps?) because at the moment the design is one step short of greatness.

With the bike folded down, you can hold the protruding saddle and wheel the whole thing forward like a suitcase. Annoyingly, though, you can’t roll it backwards — doing so will cause the pedals to turn and eventually hit the frame. Still, I suspect it’s useful when you’re boarding a train or moving the bike through some revolving office doors.

At 39 pounds, the GXi is 300 lighter than the GX but still a tad heavier than both the electric Brompton (37 pounds) and Hummingbird (23 pounds). Moving the bike along the floor, therefore, is always preferable to picking it up. You could feasibly carry the GXi up some stairs, but your arms would probably ache for the rest of the day (unless you’re built like ‘the Mountain’ from Games of Thrones.)

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If you want to make the bike even smaller, you can take out the seat post and slip it through the centre loop of the rubber band. On the back of the saddle, next to the rear reflector, is a circular piece of plastic that usually hides a multitool. You can rotate it downward and drop it into the hole where the bottom of the seat post usually goes. At this point, everything on the bike is secure again. For a final flourish, you can remove the right pedal and stow it in a special holder next to the Lockshock.

The bike’s folded form is wonderfully compact. I live in a carpeted one-bed apartment (carpet is very popular in the UK, don’t ask) that needs to be covered with a vinyl protector after riding in the rain. The folded GXi fits neatly on my front doormat, though. That means I can easily stow it in the corridor — a gully too small for most bicycles — or neatly propped up in the corner of my living room. I wish Gocycles were even smaller, of course, so I could hide them in a wardrobe or cupboard. But they’re still practical if you live somewhere that doesn’t have a garage, shed or a landlord that appreciates you sticking a large bike rack on the living room wall.

Wrap-up

The GXi is undeniably expensive. But it’s in the same ballpark as other design-centric folding e-bikes, including the Brompton (£2,595, or $3,231) and Hummingbird (£4,495, or $5,598). 

Admittedly, you could buy a regular folding bike for a fraction of the price. But as I’ve written many times before, electric bicycles make more sense when you think of them as a car replacement. They’re a healthier and greener way to complete shorter journeys without breaking a sweat. If you live somewhere like London, a folding bike might allow you to ditch the Tube or ride-hailing apps like Uber entirely. Depending on your use, something like the GXi could earn its sticker price in a matter of months. But you have to be willing to make that trade, otherwise an electric bike will always be a decadent purchase.

(Well, until the price of high-quality e-bikes comes down, anyway.)

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Gocycle’s latest bicycle isn’t perfect. I wish the predictive gear shifting was better and the pedal-assisted motor ran a little quieter, like the VanMoof S3 and X3. The Fast Charger is an eyesore and the app, while functional, could use some work. These are small complaints, though, that I think most people can live with. The bike is an obvious improvement on the GX — which is heavier and doesn’t have the DRL or expanded cockpit — and broadly competitive with the Brompton and Hummingbird. I’m also glad the GXi doesn’t have any overly complicated smart locks or location tracking. Instead, Gocycle has focused on the essentials and delivered yet another e-bike that feels like the future of urban transportation.

The bikes use a pedal-assisted electric drivetrain that allows you to get some exercise on the flats but not kill yourself on hills. According to Lyft, each e-bike was used for 15 rides per day during the trial, triple the usage of classic bikes during the same period. They were particularly popular in winter (when classic bike usage plunged by 60 percent), and twice as likely to be used to cross an East River bridge.

Members on the $169 per year classic bike plan can pay an extra ten cents per minute for the e-bikes, capped at $2 for 45 minutes or less, according to Citi Bike. Non-members pay $3 per ride for a 30-minute trip on a classic bike and can upgrade that to electric for an extra $0.15 per minute — or a total of $7.50 for a 30 minute e-bike trip. Lower income New Yorkers pay $5 per month for a classic membership plus 5 cents a minute for an e-bike, up to 45 minutes.

The initial pilot didn’t go too well, as members had trouble with very touchy front brakes that reportedly caused “dozens” of accidents and injuries. At the same time, Lyft’s e-bikes also had battery issues that caused fires in San Francisco and elsewhere. Because of all that, Citi Bike was forced to redesign the bike’s brake setup and also find a new battery supplier. The company also decided to change its e-bike pricing structure by eliminating flat fees and introducing per-minute charges.

The e-bikes are now back in service and Lyft has over 2,000 in San Francisco with plans to expand to Chicago, Washington DC, Minneapolis and other US cities. In New York City, it will soon expand in northern Manhattan and the South Bronx, “with more neighborhoods to follow.” It had 1,000 e-bikes in NYC when they were pulled over the brake issues, and Lyft eventually plans to install 4,000 in the city.

The X160 is the smaller bike meant for places where agility matters more than power. It only has an estimated 40.4-mile range and a 31.1MPH top speed, but it might be better for maneuvering on twisty trails thanks to its 17-inch wheels and overall more compact frame. The X260 is considerably more powerful with a 74.6-mile range and a 46.6MPH top speed, although its 19-inch wheels make it clear this is for more open-air environments.

Both bikes launch in the first quarter of 2020 at prices of $3,000 for the X160 and $4,500 for the X260. There will also be an Indiegogo campaign starting November 25h for those determined to get in early. You might not scramble to buy one unless you’re already in the market, but look at it this way: it’ll go nicely with your Segway e-skates.

The all-new AMX comes in a few different sizes and frame styles. The cheapest is the Mini, a compact e-bike that was initially sold for €499 (roughly $545) on Indiegogo. At the time of writing, it’s still possible to reserve one with an ‘Early Bird’ price of €650 (roughly $710). The Capital, meanwhile, is essentially AM’s standard option. It comes in a Classic or Step frame — the latter of which has a lowered top bar for easier boarding — for €769 (roughly $839) ahead of its normal asking price of €1,775 (roughly $1,937). If you have more to spend, there’s also a Road model with drop handlebars for €799 (roughly $872) and some limited edition LE bikes — available in Classic and Step frames — for €959 (roughly $1,047).

There are 11 options in total, down from a staggering 190 with the AM1. “That makes fulfilling [the orders] significantly easier,” Jack Chalkley, co-founder of Analog Motion said. “We realized this sort of false economy in offering customers a lot of choice. They approach us with suggestions and things they would like to see on a bike as if they’re things they actually want. Actually, a well-presented [set of] choices is received the best.”

None of the AMX models scream “hello, I’m an e-bike!” The battery is visible on every model but it’s shaped like a water bottle to hide its true purpose. If you’re standing more than a meter away, it’s hard to tell that the bike has any assistive capabilities. Unlike countless other e-bikes, including the Cowboy and folding Hummingbird, the AMX isn’t trying to make a statement or capture anyone’s attention. Every model is stylish but intentionally unremarkable. As the company’s Indiegogo campaign explains: “It looks and feels exactly like a bicycle.” If you want something that will start a conversation at your local coffee shop, sorry — this isn’t it.

Every model is stylish but intentionally unremarkable.

The Classic version has an aluminium frame and weighs roughly 15KG, which is lighter than every e-bike I’ve tested including the Cowboy, VanMoof Electrified S2, Gocycle’s folding GX and the monstrous Mate X.

The single speed bicycle is assisted by a 250W rear-hub motor developed by AM in partnership with Aikema. “To date we’ve actually never had a motor failure on a customer’s [AM1],” Navid Gornall, the other co-founder of Analog Motion explained. “It’s just never happened. We feel so confident that our motors are zero maintenance for the entire duration of the product.” Chalkley added: “Before the Kickstarter, between [Gornell], myself and the handful of other customers we had, we clocked over 25,000 kilometers on the AM1s and never [once] experienced a motor failure.”

It has a top speed of 15.5MPH in Europe and 20MPH in the US, which is the maximum allowed in both regions. Why the single gear? As Chalkley explained: “The [rear-hub] motor supplements any necessary gain you get from gears. Gears are unreliable. Gears are expensive. They’re expensive in the cost of the bike, and they’re expensive to maintain as well.”

The bottle-shaped battery, meanwhile, offers up to 27 miles on a single charge, depending on the effort you exert and the number of hills you tackle. That range is low — really low, in fact — by modern e-bike standards, but high enough for most people’s daily commute, AM claims. The battery is also removable, which means you can charge it in your home and, if you need to, carry a fully-charged spare in your backpack. Heck, you can even use the battery to charge some of your gadgets in a pinch. The smaller size keeps the bike’s weight and, more importantly, cost down too.

“We put a 20 to 27-mile battery on the AMX whereas a lot of [e-bike] manufacturers put double that,” Chalkley said. “Double the batteries means double the price. So you can buy two batteries for an AMX if you need them, but if you don’t then you can cut that part of the cost out.”

The e-bike has two-inch wide Schwalbe tyres for absorbing bumps and, unlike the AM1, Tektro disc brakes as standard. While riding, you’ll be peering at a computer with a small OLED display to check your assist level, current speed, average speed and remaining charge. It has a couple of physical buttons for changing the assist level and is “waterproof, dustproof [and] life-proof,” the company claims on Indiegogo.

The Mini, Road and LE models have a broadly similar spec sheet. The Mini has a 200W motor, though, and a slightly smaller battery. The Mini and Road models also use Kenda 38C tyres for “great city performance” and “low rolling resistance.” The LE, meanwhile, is almost identical to the Capital save for one key feature: a belt-based Gates Carbon Drive. Unlike a traditional chain, belts never get oily or rusty. They require minimal maintenance, too, which is attractive to anyone who doesn’t want to spend their precious free time doing repairs.

“It’s quiet and one less thing to think about,” Chalkley explained. “When you rely on a bicycle to get you to where you need to be on time, consistently everyday, you just want as few variables as possible.” Gornall added: “Our mantra is clear: We want to make affordable e-bikes. And something like a belt drive, even three or four years ago, was a very prestigious component to have on an e-bike. Even now, it’s still prestigious but it’s trending down towards that kind of more affordable price point.”

“Our mantra is clear: We want to make affordable e-bikes.”

On a wet and murky day in London, I was able to try a prototype AMX LE with a white Classic frame. For the most part, it was enormous fun to ride. The weather was awful but I instantly started grinning as, with barely any effort, I soared past lycra-clad cyclists in London’s Victoria Park.

The motor wasn’t perfect, though. It would often kick in suddenly and quite aggressively, propelling the bike forward with an unpleasant jolt. Then, as soon as I hit top speed, it would disengage with the same alarming speed. The choppy ride wasn’t enough to disrupt my balance, nor my overall enjoyment of the bike. I do wish, though, that the motor sprung to life with a little more finesse.

At 15.5MPH, the single gear was also too low to impact the bike’s momentum. It’s like cycling downhill — eventually you hit a speed where even the highest gear does nothing. I had to retrain my brain, therefore, to be comfortable with intermittent effort. I would pedal for a half-second, stop and wait as the motor brought me up to top speed, then pedal again as soon as it disengaged. Even on the lowest power setting, I found that the AMX’s motor was wrestling control away from my legs. I’ve experienced this before on a couple of e-bikes such as the Mate X — a slight power imbalance that makes it hard to pedal in a slow but constant manner.

I know, I know — it’s an electric bicycle and I shouldn’t complain about not pedalling. The motorized assistance is why you buy an e-bike in the first place! I do wish the motor was tweaked, though, to be a synchronized partner that complimented, rather than took over, your relaxed pedalling. Or maybe I need a slightly higher gear? It’s hard to say for sure. Regardless, the AMX I rode was a prototype and could be fine-tuned before release.

One other nitpick: the computer was a little too close to the center of the handlebars. The display was crisp and the buttons nestled underneath were responsive and easy to press. I had to take my right hand off the handlebars, though, to change power levels. It’s a small inconvenience but one I would like to avoid while cycling through the busy and occasionally dangerous streets of London. In fairness, I suspect most owners will find their preferred setting and never touch the computer again.

Otherwise, I was impressed with the bike. It’s refreshingly simple and doesn’t have any superfluous ‘technology for the sake of technology’ features. There’s no companion app for your phone or so-called ‘smart’ locking system. The bike doesn’t have built-in GPS tracking, either, or fold down like a Brompton, Gocycle or Hummingbird. To get started, you simply press a button on the battery pack, turn on the handlebar-mounted computer, swing your leg over and ride away.

The AMX doesn’t look or perform like a $2,000 e-bike. But that’s okay. The AMX is an exercise in reduction and, based on my limited impressions, delivers on its goal of a cheap but reliable form of electric transportation.

“We’re fighting to keep things simple,” Chalkley said. “It’s a much harder exercise. You ever see that episode of The Simpsons where Homer Simpson designs a car and he creates this monster? It’s an exaggeration and it’s a comedy, but in reality a lot of businesses have this perception that customers will only buy something if it has this, this and this. And we just don’t think that’s the case. And a lot of people come to us because of that pure and raw experience we create.”

“We’re fighting to keep things simple. It’s a much harder exercise.”

Even if the ride isn’t the smoothest, I think this e-bike range is worth considering. Every model is just so cheap — especially if you pay the prices currently listed on Indiegogo. As with all crowdfunding campaigns, there’s no guarantee that the AMX will ever materialize, though. Analog Motion is a tiny startup, too, that might not exist in five or 10 years time (the same argument can be levied against Cowboy, VanMoof and other e-bike startups, though). The London-based quartet has proven it can deliver an e-bike, however, by keeping its design and technological ambitions modest. If it can do the same again, the little-known team will have a claim to the throne of best cheap e-bike.

“Designing an expensive bike is easy,” Chalkley said. “you just put the best components on it and you end up with an expensive bike. Designing one that’s kind of more accessible for more people is the proper challenge. And that’s the challenge we’re in.”

The test seems to be an expansion of the Ride Pass. Subscribers get discounted rates on rides for a monthly fee. It costs $14.99 in some cities, and $24.99 in those where e-bikes and scooters are available — currently, you can ride on those for up to 30 minutes for free with the pass. The latest test brings Uber Eats into the fold.

It remains to be seen whether the all-in-one option will roll out more broadly. “From meals to wheels and everything in between, we’re always looking for ways to make Uber the go-to option for your everyday needs,” Uber told TechCrunch in a statement.

If Uber adds the plan as a permanent option, it’d strike at a couple of competitors. Postmates, for one, provides free unlimited deliveries through its own subscription. Meanwhile, Lyft offers riders a set number of rides each month up to a certain cost under its All-Access plan.

Municipalities would still have to give e-scooter and e-bike companies the go-ahead, and would decide how to regulate them. For instance, under the state-wide bill, riders won’t need to wear helmets, though cities could require that.

If the bill progresses as expected, e-scooters and e-bikes are likely to come to New York City, a massive potential market for the companies. However, don’t expect to see them in Manhattan soon. The New York City borough won’t have a permitted e-scooter program if the bill passes, meaning you shouldn’t see many Bird, Lime or Jump scooters on the sidewalks there in the near future. The bill also explicitly prohibits the use of e-bikes and e-scooters on the Hudson River Greenway.

It may take a little time for local authorities to determine their rules and permitting processes for e-scooters and bikes, so it’ll likely be a while yet before you can legally hop on one in Brooklyn. Bird, for instance, told The Verge it doesn’t expect to bring its scooters to New York until next spring.

Move closer, however, and you’ll notice a new clasp in the center of the frame. Gocycle has redesigned the folding mechanism and claims the GX can be broken down in under 10 seconds. Unlike the company’s previous models, you don’t have to take the wheels off. You merely flip the switch and fold the frame in half so that both wheels are facing each other. A second clasp brings the handlebars down to the side, next to the front wheel. You’re then able to hold the saddle with your hand and roll the bike along like a suitcase. Alternatively, you can remove the seat post entirely and slip it through a rubbery loop that keeps the folded frame together.

Truthfully, I couldn’t fold or unfold the bike in less than 10 seconds. My times slowly improved, though, and with a little more practice I’m confident that I could do everything in under 15 seconds. That’s fast enough, in my opinion, to not feel like a chore while preparing to leave the house or office. I can imagine some frustrated looks if I spent that long in front of a subway ticket barrier, however. You should probably stop and fold the bike, therefore, in a quiet corner before interacting with the public.

It’s a smart system, though I wonder how long the aforementioned loop will last. The stretchy material is critical to the design and could, I fear, wear out after a few years of daily use. A Gocycle spokesperson told me, however, that the company has stress-tested the folding mechanism and is confident in its durability — for now, I’ll have to take their word for it.

On the road, the GX performs like many other electric bicycles. It has a 500W motor and a top speed of 20MPH, which by law are capped at 250W and 15.5MPH in Europe. (The bike won’t be restricted in the US, where legislation allows “low-speed electric bicycles” with a 750W motor and a 20MPH top speed.) The GX has three manual gears that you switch between with a tradition twist-grip on the right-hand side. The highest of the three is still a fairly low gear, however, so it’s hard to breach the 20MPH ceiling without a steep hill or the ferocity of a Tour de France winner.

The bike has various levels of assist that you can tweak inside the GocycleConnect app. The pre-loaded profiles, such as “City” and “Eco,” are sensible and self-explanatory. I was more interested in the “Custom” tab, however, that lets you build a rider profile from scratch. You can decide when the motor kicks in — specifically, how much power the rider needs to be generating — and the overall strength of the assist. You can set a low power threshold, for instance, to maximise your acceleration at traffic lights. Or, if you fancy a workout, cap the motor assistance for a day.

The GX has small tyres, similar to a Brompton. I liked the riding position, which is fairly upright thanks to the straight handlebars, and never once felt like I was on a child’s plaything. Gocycles aren’t meant for mountain trails but I appreciated the rear ‘Lockhock’ suspension whenever I bounced off a curb or over a large speed bump. The hydraulic disc brakes were sharp and the manual gear shifter, while basic, was reliable and responsive.

Nestled inside the frame is a 300Wh battery. Gocycle says the GX will carry you up to 40 miles on a single charge, depending on the terrain and how you’ve set up the assistive motor. It takes seven hours to recharge or four with an optional fast charger. I wasn’t able to test either claim, unfortunately, during my brief stint on the bike. The battery is removable but, notably, you can’t buy extra cells and keep a fresh one in your bag.

The bike is available to order now for £2,899/$3,299. It sits in-between the entry-level GS (£2,499) and flagship G3 (£3,499), both of which use the older and slower method of disassembly. The G3 is still the top-tier model, however, because it has predictive gear shifting, an adaptive daytime running light on the handlebars, and other ‘smart’ features not found on the mass-market GX. All three bikes, while expensive, are competitively priced with the electric Brompton (£2,595) and folding Hummingbird (£4,495). As always, you need to think of them as car replacements, rather than slightly more powerful bicycles, to justify the steep asking price.