GTECH EBIKE SPORT

£995.99 Does the vacuum brand’s e-bike suck?

Through advertising on television, Gtech has opened up the idea of e-bikes to the general public with its USP of simplicity. The Sport features a simple aluminium frame with plain white paint, and doesn’t have any gears to confuse or complicate the ride. The drivetrain uses a Gates belt rather than a chain, so there will be no issues with oily legs or snagging clothing. V-brakes provide a decent amount of stopping power, but as with all rim brakes their performance suffers in the wet.

A bottle-shaped 200w removable battery pack doubles as the bike’s controller, it features just one button and there’s a large display that shows the battery percentage and which power mode the bike is in (normal or eco). The battery clicks out of place and slots vertically into its charger, taking around four hours to reach full charge. The battery pack doesn’t lock to the frame, so you do need to take it with you.

It’s not the fastest or most powerful of e-bikes, and notable human effort is required to assist the motor on steep climbs, but its power is introduced smoothly. Gtech claims a range of up to 30 miles from a single charge using the bike’s slower eco mode. Our tester mostly used its maximum power mode, and saw a range of between 15 and 20 miles. At 16kg its weight is reasonable, and the bike remains perfectly rideable should you run out of charge.

We’d like it to be a little more pokey and available in a greater range of sizes, the Sport is only available in a 20in frame size, but the Gtech won us over with its cleverness and simplicity. SPECIFICATION Weight 16kg (20in) Frame Aluminium Fork Aluminium Gears Gates belt drive Brakes Tektro V-brakes Wheels 700c, aluminium Finishing kit Aluminium bar and stem, Gtech motor in rear hub, 200w removable battery pack, CST XPedium Safe+ tyres