Gocycle G5: An In-Depth First Look at the All-New Gocycle

Gocycle is back. And if the all-new G5 is anything to go by, this isn’t simply the return of one of Britain’s most innovative eBike brands, it’s the beginning of a very different chapter.

For those of us who have followed Gocycle from its earliest days, the past couple of years have been frustrating. Few electric bikes are quite as distinctive as a Gocycle, and even during the brand’s recent hiatus, at Fully Charged we’ve continued to see significant interest from customers looking for one.

Now, under the stewardship of the Aventon business, Gocycle is officially returning – and leading the comeback is the completely reworked Gocycle G5.

The first production bikes are expected to arrive in the UK towards the end of 2026, ahead of a wider European rollout in 2027.

Join the waiting list now for the new Gocycle G5 and Gocycle G5+, with a refundable deposit of £100.

We’ve already had an early opportunity to see and ride the new bike, and there’s plenty to talk about.

Gocycle is back – but this isn’t just another G4

At first glance, the G5 is unmistakably a Gocycle.

The clean lines, single-sided wheel mounting, enclosed drivetrain, integrated cockpit and 20-inch wheels all preserve the industrial-design language that has defined the brand for years.

Look more closely, though, and an enormous amount has changed.

Arguably the most important development is that Gocycle appears to have reconsidered some of the complexity that characterised earlier generations. Previous Gocycles were brilliantly engineered, but brilliant engineering can sometimes create its own problems. Certain jobs required specialist knowledge, proprietary components or more workshop time than would be expected on a conventional bicycle.

The G5 has been designed with serviceability much more firmly in mind.

That’s potentially a very significant improvement for owners – and, as a Gocycle retailer and service centre, something we’re particularly pleased to see.

A completely redesigned rear end

One of the biggest engineering changes is at the back of the bike.

The G5 has an entirely new rear frame and drivetrain arrangement. Some of the engineering knowledge gained during development of Gocycle’s ultimately unreleased longtail cargo-bike project has reportedly found its way into the new platform, contributing to a stronger structure. Gone is the more complicated drivetrain architecture of previous G-series bikes. In its place is a considerably more familiar arrangement built around a Shimano Nexus five-speed internal gear hub and, more excitingly – a carbon belt drive, left somewhat exposed so as almost ‘showing off’.

Moving to five gears is significant in itself. Greater gearing range had been a regular request from Gocycle customers, and the Nexus hub remains recognisable to bicycle workshops and is easy to service.

A conventionally threaded bottom bracket is another welcome change.

The objective appears clear: retain the cleanliness and visual simplicity for which Gocycle is famous while making the machinery underneath it considerably easier to live with.

For a premium eBike designed to be used for many years, we think that’s a sensible direction.

The G5 does things differently.

From our experience with the bike so far, folding takes somewhere in the region of five to ten seconds once you’re familiar with the process.

That’s an important distinction because Gocycle has never really been about creating the absolute smallest possible folded bicycle.

The 20-inch wheels remain because ride quality matters. Instead, the G5 aims to create a bike that rides like a proper bicycle and can then be quickly reduced to a much more manageable package for storage, transport or taking inside.

It’s also possible to access the charging port while the G5 is folded, so there’s no need to unfold the bike every time you want to charge it.

Even the kickstand has been revisited. Its design has been changed partly in response to feedback from owners of previous generations, where the stand could occasionally mark the frame during folding and unfolding.

These might sound like small changes individually. Collectively, they’re evidence of a bike being developed using many years of real-world customer experience.

Aluminium G5 or Carbon G5+

Another major change is that the new platform will be offered in two distinct specifications.

The Gocycle G5 uses aluminium front and rear frame sections, an aluminium fork and magnesium wheels.

The premium Gocycle G5+ moves to carbon fibre for the front and rear frame, fork and wheels.

This is particularly interesting because it should allow Gocycle to cover a much broader part of the premium eBike market than before.

The carbon G5+ represents the more exotic expression of the concept, very much in keeping with the engineering-led Gocycles we’ve known previously.

The aluminium G5, meanwhile, has the potential to make the Gocycle proposition accessible at a considerably lower price point, more akin to Aventon’s existing product range.

Indicative pricing discussed around the launch suggests the G5+ could sit at approximately £3,999, while the aluminium G5 could potentially come in below £3,000, although final UK pricing and specifications should be confirmed closer to launch.

If achieved, that’s a meaningful repositioning and makes the Gocycle hugely competitive against its peers.

The front motor remains – but it has evolved

One thing Gocycle hasn’t abandoned is its front-wheel motor.

That might surprise anyone expecting the new bike to follow the increasingly common mid-drive route, but the front hub has always been fundamental to the Gocycle concept.

Keeping the motor at the front allows the drivetrain and electric assistance systems to remain largely independent, while maintaining the clean packaging that makes the bike so distinctive and ensuring that the bike remains well-balanced when carrying.

For the G5, the system evolves again with Gocycle’s new TracDrive™ front-hub motor technology, incorporating traction control. That’s particularly interesting on a front-driven eBike.

For UK and European bikes, assistance will remain within the relevant pedelec regulations, with the EU/UK version using a 250W continuous-rated motor and assistance up to 25km/h.

No rear suspension? Yes, really.

One of the more surprising omissions is the elastomer rear suspension found on previous Gocycles, known as the LockShock. The G5 is therefore a hardtail. On paper, we initially wondered whether we’d miss it. During our brief time riding the bike, however, its absence wasn’t particularly obvious. The combination of frame compliance and the relatively generous-volume 20-inch tyres still provides a good degree of cushioning, resulting in a very smooth ride.

So far, the signs are incredibly encouraging.

A very different Gocycle cockpit

The handlebar has always been one of Gocycle’s defining features, and the G5 continues that tradition.

Dominating the new cockpit is a large integrated digital display, with with space for LED dots representing speed, battery level, gearing and efficiency.

Twist controls positioned alongside the grips allow the rider to interact with assistance and gearing.

And there’s another clever change here too. Rather than having a separate power button on the frame, the bike can be activated from the handlebar control. When switched on, the predictive electronic shifting system calibrates itself so that the bike is ready to move away in first gear rather than simply remaining in whichever gear was previously selected.

It’s a small detail, but exactly the sort of detail that matters on a bike designed primarily for urban riding.

Five-speed electronic predictive shifting

The new Shimano Nexus five-speed hub is paired with Gocycle’s electronic Predictive Shifting system. Internal gear hubs make enormous sense on urban eBikes. They’re clean, protected from knocks and generally require considerably less day-to-day attention than a conventional derailleur.

Combine that with a belt rather than a conventional chain and you’ve got the foundations of a very low-maintenance everyday drivetrain.

It’s also much closer to technology that an experienced bicycle mechanic will immediately recognise. For us, that’s one of the most encouraging aspects of the entire G5 project.

Gocycle hasn’t stopped being technically interesting. It has simply become technically interesting in places where that sophistication benefits the rider.

Aventon’s influence goes beyond manufacturing

The new ownership also brings considerable expertise in software and connected eBikes, and this could ultimately prove to be one of the biggest differences between the G5 and previous generations.

The G5 will connect to an all-new Gocycle app via Bluetooth, allowing riders to configure various aspects of the bike. Ride characteristics can be adjusted with modes including Auto, Eco, Sport, Turbo and On-Demand, while lighting behaviour can also be configured.

The connected platform opens the door to a much richer digital relationship with the bike, with technologies such as location and security functionality forming an important part of Gocycle’s new direction.

Gocycle has always looked like the eBike somebody might have imagined we’d all be riding in the future. Making the software experience equally sophisticated feels like a natural progression.

Still a Gocycle to ride

Perhaps the most important thing we can say after our first experience is that the G5 still feels like a Gocycle.

When a distinctive brand changes ownership, there’s always a concern that the things which originally made it interesting will gradually disappear.

Based on what we’ve seen so far, that doesn’t appear to be what’s happening here.

You are still getting the same great Gocycle features, but the difference is that many of the areas hidden underneath that beautiful exterior have been reconsidered.

Gocycle says the intention is for far more of the bike to be serviceable by a normal competent bicycle workshop rather than requiring specialist intervention.

As Gocycle’s largest retailer and having sold and supported Gocycles for many years, that’s exactly the sort of evolution we wanted to see.

What about weight and range?

The G5 remains very much a full-size-riding folding eBike rather than an ultra-light folding bicycle.

Gocycle is targeting the new generation around the familiar balance of portability, performance and everyday usability rather than chasing the smallest possible folded dimensions or lowest possible number on the scales.

That being said, the G5 remains exceptionally light at approximately 19kg, including kickstand and pedals.

The battery remains quickly removable, which is particularly useful for commuters who need to leave the bike downstairs or in a communal storage area while taking the battery elsewhere to charge.

Gocycle is also targeting the sort of real-world range that should comfortably cover the majority of urban commuting and leisure use.

We’ll reserve judgement on range until we can test a final production bike ourselves. Manufacturer range figures suggest up to 50 miles (80km), but as we know terrain, temperature, assistance level, rider weight and rider input can make an enormous difference to what you’ll actually achieve.

Fully Charged’s first impressions

We’ve had a long relationship with Gocycle and have sold more than a thousand of its bikes over the years. What has perhaps been most striking during the brand’s absence is that customer interest never really disappeared. People still came into Fully Charged stores asking about Gocycle. Existing owners still wanted support. Prospective customers still wanted to know whether and when the brand would return.

We now have an answer.

And, importantly, Gocycle hasn’t simply restarted production of what it was making before. The G5 looks like a genuine generational change.

It retains the visual drama and unconventional thinking that made Gocycle special in the first place, while addressing some of the complexity, serviceability and price barriers that arguably limited previous generations.

The fast- fold will make it easy to live with. The five-speed internal gearing answers a long-standing customer request. The belt-driven drivetrain should be clean and low maintenance. The new digital architecture brings the connected side of the bike up to date. And the introduction of aluminium and carbon platforms should make the Gocycle proposition relevant to a much broader group of riders.

Most encouragingly, though, the new bike doesn’t feel like somebody has taken Gocycle’s badge and stuck it onto a conventional folding eBike.

It still feels like a Gocycle. Just, perhaps, a more mature and more usable one.

The first production G5s are expected in the UK towards the end of 2026, and Fully Charged expects to be among the first UK retailers to receive them.

We’ll publish confirmed UK pricing, colours and final production specifications as they’re released, and we’ll be getting a production G5 out onto the streets of London for a comprehensive Fully Charged review as soon as we can.

Watch this space.