Gocycle CXi and Gocycle CX+: Family Cargo Ebike Comes as a Duo

Update 27th March 2024

 

Until the end of April 2024, you can still pre-order a Gocycle CXi or a Gocycle CX+. Before the deadline ends, Karbon Kinectics is really banging the drum once again and has published new pictures of this e-cargo bike today. They show pre-production models and future accessories.

Based on the material, it becomes clear that the manufacturer will also apply its Formula 1-inspired design to elements that were previously hardly to be expected. This is most obvious in the railing, which is intended to guarantee additional safety for younger and older passengers in the child seat or on the seat bench. Its shape is based on the protective bar that you will recognise from Formula 1 racing cars. There, it is designed to protect drivers from head injuries in the event of a crash if one of the racing cars rolls over.

On the future Family Cargo from Gocycle, the railing is aptly named HaloCX. Made from carbon fibre, it is designed to be highly stable despite its low weight. There should be no sharp edges or welded seams, as the pictures already show. Another borrowing from motorsport are the small footboards called winglets on the rear triangle of the bike. They are designed to make it easier for young passengers to get on and off the child seat or seat bench.

In addition to child seats and a seat bench, with side panniers, a smaller cargo bag and a basket designed for transporting small pets, further accessories are shown. All of these accessories are intended to be easily interchangeable thanks to their compatibility with the MIK standard. The rear rack itself is available in cherry wood and teak on request.

 

Original post 7th February 2024

 

In autumn 2023, British manufacturer Gocycle announced its intention to offer a compact family cargo ebike alongside its sleek folding bike. The first images and extensive information on the bike’s specs have now been released. It is therefore worth taking a look to see how similar the announcement and the actual product are, what parallels there are to the previous model and what else stands out.

The first positive surprise is the fact that Gocycle is actually presenting its new Family Cargo as a mini-series. The Gocycle CX+ and the Gocycle CXi only differ in a few details. More on this later. However, this is clearly reflected in the price. Here, 7,999 euros for the Gocycle CX+ and 6,999 euros for the Gocycle CXi stand in contrast to each other. This also confirms one of our assumptions made in October, when Gocycle first reported on its plans. In terms of content, the presentation at the time left a number of questions unanswered. However, its high-quality appearance was unmistakable. To us at least, it gave the impression that the manufacturer wanted to produce a very exclusive product. The sums now being asked fit the picture perfectly.

1. What was announced?
2. Comparison with the G4
3. Details of the ebike system

1. What was announced?

Despite a rather vague description of the cargo bike itself, Gocycle clearly emphasised a few features that it would have. The following four points stuck with us.

Low weight

The biggest advantage of an e-cargo bike is usually that you can use it to transport very heavy and bulky items from A to B over short distances that would not normally fit on a bike. The downside of the story: Due to the special requirements for the construction and the necessary cargo space, such bikes usually weigh significantly more than an e-mountain bike or an e-trekking bike. Gocycle wanted to counteract this and produce a relatively light e-cargo bike.

The final result is 23 kilograms. The manufacturer achieved this with a mix of materials on the frame, for example. This consists largely of 6061 aluminium. Carbon fibre is used on the rear triangle and parts of the Cleandrive are made of a polymer. With an overall length of 195 centimetres, this is a remarkably low weight. In comparison: A Cube Longtail Hybrid also measures 195 centimetres and weighs around 35 kilograms. The Moustache Lundi 20 weighs around 31 kilograms at 200 centimetres. With its Quick Haul, Tern also manages a total weight of just 23 kilograms. However, it is more than 20 centimetres shorter.

OneDesignDNA®

Visually, the CX+ and CXi are immediately recognisable as a Gocycle. The single-sided fork and the single-sided rear stay as well as the side-mounted wheels with the striking five spokes and the drive train called Cleandrive, which is completely enclosed by a fairing – all of this you may recognise from the G1, G2, G3 or G4 and you will find it again on the new models. Belonging to the Gocycle family is recognisable in so many details that denying it would be absolutely pointless.

Revolutionary new technologies

What brands consider revolutionary is always in the eye of the beholder. In this case, in the eye of the manufacturer. Last year, Gocycle merely dropped the phrase and refrained from explaining what it meant. It is quite possible that the wording referred to the Flofit® handlebars. It comes with lots of integrated electronics. Firstly, there is a fingertip control. Gocycle has not yet explained what exactly can be operated by tapping the handlebar with your finger. Maybe it activates the lights or an electronic anti-theft device? That remains to be seen.

At least one thing is for sure, the support level cannot be changed using this function. This only works via the app. If you want to do this while riding, you actually have to have the smartphone with the app installed on the handlebars in order to use it as a kind of display. Therefore, a Quad-Lock® mount on the handlebars is optionally available. If you do without it, you will always ride in the riding mode that was last set in the app. This is exactly what the manufacturer wants. When asked, Gocycle explains that 90 per cent of owners have so far set their ebike to City+ mode once and only change it again in the app in exceptional cases. If you want to use your smartphone on the handlebars, you can get the necessary power directly from the ebike drive via the integrated USB interface.

In comparison, the way of shifting seems much more innovative. On the underside of the Flofit® handlebars, a red button can be seen on the left and right. The right button is used to change gears. If you hold the left button pressed, you trigger a boost.

Ergonomics taken into account

Adjusting the grip angle, on the other hand, is purely mechanical. Small levers on the underside of the handlebars are used for this purpose. Once you have folded these out, you can change the position of the handlebars. This is most obvious on the grip extensions at the ends of the handlebars. You can have them point horizontally backwards, upwards or downwards. Only a practical test will show whether this makes sense. This is because the headlight integrated into the front of the handlebars changes its orientation accordingly. And it remains to be seen how helpful it is to direct the light skywards.

If you really want the Flofit® handlebars, you have to go for the CX+. This is the aforementioned costly difference between the CX+ and CXi.

2. Comparison with the G4

You’ve already learnt a lot about the similarities between the G4 and the Family Cargo models. We will now take a closer look at selected features.

Folding mechanism

If you followed last year’s announcement, you may have wondered whether Gocycle would also implement the folding mechanism on the e-cargo bike. And yes, they did. Only a few manufacturers have dared to do this before. Folding here doesn’t just mean folding down the handlebars and inserting or removing the seat post. The mechanism effectively splits the bike down the middle. The most compact version can be reduced to the following dimensions:

• Length: 118 cm
• Height: 78 cm
• Width: 40 cm

Front hub motor

The manufacturer also remains true to itself with regard to the drive. Identical to the previous folding bike, the motor is located in the hub of the front wheel. This decision raises a few question marks for us. There is often a little less weight on the front wheel. This means that there is a greater risk of not having optimum contact with the ground. In these moments, a front hub motor does not generate any propulsion and sometimes even tends to spin out. On a longtail like this e-cargo bike, the centre of gravity is quite far back. Especially if you are carrying a lot of load. At this point, you can only hope that Gocycle has done a good job with the geometry and maintaining the balance between the front and rear of the bike. If not, you should be more careful when riding over an edge where the front wheel has to be lifted.

Gear hub

In the “normal” models, Gocycle uses a gear hub from Shimano featuring just three gears. All other manufacturers try to avoid such a coarse gradation between the gears and the limited gear range of less than 300 per cent. Gocycle at least switches to the Shimano Nexus Inter-5E. This increases the number of gears to five. However, the gear range is still only a rather modest 263 per cent.

Lockshock

The Gocycle G4 uses a damping element so that you don’t feel every last bump in the road. However, the Lockshock is not a sophisticated shock , but an elastomer that does not offer any individual adjustment options. Already for riders with a body weight of 80 kilograms or more, it takes on its limits. To improve the stability of the entire frame, Gocycle has dispensed with the Lockshock on the CX+ and CXi.

3. Details of the ebike system

The aforementioned front motor offers you various riding modes. In addition to City and Eco, there are others that you can customise using the GocycleConnect app. A torque sensor controls its output of 250 watts in continuous operation, which is permitted in Europe. The battery integrated at the anterior part of the frame has a capacity of 375 watt hours. It can be fully charged from zero to 100 per cent in around three and a half hours. Gocycle states a maximum range of 80 kilometres.

In the latest pictures, fine wood adorns the cargo bed of the rear carrier. Apparently, these are options for purchase. The basic version will probably be fitted with something less expensive. Child seats and other accessories that are compatible with the MIK system can then be installed there. Incidentally, the new models are not yet available to buy. At the moment, you can only pre-order one of them in six different colours. The 499 euros invested will be deducted from the purchase price at a later date. Delivery is expected to start in September 2024.

Gocycle Family Cargo at a glance

• Variants: Gocycle CX+, Gocycle CXi
• Frame: Hydroformed front frame made of 6061 T6 aluminium, rear triangle made of carbon fibre and Cleandrive made of injection-moulded polymer
• Motor: G4drive
• Battery: 375 Wh
• Drivetrain: Shimano Nexus Inter-5E
• Brakes: hydraulic disc brakes
• Weight: approx. 23 kg
• Maximum load including rider: 220 kg
• Colours: Grey Black, White Black, White Orange, White Yellow, White Blue, White Green
• Prices: 7,999 euros / 6,999 euros

 

Pictures: Karbon Kinetics Ltd.