Gtech eScent 650b Electric Mountain Bike - 27.5" - £1,000 @ Cycle Republic

Review from Tom 29/5/19: 1 out of 5

"Gtech should stick to vacuum cleaners.

The first bike I received had a range of 5 miles, the second ,8. You could feel the motor working against you. I can't fault the service from David at Cycle Republic. When I realized what a piece of junk this is, he was so helpful in supplying me a great ebike...Haibike with Bosch motor."

deleted45271323/06/2019 13:13

Two words: up grade.I bought a similar e-bike and installed a more …Two words: up grade.I bought a similar e-bike and installed a more powerful motor. I can get 40mph out of it on a smooth pavement. Almost as quick as a motorbike yet Ive got the freedom to not wear a helmet and I can ride on the pavement when I need to.Read lessRead more

Not wearing a helmet at 40mph isn't freedom - it's suicide.

Had one for 2 years .. Best thing I ever did for getting to work and back .

im a fatty and at a push can get 10 mile before it’s flat when you see the adverts it’s little skinny women so that’s how they say upto 30 miles a charge

Master_Yoda23/06/2019 02:38

Review from Tom 29/5/19: 1 out of 5"Gtech should stick to vacuum …Review from Tom 29/5/19: 1 out of 5"Gtech should stick to vacuum cleaners.The first bike I received had a range of 5 miles, the second ,8. You could feel the motor working against you. I can't fault the service from David at Cycle Republic. When I realized what a piece of junk this is, he was so helpful in supplying me a great ebike...Haibike with Bosch motor."Read lessRead more

Right next to it are two other reviews both giving 5/5. Why would you make such a completely biased post not mentioning the other reviews? Also the negative review is very recent.

Brilliant
Rating100%
I got my eScent about a year and a half ago from cycle republic, best thing I could of done being in my fifties as it has got me back into riding again. Now a lot of my friends are looking to buy one instead of taking the mickey out of me for going electric.
Review by Denmul

Posted on 22/02/2019

He loves it!
Rating100%
I bought the Gtech Ebike for my partner and he loves it. Biking is easier and hills are no problem any more. Only wish I had done it sooner.
Review by SamanthaA

Posted on 22/10/2018

Master_Yoda23/06/2019 02:38

Review from Tom 29/5/19: 1 out of 5"Gtech should stick to vacuum …Review from Tom 29/5/19: 1 out of 5"Gtech should stick to vacuum cleaners.The first bike I received had a range of 5 miles, the second ,8. You could feel the motor working against you. I can't fault the service from David at Cycle Republic. When I realized what a piece of junk this is, he was so helpful in supplying me a great ebike...Haibike with Bosch motor."Read lessRead more

Musta had a faulty Bicycle, or ordered it wanting to hate it from the start.

I've got one to replace me Crossfire-e from Halfords, it's better in every way, and I personally prefer hub motors to mid drives. I have a Crossfuse as well with the Bosch Mid Drive and I'm selling it, which is why I picked up this bike. I think having the motor on the rear wheel is superior as it pushes you, mid drives make it feel like you're doing all the work. (edited)

I keep seeing people making comparisons with the Haibike but really they are different bikes. This actually has some decent components on it but the e-bike parts are fairly lightweight and low end. It's a better bike with more minimal electrical assist. The Bosch based haibike at around £1500 is a far inferior bicycle but with a more powerful and longer range e-bike parts plus it's a old generation Bosch with high cost maintenance and much more drag when not powered. Those Bosch motors have issues with bearings and the small cog means they chew through chains. It costs far more to maintain with more proprietary parts. In fact Bosch has bought out a new range of e-bike motors that address many of these issues although they still seem to have a lot of plastic parts internally.

This is a bargain at £1,000 based on the components you are getting. I mean what is the minimum price of a Haibike with an air fork and a Deore drivetrain?

If you want an e-bike with the maximum assisted range this clearly isn't it. If you want an e-bike just to assist you with the crap bits (hills) but basically use your own power the rest of the time for fitness then it's ideal. If you want a real mountain bike capable of taking quite rough trails then this is it but if you want to go up very steep inclines on the trails on this bike you will have to work harder on this bike.

If you want a bike you can still use when you forget to charge the battery this is definitely it over the Haibike, it's lighter with less drag from the motor.

If you are a heavy rider then this might also be the better option. This bike is rated and certified to about 160kg total load but the Haibike is rated to about 120kg, 40kg less.

At £1200 it was a stretch to say get a Haibike anyway due to the cost difference but here we are talking of £1,000 which is considerably less than a Haibike. Surly now we are in the territory of comparison between different e-bikes many of which have the low end bicycle components of the Haibike but with hub motors and larger capacity batteries than the Gtech so they basically offer a far inferior bike but with a similar hub motor but superior battery capacity.

If all you want to do is have electrical assist for the whole journey, will only be going along gravel paths at worst and don't mind paying for higher maintenance costs then an entry level Haibike is probably the better option.

If you want a Haibike with air shock and decent components it's going to be a minimum of £2,000 possibly nearer £3,000 and so shouldn't be compared to this Gtech bike which is only a fraction of that money.

Looking at the haibike range this seems to be the entry level Haibike mountain bike which is 2,800 euros. It has the same Deore groupset as the Gtech, inferior air shock and similar level components as the Gtech but with the benefit of a mid-mount motor setup.

haibike.com/at/…940

If it’s anything like the vacuum cleaner I would avoid like the plague do not waste your money

bonzobanana23/06/2019 08:41

Right next to it are two other reviews both giving 5/5. Why would you make …Right next to it are two other reviews both giving 5/5. Why would you make such a completely biased post not mentioning the other reviews? Also the negative review is very recent. BrilliantRating100%I got my eScent about a year and a half ago from cycle republic, best thing I could of done being in my fifties as it has got me back into riding again. Now a lot of my friends are looking to buy one instead of taking the mickey out of me for going electric.Review by Denmul Posted on 22/02/2019He loves it!Rating100%I bought the Gtech Ebike for my partner and he loves it. Biking is easier and hills are no problem any more. Only wish I had done it sooner.Review by SamanthaA Posted on 22/10/2018Read lessRead more

GTech Employyees..

scottswaha23/06/2019 14:04

50cc of 2 stroke power all you tree huggers

Don't forget the Mot, insurance, tax and a CBT you'll need to get with that.

The odd time I've wandered round second exchange shops like CEX, they seem to have more than their fair share of Gtech stuff. Overpriced tat that people soon realise isn't up to the job.

Think you would need to convince me the bikes are any different

well if its with halfords then it means it is suitable for cycle to work scheme so depending on your tax bracket an extra saving on top.

Two words: up grade.

I bought a similar e-bike and installed a more powerful motor. I can get 40mph out of it on a smooth pavement. Almost as quick as a motorbike yet Ive got the freedom to not wear a helmet and I can ride on the pavement when I need to.

yorinul23/06/2019 14:10

Don't forget the Mot, insurance, tax and a CBT you'll need to get with …Don't forget the Mot, insurance, tax and a CBT you'll need to get with that.Read lessRead more

A CBT? Was that the thing I did before I passed my DAS?

deleted106500223/06/2019 07:20

Musta had a faulty Bicycle, or ordered it wanting to hate it from the …Musta had a faulty Bicycle, or ordered it wanting to hate it from the start. I've got one to replace me Crossfire-e from Halfords, it's better in every way, and I personally prefer hub motors to mid drives. I have a Crossfuse as well with the Bosch Mid Drive and I'm selling it, which is why I picked up this bike. I think having the motor on the rear wheel is superior as it pushes you, mid drives make it feel like you're doing all the work.Read lessRead more

Agreed.
That Bosch mid drive felt horrible and heavy like sludge.
Rear cheapo motors feel much better.

Personator123423/06/2019 13:27

Not wearing a helmet at 40mph isn't freedom - it's suicide.

Nah, it's just illegal. Helmet or not. I smell troll.

Personator123423/06/2019 13:27

Not wearing a helmet at 40mph isn't freedom - it's suicide.

Yes freedom... Lol can you tell me which model bike and motor and we're from etc.. I want to do the same.. And it's freedom..but I would still get a helmet a good looking 1..for the look. Lol

P. S it's a joke

I have a full face helmet.. A motocross 1 and some goggles... Lol

It's a shame the battery is so small on this, I do wonder who the customer target is with this bike. The range will be very limited in offroad conditions and terrain. Perhaps they are aiming this at existing gtech sport ebike owners who can swap their existing batteries

deleted106500223/06/2019 07:20

Musta had a faulty Bicycle, or ordered it wanting to hate it from the …Musta had a faulty Bicycle, or ordered it wanting to hate it from the start. I've got one to replace me Crossfire-e from Halfords, it's better in every way, and I personally prefer hub motors to bid drives. I have a Crossfuse as well with the Bosch Mid Drive and I'm selling it, which is why I picked up this bike. I think having the motor on the rear wheel is superior as it pushes you, mid drives make it feel like you're doing all the work.Read lessRead more

How do you get on with half the battery power on this compared to that of the crossfire/crossfuse ?

rugman23/06/2019 07:28

How do you get on with half the battery power on this compared to that of …How do you get on with half the battery power on this compared to that of the crossfire/crossfuse ?Read lessRead more

It's less than the Crossfuse, it's about the same as as the Crossfire before the battery went to crap. However it gets me to work and back, and now I'm taking a shortcut which is cutting off 10 mins from my journey because I can now go through the fields.

Obviously though it is nowhere near as good as someones £2500+ full suspension ebike, but I'm just in need of a cheap ebike to get me to work and is comfortable. However the batteries always go to crap after 2 years, so you have to keep buying a new one, I find they're already dying after a year, you can tell the range is decreasing. My Crossfuse isn't even a year old, it used to get me to work with 82% of the battery left, now it's in the 60s, my Crossfire is in the 40s after 2 years.

People wondering why I\m buying from Halfords, because they're near by and I commute, so it's easier to just drop it off there and come back a few hours later with it fixed. I've had my issues with Halfords, but I've gotten to know a certain member of staff who is good... so I'm happy.

That said if you're in the Bedford area, refuse a guy called Russ, he will always lie and try to rip you off. He tried to tell me it cost £400ish for a wheel replacement on the Crossfire, it had more than 5 spokes broken, so apparently they cannot repair, just replace. Then with the Crossfuse he tried to tell me my Motor was fine and I needed to buy new Sprockets and chain etc..... but I sent the motor to Bosch, they said it's faulty and replaced it.

Good Bicycle, I like it, it'll last me another year and a half, then I'll buy something new.

deleted106500223/06/2019 07:40

It's less than the Crossfuse, it's about the same as as the Crossfire …It's less than the Crossfuse, it's about the same as as the Crossfire before the battery went to crap. However it gets me to work and back, and now I'm taking a shortcut which is cutting off 10 mins from my journey because I can now go through the fields. Obviously though it is nowhere near as good as someones £2500+ full suspension ebike, but I'm just in need of a cheap ebike to get me to work and is comfortable. However the batteries always go to crap after 2 years, so you have to keep buying a new one, I find they're already dying after a year, you can tell the range is decreasing. My Crossfuse isn't even a year old, it used to get me to work with 82% of the battery left, now it's in the 60s, my Crossfire is in the 40s after 2 years. People wondering why I\m buying from Halfords, because they're near by and I commute, so it's easier to just drop it off there and come back a few hours later with it fixed. I've had my issues with Halfords, but I've gotten to know a certain member of staff who is good... so I'm happy.That said if you're in the Bedford area, refuse a guy called Russ, he will always lie and try to rip you off. He tried to tell me it cost £400ish for a wheel replacement on the Crossfire, it had more than 5 spokes broken, so apparently they cannot repair, just replace. Then with the Crossfuse he tried to tell me my Motor was fine and I needed to buy new Sprockets and chain etc..... but I sent the motor to Bosch, they said it's faulty and replaced it. Good Bicycle, I like it, it'll last me another year and a half, then I'll buy something new.Read lessRead more

Cheers for the info. It's interesting as I'm on my 2nd Crossfire-e, my first I put 4500 miles commuting and day trips on it and 2 years old and sold it to a mate who is still using and getting good range 25-45 miles depending on assist level. I replaced it with another Crossfire-e as got a deal on it at about £600 after discounts, cashback etc and thats now 18 months old and I still get the about the same range as I did when I bought it, up to 50 miles on eco, about 25 on full assist.
I do charge every day, and occasionally run it right down.
I have suffered a few broken spokes, easy to replace (do it myself) but it's a pain. I did get a price from an independent wheel builder to get the crossfire hub respoked into a new stronger angled spoke rim with stronger spokes, about £140, but I have'ny done this as it's settled down now and I haven't had a spoke break for about 9 mths

nic023/06/2019 02:36

well if its with halfords then it means it is suitable for cycle to work …well if its with halfords then it means it is suitable for cycle to work scheme so depending on your tax bracket an extra saving on top.Read lessRead more

Cycle Republic also do cycle to work

I've got a 3 mile trip to work with about half a mile of this being a hill with a 30 odd percent gradient. Would this get me up the hill easily? I really want to ditch the car for work.

bonzobanana23/06/2019 08:23

I keep seeing people making comparisons with the Haibike but really they …I keep seeing people making comparisons with the Haibike but really they are different bikes. This actually has some decent components on it but the e-bike parts are fairly lightweight and low end. It's a better bike with more minimal electrical assist. The Bosch based haibike at around £1500 is a far inferior bicycle but with a more powerful and longer range e-bike parts plus it's a old generation Bosch with high cost maintenance and much more drag when not powered. Those Bosch motors have issues with bearings and the small cog means they chew through chains. It costs far more to maintain with more proprietary parts. In fact Bosch has bought out a new range of e-bike motors that address many of these issues although they still seem to have a lot of plastic parts internally.This is a bargain at £1,000 based on the components you are getting. I mean what is the minimum price of a Haibike with an air fork and a Deore drivetrain?If you want an e-bike with the maximum assisted range this clearly isn't it. If you want an e-bike just to assist you with the crap bits (hills) but basically use your own power the rest of the time for fitness then it's ideal. If you want a real mountain bike capable of taking quite rough trails then this is it but if you want to go up very steep inclines on the trails on this bike you will have to work harder on this bike.If you want a bike you can still use when you forget to charge the battery this is definitely it over the Haibike, it's lighter with less drag from the motor.If you are a heavy rider then this might also be the better option. This bike is rated and certified to about 160kg total load but the Haibike is rated to about 120kg, 40kg less.At £1200 it was a stretch to say get a Haibike anyway due to the cost difference but here we are talking of £1,000 which is considerably less than a Haibike. Surly now we are in the territory of comparison between different e-bikes many of which have the low end bicycle components of the Haibike but with hub motors and larger capacity batteries than the Gtech so they basically offer a far inferior bike but with a similar hub motor but superior battery capacity. If all you want to do is have electrical assist for the whole journey, will only be going along gravel paths at worst and don't mind paying for higher maintenance costs then an entry level Haibike is probably the better option. If you want a Haibike with air shock and decent components it's going to be a minimum of £2,000 possibly nearer £3,000 and so shouldn't be compared to this Gtech bike which is only a fraction of that money.Looking at the haibike range this seems to be the entry level Haibike mountain bike which is 2,800 euros. It has the same Deore groupset as the Gtech, inferior air shock and similar level components as the Gtech but with the benefit of a mid-mount motor setup. https://www.haibike.com/at/en/ebikes/emountainbikes/trail/sduro-fullnine-30-at781?id=4540198940Read lessRead more

There are so many haibike models that it's best to refer to them by name. I'm guessing from your £1500 price point that you're talking about the 'haibike sduro cross 1.0'. The 2019 model of that bike uses the updated bosch active line plus motor which uses a normal sized chain ring and massively reduces pedal resistance when the motor isn't powered. Bosch recently announced 2020 versions of their other motors (cx, performance line) that make the same change. The sduro cross 1.0 also comes with bosch's smallest battery, a 400Wh unit that is double the capacity of the Gtech.

I agree that this Gtech is a better bicycle than haibike's entry level models but I also think I'd go for the haibike over the Gtech as the motor system is more important than how many gears it has. I can replace gears later cheaply, good motors and batteries aren't cheap.

In fact I don't understand the Gtech's balance at all, they've strapped a cheap motor system to a pretty good mountain bike, however if you bought the bike because you wanted to use it as a good mountain bike (scrambling over a rock garden for instance) the motor system would be inadequate. I'd much rather see their cheap motor system on a cheap hybrid, like a carrera subway. They could produce a balanced ebike for £600 and help so many people.

CampGareth23/06/2019 10:35

There are so many haibike models that it's best to refer to them by name. …There are so many haibike models that it's best to refer to them by name. I'm guessing from your £1500 price point that you're talking about the 'haibike sduro cross 1.0'. The 2019 model of that bike uses the updated bosch active line plus motor which uses a normal sized chain ring and massively reduces pedal resistance when the motor isn't powered. Bosch recently announced 2020 versions of their other motors (cx, performance line) that make the same change. The sduro cross 1.0 also comes with bosch's smallest battery, a 400Wh unit that is double the capacity of the Gtech. I agree that this Gtech is a better bicycle than haibike's entry level models but I also think I'd go for the haibike over the Gtech as the motor system is more important than how many gears it has. I can replace gears later cheaply, good motors and batteries aren't cheap. In fact I don't understand the Gtech's balance at all, they've strapped a cheap motor system to a pretty good mountain bike, however if you bought the bike because you wanted to use it as a good mountain bike (scrambling over a rock garden for instance) the motor system would be inadequate. I'd much rather see their cheap motor system on a cheap hybrid, like a carrera subway. They could produce a balanced ebike for £600 and help so many people.Read lessRead more

I emailed Halfords suggesting a 1x Subway and 1x Subway e-bike and perhaps others have too over a year ago. Hopefully they will do that at some point. Fair point about the Bosch motor I thought it might have been the older one. Still don't like the amount of plastic gearing in them though, seems a product designed to fail after the warranty. Last time I looked at the Shimano internals of one of their mid-mount motors it looked like decent metal gearing atlhough perhaps that has changed more recently.

There are high end off-road e-mountain bikes with low capacity batteries now with more integrated batteries. You just use the motor assistance when you need it. Don't see why the Gtech can't be considered to be in the same class. If the hub motor has little drag and the bike weighs 19kg it is only slightly heavier than such bikes which I think may have acheived a weight as low as 17kg. (edited)

Plastic gears?


Marcus is not impressed.

I'd rather buy the apple stand for this much of money

the new gtech air ram.. ops wrong product

jameswalker45723/06/2019 08:45

I've got a 3 mile trip to work with about half a mile of this being a hill …I've got a 3 mile trip to work with about half a mile of this being a hill with a 30 odd percent gradient. Would this get me up the hill easily? I really want to ditch the car for work.Read lessRead more

30% gradient? for half a mile! That's steeper than stupidly steep stuff. On bikecalculator.com you'd need 1200W to 10mph up a 30% hill if you were a 75kg rider. Good look finding those extra 950W in your legs. If you find them turn pro!

250W will get you just over 2mph. I'd walk.

Half a mile might be me being dramatic let's say a couple of 100mtrs lol it is quite funny seeing people bike up it.... But I'm thinking with elec assist that extra couple of mph that it provides will probably make it easy.

Personator123423/06/2019 13:27

Not wearing a helmet at 40mph isn't freedom - it's suicide.

Sure, header a lamp post and your head will be 'protected' but your neck broken...

scottswaha23/06/2019 14:18

A CBT? Was that the thing I did before I passed my DAS?

Why would someone with a full bike license suggest converting a push bike into a moped? It would be much cheaper and easier to buy a moped!

yorinul23/06/2019 14:50

Why would someone with a full bike license suggest converting a push bike …Why would someone with a full bike license suggest converting a push bike into a moped? It would be much cheaper and easier to buy a moped!Read lessRead more

Well, believe it or not, it did happen! I'll ignore your inference.
Click the link in my second comment. (edited)

Reading through the comments here, it seems the best way to get a great deal and save money is to avoid ebikes altogether and just get fitter.

scottswaha23/06/2019 14:52

Well, believe it or not, it did happen! I'll ignore your inference.Click …Well, believe it or not, it did happen! I'll ignore your inference.Click the link in my second comment.Read lessRead more

I don't believe it!

I've read that the best way to get a decent e-bike was to buy a decent bike in the first place and then fit a good quality electric motor. Would this be the best direction to go in with £2k to spend

bonzobanana23/06/2019 11:07

I emailed Halfords suggesting a 1x Subway and 1x Subway e-bike and …I emailed Halfords suggesting a 1x Subway and 1x Subway e-bike and perhaps others have too over a year ago. Hopefully they will do that at some point. Fair point about the Bosch motor I thought it might have been the older one. Still don't like the amount of plastic gearing in them though, seems a product designed to fail after the warranty. Last time I looked at the Shimano internals of one of their mid-mount motors it looked like decent metal gearing atlhough perhaps that has changed more recently. There are high end off-road e-mountain bikes with low capacity batteries now with more integrated batteries. You just use the motor assistance when you need it. Don't see why the Gtech can't be considered to be in the same class. If the hub motor has little drag and the bike weighs 19kg it is only slightly heavier than such bikes which I think may have acheived a weight as low as 17kg.Read lessRead more

Plastic gearing does suck unless used carefully, e.g. as something to break before more serious damage gets done. Simply stop doing what you're doing, replace the plastic gear and get back to riding. That's where my issues with bosch come in, lack of parts availability. At least the bearings can be replaced yourself. Something's going to have to give and they'll either start producing basic parts (e.g. anything mechanical) or offering greatly extended warranties.

As for reduced batteries, got any examples? A quick look at bosch, yamaha, shimano etc. suggests it's 400Wh minimum.

Battery is tiny, so beware depending on the range you want.
Personally I would get a mid drive motor with a minimum of a 400wh battery.
Cube are good bikes, but you will need to spend around £1500.

realitybites23/06/2019 15:07

I've read that the best way to get a decent e-bike was to buy a decent …I've read that the best way to get a decent e-bike was to buy a decent bike in the first place and then fit a good quality electric motor. Would this be the best direction to go in with £2k to spendRead lessRead more

I don't think the diy route is as attractive as it was. I was planning to do this but the motor and battery prices have increased quite a lot, plus there seems to be quite a bit of faffing about to get things working reliably. The kicker is the resale value will be terrible. That is why I decided to get a Cube in the end......cost me around £1500 (discounted ex demo) and it has been fantastic so far (3 months in).

200wh battery, that is ridiculous. After 12 months you'd be lucky if that gets you 10 miles on a cold day with a few hills.