What’s better? A Greenedge CS2 ebike or a Gtech Sport?
If you’ve been asking around for a good entry level electric bike you will have almost certainly heard of the Gtech ebike. The company behind it has been quite successful in pushing it to be reviewed in a number of media outlets. When you’re about to spend £1000, isn’t it a good idea to have a look around? Here at E-Bikes Direct we have a machine that is probably a better buy than the Gtech bike – the Greenedge CS2 Electric Bike. Let’s compare them.
Specs of the two bikes
Let’s look at the key specifications of the two bikes and let you make your own brief assessment before drawing out some of the pros and cons of each bike.
Greenedge CS2 E-Bike:
The Greenedge CS2 is an electric bike built exclusively for Electric Bikes Direct to our specifications for a nice utility runabout or a lower priced commuting bike.
- Motor: 250w brushless rear hub motor
- Frame: Alloy
- Suspension: Zoom front suspension fork
- Wheel size: 26in Wheels and Kenda Tyres
- Number of gears: 6 Speed
- Drivetrain: Chain
- Brakes: Disc Brakes front and rear
- Range: Up to 35 Miles
- Weight: 19kg with battery
Gtech Sport Ebike
The Gtech Sport is a well-marketed utility / commuter ebike that has had great reviews from the non-cycling press. As you will see though, not all that glitters is gold!
- Motor: 250w brushless motor
- Frame: Alloy
- Suspension: No suspension
- Wheel size: 700c
- Number of gears: 1 Speed
- Drivetrain: Belt drive
- Brakes: Linear Pull Vee Brakes
- Range: Up to 30 miles
- Weight: 16kg without battery
What does this all mean?
Let’s pick this list apart to get a full appreciation of what you’re getting on each ebike. Both bikes have a lightweight alloy frame and indeed the Gtech Sport is a little lighter when compared in weight with its battery on. The weight seems to be the only thing going for it on this list though.
One of the reasons you may be looking at an electric bike is that the hills around your home take a little too much effort to climb. The Greenedge CS2 has six gears so you can use the battery on a low setting for the smaller hummocks and still manage the bigger climbs without completely draining the juice from it. The Gtech Sport however has only one gear meaning that you’re either going to need battery support or not at all. You will burn more battery per mile as a result. While the claimed range is around 30 miles on both you’re more likely to manage a 20 mile round trip on our bike than the Gtech!
The Gtech’s weight here could be an advantage, but you the rider could be a 12 stone sylph or larger eighteen stone rider – if you’re on the top end and trying to get some exercise then you could be carrying a lot more than 5kgs of lipids around your middle or upper legs so the weight difference will be wiped out…
Disc brakes on the Greenedge are part of the weight difference. Disc brakes are significantly heavier than the Vee brakes on the Gtech. However you trade the weight for better speed control, and if you’re going at a fair lick on a downhill stretch in the wet you will have higher brake performance as Vees are more susceptible to the rain than discs. That makes the Greenedge the better bike in all-weather cycling.
Another weight addition is the presence of the suspension forks on the Greenedge. These make for a more comfortable ride than the fixed forks on the Gtech ebike. The rider returning to the road will have comfort close to the top of their list and the Greenedge bike wins on this one!
For general running and maintenance, the Greenedge CS2 is as easy to run as a traditional bike. It has a six-speed gear system that is run on a chain. For those who put the miles in every day on this electric bike you can send it in for a tune up to an ordinary bike mechanic to sort any chain stretch, brake and gear cable issues that need to be looked at every 1000 miles of riding. The Gtech ebike however has a belt drive – while this has some benefits over the chain drive, many a bike mechanic will turn you away.
Overall?
For E-Bikes Direct to say our own machine is the better electric bike is really to ask whether a bear goes to the toilet in the woods! We do believe that however our Greenedge CS2 is the better bike. You can try the bike for yourself – just email us to ask about a test ride or check out the rave reviews it’s gained over the years that it’s been in service.