GoTrax Traveler: Specs
Weight: 58.5 kilos
Motor: Rear hub, 500W
Battery: Lithium-ion 48V, 480Wh, detachable, externally mounted
Max help pace: 20mph
Max vary: 31 miles
Charge time: 5 hours
Drivetrain: Shimano 7-speed
As e-bikes achieve reputation as an alternative choice to car use, shoppers can count on to see extra choices at very aggressive costs. The Gotrax Traveler matches into the finances class with a price ticket of $1,200, that means it’s geared towards the first-time e-bike purchaser who’s on the lookout for a easy, sensible commuting software.
Unfortunately, the Traveler doesn’t stack as much as these primary objectives. While it has a lovely price ticket for the first-time e-bike purchaser, it presents no actual benefit over different bikes at this value and in reality vastly underperforms its friends. Its motor is underpowered, its suspension fork feels clunky and flimsy, and the Traveler makes use of outdated designs and parts. Among the finest finances electric bikes, there are a lot of higher choices for a similar value or much less.
Gotrax Traveler review: Price and availability
The Gotrax Traveler prices $1,200 plus delivery and could be bought straight from the Gotrax web site. You may also add a 2-year prolonged safety plan for $75 and a 3-year plan for $90.
You may also select a free helmet while you purchase a Gotrax Traveler from the Gotrax web site. During checkout, Gotrax mechanically provides 1-Click Protect, a Third-party app that “Instantly resolves shipping issues.” It prices $20.43. You can delete this out of your procuring cart, however remember that it’s mechanically added.
Gotrax presents a 180-day guarantee that covers producer defects, however doesn’t cowl the free equipment that ship with the bike.
Gotrax Traveler review: Design
The Gotrax Traveler is constructed round an aluminum body. The battery is externally mounted to the down tube and could be eliminated utilizing the included keys. The battery options an on/off change that you’ll want to change to the On place earlier than switching the top unit’s energy button on. Once each buttons are on, the bike is able to journey.
The rear hub motor is managed by an LED show unit mounted on the handlebars. It’s a really primary show which makes use of LED lights to point your battery cost, help mode, and head gentle standing (on or off).
You can use the three help modes utilizing pedal-assist or the handlebar-mounted throttle lever. You may also tailor resistance utilizing the Shimano 7-speed drivetrain. This lets you change gears, which makes it simpler to pedal this bike with or with out the help motor turned on.
The Traveler additionally incorporates a suspension fork up entrance. It’s a primary spring fork; that is previous know-how that has largely been changed by air and oil forks.
By all appearances, the Traveler is an entry-level mountain bike of the ilk you’d discover at large field shops. It has 29-inch wheels with tires extensive sufficient to deal with off-road use. To additional these capabilities, the Traveler comes inventory with cable-actuated disc brakes for added stopping energy.
Gotrax Traveler review: Performance
It’s clear that Gotrax’s aim with the Traveler e-bike was to maintain prices to a minimal. Affordability is probably a very powerful issue for many shoppers, so this makes a variety of sense as a design aim.
Unfortunately, the Traveler’s construct high quality goes properly under cheap to only low-cost. The entrance wheel went out of true virtually instantly. The suspension fork flexes considerably fore and aft whilst you’re using, and the suspension motion is clunky. It doesn’t supply any actual profit and in reality feels a bit harmful, as if the fork is able to snap at any second. When we reached out to Gotrax for remark, a consultant stated the inclusion of a suspension fork helps fulfill a necessity for retailers on the lookout for “a solid bike at an affordable price.”
Turning the bike on additionally takes further steps. There’s an influence button on the battery, and there’s a second energy button on the top unit. Both must be turned on earlier than you should use the motor help. Gotrax says this ensures the motor doesn’t interact except it’s purported to. The button on the show simply activates the show, whereas the button on the battery activates the battery itself.
The pedal help motor additionally has some important issues. For starters, it usually takes wherever from 4 to 6 full pedal strokes earlier than the help even kicks in. I’ve not examined an e-bike with a worse response time. Gotrax says that the Traveler’s help is meant to kick in inside a half-revolution of the pedals, relying in your help mode. That was not my expertise throughout testing.
I rode the Traveler largely within the highest help setting. The lowest setting didn’t seem to supply any help in any respect. The center setting provided some help, however not sufficient for many common using conditions. Once the help bought going within the highest setting, it felt highly effective on flat terrain. The motor has a peak energy of 1000 watts, which looks like a superb burst at prime pace.
But it’s practically inconceivable to get the Traveler going from a useless cease on a hill. I attempted in all three settings, and at totally different drivetrain gear settings, and the help didn’t kick in rapidly sufficient to supply any profit. It was attainable to get some help within the highest setting whereas utilizing the throttle, however this wasn’t sufficient to get the bike going rapidly sufficient to be sensible.
Gotrax Traveler review: Battery life and vary
Gotrax advertises that the Traveler’s Lithium-ion 48V, 480Wh battery has a most vary of 31 miles, which is respectable for a finances electric bike. I rode the Traveler for about 5 miles on my first journey, utilizing largely the excessive setting. I used one out of 4 of the LED battery indicator lights, so the marketed vary looks as if an inexpensive estimate, relying on which help mode you employ and what terrain you’ll be using on.
Strangely, the LED lights on the battery itself don’t match as much as the LED lights on the top unit. While I began my journey with three out of 4 LEDs lit on the top unit (this was after 4 hours of charging), the battery itself solely confirmed two out of 4 LEDs. It’s unclear why there are two totally different battery standing indicators within the first place.
Gotrax doesn’t specify what sort of battery the Traveler makes use of, or what model makes it. I took off the battery to search for a model title however couldn’t discover one. This could not appear to be a giant deal, however an e-bike battery’s life and security can rely largely on its construct high quality.
Gotrax Traveler review: Accessories
The Gotrax web site presents a couple of equipment, although none are particular to the Traveler. You should purchase a helmet via the Gotrax web site to go together with your bike buy, and there are attire choices as properly.
The Parts heading on the web site results in a “Coming Soon” notification for e-bikes, although there are some components accessible for Gotrax’s scooters. I reached out to Gotrax and was informed the corporate expects the equipment to be accessible in late May.
Gotrax Traveler review: The competitors
Where electric bikes had been initially fairly costly, now you can discover quite a lot of fashions that value the identical or lower than the GoTrax Traveler — and carry out higher, too.
The Ride1Up Core-5 is an in depth competitor to the GoTrax Traveler. The Core-5 prices $1,195 and in addition incorporates a rear hub motor. The Core-5 presents help speeds as much as 28mph, besting the Traveler’s max help pace of 20mph.
Most importantly, nevertheless, the Core-5’s construct high quality and relative worth far exceeds the Gotrax Traveler’s. The Core-5’s battery is built-in into the body, for instance, and the top unit presents much better usability and visibility.
Another choice at this value is the Aventon Soltera, which appears nice and has a significantly better show. While the bike feels a little bit underpowered, it was far more responsive than the Traveler.
While the Gotrax Traveler does have a suspension fork whereas the Core-5 and the Soltera don’t, the Traveler would truly be a greater bike with out the included suspension.
Gotrax Traveler review: Verdict
I can’t fairly advocate the Gotrax Traveler. There are loads of bikes available on the market in the identical value vary that vastly outperform the Traveler and have a significantly better total construct.
As they change into extra widespread, electric bikes are coming down in value and sacrificing much less when it comes to options and high quality.
While I don’t suppose the Traveler is an unsafe bike, it actually doesn’t encourage confidence because the fork flexes fore and aft and the motor help persistently underperforms. Avoid the Gotrax Traveler in lieu of one thing just like the Ride1Up Core-5, or any of our different picks on the finest finances electric bikes web page.