2016 Electra Townie Go! Review

The 2016 Electra Townie Go! switched from using a SRAM hub motor and rear mounted battery pack to the Bosch Centerdrive which is better in pretty much every way. Now, it is more expensive than the 2014 and 2015 models at $2,727 and it does weigh more at ~58 lbs but you get an eight speed internally geared drivetrain and a lot more power that produces less noise when running! With a top speed of ~20 mph and an integrated rear rack the Townie Go! would make a decent commuter but it’s really best suited to relaxed neighborhood riding. There are four levels of pedal assist to work with here and the lowest, Eco mode, will move the bike at a slower speed for people who want to take it easy. The oversized Schwalbe balloon tires function almost like a basic suspension in that they absorb cracks and bumps as you ride, they do weigh a bit more but the contact patch is enlarged and they feel pretty stable. At 26″ in diameter they don’t lift the frame as high as more traditional 700c (28″) wheels and tires but you still get reflective sidewall stripes and Kevlar lining for safety and durability.

Driving this bike is a 350 watt Bosch Performance Cruise motor that measures bike speed, pedal speed and pedal torque (up to 1,000 per second) for instantaneous starts and stops. The motor spins your chainring that’s about half the size of most traditional rings and this higher RPM delivers a wider range of pedaling speeds in my experience. When you shift, the motor responds and eases off so as not to mash gears or put strain on the chain. Powering the motor and integrated Spanninga lights is a 36 volt 11 amp hour battery running on Samsung Lithium-ion cells. It’s the same Bosch PowerPack 400 I’ve seen for the past year and a half on other models here in the US and it works just as well. You can charge it on or off the frame and it locks securely but make sure you push hard when re-attaching it to the frame so that you hear a click and know that it’s fully connected. Just like the 2015 model this latest Townie Go! features a cafe lock that disables the rear wheel for quick stops around town – saving the hassle and discomfort of carrying a u-lock or chain.

The biggest takeaway from this review should be that the Electra Townie Go! with Bosch drive system is more expensive but it’s way better and quite worth the price in my opinion. Range is more than doubled, the frame is stiffer and better balanced, you get more gears to pedal with and while there still isn’t any sort of suspension on the bike it rides very comfortably with balloon tires, padded grips, oversized saddle, swept back bars and the signature “Flat Foot” seating position that brings pedals forward vs. straight down. The two frames are very similar in weight, come in a wide range of colors and are warrantied for two years by Trek (which acquired Electra in 2014). If you enjoy riding but are struggling to keep up with a friend, scale hills or fight the wind the electric Townie Go! will become your best friend, I am not exaggerating. The motor and battery are overkill but not in a bad way, they operate quietly but can climb almost anything, the display panel is large and easy to read with an intuitive button pad (easy to reach and use even without looking down). This is my favorite cruiser style electric bike to date.

Pros:

• All Electra bicycles have to be shipped to a local Trek retailer but this is free of charge and from there some retailers will deliver to your house
• Awesome two year comprehensive warranty, they recommend storing the battery in a dry room at 60° to 70° Fahrenheit and keeping it fully charged, expect a 5% degrade each year
• Patented Flat Foot frame design positions the cranks and pedals forward for a more relaxed “legs out” ride style, kind of like sitting on a couch vs. a bar stool, this is enhanced with swept back handlebars and an oversized comfort saddle
• The Bosch motor is extremely responsive and powerful delivering 60 Newton meters of torque, it keeps weight low and centered on the frame for improved handling
• The Bosch battery pack can be charged on or off the frame, has a cool integrated loop for easier carrying and the way it’s mounted on the bike is much better than the older rack style batteries used by Electra Townie Go! models, the frame is less flexy, the display panel is also removable
• Schwalbe Fat Frank Balloon tires look great and come in different colors to compliment the frames, they have integrated reflective sidewalls for safety, Kevlar lining for greater protection against flats and soften the ride by being squishy (absorbing cracks and bumps like suspension)
• Integrated front and rear LED lights by Spanninga run off the main battery and are controlled through the Bosch Intuvia display panel! You need not worry about replacing batteries separately or turning each light off after a ride… it’s all one system and even the display panel is backlit
• The fenders, rims and chain guard are all custom painted, sometimes the same color as the frame and other times to compliment the tires but it looks great in both cases
• Most of the wires for shifting, braking and running the electric drive system are either run through the frame downtube or fastened in such a way that they are hidden and well protected
• This ebike comes with an integrated cafe lock from ABUS that allows you to disable the rear wheel, perfect for deterring theft for quick stops without having to carry a large cable or u-lock
• The internally geared hub offers eight speeds which is perfect for slower riding, climbing or hitting the top speed of ~20 mph but being internal it stays cleaner, can be shifted at standstill and allows the chain to be shorter and tighter, it probably requires less maintenance and is definitely less vulnerable than a traditional derailleur
• The double-leg kickstand is very stable, it keeps the bike upright and makes loading the rear rack much easier than if you only had a single side stand, note that the stand is also adjustable on both sides for use on slanted terrain
• The LCD display panel is backlit, removable for safer storage and even has a built in micro USB port that can be used for charging portable electronics like a cell phone for music or GPS applications, you’ll need a cable like this for most Samsung phones and an adapter like this for newer iOS devices

Cons:

• There are no water bottle cage mounting points on either frame style, it seems like the high-step would have had room on the seat tube but they didn’t add them, consider a bar cup holder or a trunk bag with bottle slot like this
• In my experience the Shimano Roller band brakes don’t stop as quickly as v-brakes or disc brakes, they look nice and even have heat sink fins that sort of look like disc brakes but they use a band inside and require a bit more pulling effort to stop
• As with most cruiser style electric bikes, the Townie Go! weighs a bit more than a standard city bike, the frame is larger, the saddle and handle bar are larger and the internally geared hub adds a bit of weight as well, thankfully the battery is removable for reducing weight during transport but it only weighs ~5.5 lbs so the bike will still be heavy
• Mid-drive electric bikes tend to be easier for bike shops to work on because the wheels and drivetrains are mostly unchanged, this also means that they work well with quick release systems but the Townie Go! does not offer this, it uses standard threaded axles with nuts that require tools to work on
• The battery requires a stronger push to fully click onto the frame, make sure you hear the click or it could get knocked off and fall to the ground (scraping or even cracking the plastic cover)
• Walk assist appears to be de-activated on the Bosch system, this would be a nice feature given the heavier weight of the Townie Go! and I’m not sure why Bosch hasn’t allowed it (possibly to strictly adhere to the Class 1 category of ebikes in the USA? I hope they enable it on future versions)