We tested in Paris the Gaya electric bike, affordable and full of good ideas.
A newcomer to the jungle of soft mobility, the French manufacturer Gaya arrives on the electric bike market with two models full of innovations, good ideas at aggressive prices. The source was able to take a pre-series model into its own hands during a long-term test.
The arguments to make you prefer the electric bike to the car during your daily urban trips are no longer counted. If the relevance of such a means of transport is no longer to be demonstrated, the choice of its future steed, on the other hand, can prove complicated as the offer is prolific.
Gaya electric bike
Gaya, a French manufacturer based in Paris, is one of the latest arrivals on the market. And this is not really a handicap since the young brand can thus offer, in hindsight, two smart, innovative e-bike models at very competitive prices. Requested by the brand, 20 Minutes was able to put the "compact" to the test in a 400 km road trip to Rotterdam, in the Netherlands.
Gaya is a very young Parisian box created a year ago by Amélie Guicheney, ex-marketing strategy consultant, and Jacques Bonneville, mobility specialist. Both have taken the gamble, perhaps risky, to embark on the design of electric bicycles (e-bikes), a very competitive sector and largely occupied by major brands.
The idea was to make innovative, robust, practical and accessible bicycles. For this last point, Gaya hits hard indeed, with a compact at 1,700 euros and a longtail at 2,300 euros. "To reduce prices, we rely on direct sales in our shop in Paris or online and on the maximum use of standard market parts whose reliability has been proven," explains Amélie Guicheney.
Gaya has also taken care of the design and the two models do not go unnoticed, especially thanks to the original options that give it a little air of mini-motorcycle. As standard, the bikes come with a large headlight that is particularly effective at night, turn signals and a rear brake light.
Gaya electric bike frames
Their squat frames with low spans and the small wheels with white tires also help to attract the eye. They are also equipped with a wide, very comfortable saddle whose adjustment system is reminiscent of office seats. The latter must nevertheless be reviewed since in the lowest position, the saddle touches the rear luggage rack, damaging the paint.
The real innovation, always standard, is the intelligent anti-theft system integrated into the bike. A motion sensor triggers an audible alarm, blocks the electric motor and sends an alert via the Gaya mobile application. The bikes also carry a GPS tracker with an autonomous battery that allows them to be located in case of theft. A system that we have successfully tested despite a latency of a few minutes between the locking of the bike and the triggering of the alarm. Gaya must nevertheless correct a bug that sometimes disrupts the operation of the GPS.
For the test, we chose the compact version which still allows us to carry 80 kg of load in the back and 10 kg in the front for a total loaded weight of 160 kg. It was during a trip between Lille and Rotterdam that 20 Minutes put the machine to the test. If the 15 kg bag at the back is forgotten, the 5 kg tent at the front guarantees the stability of the bike as soon as you let go of the handlebars. Nevertheless, in eco mode, on flat terrain, the rear wheel motor has no trouble taking everything away. In normal mode or in boost mode, the slopes are climbed effortlessly. But for how long?
Gaya electric bike news
The repairable battery from the Bordeaux manufacturer Gouach promised us 70 km of autonomy in eco mode. It has never been possible to reach them from near or far. At the most, we were able to ride 52 km, with the fear in our stomach of falling into the harbor and having to take the 23 kg of the bike and all our cargo with the strength of our thighs. No doubt a defect in the battery that had been provided to us since the latter finally gave up at the end of the trip. In use, the pre-series that we had in hand also revealed some other defects: central stand too low, headlight bracket to review.
However, the Gaya arrived in Rotterdam without flinching: not a loose nut in 400 km, not a puncture. The riding position and the comfortable saddle have preserved our back and our buttocks. The machine is pleasant to fly, maneuverable despite its weight and loading. Even if the manufacturer clearly explains that this is not a bike suitable for such adventures, but rather for everyday urban use, it has done the job. The defects of the pre-series will be corrected for future buyers, in particular the kickstand, the design of which was entrusted to a specialized design office. The experience was therefore rather conclusive and we had a little twinge of heart when the Gaya returned home.
# Gaya electric bike #
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