Gogoro Eeyo 1s E-Bike: Slim, Speedy, Smart
With the Earth’s ecosystem on the cusp of no return, global warming needs an enemy. Luckily enough, companies like Gogoro recognized the need for change in urban transportation and created an electric bicycle to integrate into city transit seamlessly. The heart of Texas, downtown Austin, was the perfect testing ground for the Gogoro Eeyo 1s e-bike: gridlocked with surprisingly stout hills.
The Gogoro Eeyo 1s e-bike is agile and lightweight, a barebones bicycle with a rear ‘Smartwheel,’ housing a motor, battery, and sensors all-in-one for a slim but speedy electric bike.
Eeyo 1s E-Bike Unboxing & Assembly
Before I laid eyes on the e-bike, my first thought was, “Wow, this thing is light.” The FedEx driver and I had a quick hand-off, albeit anti-climactic; I had braced for a heavier box. Pulling the e-bike out, it’s a beautiful, pearly-white open-frame with black accents, easy to spot in a sea of bicycles or on the street. But it doesn’t strike as an e-bike at first glance.
At the time of shipping, the Eeyo 1s e-bike is 95% assembled. Gogoro contacts the buyer for an inseam measurement before shipping to set the seat height; buyers need only to install the front wheel, handlebars, and pedals. With the included tools, manual, small tube pump, unpacking and assembling the last 5% of the Eeyo 1s took approximately 45 minutes. Installation was no different than that of a traditional bicycle. The additional bike bell and reflectors for the pedals and wheels are thoughtful finishing touches.
Changing the seat height isn’t impossible, but I wouldn’t suggest making it a regular occurrence. Due to the open frame and lack of a full seat tube, the seat post bracket is inside the frame of the e-bike. A small Allen key set, a headlamp, and a handful of patience will get you through a seat adjustment.
Gogoro E-Bike App Integration
Gogoro couldn’t have made pairing with the bike easier. After downloading the Gogoro Eeyo app, it calls for riders to scan the small QR code located on the Smartwheel, prompting a profile set-up and a walkthrough of the app.
The customizable app displays ride duration, calories, mileage, and speed, along with acceleration and deceleration noted by the purple bubble moving up and down your phone screen. Swipe up or down to change between sport or eco mode, or turn off the assistance completely. Unfortunately, there’s no way to override the app in an attempt to turn on the Smartwheel if your phone dies. Riders can control the bike on an Apple watch instead or will have to wait to charge their phone.
Cruisin’ Downtown Austin (literally)
The torque sensor system uses the force exerted on the pedals to determine how much assistance is needed. You know the odd lurching feeling when you step onto a moving walkway in a mall or airport? The initial step on the pedal feels similar. After one good stomp on the pedal, I was already at the next traffic light. Riding the Eeyo 1s in stop-and-go traffic feels effortless and enjoyable.
The most challenging thing to do on this bike is to get a workout. Other than applying force onto the pedals, the torque sensors and motor leave nothing else for the rider to do. Even pulling the e-bike over your shoulder to crest some steps out of the subway is effortless. I never broke a sweat during a ride. Usually, riding to the gym feels like a workout in itself. Commuting on the Eeyo 1s, I arrived warm but not exerted. I was able to climb a full session and swing back into the saddle for the five-mile cool-down ride home.
The Smartwheel
Other than the feather-like weight of the Gogoro Eeyo 1s e-bike, the Smartwheel is the most attractive feature. The rear wheel is the brain and the legs of the operation and contributes to most of the bike’s weight, a mere 26.4 lbs. The Smartwheel offers up to 30 miles of full power assistance (19 mph). The range increases to 45 miles if utilizing Eco mode and an option to turn off any power assistance.
Once the e-bike’s charge is below 20%, the Smartwheel transfers to Eco mode automatically, reducing the assist by 60%. This setting helps you up gradients or hills but still saves enough power to see you to your front door. You can manually override it by swiping back up to Sport mode. Once home, 2.5 hours on the charger will have you out the door with 100% battery power.
System Security
The Eeyo 1s e-bike is far from a utility bike. The frame is bare, traveling light for speed. It lacks a kickstand or mounts for a water bottle or bike pump. But what it lacks in amenities it makes up for in security measures.
To initiate a ride on the Eeyo 1s, riders must first connect to the e-bike and unlock the Smartwheel by holding down the padlock icon in the app. Unless unlocked, the Smartwheel will not engage, even resisting and inhibiting the rear wheel from turning. It makes it awfully hard to ride the e-bike. If a thief does manage to abscond with your Eeyo 1s, they won’t be able to pair with the e-bike as long as it remains paired to your account. Only one account can pair with the Eeyo 1s at a time, but two riders can use the same account to share the Eeyo 1s.
The Company Behind Eeyo
Gogoro debuted first on the busy streets of Taiwan with its ultra-light Smartscooter, which quickly outsold gasoline scooters. Urban dwellers don’t usually have garages or parking spaces, limiting their ability to park — let alone charge — an e-scooter. Recognizing the need for a new norm, Gogoro created the Gogoro Network Battery Swapping Platform. The solution is simple: when a Smartscooter’s battery is low or dead, users can head to one of Gogoro’s 2,034 Taiwain-based GoStations, where they can swap that spent battery for a fully charged one.
Turning towards the US market, Gogoro adapted. Large American cities are bicycle ready, with extensive bike lane systems and urban city transit systems. The Eeyo 1s e-bike is light to carry through subway stations or up your apartment stairs. And with a max 19 mph power assist motor, it is agile and fast enough for traffic. A city dweller’s dream is the Gogoro Eeyo 1s. Gogoro users have saved over 200,000 tons of CO2 emissions from the atmosphere and supplanted over 120 million liters of gasoline.
Eeyo 1s E-Bike Pricing & Outro
The Gogoro Eeyo 1s e-bike is available to the public through its website. If you don’t mind a heavier e-bike and want to save $700, the Eeyo 1 is available with an Alloy seat post, handlebars, and rims. Shipped with each bike is a portable charger, with an optional charging stand for at home or the office.
For $4,600, I would have to commit to riding all year round. Even with the Eeyo 1s doing the work, you can’t escape the Texan sun. Avid urban commuters, though, will find the Eeyo 1s serves its purpose precisely. An innovative, lightweight e-bike for assistance and agility through busy, downtown traffic.
