Ah. Our Gotrax GXL review. Plain and simple.
This is an eScooter. Not an eBike. Both have two wheels. They both have electric motors. And most importantly, they’re both a lot of fun.
You may have heard about the scooter revolution that’s coming. A quick and easy way to get from A to B, in style and without a big big to lug around. It seems like the perfect idea.
So let’s dive deep into the
So Uh, What’s An eScooter?
It’s nice and simple. Essentially an eScooter is the same as an eBike. Metal to keep you off the ground. Some wheels that spin underneath you. And an awesome electric motor that sends you flying off at respectable speeds.
The GXL is a
Quick Look At The GXL
- Large 8.5″ tires to make riding as comfortable as possible.
- 250W motor with a 36V battery
- Two speed modes for up to 15mph (24kmh)
- Foldable design for easy storage
- Integrated LED headlight
Built in speedometer- Dual braking system (front and rear)
- Max rider weight (all up) of 220lbs (100kg)
- Recharge time of 4 – 5 hours
Overview
The Gotrax GXL has a lot of features to love.
Starting out of the box, you have to attach the handlebar yourself, which is a fairly straightforward procedure. This also opens up the possibility to replace it yourself later down the line if needed. Always useful. It comes with an included
Coming fully charged, you should be ready to rock and roll straight away. The 250W motor comes packed with impressive acceleration for an eScooter. You will be pleasantly surprised. Enough force to have fun with on an otherwise boring day!
The wheels are 8.5″ and air filled. This has both upsides and downsides. The great upside is that the ride is so very smooth compared to other scooters. As you won’t feel all the bump and lumps on your ride. But that comes at the cost of possibly encountering punctures.
I would seriously consider investing in some tire slime which could save you a lot of hassle down the road. Apply it before you ride for the first time!
Most other scooters come with solid rubber tires, which means you feel every bump or crack in the sidewalk. Not my idea of fun, but if you’re into that I won’t judge!
With front and rear dual brakes, you can rest assured you’ll be coming to a stop with ease. The front brake is hand operated, and the rear is foot pedal operated.
You can double check you’re coming to a stop with the handy speedometer built right into the handlebar. It’s digital and allows you to easily check your speed while you’re cruising down the road.
It also shows you information such as battery and which speed setting you’re on.
You have two speed settings to choose from. One will keep you on track for about 10mph, and the other will unleash the beast. With reports of some people actually getting up to 17mph, it’s no slouch. An easy red button on the handlebar changes the speed mode and turns the scooter on and off.
And of course, the well loved folding feature works just as you would expect. Simple to use and quick to do, you’ll love the ability to swap between storage mode and fast speedy speedster mode with ease.
The integrated LED leaves a bit to be desired as it’s not significantly bright, but it will do the job. People will be able to see you without an issue. You might want something brighter if you need light to see in front of you though.
Lastly, the
Performance And Length Range
In general, you can expect about 12 – 15mph (19 – 24kmh) with most rides. With a fully charged battery, more in the area of 17mph (27kmh). That’s fast enough to get where you’re
As you’d expect in a scooter with a small battery,
Of course if you’re hitting the hills a bit harder, or mashing the throttle, maybe lower your range expectations a little to avoid disappointment.
In the lower battery range (last 25%) the motor can get sluggish, so don’t expect miracles to happen if you have to climb up a hill.
Bad Boy Build Quality
What’s the point in a sweet scooter if it’s built horribly?
Luckily, the Gotrax GXL is built well.
The deck is nice and solid, leaving no doubt in your mind that it will support you and all of your dreams with ease.
The brakes do what they need to do and feel suitable to do so. No worries there at all.
However, the rear mud guards can wobble a little bit when going over large bumps, which is more of an annoyance than anything else.
The design of the Gotrax GXL is very good overall, looking stylish and pleasant to the eye. At least my eye. Your eye may differ.
At low speeds, or when the motor is under load you can hear some whine. It’s not the elves that are working hard to move you forward, it’s just the motor. At full speed elves, I mean motor, at all.
It’s also important to know that you will need to give the scooter a few kicks yourself (like pushing yourself forward, don’t kick the scooter itself. It might kick back. And dare I say, you may deserve it at that point?) to get going. Then you can use the throttle and engage the motor to speed away into the sunset as majestically as you always do
Final Thoughts In Our Gotrax GXL Review
Overall the Gotrax GXL is a beastly eScooter that has all the required components to be a great contender. Riding it to commute short distances in cities is a great way to use the Gotrax GXL.
But with the larger wheels and decent range, you could take it to some off road areas like a gravel or dirt pathway through a garden area. And you’d really be able to slow down and smell the roses!
While there are a few cons such as the mud guards and whine of the motor and slow speeds, these are easy to forget. Especially when all of the pros about this scooter outweigh the cons. Large tires, great speeds and decent range, you’ll be sure to have a great time on this scooter.
So overall, our Gotrax GXL review concludes that this is a great scooter, that can only be made better from now. So it’s definitely worth picking one up for yourself or a friend. It works just as well as an adult scooter or a (very) powerful kids scooter. I’d be cautious giving it to a kid though. It may not end too well.
You can pick up a Gotrax GXL from Amazon.
I’ll see you speeding down the sidewalk friend! Until next time!
P.S If you’re looking at some more eScooters, check out the top 5 carbon
Here is my experience with gatrax:
I bought the GXL escooter and I received the box slightly broken. I sent multiple emails along with pictures informing the company with the damage. Gotrax offered me a 15% discount to keep the escooter, I declined the offer. When I asked to return it, I was told returning cost is on the customer. This is new unopened box, received (1-day ago) with broken box and visible scratch (see picture) where it was broken. They claim they are “US-based company support”, this is truly a joke: do I have to pay for returning damaged product? By the way, people are complaining about the 2 year non-functional phone system (yeah whatever: we are switching over bla bla bla), you cannot talk to them, just email.
When I was shopping around and reading reviews, I truly thought some people are complaining for nothing, they were not, I was wrong, they were telling the truth.
Maybe good product, but way less than substandard customer service.