NOT the author on a Shift S2; image courtesy GOTRAX.

CleanTechnica Tested: GOTRAX Shift S2 E-bike

Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!

Meet the Shift S2 folding micro bike from GOTRAX, one of the smallest, most oddly practical e-mobility solutions for cramped urban apartments and dorm-dwelling commuters you can buy!

And, yes: that GOTRAX — which is to say that, despite its recent entry into the e-bike space, GOTRAX is still best known for its compact and clever electric scooters. And deservedly so — at several points, GOTRAX was the most successful e-scooter brand on Amazon. My own GOTRAX scooter (that I used my own, actual US dollars to buy) has a sturdy hook/clip combination for secure folding that acts as a bag hook on the go, an integrated bike lock, and even a digital PIN for added security, for example, is packed with cleverness. Other, higher-end models pack even more cleverness into their sturdy steel frames, as well.

Despite that, the brand’s early forays into the e-bike space were — I dunno. Fine? GOTRAX’s entry-level F1 folding commuter, for example, came in at an ultra-low price of $799 ($699, if you look around for coupons or sales), but it didn’t offer much to differentiate it from something like Lectric’s XP Lite.

The new GOTRAX Shift S2, though? It’s a totally different animal, and one far more in line with what you might expect from these guys if you own one of their scooters.

She’s tiny, the bike is tiny, it’s all tiny; courtesy GOTRAX.

For starters, it’s packed with cleverness. Small things, like the bright front and rear lighting, folding steering column, and key-on “ignition” make the bike both safer and more secure to operate. The Shift S2 also features a striking, black and blue colorway that makes it stand apart from the more monochromatic folding bikes out there, while the disc brakes front and rear (a rare offering on something this small) add confidence and stopping power while looking like a million bucks. The S2’s 14-inch wheels contribute to that look, too, making the discs look bigger than they are and offering a significantly more planted, secure feel than I get on my scooter … which brings me to another point of cleverness about the Shift S2: it is really, really tiny.

If you’ve never experienced something like Aventon’s Sinch firsthand, you know it’s big. Like, much bigger than you probably think it is. Will a Sinch fit in your car? Maybe. What kind of car do you have? How are you planning on getting it in there? Can you fold down the seats? Fitting a GOTRAX Shift S2 in your car, meanwhile, isn’t a question of, “How?” It’s a question of “How many?”

All folded down; image courtesy GOTRAX.

That’s a plus, because it means you can find space for the tiny two-wheeler just about anywhere — but it’s also a minus, because the Shift S2 definitely feels tiny on the go.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that the Shift S2 isn’t fun. The bike is a blast to ride, despite what you might think from a bike with a single gear and “just” 250W of electric power to help pedal you along for the 15-ish miles of range the battery provides. This bike is absolutely stupid, insane fun — but it definitely feels like you’re pedaling your kid’s bike, downhill, way too fast, and the front end is getting a bit squirrely. Or, if you’re sitting down, a lot squirrely.

A top-shelf road bike this ain’t, in other words, but that doesn’t make it not fun. In fact, it rides a lot like an old Schwinn Stingray. Now that I think about it, the S2, at top speed, feels almost exactly like riding an old Stingray down a hill, barreling towards a plywood ramp that your cousin is laying down in front of … and if that doesn’t sound like fun to you, you’ll need to buy a different bike, because the GOTRAX Shift S2 isn’t the one for you.

If it sounds like this is the one for you, though, you can buy a GOTRAX Shift S2 from the company’s website for $399 as I type this.

 

Full disclosure: while I bought my GOTRAX scooters with my own money, the company provided me with an early sample of the Shift S2 e-bike at no cost for the purposes of this review.

The author, on his personal GOTRAX G Pro at Electrify Expo. Image courtesy Electrify Expo.

Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.

Latest CleanTechnica TV Video


Advertisement
 
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.