Googo 26 Inch Electric Bike Review
Welcome back to Mountain Bikes Lab. In today’s article I will be discussing a relatively new, but very enjoyable new electric mountain bike designed and produced by the company Googo. Googo was founded in early 2019 and since then they have made it their goal to make electric bikes more accessible to the everyday person so that more people can get outside, enjoy the world, and have fun doing it on an electric bike. Priced at less and $700, at first I was skeptical about the quality of the Googo 26” electric bike. As you probably know almost all quality electric bikes these days come in at a minimum of $1,000, so seeing such a low price made me suspicious. However, after reading some customer reviews I felt there was enough information to warrant a test of the bike because our goal here at Mountain Bikes Lab is to bring you affordable, high quality bikes.
Evaluating the Googo 26-inch Electric Mountain Bike
Throughout the rest of this review I will give you a detailed breakdown of my experience with the Googo 26” electric bike, the pros and cons of the electric mountain bike, and my recommendation as to whether or not it is worth your hard earned money! With that out of the way lets jump into my views on the Googo 26” electric mountain bike.
Purchasing Experience and Shipping
When it comes to purchasing items through Amazon normally the process is quite smooth and efficient, and with the Googo 26” electric bike this was no different. Their product is in stock as advertised and the ten day free shipping is exactly what I expected. In the biking industry ten day shipping is usually standard as they are bigger items and require specific truck for delivery, however some brands do offer expedited shipping, though usually at a significant cost to you. Unless you need your new electric bike in less than ten days you should have no issues with the free standard shipping.
Our new Googo 26 inch electric bike arrived in the morning of the tenth day after our team ordered it and showed up to our warehouse in the traditional cardboard box that almost all bikes are shipped in. During our assembly of the bike our team makes sure to inspect every component to ensure that nothing was damaged during shipping. This has happened to us on multiple occasions and usually indicated a low quality product and company that does not care about its customers. Thankfully the Googo electric bike arrived in pristine condition with a sleek black paint job adorned with red racing stripes, a very nice touch. Assembly of the bike was relatively straight forward and although we are probably biased since we have so much experience putting together electric bikes, we feel that it should not take you more than an hour or so to get your bike ready for riding. Overall our initial impression of the Googo electric bike was quite positive, but now it was time to actually ride our new bike.
Riding Experience of the Googo 26” Electric Bike
Before we talk about the riding experience of the Googo 26 inch electric bike we need to get one thing out of the way: this is not an electric mountain bike, it is simply an electric bike. If you would like to find a true electric mountain bike we would suggest you check our Rambo Electric Mountain Bike brand guide, or our Velowave 750W Electric Mountain bike review. Although the name of this bike on amazon is the “Googo 26” electric mountain bike” after a thorough test of this bike we can assure you that it is not a mountain bike, however that does not mean that it does not have some great uses. In fact our team really enjoyed our time with the Googo electric bike, but we would not recommend it for hardcore downhill trail use.
Nowadays because commuting to work on a bike has become such a fad we think it is important to test all of the bikes we review in three different scenarios. First we take the bike for an urban ride to see how well it handles everyday riding, then we use it for a 5 mile commute for a week to get a feel for it is a commuter bike, and then finally we take it for a test ride on trails to see how well it holds up as a mountain bike. As we said before the Googo electric bike is not a mountain bike and if you are looking for an electric mountain bike to tackle rugged terrain you should search elsewhere, however if you are looking for a new electric commuter bike, or simply an everyday electric bike, the Googo electric bike could be the perfect fit for you.
During my test rides through our Southern California city I was surprisingly impressed with how comfortable and responsive the Googo electric bike was. Equipped with a comfy and adjustable seat I was able to ride for over three hours without getting sore which is great, especially for a seat that was not yet broken in. The Googo electric bike has a 350 watt electric motor, not the most powerful, but for the price you are paying you won’t find a better one. This motor will get you up to a top speed of 20 miles per hour and combined with its 36 volt, 10 amp hour, lithium ion battery, you will have a fully electric range of 25 miles, and up to 50 miles when using pedal assist. Obviously if you are a very serious rider 25 miles might not be enough, but for the vast majority of people 25 miles is far more than enough for a day’s ride, especially when you can double that range while using pedal assist.
When it comes to commuting, the Googo was also very effective. With a top speed of 20 miles per hour if you commute is within 10 miles you could very easily use this bike as an everyday commuter. Additionally with a battery charge time of around 5 hours, you will be able to fully charge your battery while at work and have an easy ride home after a long day in the office. One of the worst parts of some electric bikes is the extremely long battery charge time, and there is nothing worse than commuting home and running out of juice half way through. Even if you forget to charge your battery at work the range if more than enough to get you there and back on a single charge.
In terms of actual trail riding, like we stated at the beginning of this review the Googo 26 inch electric bike is not a mountain bike. You should not be expecting to fly down mountains, go through rivers, or climb over boulders, however you can definitely take this bike on some off road adventures. We took the Googo electric bike on a beginner trail and it held up fine. The suspension is nothing to write home about but for easy trail riding without much terrain to deal with you will be totally fine. Googo set out to make an electric bike that is affordable and can be ridden anywhere and while that might not have made the best electric mountain bike in the world, I do think they accomplished their goal. This electric bike can be ridden as an everyday bike, a commuter, or even as a beginner trail bike for people looking to get of the beaten trail. Overall my experience riding the Googo 26 inch electric bike was a pleasantly surprising one, and I must say that it is a far better electric bike than I was expecting.
Some final thoughts on the Googo Electric Bike
As I previously stated, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed riding the Googo electric bike. While it will not be winning any awards for bike of the year, when you purchase a $700 electric bike that is not what you are expecting. You are expecting a bike that can ride well, get you where you want to go, and do it all comfortably and consistently. The Googo 26 inch electric bike does all that and more. In addition to its riding, the Googo has some great additional features that I feel obligated to discuss at least a little bit. First it comes with headlights, and safety rear lights. These are such great features I cannot commend them enough. Riding a bike can be dangerous, especially at night, knowing that you can be seen by drivers, and other bike riders will give you peace of mind. The headlight on the Googo electric bike is decently powerful and the rechargeable rear light make its so that you will be visible to people in front and behind you.
Conclusion and my personal Recommendation
Overall the Googo electric bike is, in my professional opinion, one of the better deals you can get on an electric bike on the market today. For its extremely low price of less than $700 you might expect to get low quality components, however with mechanical disc brakes and a Shimano drivetrain, nothing I saw on the bike indicated low quality. The riding was comfortable and using the electric component of the bike was intuitive and quite responsive, something that is very necessary to make riding an electric bike enjoyable. After my time with the Googo electric bike I would recommend it to someone who is looking for an affordable yet high quality electric bike for everyday or commuter use. Additionally, if you are looking for a beginner trail bike to ride on very easy mountain trails this bike would also be a great fit. We’ve made it to the end of the review of the Googo 26 inch electric bike, I hope you found this information useful and as always thank you for reading, it is your support that makes these reviews possible! If you have a recommendation for a bike that we should review next please leave it in the comments down below and we will get to it right away!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the maximum weight limit for the Googo 26 electric bike?
The max recommended weight for the Googo 26 inch electric bike is 330 pounds.
How long does the battery take to charge?
The removable battery in the Googo 26 inch electric bike takes about 5 and a half hours to fully charge up.
What is the max speed on the Googo 26 inch electric bike?
With a 350 watt motor, the Googo 26 inch electric bike has a max motor speed of 20 miles per hour.
