A brand new French brand of electric bicycles, Gaya is making its debut with a solid and promising project: to provide an urban mobility solution for families via an offer of two longtail pedelecs capable of carrying one to three people in the back. All at an aggressive entry price.
It is on the banks of the Saint-Martin canal, at 93 quai de Valmy in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, that Gaya inaugurated the launch of the brand and the orders for its first electric bicycles, in its freshly opened shop ready to welcome the first customers. The spot is ideal: along a pedestrian path where bicycles and residents mingle.
Gaya is the result of a project headed by Amélie Guicheney and Jacques Bonneville, two entrepreneurs with very different career paths — experience in AI for one, in engineering and mobility for the other —, but with a common vision: to develop an impactful project with a strong ecological relay.
Dual channel sales
” Our bias was to make an electric bike available to as many people as possible. We have been working on this project for a year and a half. », explains Amélie Guicheney, in the middle of the exhibition models. “We launched the site four or five days ago, with the official opening of sales “.
Source: Gaya
Source: Gaya
Source: Gaya
Source: Gaya
Because where Gaya is smart is in its ability to rely on a sales channel that is both online and physical. Investing in an electric bike usually costs a considerable amount of money. Not trying it, or even being able to see it with your own eyes, can sometimes put some people off.
Above all, a physical store is reassuring. In the event of technical glitches, going to the Gaya store or calling on its after-sales service available 7 days a week is possible. The brand goes even further and seeks to provide an educational vision of soft mobility, by transforming itself into a place of training in the maintenance and repair of bicycles.
A network of 400 partners
The brand does not forget the rest of France, however, since it relies on a network of 400 partners – via “Find a repairer” and its dense network in the four corners of the country – trained to repair its two electric bikes . If necessary, home interventions can take place.
More specifically, who is Gaya’s offer aimed at? “To urban families“, who also participated in the design of the VAE. “We interviewed lots of parents, lots of women. What came out of it was the desire to have a comfortable bike, with an upright posture“, continues Amélie Guicheney.
Source: Gaya
Source: Gaya
Source: Gaya
Today, two modelslongtailmake up the catalog: the Compact, sold for 1700 euros and capable of accommodating a child or an adult in the back, for a supported weight of 170 kilos. Gaya has also sought to tap into the world of electric scooters to enhance the safety of his bike.
It is in particular a question of a central crutch as well as indicators located at the rear and at each end of the handlebars, which can be controlled via a remote control. This avoids reaching out to the right or left to indicate intentions, which can sometimes affect your balance. Again, the emphasis is on user safety.
Various battery options
At the rear, the brake light lets other cyclists know you are braking. The adjustable stem is again a good idea to tilt the handlebars according to your desires and your profile. Also note that the model weighs a total of 22 kilos on the scale, which remains relatively standard for an electric bike.
On a more technical side, the Gaya Compact benefits by default from a 450 Wh battery (2-year warranty), which gives you a range of 70 kilometers… in Eco mode. It is therefore advisable to moderate this radius of action if you use the most powerful assistance mode. A 600 Wh battery is available as an option at 150 euros.
Source: Frandroid
Source: Frandroid
Source: Frandroid
Source: Frandroid
Source: Frandroid
Placed on the rear hub, its 250 W motor offers a torque of 50 Nm. It is suitable here, although on a hill and with a rear adult passenger, it could be slightly winded. We will not fail to test it under these conditions for verification.
On the security side, Gaya bikes rely on a mobile application capable of geolocating them and blocking them remotely. When they are “under surveillance“, the pedelecs do not provide any electrical assistance. In case of suspicious movement, a notification is immediately sent to your phone. A wheel blocker completes the whole thing.
A complete configurator
The “Cargo” model takes things a step further when it comes to transporting people, since it can accommodate up to three children in the back. The brand also offers a whole series of paid accessories on its configurator to customize your electric bike as you see fit.
Weighing 28 kilos, the “Cargo” stands out thanks to its starter, a kind of trigger that gives you a little boost when starting to propel you up to 6 km/h. With three children behind, it could be handy to get started. Battery level, it has the same options as its friend.
Overall, Gaya’s offer is attractive, particularly via an entry price of 1,700 euros, which is well below the Decathlon Vélocargo Longtail R500Elec (2,700 euros), Tern Quick Haul (2,999 euros) and Mustache Lundi 20 (from of 4599 euros). The note can however quickly climb with the game of options.
The whole seems all the same coherent and offers a new mobility solution to families wishing to cross the course of the electric bike.
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