The G-Force T5 electric bike might not have a fancy appearance, but it conceals a lot more e-bike than you expect. To make transporting a full-suspension, fat-tired electric bike even simpler than before, this quick and enjoyable off-roader even folds.
Full-suspension fat-tire electric bikes aren’t uncommon; they’re just typically quite pricey.
Usually, they start well above $1500 and quickly increase after that. But the G-Force T5 brings that full-suspension fatty goodness to the masses at a much more reasonable price, coming in at just $1,399.
The G-Force T5 seems to fit the bill for high-spirited e-bike tomfoolery, regardless of whether you need a fold-up fat-tire e-bike to drive to a nearby trail network for your rides, want to keep an all-terrain e-bike in your RV for adventures at stops, or really any reason that would have you on the hunt for a less-than-giant e-bike.
View my review video of the e-bike below to see it in action. Then read on for the remainder of my in-depth review.
| Frame | 6061 aluminum |
| Tires | 20" x 4.0" |
| Brake | 180mm hydraulic brakes |
| Shifter | 7-speed Shifter |
| Hub Motor | 750W brushless gear motor |
| Front Light | 48V LED light |
| Total Payload Capacity | 400 lbs |
| Battery | 48V 20Ah Samsung battery |
| Range | 60~80 Miles |
| Throttle | Thumb throttle |
| Recommended Rider Heights | 5'3" ~ 6'5" |
G-Force T5: Design and Build Quality
The G-Force T5 accomplishes exactly what a fat tire electric bicycle is designed to do: ride over almost anything.
The 20-inch tires on these wheels perform almost as well off-road as the larger 26-inch wheels, especially when the pressure is kept low, between 20 and 28 PSI. You can even go lower depending on how soft the ground is.
The color LCD screen actually has a nice appearance and is simple to read both during the day and at night. Color displays frequently still catch me off guard because I’m so accustomed to using monochrome screens. Undoubtedly, the screen looks sharp.
But the headlight is facing the other way. The headlight isn’t quite as impressive as the screen, which is nice and bright. Although it is functional, it doesn’t really light the way very well. Being a be-seen light, its primary purpose is to alert passing vehicles to your presence. That’s fine for an e-bike, but a brighter light would have been nice for something like this that is intended to travel off-road as well.
Here, the suspension is the true prize. Although it’s not of exceptional quality, it definitely enhances the ride. I would have been riding much more slowly on the trails without it. But the suspension allowed me to accelerate without shattering my wrists or knocking out my teeth.
Afterwards, it won’t win any quality awards, but the perceptible front and rear suspension help smooth out cracked asphalt or brick pavers and make a huge difference on washboard or rutted terrain.
I was actually taken aback to see hydraulic disc brakes on the G-Force T5 when it came to stopping power. Remember that the e-bike in question costs $1,399, and hydraulic brakes are typically not included in the price at this level. But it’s a win that they were able to give us both hydraulic brakes and full suspension. Although I would have preferred larger rotors than the standard 180 mm discs we received, I won’t complain too much about that. Plus, I adore the cast wheels they’re mounted to, so they were able to divert my attention with lovely spinning objects.
Additionally, cast wheels don’t just look good; they also eliminate the need for spoke maintenance. Never again will you be concerned about a spoke coming loose!
A substantial utility rack and a set of fenders are also included. Both of those increase the bike’s usefulness and make it easier to use on a daily basis.
They do the weight no favors, and the G-Force T5 weighs close to 79 lb, making it a heavy bike. However, commuter-style accessories like racks and fenders are very helpful as long as you can lift it.
But given that this is a folder, lifting the bike will probably be crucial. The fact that it folds up small to fit in a vehicle is kind of the point. You could store the folded bike in a big trunk instead of needing a bike rack on the back of your car.
There is nothing fancy about the folding mechanisms; they are simple and standard. Both the handlebars and the center of the frame can be folded. That’s how 95 percent of folding e-bikes function, and it’s perfect. Although it is not futuristic, it is effective. And because you’ll be bouncing over berms all day, you want a bike that is nice and sturdy because that’s what you need.
G-Force T5: Motor and Battery
The G-Force T5’s 750W continuous-rated motor uses every watt available to it to propel you up to nearly 30 mph once you’re back on the road.
Although the manufacturer claims it can go 32 mph, after delimiting the bike using the display, I was primarily traveling at 28 or occasionally 29 mph while on flat ground, with sporadic bursts into the 30 mph range. When they quoted it, perhaps they had a tailwind on their side.
I’d say the pedal assist is still quite comfortable even though I mostly use the throttle. Another advantage is the eight-speed transmission, which is a welcome improvement over the many single-speed fat tire e-bikes currently on the market. Additionally, compared to some e-bikes, it enables you to pedal fairly comfortably all the way up to the bike’s top speed.
Nevertheless, I definitely pushed the throttle to the limit because it’s so much fun to accelerate quickly on uneven ground like grass or dirt, treating the T5 like my own personal folding dirt bike.
Although it isn’t as strong or durable as a dirt bike, and its suspension obviously can’t compare, I believe it is well-equipped for recreational use.
After a few months of successfully climbing a 700-foot hill by myself, I experienced no problems with the motor. This one has a torque rating of 86 nm as well. After a recent challenging climb, I conducted an analog heat test. Not hot, but it was a little warm. G-Force claims that after many hours of testing, the dyno can handle 1000kW continuously.
Nevertheless, the motor cuts out at 25 mph, making this a “class 2.5-ish” bike, for better or worse. Sadly, the majority of people will give up pedaling well before they reach 25 mph. The ability to pedal at 18–25 mph is a test of cadence threshold when using the one gear speed that G-Force optimized for quick starts and climbing hills.
That’s probably my main criticism of usage in the real world. When I ride, I like to pedal, assist and get at least some exercise. On flat roads, I discovered that turning the assist down to about 3 and pedaling quickly allowed me to reach speeds of about 18 mph. Compare that to the 25 mph I can reach on flat roads with my 250W class 3 commuter e-bike.
On the steepest and riskiest hill on my commute, however, the 250W commuter bike slows to 8–10 mph, whereas the G-Force T5 allows me to easily reach 14–16 mph. That gives me a lot of peace of mind.
Check out this kilowatt-powered, full-suspension e-bike with fat tires. It naturally goes off-road! But on this one, I’d stay on the easier trails, or at the very least, the intermediate ones. The suspension simply isn’t mountain grade, and the tire tread isn’t great for mud. The G-Force T5, however, is a badass on gravel and provides a much better ride than I anticipated, even in the rain.
The only drawback of folding technology is the restriction on battery capacity. The 960 Wh battery is sufficient but not enormous. That’s only marginally below average, in my opinion, for an e-bike battery capacity today.
The 60-80 mile range claim made by the company is absurdly optimistic. On a throttle-only ride, I was getting close to 50 or 55 miles. Even so, even though I was riding pretty much at full throttle. If you’re not slowing down and increasing your pedal power, don’t expect to go very close to 35 miles per hour.
G-Force T5: Conclusions
The G-Force T5 is a game-changer of a bike and unlike anything we’ve seen before, as I’ve said throughout. It has a cool appearance, rides smoothly and quickly for commuting, can be folded up for off-road use, has impressive power and range, and costs much less than you might expect. The few complaints I have stem from G-Force’s need to reduce the price, but I must admit that for the vast majority of e-bike buyers, the compromises were overwhelmingly worthwhile.
It works well as a fun, quick, and powerful folding fat tire e-bike. Additionally, there aren’t that many folding, full-suspension fat tire e-bikes available. With the exception of the fact that I almost always have one thumb firmly planted on the throttle, I give the bike two thumbs up for the price!
