Using a Gocycle in a Marine Environment

Introduction 

Maintaining a Gocycle in Marine Conditions  

Gocycle Design Considerations for Environmental Conditions 

Introduction 

Gocycle was designed to work in the outdoor environment, and as a transportation device needs to function in bad weather.  However, e-bike standards don’t contemplate the marine environment, which accelerates corrosion.  As a bike that is frequently used with boaters, we know that a marine environment can be hostile, though we have seen significant differences in corrosion based on the customer, how they store the product, and the type of boat they have.   

For general information about regarding corrosion prevention please read this article - Cleaning your Gocycle and preventing corrosion

Maintaining a Gocycle in Marine Conditions  

We cannot protect against accelerated corrosion from a marine environment, however, we believe the Gocycle is better than other ebikes in some areas.

Below are some considerations and precautions that will help you maintain your Gocycle in the best possible condition if being used and stored on a boat.

Primary defences against accelerated marine corrosion:

1. If possible, store the product in areas that you would feel comfortable storing a laptop computer or other home electronics.
2. Never store the Gocycle above deck or on the aft deck during passage making.  Avoid storage in lazarettes that are damp such as where anchor chains are stored.
3. With long term storage or during passage making, best practice is to remove the battery and store the battery on shore or in an area of your boat where you would have other home electronics items such as computers or laptops.
4. Our owner’s manual recommends customers recycle their battery after 5 years regardless of usage. However, with the marine environment or any elevated corrosion level environment, the battery must be recycled within 2 years or opened and checked for corrosion by a certified Gocycle reseller.
5. As tempting as it might be, riding on the beach or through sea water will accelerate corrosion.
6. There are key signs of how corrosive the environment is such as if you see corrosion on the normal bike components such as the disk brake rotors, the brake lever hose bolts, the crank arm bolts, the seat clamp bolts.  These components serve as a guide for you to know if your Gocycle battery and electronics may need inspection.
7. Get your Gocycle inspected annually.

Gocycle Design Considerations for Environmental Conditions 

Below are some of the ways environmental conditions were contemplated in the Gocycle design:

• We have selected durable, light, non-corrosive metals such as aluminium, magnesium, supplemented with carbon fiber and composite components.  Gocycle is on the forefront of applying new, durable, automotive materials to bicycles and we find that our materials perform equally or better than traditional bike frame materials.
• There are no brake cables, though the Gocycle G4 does have a wire mechanical shift cable. Almost all cables are internally routed.  The cables are housed inside the Gocycle in a protective harness that adds another layer of protection.
• The Cleandrive® prevents the majority of water/dirt/salt from contaminating the chain and transmission components.  Not only does this make the Gocycle clean and grease free for use on a boat, it also means you never have to lubricate these heavily used parts. However, if your boat or Gocycle has been exposed to a flooding event that involves sea water, we recommend you get the product inspected.  Do not change the battery if it has been submerged or flooded.
• We have had customers park their Gocycle on the dock and during transfer to the boat or under extreme wind conditions, the Gocycle has fallen into the ocean.  If this occurs, treat the Gocycle with caution and adhere to the flooded or submerged battery documentation in the owner’s manual.  Unfortunately, the entire product will be a loss due to the salt water ingress to all of the bearings and electronics.  We recommend that you carry insurance for this possibility – rare as it is – we know it can happen and does!
• The Gocycle uses sealed cartridge bearings which require minimal maintenance. Just like the drivetrain components, the majority of the bearings are well protected inside the Gocycle. Again, our technology here will be as good as other premium bikes – but steel bearings will rust and corrode – and this is expected.
• The brakes are hydraulic, and do not need cables and will not corrode. However, the exposed brake levers, and external bolts will corrode and serve as a warning to the user of the type of corrosive environment the Gocycle is in. Annually, you may take pictures of areas of corrosion and send them to our tech team who can advise you if the corrosion levels are severe and need replacing or not.   
• All electronic boards are conformally coated.  In the newest Gocycles, we have reduced the number of electronic boards to 1, reducing points of failure due to shorts or corrosion.
• Most Gocycle fasteners are high grade stainless, however some are “normal” and are there to show corrosion levels. Think of them like tree rings shown the age of a tree.
• For added protection of the paint, which is protecting the metal, we offer custom cut frame protection packs.  This accessory can add another layer of protection.
• With proper attention to the above and regular annual servicing, Gocycle has been demonstrated to do well in the marine environment and we have many, many happy boaters enjoying what Gocycle has to offer!