Gorille, electric bikes for venturing into the jungle, the tropics, or… traffic! Interview with the CEO
Gorille, fat bikes… or rather, muscle bikes!
Gorille is a young French startup whose creativity and originality we admire. Founded by a former Bosch engineer, their 16 electric bike models boast a pleasingly robust look, all featuring wide “fat” tires. They offer a broad range of technical options, with various motors and chain or belt drive transmissions. Their prices are quite competitive.
Maximum customization
Each model is available in several colors, and you can also choose from a wide range of accessories. Leather grips, harmonious colors, hand-stitched saddles, and colored tires and rims give them a sporty yet elegant charm.
High-Power Motors
The same goes for the drive systems: mid-drive or hub motors ranging from 250 watts to 2000 watts (not approved for use in France), with torque from 80 Nm to 240 Nm (a Dacia Sandero only has 95 Nm). All are waterproof, salt air resistant, and sand resistant. Battery capacities range from 410 Wh to 1680 Wh, Li-ion, made in France.
You can also choose between belt or chain drive, hub gears, internal gear hubs, or derailleur gears.
Effective Marketing
Their website exudes youthful energy and inspires you to venture into wild environments, taking advantage of the dynamism of these extraordinary vehicles. No wonder they’ve already sold bikes in Morocco and Ivory Coast, jungle life being what it is, uh, uh 😊.
With 10,000 electric bikes already sold and around twenty bike rental companies among their clients, including one in Spain and another in Belgium, the Gorilla tribe doesn’t seem to be facing extinction. Quite the opposite, their prosperity seems assured, in both metal and flesh and fur, thanks also to the €20 that will be donated to gorilla conservation for each bike purchased.
Interview: Christophe YVARS, Gorille’s CEO and founder
- We find the aesthetic appeal of your bikes very successful and attractive, as well as being very original. What is the public’s reaction, given that they are sometimes wary of unconventional designs?
Indeed, we offer e-bikes with a distinctive and assertive style. This is one of the elements that attracts our customers: a beautiful object. Of course, the functionality of an e-bike is important, but it’s common for the purchase decision to begin with the design, which makes you want to get back in the saddle.
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- What led you to choose to equip your entire range with Bafang motors from China? Is it their excellent value for money, or other factors such as power, the wide choice of motors (mid-drive and hub), even with automatic gear shifting?
Several reasons.
At the beginning of the Gorille adventure, we consulted with various motor manufacturers: Bosch (where I was an engineer), Brose, Shimano, and several Chinese companies. Bafang was the only one to offer solutions truly adapted to our fat bikes: high torque, customizable software, and robustness in water and sand.
Over time, we have developed an excellent relationship. We test their new products before integrating them into our ranges: rear motors, mid-drive motors, rear motors with integrated gears, hubs with automatic gears for high power outputs, etc.
Beyond these features, their after-sales service is responsive in Europe, allowing us to quickly assist customers who encounter problems thanks to our spare parts inventory. In summary: we are very pleased to offer Bafang components across our entire range.
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- According to our data, the vast majority of e-bike buyers are over 30. Why do you think so few young people buy e-bikes?
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That’s true, most of our customers are over 35. It’s mainly a question of available budget. However, we’re seeing a shift: more and more parents are equipping their children with e-bikes as an alternative to scooters, which is lowering the average age.
- Why do young people prefer electric scooters to electric bikes? Is it just a matter of price, or also of maneuverability for carrying them up to their apartment and on public transport, or other means?
Our customers don’t use scooters much, as they’re not well-suited to our coastal regions.
In urban areas, however, it’s a different story: short trips, the possibility of combining them with the metro, the ease of storing a folding scooter in an apartment… Bike parking solutions remain too scarce or unsecured, which puts e-bikes at a disadvantage.
- Young people even seem to prefer gas-powered scooters to electric bikes, even though the former are roughly the same price as the latter. What do you think is the reason for this?
For long distances, scooters offer more freedom of movement. However, there are fixed costs and increased road risks.
- I find your bikes particularly appealing to young people. How can we encourage them to use electric bikes for transportation?
We are currently working on models with a youthful and urban design (see our Kong). This one uses a belt drive and offers two automatic speeds for ultra-simple use with very little maintenance. These arguments resonate with young people… the only remaining barrier is the price.
- Until the 1970s, cycling as a means of transport was very rare in the Netherlands. After a huge demonstration by women protesting the numerous accidents involving pedestrians, especially children, caused by cars, the government began adapting cities for cyclists. As a result, there are now far more cyclists than cars in Dutch cities.
Do you think that the limited number of bicycles on French roads is solely a matter of viability, or are there other reasons?
I think we’re behind schedule, but that little by little we’ll follow a similar path. Infrastructure needs to adapt, parking facilities, and so on. Paris is already a good example of this emerging transformation. For our part, we’re convinced that cycling has a significant role to play in short, everyday journeys.
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- All your bikes are equipped with wide tires. We find this excellent for riding in the city, but also for absorbing the jolts caused by our often uneven road surfaces. Not to mention the danger of tram tracks when riding with narrow tires. Do people realize the value of your tires for safety and for protecting their backs?
This is a question we often hear from our urban customers: “Apart from the beach, what’s the point of your wide tires?”
Our answer is:
• greater comfort, even on cobblestones,
• better stability when transitioning from tram tracks to roadways,
• an upright riding position on some of our frames,
• suspension in the seat tube plus the natural cushioning of the tire.
Little by little, we are converting more and more urban riders to these advantages.
Gorilla Kong at a Glance (image above)
- Frame: Aluminum
- Fork: Suspension
- Motor: BAFANG 250W 80Nm GTV Technology 2-Speed Automatic
- Battery: Removable, Li-ion Made in France 48V 720Wh, 60% minimum residual capacity after 30,000 km
- Display: Bafang
- Control Unit: Bafang
- Transmission: Gates Belt
- Brakes: Front and Rear TEKTRO 180mm Hydraulic Discs
- Weight: 28 kg
- Maximum permissible total weight: 228 kg
- Color: Black
- Price: from €3,590
Gorilla Male 2.0 at a glance (image below)
- Frame: aluminum
- Fork: rigid
- Motor: BAFANG M510 250W 95Nm mid-drive
- Batteries: Li-ion Made in France, 700Wh, removable in the downtube
- Display: Bafang
- Control unit: Bafang
- Drivetrain: Gates belt drive, Enviolo Xtreme rear hub
- Brakes: Formula CURA 180mm hydraulic disc brakes, front and rear
- Weight: 26 kg
- Maximum permissible total weight: 180 kg
- Colors: Deep bronze, petrol blue, khaki, aluminum
- Price: From €5,290
Gorille Cycles PB: The 2×2 (all-wheel drive) beast flexes its muscles
This e-MTB is equipped with high-speed BAFANG brushless motors, 2 x 48V 1000W 120Nm in the front and rear hubs -> Total 2000W 240Nm, and two 1680Wh Li-ion batteries made in France, for a range of up to 130 km. Four-piston brakes. See image below. It is not street legal as it is intended for markets outside Europe.
Gorille Cycles PB: The 2×2 (all-wheel drive) beast flexes its muscles
This e-MTB is equipped with high-speed BAFANG brushless motors, 2 x 48V 1000W 120Nm in the front and rear hubs -> Total 2000W 240Nm, and two 1680Wh Li-ion batteries made in France, for a range of up to 130 km. Four-piston brakes. See image below. It is not street legal as it is intended for markets outside Europe.
Photos: Gorille Cycles