Sasha de Boer

Photographer, journalist, presenter & writer

“A car passed by, stopped and got in reverse to see my bike. He wanted to know everything about the Gocycle, and fell in love with it instantly.”

Somebody I knew was riding a Gocycle, and it was love at first sight. I’m a big fan of gadgets and other smart objects that make your life easier (or more fun), so I was an easy catch for this one! In May 2014 I had my first trip on my Gocycle and immediately the sun started shining. It is not just a cool bike, it rides really smooth. I was amazed at how fast it could go, with hardly any effort. It’s easy to ride, and also very easy to go fast, downhill and uphill.

I always try to take the Gocycle, wherever I go. Only when I go out of town I use the car. It’s a two seater Smart, and surprisingly the bike fits in the very small trunk. So when I have to travel to other cities, I put the bike in the trunk of the car, park the car somewhere and bike into town. By the way, it’s just as easy to bring the Gocycle on the train. I get a sense of total freedom when biking in another city.

The feature I like the most in Gocycle is its dashboard. The flashing red dots, indicating your speed and gear. The way it goes from left to right and back reminds me of that cool car called KITT, in the tv-series Knight Rider in the eighties. But I also like the fact that you can fold it into a small package, although I would like it if you could do that a bit faster (if you need to catch that train for instance).

Years ago when I lived in an apartment on the second floor, I used to walk my cat on the streets of Amsterdam. Seriously: on a leash, just like a dog. Obviously a funny sight, and absolutely a conversation piece with total strangers. Now when I ride my bike, it reminds me of those days; wherever I go with the Gocycle, I get these admiring looks and spontaneous conversations. People even stop me on the street to take a better look at the bike!

This summer I was in the northern town of Groningen where I had a photo exhibition and I brought the bike so I could check all the locations where my photos were hanging. When I got back to my car and folding the bike together, a car passed by, stopped and got in reverse to see my bike. He wanted to know everything about the Gocycle, and fell in love with it instantly.