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Anyone watching the recent Riva Del Garda coverage will have seen Jack Brandsen talking with Steve Jones from EMBN about Gobao and its e-bike motor.
Here we sit down with Jack, an eMobility veteran with 15-plus years in the sector – having previously worked for Enviolo (NuVinci), Bafang, and Okawa – to talk all things opportunities, innovation, and the future as Gobao sees it.
If the brand wasn’t already on your radar, it certainly will be by the end of this feature.
Jack, thanks for speaking with us. Let’s start with a big picture introduction to the world of Gobao.
Let’s open with a picture of Gobao in numbers: 23 years in business. 1500 + employees. In 2025, the business will manufacture and sell over 36 million motor control units.
Gobao is a business that excels in the eMobility sector. We work with 30 + vehicle manufacturers, including a significant number of the top 10 electric two-wheeler manufacturers.
Plenty to dig into here. So, a new name to many cyclists, but a very well-established business in eMobility.
Yes. And it’s here that we see a strong knowledge, experience and technology crossover – bringing this to e-bike motors, and e-bike systems.
Whilst Riva Del Garda saw us talking to an eMTB audience, we launched our first e-bike motor in 2018, and see the opportunity as a cross-sector one, where cycling-as-transport is every bit as important as eMTB.
When we mention cycling-as-transport, it makes sense that we opened our European office, in 2019, in Munich, Germany – the biggest e-bike market in Europe.
When we look at the impact Chinese EV manufacturers are having, reshaping the global auto industry, I get the sense that we’re seeing something similar with e-bikes. DJI is the obvious high-profile disruptor. Gobao is also part of this shift.
Definitely. We see auto industry EV innovation and, given our eMobility focus, know that we can bring radical change to the cycling industry. We’re not constrained by chains and deraillers.
We’ve already produced a conventional e-bike motor with significantly better efficiency, so extending range, and we’re about to offer 120Nm and 135Nm motor options, but why stop there? Why not also make cycling simpler and more accessible for a wider section of society? This is something that we, as a business, are really motivated by and enthusiastic about.
In the coming 36 months, you’ll see Gobao launch e-bike products which will transform the market.
Would it be fair to say that scale is also a major competitive advantage for Chinese businesses? A population of 1.4 billion (UK population 70 million, USA population 340 million) means mass production results in lower unit costs?
Yes. And we see this – cost, plus technology advantages, combined with customer and retailer service support – as key to making our mark on the cycling industry.
We have already explored distribution relationships in a number of European countries, and are speaking with retailers to understand their needs and those of their customers.
We know that it’s not enough to launch an innovative product.
If the post-purchase support and service network isn’t in place, riders don’t buy bikes, retailers don’t buy bikes, distributors don’t buy bikes.
Here, it matters not if it’s an eMTB, a commuter bike, or a cargo bike – every one of these customers wants to buy with confidence. Long-term ownership is built on happy customers.
You’ll likely have seen that e-bike motor manufacturers have partnered with UK distributors for much the reasons you describe above – post-sale service support.
Yes. And we know that the UK has different requirements and expectations when compared with other European countries.
Where is Gobao in the process of working with global bike brands? Will we see a Tier 1 bike brand with a Gobao motor in the near future?
Watch this space, is all I can say.
You and I know that a development cycle for a new product launch is between 18 and 24 months. Maybe 36 at the outer edge. Somewhere in this timeframe, you’ll see something very interesting from us, with bike brands you’ll recognise very well. I can say no more at this time.
