Velotric Ebikes --nice things to say.

[Baron Blubba]

I guess you could chalk this up to a PSA. I don't work for Velotric, although I do carry them at my shop.

Basically, I am an ebike skeptic. Not that I don't think they *can* be great, it's just that I don't think they can be great for less than a ~$2000 - $2500 starting price point for a geared ebike.

I'm in business with my dad, and he basically said, 'Look, ebikes are here to stay, we need to start selling affordable ones, most of our customers are simply not going to spend $2500 - 3500 for a Giant or Specialized ebike.' So we started trying a few rear-hub driven brands. Some were okay in that they were made from materials and components that wouldn't break on you after a week, were decently assembled, and not likely to land the rider in the hospital due to a manufacturing defect or spec'ing of a part that wasn't up to doing its job. But those 'okay' some didn't ride very well at all compared to ebikes from legit bike brands like the aforementioned Giant and Specialized, as well as Trek, Cannondale, etc.

Anyway, a rep from Velotric found us and offered us some bikes on consignment, just try 'em, see how they do. The bikes *looked* really nice, and wow, lo-and-behold, they actually rode really nicely too! I wouldn't say that a $1200 Velotric T1 is the equivalent of a $2500 Giant Roam E+ GTS, but by golly, it's not bad at all --and quite good, actually!.

Summation: If you are ebike curious or need an ebike for some reason but don't want to spend $2000-4000 for a primo one, I think Velotric is the way to go. The bikes are made 'globally', but the company is HQ'd in the USA and has good customer service, in my experience.
Personally, I'd still buy the Giant, but gosh darn if I wouldn't spend a few minutes wondering if its benefits really justify the price difference.

[AngryScientist]

Interesting.

Here's what I think will be the next development with lower end e-bikes: Some mfg's should get license from the big power tools brand names and use their batteries in the bikes. I figure if you can get an battery powered lawnmower or snowblower, those should be able to put in some work on a bike too, and homeowners may already be invested in the battery systems.

My honda lawnmower, JD tractor and Craftsman snowblower are very reliable, but otherwise I'm all in on battery yard equipment, I think they are great tools without the need for gas, noise and fouled carbs.

[p nut]

Baron - I’m wondering how this brand has been thus far? Have you had any issues with reliability or customer service?
I’m trying to decide between a Discover 2 and a Specialized Como/Vado (which are ~$1k more).

[Blown Reek]

Give me a Super73 or give me death.

[peanutgallery]

What percentage of controllers have been bad? Do they pay you for warranty service? Rad Power is more like bad power

The legacy brands are offering what a bike head would consider to be a comfort oriented e-bike. To folks that dress up for a ride like they're going to a Buffet concert...that isn't what they want. Your dad is correct...throttles, adjustable stems, step thru and under $2k in price. Its interesting that tons of shops are selling adventon, rad and velotric as none of the regular LBS brands are filling this need. 5 years ago they were all direct to consumer brands we laughed at

[wallymann]

another velotric believer.

picked up a T1 for the missus last summer, documented in this thread.

its a pedal-assist setup, so its not a scooter...its a bike that you have to pedal.

here are the big things you're getting for a price that's less than half of the big brands:
- decent power -- load dependent, variable assist
- decent capacity -- useful range
- reasonable weight -- it a bicycle, not a 60# tank
- reasonable aesthetics -- it LOOKS like a bicycle
- decent component spec -- its not garbage

[jm714]

I saw this last week on CNN

https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/...ale-2024-08-06

[p nut]

Originally Posted by wallymann

another velotric believer.

picked up a T1 for the missus last summer, documented in this thread.

its a pedal-assist setup, so its not a scooter...its a bike that you have to pedal.

here are the big things you're getting for a price that's less than half of the big brands:
- decent power -- load dependent, variable assist
- decent capacity -- useful range
- reasonable weight -- it a bicycle, not a 60# tank
- reasonable aesthetics -- it LOOKS like a bicycle
- decent component spec -- its not garbage

Thanks for the review. I think I’m going to put in an order for the Discover 2 for my wife, for our anniversary. I went around and looked at a bunch of them from the local shops. None really impressed me. Not for the price tags on them, anyway. Lots of 2021, 22 models still on the floor of these shops. Specialized, especially.