I'd be very interested to hear how these stack up against similar lightweight ebikes, like the Ride1Up Roadster V2, the Tenways CGO600 (and Pro), and others. Does having the gearing make a big improvement over the single speed belt drives? Which of the many lightweight bikes do you prefer riding?
I have the T1 and I like it so far; but I want to install drop bars on it; seems like a hassle. How much better would you say the Specialized Turbo Creo SL is? Debating selling the T1 to my buddy and getting the Specialized Turbo Creo SL.
It's a bit hard to compare those two, one being a mid drive and the other being a hub drive. I guess it'd be safe to say they're targeting a similar rider, the Specialized is going to have a nicer component spec and adaptability to nicer components as well as having the support from local bikes shops across the country. If the T1 fits your budget best and you want to start getting the miles in, a drop bar setup wouldn't be too difficult. The MAJOR factor there is replacing the shifter/brake levers with drop bar ones. The T1 uses a Shimano Altus 8s rear derailleur, I don't know first hand compatibility with that derailleur and a maybe the Shimano Claris 8s lever, but it may work perfectly. A Local Bike Shop would be a great resource for those questions before hand. In which I would encourage having a shop perform the parts swapping since they will have all of the necessary tools on hand.
Still curious what it means when the bike is "Locked" Can a person ride it away, or does the motor hamper someone from doing that. Is there an alarm like VanMoof?
Great questions. The bike will not turn on while Locked, although it can still be peddled. Also, if the Alarm function is activated, it will alert you via the app that the bike is moving or being fiddled with, there is no audible alarm on the bike.
How much vibration makes it through the handlebars? I contacted them and found that a suspension stem can’t be installed, for me it’s a deal breaker. I have 15k miles on a bike that until I added the suspension stem wasn’t comfortable.
We installed a Suntour GVX Suspension fork on our T1 and I wouldn't see any issue with installing the Redshift stem. Yes the T1 has internal cable routing, but it is routed through a spacer, not the stem itself.
Thankyou for this informative video Sir. II'm focused on the Thunder 1 Im old school and rather not have the app. My question is, can I operate the bike without the app?. My reason for asking is, what if my phone dies. Will that interfere with my ride. I just hate the idea of having to have my bike connected to a phone. . Actually. I'm so impressed with this bike, I might buy it either way. Thanks again and your reply will be greatly appreciated. God bless
I heard you can feel the drag and loke you have to quit pedaling because of the way they did the torque sensor or you'll be ghost pedaling. I want to buy it though, wish i could test but i may have to just order lol
They are definitely both a similar style bike. The Roadster is a single speed and much more minimal compared to the Thunder's. For urban riding they are both enjoyable, it is nice to have gears on those steeper hills though.
Thanks guys for the review. I'm very interested in these bikes and was wondering if they perform differently (other than range and app capability)? Also, the Thunder 1 has capability to change between 3 riding modes using the app, what might the equivalent mode of the ST be since that can't be customized?
Thanks! The Thunder 1 does have those 3 different modes or tunes, but the Thunder 1 ST would just reflect closest to the city mode as it’s more commuter focused. Regardless of the mode it will always be Class 1 and it just reflects a different tune for how it supplies power in PAS modes.
Thank you. We’re glad our Tech Check was able to provide some helpful knowledge. Stay tuned for the long term review after we get more time and miles in ;)
Sorry about the earlier send my cat Beeper decided I wasn’t paying enough attention to him and he hit send. Exceptional review I have already sent it off to my daughter and her husband they both live in Northern California and these bikes will fit there needs. She will have to get the ST the real advantage is the weights of the bikes. I work with a very good friend of mine Peter More who manufactures Crimson Amps and Preamps hes out of Scotland and Peter decided that for my 70th he was going to get me an E bike. I gave him the parameters 3” to 4” tires 750 watts I would prefer full suspension 48 Volt or 52 volt I would prefer more storage in the Amp hours. I really don’t mind rear hub and I let him frankly decide. I sent him Himiway, Magicycle, Adventon Heybikes etc. Him being an electrical and mechanical engineer I told him OK you pick and if it. I already had a pretty good idea. He knows someone at Magicycle so I was sent me the Deer full suspension E Bike. It’s heavy 92 lbs it’s really well made and it’s really nice on bumpy roads. It’s Not. Mountain Bike… I will send you folks my feedback when I put a-couple Hundred miles on it. My wife won’t even get on it. She like the Drs Lectric (Figure’s )
Best review I've seen. Hard to decide between them . Being an android user the Thunder 1 is good. The Thunder1st seems to have a more upright seating position, which my 60 year old back might appreciate. Thanks, I hadn't seen that the two bike can handle up to a 45c tires. Wondering if the hub motor and the seating position are the reason the Thunder1 has a longer range? The only other difference I can see is the tire width by 2 c.
Thank you, glad our tech check was able to provide some additional information and story about the bike and Velotric. Stayed tuned for the full review after we get more miles in!
We asked ourselves the same question. The T1 has the Velopower e35+ drive unit while the T1ST has the Velopower e35, both have same 350w (600w Peak) and 45Nm of torque. While having had asked, we arrived at the programming and smart abilities of the e35+ motor is able to be more efficient and adaptive while riding.
It does look like a normal bike.."Regular" is the word I'm thinking.. Ordinary maybe. Lol Not much of a show piece.. But.... It's sharp looking and good for some people that are not into big speed or dual suspension .. So light weight. I think 50 lbs with a 500 watt motor and a 15 ah 48V battery is about right. I know, that isn't what this bike is about. 👍
I believe its about 4 hours for a complete charge, but we will go for a ride and drain the battery down and keep track of a full charge. We'll update our results in the description on this video as well as include that detail in the long term review coming soon.
Just got mine, put together and charging. How do I use it without a phone? They said I could yet I cant find info. Wheres the app? Book just tells about assembly not use. Thanks. I see you riding sans phone. HOW?
Hey there. Not sure I track fully, but hopefully this helps. - the app can be found by searching Velotric in the App Store. - right when we got ours we connected to the app so we can’t speak towards how to do it without.
This company has 0 customer service.They do not reply to email and their customer service line is a dead end.My bike stopped working after one day and I cannot get any customer service assistance . I want to return the bike but they won't even reply to my request for return. Be very careful buying this bicycle.If you do and anything goes wrong your stuck with a broken bicycle.
I'd be very interested to hear how these stack up against similar lightweight ebikes, like the Ride1Up Roadster V2, the Tenways CGO600 (and Pro), and others. Does having the gearing make a big improvement over the single speed belt drives? Which of the many lightweight bikes do you prefer riding?
vs FLX Babymaker2 would be an interesting comparison
Also the Wing Freedom, which is a cheaper Vanmoof clone.
I have the T1 and I like it so far; but I want to install drop bars on it; seems like a hassle.
How much better would you say the Specialized Turbo Creo SL is?
Debating selling the T1 to my buddy and getting the Specialized Turbo Creo SL.
It's a bit hard to compare those two, one being a mid drive and the other being a hub drive. I guess it'd be safe to say they're targeting a similar rider, the Specialized is going to have a nicer component spec and adaptability to nicer components as well as having the support from local bikes shops across the country.
If the T1 fits your budget best and you want to start getting the miles in, a drop bar setup wouldn't be too difficult.
The MAJOR factor there is replacing the shifter/brake levers with drop bar ones. The T1 uses a Shimano Altus 8s rear derailleur, I don't know first hand compatibility with that derailleur and a maybe the Shimano Claris 8s lever, but it may work perfectly. A Local Bike Shop would be a great resource for those questions before hand. In which I would encourage having a shop perform the parts swapping since they will have all of the necessary tools on hand.
@@ElectricBikeJournal Thanks! Appreciate the response! i'll take it to my local bike shop, maybe test ride one of the creos.
Still curious what it means when the bike is "Locked" Can a person ride it away, or does the motor hamper someone from doing that. Is there an alarm like VanMoof?
Great questions. The bike will not turn on while Locked, although it can still be peddled. Also, if the Alarm function is activated, it will alert you via the app that the bike is moving or being fiddled with, there is no audible alarm on the bike.
Still waiting for that promised Thunder 1 modifications video...
How much vibration makes it through the handlebars? I contacted them and found that a suspension stem can’t be installed, for me it’s a deal breaker. I have 15k miles on a bike that until I added the suspension stem wasn’t comfortable.
We installed a Suntour GVX Suspension fork on our T1 and I wouldn't see any issue with installing the Redshift stem. Yes the T1 has internal cable routing, but it is routed through a spacer, not the stem itself.
Thankyou for this informative video Sir. II'm focused on the Thunder 1 Im old school and rather not have the app. My question is, can I operate the bike without the app?. My reason for asking is, what if my phone dies. Will that interfere with my ride. I just hate the idea of having to have my bike connected to a phone. . Actually. I'm so impressed with this bike, I might buy it either way. Thanks again and your reply will be greatly appreciated. God bless
What are the widest tires you can put on the ST to make it more of a gravel bike?
we havent tested it, but it looks like it could fir 45c tires.
I heard you can feel the drag and loke you have to quit pedaling because of the way they did the torque sensor or you'll be ghost pedaling. I want to buy it though, wish i could test but i may have to just order lol
How does this compare to the ride1up v2 gravel!? I’m torn
They are definitely both a similar style bike. The Roadster is a single speed and much more minimal compared to the Thunder's. For urban riding they are both enjoyable, it is nice to have gears on those steeper hills though.
Thanks guys for the review. I'm very interested in these bikes and was wondering if they perform differently (other than range and app capability)? Also, the Thunder 1 has capability to change between 3 riding modes using the app, what might the equivalent mode of the ST be since that can't be customized?
Thanks! The Thunder 1 does have those 3 different modes or tunes, but the Thunder 1 ST would just reflect closest to the city mode as it’s more commuter focused.
Regardless of the mode it will always be Class 1 and it just reflects a different tune for how it supplies power in PAS modes.
Great review of a great bike!
Thank you. We’re glad our Tech Check was able to provide some helpful knowledge.
Stay tuned for the long term review after we get more time and miles in ;)
Sorry about the earlier send my cat Beeper decided I wasn’t paying enough attention to him and
he hit send. Exceptional review I have already sent it off to my daughter and her husband they
both live in Northern California and these bikes will fit there needs. She will have to get the ST
the real advantage is the weights of the bikes. I work with a very good friend of mine Peter More
who manufactures Crimson Amps and Preamps hes out of Scotland and Peter decided that for
my 70th he was going to get me an E bike. I gave him the parameters 3” to 4” tires 750 watts
I would prefer full suspension 48 Volt or 52 volt I would prefer more storage in the Amp hours.
I really don’t mind rear hub and I let him frankly decide. I sent him Himiway, Magicycle, Adventon
Heybikes etc. Him being an electrical and mechanical engineer I told him OK you pick and if it.
I already had a pretty good idea. He knows someone at Magicycle so I was sent me the Deer full
suspension E Bike. It’s heavy 92 lbs it’s really well made and it’s really nice on bumpy roads.
It’s Not. Mountain Bike… I will send you folks my feedback when I put a-couple Hundred miles
on it. My wife won’t even get on it. She like the Drs Lectric (Figure’s )
Best review I've seen. Hard to decide between them . Being an android user the Thunder 1 is good. The Thunder1st seems to have a more upright seating position, which my 60 year old back might appreciate. Thanks, I hadn't seen that the two bike can handle up to a 45c tires. Wondering if the hub motor and the seating position are the reason the Thunder1 has a longer range? The only other difference I can see is the tire width by 2 c.
Thank you, glad our tech check was able to provide some additional information and story about the bike and Velotric.
Stayed tuned for the full review after we get more miles in!
great review
Thanks appreciate you watching.
The fingerprint... I wonder if a hacker could get your print and use it to do something like get into your bank info? 😁
I can remember when you guys did
Me too. They did it good.
Why does T1 get 70 mi range vs Th1 ST's 50? Same motors.Same batteries.
We asked ourselves the same question. The T1 has the Velopower e35+ drive unit while the T1ST has the Velopower e35, both have same 350w (600w Peak) and 45Nm of torque. While having had asked, we arrived at the programming and smart abilities of the e35+ motor is able to be more efficient and adaptive while riding.
It does look like a normal bike.."Regular" is the word I'm thinking.. Ordinary maybe. Lol Not much of a show piece.. But.... It's sharp looking and good for some people that are not into big speed or dual suspension .. So light weight. I think 50 lbs with a 500 watt motor and a 15 ah 48V battery is about right. I know, that isn't what this bike is about. 👍
How long does it take to charge the battery?
I believe its about 4 hours for a complete charge, but we will go for a ride and drain the battery down and keep track of a full charge. We'll update our results in the description on this video as well as include that detail in the long term review coming soon.
Looks like for a complete charge between 4-5 hours.
Just got mine, put together and charging. How do I use it without a phone? They said I could yet I cant find info. Wheres the app? Book just tells about assembly not use. Thanks. I see you riding sans phone. HOW?
Hey there. Not sure I track fully, but hopefully this helps.
- the app can be found by searching Velotric in the App Store.
- right when we got ours we connected to the app so we can’t speak towards how to do it without.
This company has 0 customer service.They do not reply to email and their customer service line is a dead end.My bike stopped working after one day and I cannot get any customer service assistance . I want to return the bike but they won't even reply to my request for return. Be very careful buying this bicycle.If you do and anything goes wrong your stuck with a broken bicycle.
Price is a bit outrageous…😮
It really is an incredible value compared to many other electric gravel bikes with similar features.
It’s actually incredibly low for what you get. I test rode one and the quality is exceptional compared to some other Chinese bikes out there.