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?
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 ;)
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.
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
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 )
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.
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!
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.
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
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.
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. 👍
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.
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.
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.
