Velotric Nomad 2 review: Best fat tire e-bike of 2025
It's a perfect time to get out and enjoy a fat tire e-bike and Velotric launched one of the best ever with the Nomad 2.
Hyperdrive Hits
5/5 Medals of Yavin: Outstanding, capable fat tire e-bike with all of the bells and whistles, along with a hefty price to match its weight
Fantastic color display and 7-button controller with smartphone app
Front suspension, hydraulic disc brakes, and throttle option up to 28 mph
Capacity of 505 pounds
Gorgeous color options and outstanding build quality
Past fat tire ebikes that I have tested include the Velotric Nomad 1, Cyrusher Ranger, Fiido Titan, Lectric XPeak, and more. Out of the many that I have tested, the Velotric Nomad 1 remains the only one that I still ride frequently. For the past few weeks I have been testing its successor, the Velotric Nomad 2, and it is my favorite fat tire e-bike to date.
The Nomad 2 improved upon the Nomad 1 with higher torque, increased load carrying capacity, beefy rear rack, better front suspension, twice the brightness on the front light, turn signal indicators, and more. It is a sheer joy to ride and I felt in control at all times, even on slippery wet trails.
Rating:
As explained in my palmsolo’s Refresh Rating Scale post, I’m awarding the Velotric Nomad 2 five (5) Medals of Yavin. I honestly have not found anything I do not like about the bike and the only thing that might knock it down a bit in my rating is the $1,999 price point. The hardware is awesome and the controller/software takes it to the next level with riding options and controls not found on other bikes.
The Good and the Bad
It’s pretty rare for me to not find something that can be improved with a product and for things like electric bikes the pros and cons can depend on your riding needs.
Pros
High-powered pedal assist and throttle
Vast amount of settings and customization options for 15 riding modes/levels
Solid build quality and gorgeous coating options
Industry leading cargo capacity of 505 pounds
Vibrant LED headlight and integrated rear light with turn signal indicators
Stunning, large 3.5-inch vibrant color display
Cons
Average battery life
No rear suspension
Experiences
The Velotric Nomad 2 arrived in a large box and was mostly assembled. Velotric provides a box full of the accessories and tools you need to finish assembling the bike. It was easy to put on the front wheel, front fender, and attach the handlebars. The front light was the most challenging with a unique post that attaches to the front, but again it was still fairly simple.
The first thing that struck me was the fantastic Cranberry color option. It is a dark burgundy with high gloss and looks stunning in person. I highly recommend this color option and I also like the step through model given that the bike weighs a lot and the fat tires already make it a large bike so making it a bit easier to get on board is appreciated.
The fat tires, front suspension, suspension seat post, and comfortable seat help make this a very comfortable bike to ride. Something about fat tire bikes adds a level of security when you ride too and unlike some others I have ridden in the past I never felt like the Nomad 2 “got away” from me and I felt in complete control while riding it.
Controller and Display
The controller and display of the Nomad 2 deserves attention since this is the best set up I have ever seen before. The display is a large 3.5 inches and is mounted in landscape orientation so you get a lot of data right in front of you without sticking up from the handlebars so high that it hits branches and things. The Cyrusher Ranger has a similar orientation on its display.
The controller is off to the left side and has seven different buttons, which is more than I recall seeing on any other e-bike. The buttons serve the following functions.
Top button is to toggle on/off the power of the bike
Next two buttons near the top are simply for turn signal indicators. Press once to turn on and once more to turn off. These buttons are also used to move right and left in the settings, where applicable.
A small button below right turn signal indicator is the Menu button. Press and hold this to access the vast settings area on the display. Press this as an OK button while in the menus and also to quickly toggle between metrics on the bottom of the display, such as odometer, speeds, and more with a single press when not in the settings.
The plus and minus buttons are used for switching pedal assist levels and moving through menus. Press and hold the plus button to manually toggle the lights. Press and hold the minus button to enable walking mode.
There is also a smaller button on the bottom that switches between three main modes of Eco, Trail, and Boost and also serves as the back button in the settings.
Compared to the controller on my Summit 1 this one has more buttons, but also that makes it easier to switch between the riding modes.
Down below the mode button is a rubber cover for a USB-C port that you can use to charge up accessories, such as your bike computer and maybe your phone.
Smartphone app
Velotric also has a powerful smartphone app and while you can modify and customize the settings on the bike display itself, you can also just open up the app and have everything synced to your bike. The app is used to manage firmware updates for the display, controller, and battery. Bike settings include naming your bike, changing the riding mode, adjusting screen brightness, setting custom speed limits, auto power off, auto light, throttle limit, and units. The app can also serve as a tracker for your riding adventures.
Specifications
Specifications alone don’t mean much, but they are useful for comparing similar devices and checking that you are getting value for your money.
Frame: Aluminum alloy with two frame designs and five color options
Motor: 750W rear hub, 90Nm torque
Bike weight: 75 pounds
Battery: 48V, 14.7Ah with UL2271 and IPX7 ratings
Bike capacity: 505 pounds, 66 pounds for rear rack
Pedal assist: Five levels with three riding modes
Throttle: Left side thumb with pedal assist level control
Max speed and range: 28 mph, with advertised range from 45 to 65
Transmission: 8-speed Shimano
Suspension: RST front shock with 100mm range
Brakes: 4-piston hydraulic disk brakes, 180mm rotors
Tires: 26 x 4 inch Kenda puncture resistant
Bottom Line
The Velotric Nomad 2 improves upon the already excellent Nomad 1 in many areas, including higher torque, higher load capacity, beefy rear rack, better front suspension, twice the brightness on the front light, turn signal indicators. The color is stunning, it is one of the best built bikes I have ever tested, it has a fabulous controller and display, and has performed very well.
If you are interested in this bike, please consider using my affiliate link here. You can also enter code MWMN201 for $60 off.
I normally don’t spend lots of time riding fat tire e-bikes, but this one is so good that I’ve been riding in snow, on trails, and on neighborhood rides because you can optimize the riding experience and it is so comfortable.
The ability to customize your rides, including switching between cadence and torque sensing, is fabulous and something that is rare to find in an e-bike. Velotric hit it out of the park with the Nomad 2 and it’s easily my favorite fat tire e-bike that I have tested to date.