Velotric Summit 1 review: Fly in style with this eMTB
Velotric launched an affordable electric mountain bike and my heart can barely contain the joy I experience each time I hit the trails.
Hyperdrive Hits
5/5 Medals of Yavin: Affordable electric mountain bike for those of us interested in exploring the woods
15 riding levels to fit your needs
Class 1, 2, or 3 customizable
Power to get you up hills
Solid build, lovely color options, and local store support
Solid shocks, wide grips, MTB features
I bought my first e-bike in 2017 as a commuter bike to help me get to and from work. I’ve since broadened my experiences with commuters, foldables, fat tire bikes, and cruisers. For the past month I have been riding my very first mountain bike and I haven’t had this much fun on a bike in a LONG time.
At 55, I’m probably a bit too old to be blasting down single track trails in the woods and attempting to make jumps, turns, and drops at high speeds, but I grew up tromping through the woods and feel right at home. Part of the reason I purchased this new Velotric Summit 1 was that a local MTB park opened up in the woods where I used to roam as a kid and I couldn’t resist trying out this bike.
My heart rate definitely rises when I get on the bike and head down the trail and I love that my Garmin Edge 840 tracks all of the details, including my jumps. I had 21 jumps in my last session and have exceeded 12 feet in jump distance. I know this isn’t much, but for a guy who usually tries to keep both tires on the road this is a blast.
One reason I went with the Velotric model is that I can trust the brand since I have previously reviewed the Electric Blue Velotric Fold 1, Discover 1, Nomad 1, and T1 (aka Thunder 1) e-bikes.
Rating:
As explained in my palmsolo’s Refresh Rating Scale post, I’m awarding the Velotric Summit 1 five (5) Medals of Yavin. As I discussed in my YouTube review, there are definitely some mountain bike features missing here, but when you look at the $2,000 price point and what Velotric offers it hard not to say this bike is nearly perfect for the beginner mountain biker. You can even make some upgrades and improve it for long term use too.
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
Good front shock, nice trail tires, wide handlebars and comfortable grips
Flexibility to ride as a Class 1, 2, or 3 eMTB
High-powered pedal assist and throttle to get you through any situation
Long range
Large color display with tons of functionality and smartphone connectivity
Apple Find My device support
Very affordable price point
Lovely colors, elegant design, solid build quality
Brilliant front headlight and rear brake light with handy trail functionality
UL2849 and UL2271 certified
IPX7 waterproof rating for battery and IPX6 for e-bike
Cons
Bit heavy for a mountain bike
No rear suspension
Experiences
With the opening of a new local mountain bike trail network, I started looking around for a standard mountain bike, noting that most seemed to be priced from $3,000 to more than $10,000. I then saw that Velotric announced a eMTB with a fantastic price of $1,799 (tariffs kicked in after I bought mine so now it is priced at $1,999) so I ordered my own. I wanted the orange one, but it was sold out by the time I tried to place my order so I bought the blue one. It is lovely and I am pleased with my purchase.
There was quite a bit of assembly needed to put the controls and get the bike together so I put in an unboxing section of my YouTube review. I made a rookie mistake and had one pedal in a bit crooked so I ended up stripping out some threads in the crank. A quick tap and die kit later and I was all set and ready to ride.
That first shot down the trail was THRILLING and my heart rate was pretty high. I haven’t ridden a bike down a single track trail like that as an adult and I was frankly surprised by how fast I actually went. I don’t yet know what I am doing when it comes to handling cornering, jumps and other thrills, but my local park has a nice skills area to practice and I’ve been watching YouTube videos.
The Velotric bikes are UL certified for both the battery and the electronic components so as long as you use the included charger and follow the charging instructions then you shouldn’t have to worry about fires. Many of those fires in the news were reported to be from people who modified their bikes, used non-compliant chargers, or who were using cheap knock-off replacement batteries. Follow the instructions and don’t risk a fire by modifying your bike.
In addition to UL certification, Velotric includes a battery with an IPX7 waterproof rating and the bike with an IPX6 rating. While this means you could submerge the battery in water for a period of time, you are not going to ride this in a lake or keep it submerged. Since I live and ride in Washington State most of the time where it is overcast, gray, and drizzly much of the time it is great to know the bike is built for inclement weather. If you do ride in this type of weather, be very careful braking.
The handlebars are wider than any bike I have tried before, but that is how mountain bikes are designed so that you can reach out wide and have full control over the ride. This makes it a bit awkward for storage and passing through doors, but it feels natural while out on the trail. Just be careful the opening between two trees isn’t too narrow for you to pass through. Comfortable rubber grips work well for hours with gloves on.
The Velotric Summit 1 is a Class 2 bike by default with a 20 mph default top speed for the throttle and pedal assist, but this can be unlocked to go up to 28 mph. The throttle mode can also be unlocked to 28 mph and with pedal assist I was able to reach more than 31 mph on the road so be careful when you unlock the Class 3 designation and choose your top speed.
Its Velopower drive system controls the battery and provided power with a 750W rear hub motor capable of 1300W peak power. I was able to travel up my 13-15% incline hill into the neighborhood with throttle only and no pedaling at all. The bike’s minimum speed was 7-8 mph and I have NEVER had a bike that could get my 235 pound body up that steep hill without pedaling. The bike also stops quickly with the Shimano hydraulic brakes, which is vital to your success as a mountain biker.
The torque sensor is perfect on this bike and only gives me assist when my feet and legs ask for it. This is important for mountain biking where a surge can mess up your experience and I am sold on the torque sensors performance.
The large capacity battery is positioned under the main frame and seems to last forever. The Velotric range figures appear about right with my testing getting close even though I far exceed typical test weights of riders.
I cannot express the joy I feel riding the bike with the form factor, tires, shocks, display, and sheer power of the bike giving me comfort and confidence in the woods. I am excited to try this out everywhere and will be exploring more of the woods I grew up in the years ahead.
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
Motor: 750W rear hub, peak 1300W, 90Nm torque
Bike weight: 62 pounds
Bike capacity: 440 pounds
Suspension: 120mm front fork with lockout
Pedal assist: Five levels with throttle
Max speed: Default is 20 mph, but easily unlockable to 28 mph. This includes throttle speeds beyond 20 mph
Range: Advertised as up to 70 miles with pedal assist, 60 miles with throttle.
Transmission: Shimano 8-speed
Brakes: Shimano hydraulic disc brakes, 180mm rotors
Lights: 130 Lux front LED and rear taillight with brake light
Display: 2.8 inch color LCD
Durability: IPX7 waterproof rating for the battery and IPX6 for the bike
Tires: 27.5 x 2.6 inch puncture resistant trail tires
Colors: Sunrise Orange, Space Black, and Royal Blue
Bottom Line
I’m sure my wife will be rolling her eyes and praying her husband doesn’t get seriously injured, but what is life without taking some risks. I cannot believe how much fun it is to mix two of my passions; being outside in the woods and riding bikes. I’ve been fairly careful and only have some chunks out of my shins from the metal pedals when I jumped off to avoid a crash, so I may look into some more protective gear.
In addition to several trail rides, I also rode the bike for 30 miles on our local paved trail network and loved that experience. The Velotric Summit 1 also makes a great commuter with speeds to keep up with traffic and battery life to last for a long commute.
I am thrilled with the Velotric Summit 1 and can’t wait to continue to explore the woods and improve my skills.