Velotric Thunder 1 review: An everyday bike with hidden super powers

Velotric's third generation electric bike is stunningly beautiful and elegantly capable

Apr 16, 2023

5/5 Medals of Yavin: Highly recommended for those who want an ebike that looks like, and can be used as, a regular bike
Light weight and elegant design
Integrated security and tracking hardware
Needs a rear fender and not sure about that front mount for a phone

2022 was the year of the ebike for me and I spent a lot of time testing and riding bikes in an attempt to find the best ones for various use cases. One company that stood out with high quality construction, minimal cables, and lots of power was Velotric.

The Velotric Discover 1 is a solid commuter bike with lights, a rear rack, long battery life, and an affordable price. It was also quite heavy at 64 pounds. The Velotric Nomad 1 is a fat tire ebike that I enjoyed on the trails in Colorado. It has a massive 750W motor for tackling any hill with a big display and lovely color options.

For the past week I have been enjoying Velotric’s newest electric bike, the Thunder 1. At first glance, you may think this is a regular bike and you can certainly ride it as one if you wish. However, there is smart technology integrated into the bike and a battery hidden in the frame to help propel you on the road up to 20 mph.

Rating:

As explained in my palmsolo’s Refresh Rating Scale post, I’m awarding the Velotric Thunder 1 five (5) Medals of Yavin. Bringing the power and capability of an electric bike to a gorgeous minimalist bike at less than $1,800 is compelling. A couple of fenders for commuting would be nice, but this bike is built to get you around town with ease.

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

Light weight
Gorgeous color and minimalist design
Reasonable price for an ebike that looks like a regular bike
8-speed and 350W motor propel well up hills
Reliable fingerprint sensor
Connected tracking and tracking functionality
Weighs only 36 pounds (can you tell this is a major pro for me?)
Full-featured smartphone app

Cons

Saddle lacks padding for my rear end
No fenders for wet Puget Sound riding
Not fully sold on the phone mount, but excellent for Garmin bike computer

Experiences

I’ve been riding electric bikes for more than five years, primarily as a part of my daily commute to and from work. Ebikes have evolved from basic heavy bikes to cover the last few miles of a commute to car replacements and a means to help you get out and exercise. Some of my coworkers paid thousands of dollars for high-end ebikes that looked like regular bikes, but had hidden batteries and I never could justify spending double or triple what I was paying for a utilitarian bike.

As a result, I was very excited to talk to the folks at Velotric about the 2023 lineup that included an ebike that looked like a regular bike. Velotric impressed me with its 2022 offerings and I knew if this company put it’s efforts into a bike that appealed to regular bike riders they would come out with a winner. The Thunder 1 has not disappointed me at all over the past couple of weeks.

It’s awesome to ride an ebike that functions as a standard bike too so you truly can use it for exercise or for your daily commute. There are fewer visible wires on the Velotric Thunder 1 than there are my standard bikes, which is an impressive design feature. The first thing that stood out to me was the lovely ombre color option of the Frozen Blue model sent for evaluation. It has a matte finish and looks stunning.

I then almost cried with delight when I picked up the bike with one arm. Since I mix in a train commute with my daily bike riding, I have to carry bikes up a few flights of stairs and carrying 60+ pounds takes some effort. The Thunder 1 is about half of what I usually ride, just 36 pounds, so I am loving life with the Thunder 1.

A lighter bike also helps me be a bit more agile on the streets of Seattle. The Urtopia Carbon 1 was a blast since it was very agile too, but the single speed limited my hill performance. With eight speeds on the Thunder 1, I have been able to tackle even the extreme hill I have at the entrance to my neighborhood.

The battery is integrated into the front frame of the bike. I was told by Velotric that the company will send instructions to people who may need to replace the battery if it ages in a few years, but I’m perfectly satisfied having it hidden and charging the bike with the battery inside. Velotric bike batteries are UL certified and by following the proper charging recommendations you don’t have to worry about a fire.

Despite its minimalist design, there’s a lot going on inside the base of the frame on the Thunder 1. The drive system includes a controller, VCU, torque sensor, and control panel. The Velopower E35+ drive system provides a quiet riding experience with responsive pedal assist torque sensing.

The fingerprint sensor has worked reliably to power on and off the bike and I love that different color rings around the sensor indicate the PAS level you have selected. When I have my Garmin bike computer mounted on the center mount instead of my phone it is perfectly fine to quickly switch PAS level and see the color that shows me what I have selected.

The capable Velotric smartphone app is used to setup the bike and then has a host of features to manage your riding experience. You can select your riding mode, set up fingerprints for the bike, toggle on auto unlock and auto lock, enable the theft alert and enable the light sensing headlight. While riding, the app also displays key riding information such as speed and health tracking metrics

The default riding mode is City Mode that is designed for paved roads and offers the best battery efficiency. Adventure mode is for gravel riding and trails. MAX mode provides the highest level of pedal assist when you feel the need for speed.

In addition to a GPS receiver for detailed route tracking, there is an integrated GSM eSIM in the bike that is used for theft alerts. Alerts are sent to your phone through the Velotric app when your bike is moved and your phone is not connected to it via Bluetooth. It may help you get to your bike before a thief takes off with it, but be careful not to risk your life to recover a stolen bike. This service is provided with your bike purchase for two years. We don’t yet have details on a subscription past the first two years so stay tuned.

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: 6061 aluminum alloy with hidden cables
Motor: 350W rear hub, peak 600W, 45Nm torque
Bike weight: 36 pounds
Bike capacity: 330 pounds
Pedal assist: Torque sensing with five levels
Max speed and range: 20 mph and up to 70 miles
Transmission: Shimano 8-speed
Brakes: TEKTRO HD-R280 hydraulic disk brakes, 160mm rotors
Tires: 700x38c puncture resistant
Colors: Frozen Blue and Crystal Black

Bottom Line

I am always on a quest to find the perfect bike for my daily commute and there have been some excellent options over the past year. The simplistic nature of the fingerprint sensor and PAS controls, light weight, and gorgeous design have bumped the Velotric Thunder 1 to the top of my list. I’ll need to at least get a rear fender to keep down the water spray, but can’t stop riding the bike. It’s available for $1,799, which is reasonable given the technology and design.

Velotric also offers the Thunder 1 ST for $300 less that provide support for Apple Find My. It also designed for shorter riders with a couple of different color options.

In addition to having a beautiful bike that can be ridden as a standard bike or ebike, the integrated technology of the Velotric Thunder 1 gives Velotric the ability to offer other features. I understand that crash detection is coming soon to the bike and my wife will love having some piece of mind that she will get notified if I end up ditching the bike on my ride.

Velotric is led by hardware co-found of Lime, Adam Zhang, and his team is composed of people from Lime, Giant, Specialized, and Decathlon. The team has released some of the most compelling bikes I have tested and the Thunder 1 is perfect for those who want to experience the joy of an ebike as well as their childhood love of riding a regular bike.

*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. Velotric sent a Thunder 1 for evaluation purposes, but the company has no influence over the content in this review. All opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that add no additional cost to you and I may earn a small commission.

palmsolo’s Refresh