Velotric Nomad 1 Review

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Velotric is an e-bike startup founded by Lime’s original hardware team and industrial experts. The company is led by Lime’s co-founder Adam Zhang, who was responsible for the design and manufacturing of three generations of e-scooters and two generations of e-bikes, which led to the development of around 1 million units of electric 2-wheel vehicles over multiple generations. This has put Velotric in an ideal position to create a product that provides consumers a reliable, fun and safe riding e-bike. Velotric’s first entry into the e-bike world was the Discover 1, an urban commuter that has received plenty of fanfare. Entry number two is their Nomad 1, a fat tire e-bike for all weather and terrain. Let’s dive in and see what the Velotric Nomad 1 has to offer.

Velotric Nomad 1 Unboxing

The Velotric Nomad 1 arrived in a standard e-bike box. It was well packaged and delivered undamaged.

Assembly was very straightforward and completed in about 25 minutes. Parts that needed to be installed were the front tire, fender, headlight, display, handlebars, pedals and kickstand. All of the tools required to complete the installation were included with the e-bike in the tool kit box.

Velotric Nomad 1 Build

The Velotric Nomad 1 is built with an aluminum frame designed with a curved back handle bar that offers a relaxed straight back riding posture for a more comfortable experience. The frame has a strong and stout build with attention to detail and design throughout the ebike, especially noticeable with the precise and truly elegant wields on the frame (pictured below). The Nomad 1 is equipped with front and rear fenders, and an IPX6 grade waterproof on the entire bike, making it truly ride ready for any weather condition.

Velotric Nomad 1 Motor

The Nomad 1 is equipped with Velotric’s own 750W brushless motor. It can deliver up to 1200 watts of peak power and 75Nm torque providing an easy and effortless ride. The Velotric motor is on the noisier end of 750 Watt motors, while this is almost unnoticeable on trails, it does stand out when riding on pavement or concrete as the sound seems to revibrate through the frame, to some extent amplifying the motor noise. I inquired with Velotric about the motor noise and was told that it is due to the premium materials that are used in their motors. Take that for what you will. Here is the bottom line, if you have ridden a 750 watt ebike before, you will notice the Nomad 1 has a bit more motor noise when riding on paved and concrete surfaces; if you have never ridden a 750 watt ebike before, nothing will really seem out of place.

Velotric Nomad 1 Battery

In the front down tube is a removable 48V 14.4Ah battery made by Samsung. Delivering 692Wh, the Nomad 1 battery places itself near the top mid tier levels as far as specs go. Choosing to use Samsung cells gets high marks in my book as they produce some of the best ebike battery cells on the market, which in turn delivers longer ride times, year over year longevity and superior cold weather performance.

Included with the Nomad 1 is a 48V 3.0A standard wall plug charger that takes a battery that is almost depleted to fully charged in right around 6 hours.

Velotric Nomad 1 Display

The 3.5” Backlit LCD Display is incredibly easy to read in both sunlight and at night. This large display shows all of the important information about the Nomad 1, from speed to trip distance and battery to assist level. Underneath the display is a 5V 500mA USB port for charging up or topping of devices while out on rides.

Velotric Nomad 1 Gears

Manually powering the Nomad 1 is an 8 speed Shimano derailer and shifter. Shifting through the gears are smooth and the eight speeds offer just the right amount of power vs. speed. Steep climbs are made easy and flat roads are made fast.

Velotric Nomad 1 Brakes

Velotric made the right move to include 180 mm hydraulic disc brakes on the Nomad 1. Hydraulic brakes are more trustworthy and easier to maintain than mechanical brakes, they deliver extreme stopping power and are truly the best option for heavy electric bikes.

Velotric Nomad 1 Tires

The Nomad 1 is fitted with CST BFT 26″ x 4.0 tires with a puncture-resistant liner. Measuring 4” wide, the CST tire falls right in line for the Fat Bike category, hence “BFT” Big Fat Tire, they offer an aggressive tread pattern for excellent braking traction, tight turns and tough climbs. Based on past experience with the CST tires, they fall right in the middle of the road for longevity and are a respectable tire to have on an e-bike.

Velotric Nomad 1 Lights

For safer night riding, the Velotric Nomad 1 is equipped with a bright, water-resistant headlight powered by the battery. It has a good secure mount that stays put even on bumpy trails and is bright enough to light up the road when it is dark and helps the bike be seen during the day. Velotric does include a taillight with the Nomad 1, but it is not integrated with the bike’s electrical system, it is a stand alone push button light that needs to be turned on and off separately from the bike.

Velotric Nomad 1 Ride Experience

The Velotric Nomad 1 is delivered as a class 2 ebike with a claimed top speed of 20mph. I was only able to get the Nomad up to 18.9 mph. When trying to ride at that top end speed you can feel that the 750 watt motor is being restricted by the ebike controller and held back from it’s full potential. Knowing full well that the motor was capable of more, I contacted Velotric to find out if the Nomad 1 can be unlocked to a class 3 and it turns out that it can. Which allowed the ebike to hit the higher top end speed of just over 26mph and made the entire riding experience a lot better.

The Nomad 1 has 5 levels of pedal assist combined with an 8 speed Shimano gearing that makes riding effortless and fun. Hill climbs are a breeze, straight aways are fast and trails are enjoyable. The hydraulic suspension fork on the Nomad smooths out the bumps on every ride and has a lockout feature for when you want to add more pedal power to the mix. The thumb controlled throttle delivers a snappy response, which is great for take offs at intersections, unexpected trail obstacles and for those times that the legs need a break from pedaling.

For me, the standout feature on the Nomad 1 is the fact that the entire ebike has an IPX6 grade waterproofing. Most of the e-bikes on the market do not even have a rating and strongly recommend that you do not ride in any rainy or wet environments. Not having to worry about what the weather has in store or if the trails might be water logged has me picking the Nomad 1 as go to daily rider more often than not.

Specs on the Velotric Nomad 1

• Frameset – Frame Aluminum Alloy, Low-Entry Frame, Fully Integrated & Lockable Down Tube Battery, Internal Cable Routing, Front and Rear Fender, Quick Release Seatpost Clamp
• Front Fork  – Hydraulic Suspension Fork with 80mm Travel, with Lockout
• Electronics – Motor Hub 48V, 750W (Peak 1200W), Max Torque 75Nm
• Battery – UL certified, 48V, 692Wh, Removable Internal Lithium-ion
• Charger – 48V, 3.0A, UL certified, operates on 100V-240V AC, 6hr charging
• Display – 3.5”, Backlit LCD Display with Speed, Trip, Battery, Assist Level
• Headlight – High Output Integrated LED, Adjustable Angle
• Top Speed – 20mph
• Pedal Assist Range – 55miles
• Throttle Range – 52miles
• 8-Speed Shimano
• Brake – Hydraulic Disc Brakes – 180mm Discs
• Tire – 26×4.0”, Puncture-Resistant Liner
• Fenders – Full Coverage Front and Rear, 110mm Width
• Rack Load Capacity – Front: 15kg | 33lbs Rear: 25kg | 55lbs
• Max. Bike Load – 200kg | 440lbs

Final Thoughts on the Velotric Nomad 1

Velotric designed and built a well thought out quality ebike with the Nomad 1. The ergonomic ride comfort, powerful motor and that IPX rating makes the Nomad 1 a top choice when looking for a fat tire adventure e-bike that can go just about anywhere and in any weather condition.

For more info the Nomad 1 and other Velotic e-bikes, visit www.velotricbike.com.