Velotric Go electric utility bike review: A smaller cargo e-bike for heavy hauling that’s light on price
The Velotric Go fits squarely into one of my favorite electric bike categories – short tail cargo bikes. These are often called utility e-bikes, since unlike long tail cargo e-bikes, they’re closer to “normal” sized while still being built for hauling. With a nicely designed frame and the inclusion of UL-certification on the battery and drivetrain, there’s some serious draw to this bike.
UL-listing is becoming more important than ever. Velotric has offered UL-certification on its e-bikes in the past and now makes sure that each new launch comes with the certification. As more companies adopt this safety standard, we’re getting more peace of mind in knowing that the e-bikes we ride and charge at home are safely designed.
But the UL-listing is just one nice extra feature on the Velotric Go 1. The bike is full of other bits and pieces that I love to see, from 4-piston hydraulic disc brakes to a big battery and even location tracking from built-in Apple Find My integration.
Check it all out in my video review below, then keep reading for all of my detailed thoughts on my testing experience with the bike.
Velotric Go video review
Velotric Go tech specs
- Motor: 500W (900W peak) rear-geared hub motor
- Top speed: 20 mph (32 km/h) or 25 mph (40 km/h) when unlocked
- Range: Up to 55 miles (88 km)
- Battery: 48V 14.4Ah (692 Wh)
- Weight: 65 lb (29.5 kg)
- Payload capacity: 440 lb (200 kg)
- Tires: 26 x 2.4″ (front) and 20 x 3.0″ (rear)
- Brakes: 4-piston hydraulic disc brakes with 180 mm rotors
- Price: US $1,699
- Extras: Suspension fork, LED display, smartphone app integration, LED headlight, tail/brake light, Y-kickstand, Shimano 7-speed drivetrain, included fenders and wooden rear rack platform, Apple Find My integration for location tracking, mounting points for front and rear rack accessories, UL-certified for both the battery and the entire e-bike drivetrain
Nicely designed, from parts to performance
Let’s face it, there are a lot of similar electric bikes out there. Even within a single category, such as utility bikes like the Velotric Go, there are a lot of similar offerings. So the differences often come down to features and components installed on the bikes.
In this case, there are some very nice inclusions on the bike. For starters, I love the 3-inch wide tires that give it a more moped-like feel, despite still having a very bicycle-like 7-speed drivetrain and the ride feel of a more traditional bike. With those 3-inch wide tires, there’s enough air and rubber down there to give a nice, comfortable ride, yet the tires are not so wide that they would become unwieldy.
The 60mm suspension fork also helps with ride comfort, though I do wish that Velotric had given us the Packer’s 80mm front fork for even more travel. Maybe the tire size didn’t allow for it or perhaps they just wanted to keep the bike more compact. Either way, 60mm of travel is still nice to see.
Next, check out the stoppers. Those are 4-piston hydraulic disc brakes on 180mm rotors. We normally only see such powerful brakes on much higher end e-bikes, not $1,699 models like these. That’s another key differentiator here.
One of my favorite added features though is the Apple Find My integration, which means the bike has the guts of an AirTag location tracker built into it. I can add it as a device on my phone and always know where my bike is, even if a thief makes off with it or I forget where I parked.
The performance is also impressive, with a large 692 watt-hour battery providing up to 55 miles (88 km) of range, though most of us will see closer to 30-ish miles if we’re leaning heavily into the throttle instead of relying on more efficient pedal assist.
The 20 mph (32 km/h) speed limit keeps the bike in Class 2 designation, though you do have the option of unlocking 25 mph (40 km/h) speeds if you find that 20 isn’t quite fast enough for you.
Technically you should unplug the throttle to keep it in Class 3 designation since the throttle is functional up to 25 mph when unlocked, but that relies on the honor system.
When it comes to the motor, the 500W continuous rated and 900W peak rated motor is decently punchy, though I can’t help but wonder how much better the bike would be with a 750W/1,200W motor like the larger Velotric Packer.
To be fair, I felt like the bike had plenty of power as is with the 500W/900W motor, so it’s not like the power feels lacking. But when I know the company has a higher power drivetrain at its disposal, I can’t help but be jealous that it didn’t land on this bike.
The passenger package is awesome!
I saved one of my favorite features for last, the passenger package. I have a special place in my heart for electric bikes that can carry more than one adult, since I think it turns these from “can do many jobs” to “can do most jobs”.
Many people cite the single-person nature of e-bikes as a limiting factor that prevents them from using one more often. But if you can carry your friends or partner on the back then that might just change the equation.
Sure, not everyone is going to be comfortable riding pillion on an e-bike, but it’s a fun experience. I’ve ridden together with my wife several times, and we’ve switched off as driver and passenger. While I wouldn’t recommend it for teenagers due to the higher risk and responsibility of riding with a passenger on back, I think it’s a great way for young adults to get around together without needing a car.
What could be improved?
At $1,699, the bike feels fairly priced considering you’re getting good power and range, location-tracking and anti-theft features of the Apple Find My system, and a pretty cool utility bike to boot.
If they had included a torque sensor, I’d be singing their praises from the mountain tops. But as it is, the pedal assist is still pretty good.
If they had given me 80mm of suspension instead of 60mm, sure, that’d be great.
And I’m not a huge fan of left-side thumb throttles in general, since right-side twist throttles have kind of been the standard of two-wheelers since powered two-wheelers were invented. A right side half-twist throttle would have had me over the moon.
But as it stands, the bike feels like a solid entry as-is. I can always wish for more, but at a certain point you just have to appreciate a nice design for what it is. They give us a lot, with a great frame, passenger capabilities, location tracking, 4-piston brakes, Class 3 capabilities, and more.
To sum it up: The Velotric Go 1, it’s a pretty darn nicely designed e-bike for the price.
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Paris’ bike-share system, Vélib has long been considered one of the shining success stories of urban micromobility. With a massive fleet of over 20,000 pedal and electric-assist bicycles around Paris, the service has helped millions of residents and tourists get around the City of Light without needing a car or scooter. But lately, a growing problem is threatening to knock the wheels off this urban mobility marvel: theft and joyriding.
According to city officials and the service operator, more than 600 Vélib bikes are now going missing every single week. That’s over 30 bikes a day simply vanishing from the system – some stolen outright, others taken on “joy rides” and never returned.
“At the moment we’re missing 3,000 bikes,” explained Sylvain Raifaud, head of the Agemob company that currently operates the Velib system. That’s nearly 15% of over 20,000 Vélib bikes across Paris.
The sticky-fingered culprits aren’t necessarily professional thieves or organized crime rings. Instead, they’re often regular users who treat the shared bikes like disposable toys.
The city estimates that many people have figured out how to pry the bikes out of the system’s parking docks, unlocking one for a casual cruise and then ditching it somewhere far from a docking station.
Once pried free, the bikes are technically usable for the next 24 hours until their automatic locking feature kicks in. At that point, the bikes are often simply abandoned. Some end up in alleyways. Others get tossed in rivers. A few just disappear completely.
And since the bikes are intended to be parked at their many docking stations around the city, they don’t have GPS chips, further complicating recovery of “liberated” bikes.
The issue started small but has grown into more than an inconvenience – it’s beginning to undermine the entire purpose of the service. With bikes going missing at such a high rate, many Vélib docking stations are left empty, especially during rush hours.
Riders looking for a quick commute or a convenient hop across town are increasingly finding themselves without available bikes, or having to walk long distances to find a functioning one.
That kind of unreliability chips away at user confidence and threatens to drive potential riders back into cars, cabs, or other less sustainable forms of transport at a time when Paris has already made great strides to dramatically reduce car usage in the city.
The losses are financially painful, too. Replacing stolen or vandalized bikes isn’t cheap, and the resources spent on tracking down missing equipment or reinforcing anti-theft measures are stretching thin. Vélib has faced theft and vandalism issues before, especially during its early years, but this latest surge has officials sounding the alarm with renewed urgency.
Officials acknowledge that there’s no easy fix. Paris, like many cities with bike-share systems, walks a fine line between accessibility and accountability. Part of what makes Vélib so successful is its ease of use and widespread availability. But those same features make it vulnerable to misuse – especially when enforcement is limited and the consequences for abuse are minimal.
The timing of the problem is especially unfortunate. In recent years, Paris has seen impressive results in reducing car traffic, expanding bike lanes, and promoting cycling as a key part of its sustainable transport strategy. Vélib is a cornerstone of that plan. But if the system becomes too unreliable, it risks losing the very people it was designed to serve.
Meanwhile, as Parisians increasingly find themselves staring at empty docks, the challenge for the city and Vélib will be to restore confidence in the system without making it harder to use. That means striking the right balance between freedom and responsibility, between open access and protection against abuse.
In a city where cycling is supposed to be the future of mobility, losing thousands of bikes to joyriders and sticky fingers isn’t just frustrating; it’s unsustainable.
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