Velotric Discover 1 Plus Review

Velotric makes a number of electric bikes and is no stranger to the needs of the modern commuter. The Discover 1 uses a 500W motor and a larger battery, giving it slower acceleration but more range. W-shaped sparrow handlebars and an adjustable stem give the rider an upright position, while a low step-through makes this bike easy to get on and off of. A downtube-mounted, lockable 691Wh battery is unobtrusive and easily removable. The bike comes in Class 2 setting, allowing you to throttle around without pedaling or use its pedal assist.

Performance Comparison

Ride

A low, easy step-through welcomes you to Discover 1's comfortable cockpit. At just 16", getting your leg over the frame isn't a difficult task. A 215mm wide comfort saddle sits atop a rigid seat post, giving you a reasonably comfortable perch to sit back and enjoy. The sweptback 660mm handlebar gives the rider neutral wrist positioning and wide ergonomic grips pad your palms. This bike features a 90mm adjustable stem, allowing you to tailor the reach and handlebar height. To get moving, you can start pedaling or simply depress the thumb-activated throttle. The bike's throttle power is consistent in each pedal assist mode but achieves a higher corresponding top speed as the PAS number increases. With the Discover 1 Plus in Class 3 mode, the throttle pushed us to 28 mph and would continue to deliver power above 28 mph if we were riding on a decline. You can adjust the bike's top speed in the settings menu, but we've not encountered other bikes capable of throttle speeds this fast.

Rolling on 26" wheels, the ride quality isn't quite as smooth as you'd experience on 27.5" or 29" wheels, but it keeps the bike's wheelbase shorter, which can be beneficial for urban riding. The front end uses a coil-sprung suspension fork with 80mm of travel and a mechanical lockout. The fork feels a little clunky in rough conditions, but on pavement cracks and smaller irregularities, it does a good job of isolating the rider from the road. The head tube angle of 69 degrees gives the bike mild manners up front and relaxed steering; it never feels twitchy or unstable. A 72-degree seat tube angle puts the rider behind the bottom bracket but not so far back as to lose leverage and pedaling power. All told, it's a comfortable way to get around town that never feels too sporty or aggressive.

The bike's controls are simple, and while nothing is particularly high-quality, nothing distracts you from your overall experience. A low-profile, under-bar shifter is a highlight on this 7-speed Shimano Tourney drivetrain as it's easy to operate and doesn't involve moving your thumb over the handlebar. Hydraulic disc brakes push mineral oil through their lines to provide smooth, modulated stopping power. The twin-piston brakes use 180mm rotors that we found to be adequately powerful at a loaded weight of 200 pounds, but if you're pushing closer to this bike's 440-pound weight limit, upgrading to larger rotors would be a good idea.

Regarding how well this bike works for commuting, the seated position can be configured so that you're upright and have excellent visibility. Front and rear rack mounts give it some utility for carrying gear or groceries, and built-in lights run off the bike's large battery, meaning you'll never be caught in the dark without illumination. The LED front light produces 60 lux of brightness, which feels adequate in most circumstances. The rear light is mounted low enough on the fender to be free from obstruction by a rack or panniers. If you're planning on extensive after-dark riding, more illumination would be advisable. The 26 x 2.5" tires have a puncture protection belt and use an inverted tread pattern that works well on pavement and hard surfaces but doesn't provide much traction in loose conditions or gravel. We would have loved to see some slightly higher quality tires with reflective sidewalls on this bike. Testers appreciated the cushioned ride quality, but we found the puncture protection inadequate for riding over pieces of broken pine cones in the fall weather; fixing a flat on this bike isn't quick and easy.

The Discover 1 Plus is only available in one size and frame style. We're quite fond of the step-through design as it makes getting on and off the bike much easier and has no realistic downside. Velotric recommends this bike for riders between 5' 1" and 6' 4", and even with the adjustable stem, this seems a little optimistic. Our 6' 2" tester had the seatpost set to its maximum height and couldn't achieve full leg extension. Our 5' 1" tester rode the bike with no issue and said it felt large but manageable. If you're near the limits of this bike's fit, we'd suggest you measure your inseam; the seatpost on this bike offers 21cm of adjustability.

The 48V powertrain uses a 500W motor with less power than others, with a published 65Nm of torque and up to 900w of peak power. We tested the power with a rider loaded up to 200 pounds, and it felt sufficient, but when we added more weight, it struggled to accelerate under throttle power. A cadence sensor tells the motor when to add power, and it's not very sophisticated, which leaves the bike lurching at times and lagging at others. The 7-speed Shimano Tourney drivetrain is admittedly low-quality, but the quality feeling Shimano SL-M315 trigger shifter is your interface with it and makes the drivetrain a non-issue.

The suspension fork has 30mm stanchions that are a bit flexy when the bike is fully laden. While you can lock the fork out, the flex is inherent to the design of the fork itself; riders approaching the bike's weight limit will likely take issue with the vague feeling of the front end. Lighter-weight riders aren't likely to notice or take issue with the flex. Fenders prepare you for wet weather, and the bike has an IPX7 waterproof rating on its UL 2271-certified battery. The battery can easily be removed to charge off the bike or when carrying it on a bike rack.

Range

When it comes to range, we're accustomed to lofty claims of high mileage. Our testing methodology dispels the myths and gets down to real-world numbers. We test all our electric bikes in real-world conditions, riding them on hills and using only the throttle to power them. Our test riders control for weight variables; we inflate tires to maximum pressure and charge that battery fully immediately before testing begins. Velotric claims 65 miles of throttle range in PAS 1, but using pedal assist introduces the variable of human input. We test the range of bikes under exclusively throttle power to eliminate as many variables as possible and give you mileage in the worst-case scenario.

We were able to ride the Discover 1 Plus 26.7 miles with 1251 of elevation gain during our range test. Our test course has a 9% maximum grade where the DIscover 1 Plus slowed but persisted until cresting the top of the hill in PAS 5. While this is less than half of the claimed range, our real-world circumstances use a higher speed setting and varying terrain, so it is possible that you could eke out 65 miles in ideal circumstances.

Power

The bike's 48V electrical system drives a 500W hub motor, producing up to 65Nm of torque. The similarly spec'd Ride1Up LMT'D uses a 750W hub and kicks out 95Nm of torque, and those differences in numbers are apparent on the pavement. The Discover 1 Plus gets moving under throttle power with a gentle power curve that sometimes feels slightly lethargic. In our hill test, the bike accelerated to a maximum speed of 15.2 mph and slowed to 10.5 mph in the steepest section of our course. In our flat ground acceleration test, we used the throttle only to reach 20 mph from a stop in 10.7 seconds, but it sometimes accelerated to as fast as 28mph on a level surface. From the data in these tests, you see the realistic performance attributes of a smaller motor that provides less assistance, but you can also see that this motor seems to lack a speed limiter.

Five levels of pedal assist allow you to choose just how much oomph the bike provides. Levels one and two provide minimal assistance, which our testers referred to as a nudge and a tailwind. The upper three levels of assist feel a bit sportier and more readily push the bike toward a much higher limit. The bike uses a cadence sensor to detect pedaling activity and add power; it does not detect how hard you pedal, only that you're rotating the cranks. This means that the power being added isn't proportional to your efforts but the PAS that the bike is set to. For riders new to e-biking, this can be a disconcerting feeling as the bike may interpret a leveling of the pedals as input and add power, accelerating you forward. Some of the other bikes in this review use a torque sensor that measures how much force you're putting into the drivetrain and adds power accordingly. This results in smooth power delivery that rarely, if ever, catches you off guard. The throttle on this bike produces the same amount of power regardless of which of the five pedal assist settings you use, but oddly, each PAS has a different top speed.

Interface

The main interface on Velotric is its 3.5" backlit LCD screen that is centered on the handlebars. The screen is well-lit and clearly shows your current speed, pedal assist level, and the battery's state of charge. To access more information or change pedal assist settings, there is a three-button remote on the left side of the handlebar. The bike's power button is at the top of the remote, which turns it on and off and changes the center data field on the main display. You can view a trip odometer, total odometer, average speed, maximum speed, elapsed riding time, kcal, power, and voltage. Below the power button are (+) or (-) buttons that change the pedal assist modes. Holding the + button down turns the headlight on and off while holding down the - button engages walk mode.

The 691Wh battery nestles into the top tube for a smooth, low-profile look. On the drive side of the bike is a locking mechanism that allows you to lock the battery into the bike or remove it for charging or storage during cold weather. Made of Samsung 21700 cells, the battery is UL-listed certified and charges with a 3A fast charger. The charge port is also on the bike's drive side and features a rubber cover that keeps dirt, debris, and water out of the electronics. Removing the 9-pound battery makes the bike a bit more manageable if you're transporting it on a bike rack.

Assembly

Like other consumer-direct e-bikes, the Discover 1 Plus arrives in a cardboard bike box. As you can see in the time-lapse video below, the bike needs only minimal assembly, and none of the tasks are particularly difficult. Instructions and tools are included in the package, and the Velotric website has unboxing and assembly videos for each bike they sell. If you're uncomfortable with the assembly process, contact a local bike shop; most will be happy to assemble your bike for around $100.

Most of what needs to be done is unboxing and unpackaging; our professional bicycle mechanic spent 38 minutes assembling the Discover 1 Plus. The derailleur was properly adjusted with limit screws in the correct positions, and the brake calipers were centered, which made for trouble-free assembly.

Should You Buy the Velotric Discover 1 Plus?

We found the Discover 1 Plus a pleasure to ride and comfortable in most situations. We liked its relaxed head tube angle, prominent display, and 440-pound maximum weight capacity. When we compare it with the Ride1Up LMT'D, however, there's stiff competition. While it has a slightly larger battery and is easier to assemble, it has less power and a higher price tag. The smaller wheels provide less comfort than the 27.5" hoops found on the LMT'D, and the bike's cadence sensor gives it a jumpy feeling that you don't get with a torque sensor-equipped bike. If you don't mind sacrificing some power and refinement for this bike's high-weight capacity and brilliant display, the Discover 1 Plus is a fine way to get around. The low step-through and gentle power might make it an ideal candidate for older riders or those new to e-bikes.

What Other Electric Commuter Bikes Should You Consider?

If the general look and feel of this bike appeal to you, but you want expanded capabilities, check out the Ride1Up LMT'D that we mentioned above. It's comfortable, powerful, and capable, and it has a larger motor and bigger wheels. If you want to be able to adventure off the beaten path, the Aventon Aventure.2 is our favorite fat tire comfort cruiser. With massive tires, a potent motor, and a quality display, it can take you places that other e-bikes would shy away from.