Should I Go or Should I Fold with Veloctric?

 Early on, I discerned that I wanted an E-Bike as a second car replacement  so cargo capabilities must be key.  Originally, I anticipated getting a long tail cargo bike, but hands on test rides along with consideration of my circumstance, this seemed unnecessary.  There is an E-Bike market segment for “E-tilities”, which are short tailed cargo bikes which also are good for commuting.  

My first E-Bike was REI Co-Op Generation e.1.1, which was a short tailed E-Bike.  Aside from being underpowered (with a 350W motor and battery range of less than 30 miles), the REI e.1.1 only had a maximum payload of 300 lbs.  For me, that wasn’t much cargo capacity. 

When looking for an E-Bike replacement, I was drawn to Lectric and Veloctric, as both companies had budget friendly cargo bikes.  The Lectric Xpedition is a long tailed cargo bike which has an extremely long range with a tandem battery option.  My perceived drawbacks of the Lectric Xpedition include not having suspension and Lectric has tended to be a Direct to Consumer company, so local servicing could be tricky.  

Veloctric offers two cargo class E-bikes: the Veloctric Packer as well as the Veloctric Go 1.  After a test ride, it was evident that the long tail Packer (with 176 lb. rear rack/440 lb. max. payload) was more bike than I needed and would be more challenging for me  to park and store. So the short tail compact cargo Go 1 (with 120 lb. rear rack/ 440 lb max. payload) had an attracrice price, a 500 watt motor and a 50 mile advertised range, which was much better than my old E-Bike.  Thus, my heart seemed set on the Veloctric Go 1. 

Unfortunately, buying the Veloctric Go 1 has been easier said than done.  My local Veloctric dealer had a hard time keeping the unit in stock due to supply chain issues as well as consumer demand.  Increasing prices may be an issue.  When I sought to first buy the Veloctric Go 1, there was a special promotional price in conjunction with the DC E-Bike initiative.  Prices on the Veloctric and LBS website markedly increased, perhaps attributable to reimposition of 25% tariffs on E-Bikes.  The new price point makes the Veloctric Go 1 much less attractive to price conscious consumers. Hence should I Go or should I Fold with Veloctric?

These shifts in the E-Bike marketplace necessitated a change of vision.  But rather than fold on my E-Bike ambitions, additional analysis illuminated a prospective new path.  While I had concentrated my analysis on “E-tility” or compact cargo bikes, there were some similar E-Bike models which also contained (if not surpassed) my desired specs.  

The Veloctric Fold 1 is a new entry into Veloctric’s line up.  Obviously, it is a folding E-Bike.  Yet. it mimics many of the compact cargo characteristics.  It has a built in rear rack capable of carrying 120 lbs with a maximum payload of 440 lbs. The Veloctric Fold 1 has a 750 watt motor (compared to a 500 watt motor on the Go 1). Although the Fold 1's battery capacity is lower vis-a-vis 608ah v. 691ah), it is tauted to have a 55 mile range compared to the 50 mile range of the Go 1.  Full battery charging time for both E-Bikes, even though the Fold 1 uses a 2A charger.   It should be noted that the Fold 1 has an external battery behind the seatpost rather than the Go 1's slimmer inner tube positioning.  Both models have batteries which are IP7, which allows for submersion on three feet of water for a half hour. 

Due to its design, the Veloctric Fold 1 has a folding, telescopic handlebar whereas the Veloctric Go 1 has a bmx inspired handlebar.  Both of the E-Bikes have front suspension but the Go 1 has 80mm hydraulic suspension while the Fold 1 has 60mm coil brakes.   In addition, both E-Bikes have hydraulic brakes, but the Go 1 has four piston brakes versus two piston brakes on the Fold 1. It is interesting that the Fold 1 has steel fenders rather than the plastic fenders on the Go 1.  Both E-Bikes weigh around 65 lbs. Both E-Bikes sport 20" tires with 3" widths, which are cushy enough to absorb road shock but more nimble than 4" wide fat tires. 

There are two tech features which the Veloctric Go 1 excels at is the 3.5" monochrome LCD display.  The Fold 1 has a bright 1.8" monochromatic display which is reminiscent of a pedometer.  But the Go 1 display is prominently centered in the handlebar cockpit, which may draw attention when parked on urban streets.  The smaller display on the Fold 1 does not draw much attention on the handlebar.  The Go 1 has a built in MiFi tag, which can help iPhone owners track the location of their E-Bike.   The Fold 1 does not have the MiFi feature, but I recently won a MiFi tag at the electric vehicle oriented DC Auto Show, so another tracking tag is superfluous. 

So should I Go or should I Fold?  Honestly, the decision is somewhat price sensitive. The lowest price won’t necessarily win, but if market conditions effectively raise the price by 25-35% that may force my hand against what my heart initially desired.