T1 May Take This Year's Title of Best All-Around E-Bike With Its All-Road Design and Speed

Folks, before us sits the T1, an electrified and "mixed surface" bicycle from none other than Velotric, a brand of e-bikes that's been on the market for a few years now. However, what makes Velotric so special is that it's the brainchild of Adam Zhang, Co-founder and General Manager of Lime China. If Lime sounds familiar, they're responsible for those rental e-bikes and e-scooters you can take out for a spin around town.

So, what makes the T1 worthy of your attention and cash? Well, first off, it's only selling for a reasonable $1,800, and the reason I say "reasonable" is because this two-wheeler can really hit the speed sauce hard. I'm talking about a top speed of 20 mph (32 kph), but that can be unlocked up to 25 mph (40 kph), and that's without any throttle functionality, so you may need to get a feel for how to handle the kick supplied by the T1's motor.

Speaking of motors, Velotric throws on a 350 W powerhouse to the rear hub that can max out at 600 W and crank out a peak of 45 Nm (33 lb-ft) of torque. Sure, it's not going to be the sort of torque you want for hilly cities, but there is also a gearbox on the T1, with an 11-32T range and tuned to eight speeds.

Speaking of range, we arrive at a different kind, the one that the battery allows for. Wait, what battery? Just kidding; there is a battery 9.8 Ah battery integrated into the T1's down tube and running under 36 V. Yet, believe it or not, Velotric states that this motor and juicebox setup is enough to give riders a peak range of 70 miles (113 km) on a single charge.

Sure, that's in a perfect world (test setting), but even with the 30% drop in range most e-bikes experience, that's still plenty. Heck, why not go for this crew's range extender and ride up to 100 miles (161 km manufacturer-reported)? I don't know about you, but those are some pretty impressive numbers coming from a bicycle that can promise mixed-road magic.

But, what's up with that frame design? Well, there's plenty for me to say about this aluminum backbone, and one of the facts is that we'll be riding a triple-butted machine. This means light and strong, and according to the T1's spec sheet, just 36 lbs (16.3 kg) is all it weighs and can handle up to 330 lbs of total load.

Then there's Velotric's choice of a dropped seat stay design, which leads me to believe that they've done some research into crafting a compliant rear triangle; it's the look and functionality often spotted on gravel bikes.

The frame also seems to be built around 38c tires because that's what Velotric throws on as standard, but I've often found that you can still go a size or two up; be sure to find the right tire size for you. Braking is to be covered by a pair of hydraulic chompers biting down on 160 mm rotors; Tektro is the brand chosen for the job.

Last but not least, I want to point out that Velotric feels that you should ride this bike to the edge of its battery capacity and beyond. To do that, you may need to pack a lunch and, if you're really into riding far, a sleeping bag to camp out overnight, not to mention tools and spare tires.

Luckily for us, the manufacturer decided to deck out the T1 with several mounts all over the frame and fork. The seat tube, the down tube, and the seat stay and fork have them. Oh, and the whole thing is fender compatible, so feel free to get dirty.

Oh, and don't worry about figuring out which bush you hid your baby in overnight, GPS tracking is part of the mix here, and so is fingerprint unlocking, automatic rider recognition, and a few others. quite a bit of tech for a $1,800 hunk of aluminum.

Now, I'll be honest. This thing sounds pretty amazing, so I'm going to try to get ahold of Velotric to take one of these babies out for a spin. You can do the same; you just have to find one in a nearby bike shop or order directly from the manufacturer. Just be sure to keep things within the warranty bounds in case the T1 isn't for you. Enjoy the ride out there. I know I will, and the T1 will make sure of that.