Velotric GoMad First Look: Velotric’s Wildest Ride Yet

Velotric took its fat-tire hauler, gave it a 500 lb payload and a 176 lb rack, and priced it like a regular commuter.

Velotric keeps its lineup simple, and the GoMad is the odd one out in the best way. It is a short-tail fat-tire hauler built to replace car trips, not just commute. You get a 750W motor, an 801.6Wh battery, a 500 lb total payload, and a rear rack rated for 176 lb, all for $1,999. We have not run it through our full test loop yet, so here is what stands out from Velotric’s claimed specs and the first hands-on reviews.

GoMad Overview: What Is It

The GoMad is Velotric’s compact utility bike, part of its new Signature line. Think of it as a short-tail cargo hauler on 20 by 4.0 inch fat tires: the small footprint of a fat-tire cruiser, but with the payload and rack of a dedicated cargo bike. Velotric rates it for 500 lb total, so it can carry a passenger, kids, or a real grocery run and still stay planted.

It fits one rider from 5’0″ to 6’3″ and comes in Dark Amber, Obsidian, and Sage. Velotric also sells it two ways for hauling people: add the Passenger Kit for $2,124.99, or the Young Passenger Kit for $2,198.49. Fenders, a 500-lumen headlight, turn signals, and a rack bag all come in the box.

Claimed Specs and Price

Everything below is manufacturer-claimed unless we say otherwise. We have not put this bike on our scale or through our range loop yet.

At $1,999 the GoMad lands right in the middle of the cargo-bike market while giving you fat tires and a higher payload than most. It undercuts a lot of long-tail haulers and reads as strong value on paper, which is the same playbook that made the Velotric Discover 3 a hit.

Motor and Performance

Power is the headline. The 48V 750W hub motor peaks at 1,300W and puts out a claimed 85 Nm of torque, which matters a lot when you load a cargo bike up a hill. It runs as a Class 1, 2, or 3 bike, so you can pedal-assist up to 28 mph. There is also a Custom Mode that opens the throttle to 28 mph, though that mode is not available in California.

Stopping power is just as important on a heavy hauler, and Velotric spec’d for it. You get Tektro hydraulic disc brakes with an oversized 203mm rotor up front and a 180mm out back. Electric Bike Report called the GoMad “crazy good” and singled out its braking as best in their test group. An RST hydraulic fork with 100mm of travel and a lockout smooths out the rough stuff without robbing efficiency on smooth pavement.

Battery and Claimed Range

The GoMad runs a 48V 16.7Ah battery, which works out to 801.6Wh. Velotric claims up to 75 miles on a charge. That is the usual best-case Eco figure, so expect less when you ride hard or haul heavy.

Early third-party testing backs the claim up and then some. Electric Bike Report measured 80.1 miles in Eco and 37.2 miles in the top Boost mode, so the real range spread is wide but the 75-mile claim looks honest on the Eco end. We will post our own tested range once we get a unit on our standard loop.

How the GoMad Fits the Velotric Lineup

Velotric’s range covers a lot of ground now, and the GoMad slots into a spot nothing else fills. It sits between the Nomad 2 fat-tire adventure bike and the long-tail Packer 1, giving you cargo capacity in a shorter, more parkable package. If you want a comfort commuter instead of a hauler, the Velotric Discover 3 is the better pick, and if you want something light and quick, the Velotric Tempo goes the other direction at 39 pounds. The table below shows how the GoMad stacks up against those two.

Against the wider cargo market, the GoMad squares off with the Lectric XPedition 2.0 and the Aventon Abound SR. Both are proven utility bikes at similar money, but the GoMad answers with a bigger 801.6Wh battery, a 500 lb payload, and fat tires instead of skinnier cargo rubber. Electric Bike Review put it plainly and said the GoMad “wants to replace your car,” which is exactly the job this class of bike is chasing.

Who Should Buy the GoMad

First-Look Verdict

On paper and in the first reviews, the GoMad looks like one of the smarter cargo bikes you can buy near $2,000. It packs a real 500 lb payload, a strong 750W motor, and a big battery into a short, parkable frame, and it ships with the lights, fenders, and rack most rivals make you add. The 77-pound weight and the missing center stand are the obvious catches, and we still want to put our own numbers to the range and hauling claims. But if you want a do-everything hauler that can stand in for a car, the GoMad belongs on your shortlist. We will update this review with full tested figures once we get a unit in.

Velotric GoMad FAQ

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