Velotric GoMad Compact Cargo Ebike Review: If a Luxury Compact SUV Were a Bike

The rapidly expanding world of electric cargo bikes has a welcome new arrival: the Velotric GoMad Compact Cargo Ebike. Those of us that have been riding electric cargo bikes for years know how incredibly versatile they are. Indeed, we would still be a two-car household if I hadn’t discovered my first cargo bike in 2023 (the excellent Velotric Packer 1 cargo e-bike). I loved that bike but ended up switching a few times over the years due to garage space limitations (too many other e-bike reviews) and the fact that the Packer 1 was a bit large for our one-child family.

The new GoMad looks perfect on paper for a small family or anyone who wants more cargo capability than a standard e-bike.

What’s in the Box

The Velotric GoMad Compact Cargo Ebike may be the best packed and presented e-bike that I’ve reviewed thus far. Everything was well protected, and the tools/accessories box is organized into numbered sub-boxes for easy installation. The box includes the bike, fenders, manuals, the charger, and other bits and bobs.

Specifications

• Max Payload: 500 lbs total / 176 lbs Rear Rack
• Motor: 750 W (1300W Peak) / 85 Nm Torque
• Max Range: 75 Miles
• Battery: 801.6 Wh / 48V / IPX7 / UL2271
• Top Speed: 28 Mph
• E-Bike Class: 3 (can be restricted to 1/2/3 or unlocked, but with the inclusion of throttle and a 750W motor, it’s a Class 3)
• Pedal Assist Modes: 5 customizable
• User Height Range: 5’0″ – 6’3″
• Display: 3.5″ Full Color, Bluetooth, NFC, Adjustable Angle
• Sensor: Torque and Cadence
• USB Port: USB-C phone/accessory charging port on display
• Throttle Assist: Trigger style, removable
• Rear Lights: Braking indicator, Turn Signals, Rear Steady/flash, Integrated with Rear Rack
• Front Light: 500 Lumen High-Output LED, Adjustable Angle
• Bike Weather Rating: IPX6
• Anti-Theft: Apple Find My/ Android Find Hub, NFC Card Unlock
• Brakes: Tektro Hydraulic 203 mm front/180 mm rear
• Bike Weight: 77 lbs
• Tires: KENDA 20×4.0″ eBike Puncture Resistant Tires

Assembly and Setup

The assembly of the Velotric GoMad Compact Cargo Ebike was quite easy; I was able to finish it in about 30 minutes solo (though I did enlist help lifting the bike to install the front wheel). The box itself has a giant QR code with short, easy instruction videos, and the manual also has installation instructions if you prefer that method.

The included tools are of a decent quality – good enough that I tossed them into the integrated rear rack bag for on-road emergency maintenance. When I’d finished and done my first test ride, I was pleased that the gears were perfectly tuned and the brakes felt great as well.

First Impressions

The last few bikes I’ve reviewed or personally bought have been budget models, so the Velotric GoMad Compact Cargo Ebike felt especially premium and well-built from the start. I love (and more importantly, my partner loves) the “Sage Green” colorway, though Velotric also offers a brighter red “Dark Amber” and what looks like a pearlescent “Obsidian” with multicolor sparkles over a black base.

I feel like Velotric nailed the part selection from top to bottom, with great components for the bike’s intended use as utilitarian transport and family transport. They’re even throwing in a passenger or young passenger kit for free with purchase at the time of review. I opted for the young passenger kit for our 4-year-old, which includes safety rails and a backrest, foot pegs, mesh wheel guards, and a dual kickstand (a necessity for stability while loading and unloading kids – you should pick this up if it’s offered for free even if you don’t have kids; it makes loading/unloading cargo much easier).

You can also mount a child seat directly on the rear rack if you prefer. My only minor gripe is that setting up the rack for kids removes all cargo capability out of the box, except for hanging panniers off the side of the Young Passenger safety rails (which are larger than average; I had to find panniers that would fit). It would be nice to include the optional front rack with the passenger kits so you can carry all the requisite stuff that has to accompany young’uns.

App and Tech Features

Some e-bikes that I’ve reviewed have absolutely terrible apps. Nothing is more aggravating than installing an app and finding it non-functional or even worse: adding no functionality to the bike at all. Luckily, that’s not the case with Velotric’s app and tech features for the Velotric GoMad Compact Cargo Ebike.

The setup is easy, and the quick settings and information displays are useful and intuitive. Once you dive into the app, you’ll find a wealth of ride/power tuning and customization options, plus support for nifty features like NFC card unlock and theft-prevention location features (Apple Find My and Google Find Hub). I set up the bike with Google Find Hub, and it was quick and easy, and it allows me to locate and remotely disable the bike in case of theft.

Real World Ride Testing

After shelling out the ~$80 for the Front Rack, it was time for real-world test rides. I took my little one to the aquarium via commuter rail, and while other larger bikes were unwieldy and didn’t fit into the bike storage cars, the Velotric GoMad Compact Cargo Ebike did great. It was a breeze loading and unloading the bike, and it’s a nimble and fun ride once on the roads.

The throttle is surprisingly well-tuned. I’ve never used a throttle on an ebike with a better acceleration curve: it starts super gentle from a stop and then ramps up to speed without any drama or jerkiness.

You can fine-tune the throttle assist and how aggressive it is, but I found the default setting excellent, especially with a young passenger. I quickly got used to using the throttle a bit just to get started and then pedaling once up to 10 mph or so, completely negating the need for gear changes. The motor made light work of any and all hills we threw at it, even accelerating up some fairly steep ones.

Compact size actually fits on mass transit.

After the aquarium, the little boss suggested we ride all the way home (nearly 35 miles). There’s a great trail that runs along the Jordan River, so I happily agreed, and we set off with 70% battery and an estimated range of 55 miles.

Unfortunately, hills and using the throttle too much early on dropped us to 30% by the time we were just over halfway home, so I dropped the pedal assist to the lowest mode (Eco) and used more of my own power to help the bike. The last few miles were at single-digit battery levels, and I alternated between Eco and no assist at all, pulling into the garage with 2% battery remaining and sore legs.

If I’d fully charged the bike the night before, we probably would have been fine for a 35-mile route on Eco with mixed hills and minimal throttle usage, but just be aware that the estimated range is for flat roads and no throttle assist.

This let me test the full battery charge time from nearly empty, which came to about 6.5 hours. Some bikes charge faster, but anything under 8 hours is fine for me since you’re unlikely to fully drain a bike with this range every day, and an overnight charge will always get you back to 100% by morning. If you are planning on longer rides, you can add a second battery and store that in the rack storage to swap when needed.

Besides the long aquarium adventure, we put over 170 miles on the bike with nearly daily rides over three weeks, including pre-school drop-off and pickup (which always includes laughing at the 10+ minute car line as I take him right to the front door). The bike does great in urban riding, with the front shocks and fat tires smoothing out most bumps and obstacles.

Large potholes are still felt (especially by little rear passengers), which made me wish there was rear suspension at times, but I think the added weight makes the rigid rear setup the right call. I just learned to watch out for and avoid larger bumps. If you’re riding solo, you can add a suspension seat post from Velotric or another brand, but I opted not to do this to help me remember to keep the ride comfortable for my rear passenger.

Excellent food pick-up-mobile

With a kid on board, I always ride at or below 15 mph for safety, but when riding solo I definitely cruise in the 20-28 mph range. The Go Mad easily reaches 28 mph on throttle and then actively cuts motor power to prevent you from going any faster.

You can switch between sensors (torque/cadence) for different ride styles: I prefer torque because it feels more natural and lets me get a light to medium workout whenever I’m riding, while cadence can result in no-effort ghost-pedaling to cruise at speed. To each their own; I’m sure some prefer that mode.

The turn signals and bright front and rear lights add to road safety, but nothing makes me feel safer than the best-I’ve-ever-used-on-a-bike brakes. The extra-large rotors and high-quality hydraulic Tektro disc brakes stop fast when you need them. I do wish they’d done front-facing turn signals in addition to the rear ones, but I’m glad to have those at least.

I used the Velotric GoMad Compact Cargo Ebike as a true cargo bike as well, hauling over 150 pounds in a bike trailer (said cargo wouldn’t fit in our SUV!). The bike easily pulled the trailer with no drama, which is perfect going forward for my weekly 3D print restocks for my Amazon store.

Final Thoughts

The Velotric GoMad Compact Cargo Ebike feels like the perfect bike for anyone with one kid they like to bike with, or who simply wants a more cargo-capable e-bike than a standard one. The motor is more than enough to tackle anything you throw at it; the components and build are excellent, and I loved every minute of my month-long test period. It really does feel like a compact luxury SUV turned into a bike, and I look forward to years of use and happy memories.

The Velotric GoMad Compact Cargo Ebike retails for $1999; it is available directly from the manufacturer.

Source: Manufacturer-supplied review sample

What I Like: Premium components from top to bottom; Perfect size for one-kid families; Useful app that enables Find-My and ride tweaking

What Needs Improvement: Front-facing turn signals would be nice; Rear cargo is high; Battery drains fast at high speeds or on big hills