Velotric Nomad 2X First Ride Review | A Full-Sus Fatty!
May 15, 2025
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Is it a bold leap toward comfort, a nod to hunters and outdoorsmen, or both? Either way, the Velotric Nomad 2X looks packed with potential.
Fat tire e-bikes are about as American as apple pie at this point. They’ve been popular for years thanks to the comfort and go-anywhere versatility they offer. And while fat tire e-bikes are everywhere these days, full suspension options are still relatively rare—something Velotric aims to change.
The Velotric Nomad 2X builds on much of what’s already worked for the brand. It’s a powerful machine with a wild 560 lb payload capacity (not to mention a claimed 1,000 lb towing capacity) and a motor built to match. Like many newer e-bikes, it comes equipped with app integration for enhanced security and ride metrics, but Velotric has added some standout features too like Sensor Swap, which lets you toggle between torque and cadence sensor modes, and built-in Apple Find My compatibility.
Now it can add “full-suspension fat tire” to that list of uncommon accomplishments.
The Nomad 2X could easily stake its claim as the comfort king of fat tire e-bikes. It pairs a 120mm air fork with an 80mm rear shock integrated just behind the seatpost. The rear linkage is beefy—fitting for a bike that’s built heavy and built tough.
While full suspension improves comfort for any rider, it’s especially appealing to off-roaders who’ve traditionally been more willing to pay a premium for the feature. Fat tire bikes like the Nomad tend to split time between pavement and trail, but the move to full-squish seriously ups the off-road potential. It opens up a new realm of possibility for campers, hunters, and overlanders looking for a rig that can handle rough terrain without compromise.
We’ve just unboxed our Nomad 2X and spent a couple of days getting familiar with it. Full testing is still in progress, but first impressions suggest this could be the reasonably priced, full-suspension fat tire e-bike that so many of our readers, and commenters, have been asking for.
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Velotric Nomad 2X Spec & Features: The Key Early Takeaways
Velotric continues to carve out its own space in the e-bike market with the Nomad 2X. It features a stunning paint job with multiple color options (four at launch, with a Multicam variant reportedly on the way), and a clear emphasis on comfort. The geometry supports a relaxed riding position, there’s an adjustable stem for dialing in fit, a thick saddle for added cushion, and of course, the headline feature: dual air suspension.
Early impressions of the suspension are promising. It doesn’t feel overly soft which was my main concern going in, but instead offers a reassuring amount of support when hitting potholes or romping off-road.
This is a big bike, and it comes with a fittingly large battery and motor combo. The Nomad’s 750W (1,400W peak) motor also packs 105Nm of torque and moves the bike effortlessly. One of Velotric’s standout features in recent models is their Sensor Swap tech, which lets riders toggle between a more laid-back but less natural cadence sensor and a more responsive and active-riding torque sensor. Since it’s executing two sensor profiles rather than one, I’m fairly pleased with how both perform, though one caveat is that the bike can still exceed the programmed speed limit by a few extra MPH.
As Velotric’s most expensive bike to date, the Nomad 2X comes with higher expectations, but it largely delivers. The rear linkage is impressively robust, the air fork is a half-step to a step above the usual entry-level units I see, and the overall ride feel is solid. For a fat tire bike, it’s not especially noisy, and it handles speed with confidence. The included MIK HD rear rack makes it easy to bring a heavy load or quickly swap out accessories.
So far, the one area I’m still evaluating is the brakes. The bike weighs at least 80 lbs (official weigh-in still pending) and is rated for a 560 lb payload with a towing capacity of up to 1,000 lbs. It’s equipped with Tektro hydraulic brakes featuring a 203mm front rotor and 180mm in the rear. However, it’s only a 2-piston system, and considering the hauling capabilities Velotric is advertising, I’d prefer a 4-piston setup for extra stopping power. To be clear, braking has worked fine in our early rides, but if folks plan to use this bike for hunting or rugged backcountry use, more bite could be a worthwhile upgrade.
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The Ride Feel
Velotric has largely cemented itself in my mind as a comfort-focused brand, and that rings true on the Nomad 2X. All the contact points are pleasant, and with multiple frame sizes available in both high-step and step-thru styles, plus an adjustable stem, riders are bound to dial in a fit that works for them. The slight sweep of the handlebar is comfortable without feeling overly cruiser-y to me, and the tires further enhance comfort when run at lower PSI.
I’ve only done a few lighter trips through the dirt so far, but it’s faired well for itself. The suspension is balancing a lot on a bike this heavy, but so far has felt good to me. It’s no singletrack MTB experience by any means, but it’s confident enough for some overlanding. (Though personally, I’d hold out for the Multicam color option if you’re doing a lot of offroading—the blue of our test bike is too pretty to risk scuffing!)
In addition to the Sensor Swap tech, Velotric includes three distinct ride modes for its five power levels: a conservative Eco, a middle-of-the-road Trail, and a more aggressive Boost mode. On heavy bikes like this, I tend to spend more time in Boost, but I think all three settings could be practical depending on the rider. The differences in power output feel subtle but noticeable, and they’ll affect both battery life and how much personal effort you want to put in.
One thing that surprised me was the gearing. The 8-speed Shimano Acera is fairly common, but the 48t chainring paired with an 11-40t cassette isn’t. That setup delivers a 364% gear range, which is something I don’t see too often. It does make gear changes feel a bit more like big leaps than incremental adjustments, but that wider range helps eliminate ghost pedaling and slack, especially in the torque sensor setting when pushing to 28 mph.
Lingering Questions
This part of the review could be summed up simply by saying: “Let the testing commence!” I’m mainly curious to see its range and braking.
I think the 802Wh battery is plenty for a 750W nominal motor, but since this one can peak significantly higher, it’ll be interesting to see how far it can really go. It’s also one of the heavier fat tire bikes we’ve had come through our doors, so we’ll see how that weight impacts the overall range.
I’m also curious to see where the brake scores land for similar reasons. It’s a heavy bike, and while it benefits from a larger front rotor, the 2-piston setup may result in slightly more pedestrian stopping performance.
My final question is less about testing and more about the broader market: how will people react? On YouTube and social media, we constantly see folks asking for more comfort and more power from fat tire e-bikes. On paper, this seems like a fair value at $2,399 given the features and components—especially in the tariff-laden landscape we’re in now. But crossing the $2K line of demarcation is a bold move for any brand that’s historically focused on value with bikes in the sub-two grand category.
Will buyers be willing to pay what it actually costs to build a dual-suspension rig like this? Or were they hoping for magic—a full-suspension fat bike without breaking that $2,000 ceiling? Time will tell. That said, I could definitely see the Multicam version gaining traction. Hunting-specific brands have charged more for bikes that arguably don’t match the Nomad 2X in spec or quality. This could be a breakthrough if it finds the right audience.
How about on your end? Any burning questions about the Velotric Nomad 2X? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll do our best to answer them when the full review drops.
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I have been waiting for a full squish fat tire ebike. I was considering the Mockwheel Obsidian but it had a cheap feel to it. I now have a Velotric summit 1. I put 3 in tires on it to soften off-road conditions as well as a upgraded air fork. I now have it pretty well dialed in. Wondering if it’s worth going to the Velotric new full suspension bike which weighs 20 lb more.
I guess my question is is how this bike compares to the Mockwheel Obsidian.
It was based on your review that I purchased the Yamaha moro 07 when it was on sale. Screaming deal and a great bike. Thanks
Great review and summary. Does the Nomad 2X have an integrated brake light?
Thanks for the review. 🙂
In other vids, it shows how the brake and turn signals work. The brake light has three distinct patterns to choose from. The headlight has an auto on/off feature.
Veloctric 2x. Please report controller amps. So many companies lie about the peak watts. Please report hill climb ability in both cadence sensor and torque sensor settings. Thanks.
Not a question about this bike but about a Velotric product. Since they have updated so many of their bikes recently, any chance they will update the Packer 1? It is a basic structure I am curious to try, but I don’t want to get “burned” like I did on the Xpedition (bought mine just a few months before the 2.0 came out). While I like the Xpedition 1.0, my time with it has shown me I would want to try a mullet setup next. I find the 20″ front wheel too harsh on impacts and bumps relative to the full-sized wheel on my regular bike. It may be a perception thing, along with an interpretation of the weight of the bike and such. The Packer seems like a good halfway point between a full-sized cargo bike option like the older school designs and the current crop of 20″ cargo bikes – I like the low center of gravity that the 20″ provides vs my regular bikes with a child seat, for example.
Also, other bikes I am considering with the same setup are Yuba Spice Curry Family of bikes (V3, New Curry, New Curry+, etc) and the Xtracycle Swoop – haven’t seen any good and detailed reviews on either of them but they come from well established legacy cargo bike companies so I trust the products are good, but a good review from you guys would be very much appreciated, 🤞
Just purchased before finding this. Even more confident in my choice. Difficult, but not impossible, to get it to Alaska; I’m grateful that my boss has a freight forward account for scheduled shipping.
I find it odd that in all the vids and reviews I checked before purchase, no one demonstrated it at more appropriate pressures for that tire size. I’ve been riding analog fat bikes since the 90s, and no one I know runs their tires at full pressure. I laugh when I see them doing sand at full pressure. That’s not how that works. Even on pavement, I’m at 12 psi or lower on 27.5×4.5 tires. Fat tire bikes really perform best at lower pressures in sand and snow, in my experience.
I looked at a lot of bikes and vids… I think this is the best in class for where I want to be at 64. I’m not ripping single track; I’m XCing, enjoying the ride, or cruising the many pavement trails. I already have an adequate for the weight bike rack, an FJ Cruiser for my daily, so taking it into the wilderness outside Anchorage is a short trip with a lot of comfortable ride time away from everyone but the bears and moose. The limit I’m facing as I age is not the desire to do it, but the ability to more comfortably be enabled to enjoy this amazing place I live.♥