Turboant Thunder T1
20 MPH, 750W Fat-Tire Electric Bike
Unpowered, Variable Pedal-Assist & Twist-Grip Power Modes
Unboxing & Assembly User's Guide
Turboant Thunder T1 Electric Bike (20 MPH, 35~65 mile (55~100 km) range, 48 V / 14 AH (672 WH) locking Samsung battery, 7 speeds, 26 × 4.0" tires, 73 pounds/33.1 kg, $1,699.98). bigger or full resolution. I got mine directly from Turboant.
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May 2021 Turboant Reviews All Reviews
Turboant Thunder T1 Electric Bike. bigger or full resolution.
Introduction top
Unboxing & Assembly User's Guide
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I've been a avid bicyclist since I was a kid, doing 50-mile bike rides in junior high school back when people thought I had to absolutely crazy! As an adult before Americans had heard of bicycling as a legitimate sport, they'd ask me if my car had broken down when I'd arrive someplace after a 60-mile bike ride. People felt so sorry for me. I've ridden tens of thousands of miles, so of course I said YES! when Turboant asked me if they could send me an eBike to review.
I always thought eBikes were for the lazy, and bike stores point out that eBikes are geared for people just wanting transportation, not at hard-core cyclists like myself, but I discovered I can turn off the motor and get even more of a workout with higher heart rates riding this 73-pound behemoth around town rather than my usual ultralight 14-pound carbon-fiber American-made Trek Émonda SLR 8 (picture). How much of a workout you get depends entirely on how much assist you select (from 1~5). Set the assist to 0 and you're on your own with unlimited range.
Compared to my ultralight Trek Émonda with its solid titanium seat and 23mm tires at 125 PSI (8.6 bar), the Turboant feels like riding a bus with it's gargantuan weight and huge low-pressure tires. The Turboant's tires are bigger than those of my 120 MPH+ BMW motorcycle! The Turboant is for cruising and having social fun, not for nimble handling. I give people a wide berth passing as I'm still afraid that the Turboant and I are so wide and heavy. My BMW feels smaller, lighter and more nimble because its center of gravity is much lower — and the BMW's seat is closer to the ground!
It felt weird until I measured it: the Turboant T1's crank is much farther off the ground than my race bikes, so the seat is just as much farther off the ground and I have a long reach. I have to tilt the Turboant to reach the ground if I'm still on the seat when stopped. You ride high on the Turboant.
Here's where it gets fun: serious cyclists can save using electric power except for the nastiest hills. I have to climb a third of a mile of 11% grade to get back up to my house after every ride, and with this eBike and its full power with only minor assist from myself I fly up that hill at 13 MPH (21 kmph)! While the motor is rated for 750W (input), I calculate it's taking about 800W to power this beast and myself up a hill that fast, so the motor is probably putting out not far from 750W along with my casual input. Bravo!
It comes in just one size, adjustable without tools to fit almost anyone from 5' 2" to 6' 4" (160 to 200 cm), so when a less powerful friend comes over, put them on your Turboant T1 and you can still get a heavy workout with them while you're on your regular bike.
While rated for 35~65 mile (55~100 km) range, I used little to no assist for my first 20-mile ride and arrived home with the battery still reading fully charged.
Routes that used to be a pain are now as easy as you'd like; I easily can go places with relentlessly steep up and down hills that were definitely not fun on my regular bike. It's trivial to use as much effort (or not) as you like.
It helps getting out of dangerous situations, like turbo-blasting out of a traffic snarl. I have to traverse The Bridge of Death to get to the beach. It's a long and very narrow shoulderless 2-lane WPA-era bridge over which no one can pass anyone, so people get all bent out of shape getting stuck behind a bicycle or trying to pass over the double-yellow line (which can kill you in a head-on as well coming the other way). With this eBike I simply crank open the twist throttle and turbo-mode it all the way across this long bridge and people aren't as ticked off.
While top speed is listed as 20 MPH (32 kmph) above which the motor stops helping, pedal harder or go down hills and it certainly goes faster. My speedometer and odometer read about 10% low, so since the speed limiter is based on that, mine actually goes about 22 MPH (36 kmph) under full power.
I got my bike directly from Turboant.
Good intro top
Unboxing & Assembly User's Guide
Fits everyone; get one bike and it fits everyone who wants to ride it.
Bicycle (pedal-assist) and motorcycle (twist-throttle) power modes.
Smooth automatic power delivery in pedal-assist mode.
Twist-grip accelerator (motorcycle mode) lets you ride without peddling.
Fully pedalable the usual way without needing electric power for unlimited range.
Walk-assist low power mode for walking it up hills or driveways.
Seven speeds for manual peddling - far better than just one speed!
Perfectly-spaced gears have no big jumps between them for efficient pedaling and shifting at all speeds.
Easy indexed gear shifting, and easy to haul it all the way from top to bottom gear as you come to a stop.
Easy to start up a hill from a stop with the twist throttle.
Chain guard prevents getting gear stains on your calves.
Tires have reflective sidewalls.
Front suspension.
Nearly silent rear ratchet and chain.
Nearly silent electric motor. If anything it sounds more like a dry metallic brake application than a whiny motor, so even if you're using it people might not suspect it isn't just you powering this thing.
Locking battery pack with key to remove it for remote charging.
Battery pack has a USB-A port for charging electronics. The Chinese would rate this as a 187,000 mAh power bank, probably enough to keep your phone charged for two months!
Arrived mostly charged and with air in the tires (but charge it all the way and inflate before your first ride).
Arrives mostly assembled. Pop on the handlebars, the front wheel, fender and headlight and the pedals and you're ready to size it. It took me a very careful hour.
Astonishingly the shifting and brake systems arrived perfectly adjusted after I put it all together, no adjustments needed!
Big kickstand.
Kickstand mounted far back so it doesn't block pedal motion — but it won't automatically flip up as you start to ride.
Handlebar-mounted bell.
Big handle discretely hidden under seat to help muscling this thing around in your garage.
Ride Computer & Command Input Buttons:
Computer (Yes, it goes faster than 20MPH down hills or if you pedal hard). bigger.
The computer lit at night — but don't ride at night because even with lights no one has any idea what you are until after you've been hit.
Self-powered LED headlight with a clever and efficient design, but a basic American-made strap-on 450 Lumen Cygolite is still far better.
Self-powered tail light.
Rated to carry people and cargo up to a hefty 264 pounds (120 kg) total.
Very deep dropouts (the notches into which the wheel axles attach) so it's less likely they'll fall out if you let them get loose.
Turboant Thunder T1 Electric Bike. bigger or full resolution.
Bad intro top
Unboxing & Assembly User's Guide
Weighs a ton, but that's what electric bikes are.
Arrives unassembled (of course). It was easy for me to put it together in an hour, but if you're not an expert be sure to have a friend or local bike shop who is to support you over the years.
No bottle lugs on the down (front) tube, so you have to reach all the way back to the seat (rear) tube to grab your water bottle.
Frame design prevents using a large 700ml (24 oz.) water bottle, you have to stick with the small 600ml (20 oz) ones:
Large 700ml (24 oz.) water bottles won't fit an optional bottle cage. bigger.
Missing intro top
Unboxing & Assembly User's Guide
No side reflectors, but the tires have reflective sidewalls.
No rear suspension.
No water bottle.
Tool kit included, but no bike bag included to hold it while riding.
Specifications top
Unboxing & Assembly User's Guide
I got my bike directly from Turboant.
Weight specifications top
73 pounds/33.1 kg
Sizes specifications top
It comes in one size, adjustable to fit almost anyone from 5' 2" to 6' 4" (160 to 200 cm).
Range specifications top
Rated 35 ~ 65 miles (55 ~ 100 km), but it depends on how much battery power you use.
Tires specifications top
Kenda Juggernaut 26 × 4.0" (98-559) tires.
5 ~ 30 PSI (0.4 ~ 2.1bar).
30 TPI Casing.
Wire Bead.
K-Shield puncture resistant.
100/90-22 24B.
Weight & Cargo Capacity specifications top
It's rated to carry a hefty total of 264 pounds (120 kg).
Frame specifications top
6061 Aluminium alloy.
Fork Tubes specifications top
Steel.
Powertrain, Electric specifications top
100 ~ 240V input, 48 V 2 A output charger.
48 V, 14 AH (672 WH) locking Samsung battery.
750 W (1 horsepower) input brushless Bafang rear gear-hub motor.
Bafang Motor, Disc Brake Rotor & 7-Speed Shimano Rear Cassette. bigger.
Powertrain, Human specifications top
Mine came with Wellgo B087 aluminum-alloy 12-pin flat BMX pedals.
Prowheel forged alloy 170mm crank arms.
Single 42 tooth chainring.
KMC chain.
Shimano SIS Thumb Shifter, Tektro Brake Lever, Twist-Grip Accelerator & Leather-Like Grip Covers. bigger.
7-speed Shimano MF-TZ500-7 SG rear cassette:
28-24-22-20-18-16-14 teeth.
Shimano Acera Rear Derailleur:
Rear Derailleur, Guard, Cassette & Chain. bigger.
I measure the tires as about 28.3" in diameter, (about a circumference of 2,274 mm) so the gear-inches for each gear are about:
Gear Inches |
Rear Teeth |
|
1 |
42" |
28 |
2 |
49" |
24 |
3 |
54" |
22 |
4 |
59" |
20 |
5 |
66" |
18 |
6 |
74" |
16 |
7 |
85" |
14 |
Brakes & Levers specifications top
Tektro Aries mechanical disc brakes and levers.
180 mm (7.1") rotors.
Stem specifications top
Promax MA-593S.
Seat specifications top
VELO Plush VL6221.
Seat Post specifications top
Zoom 1.25" (31.8mm) diameter by 350mm (13.8") long.
Quality specifications top
Made in China.
Announced specifications top
April 2021.
Included specifications top
Bike.
Battery.
2 keys for locking battery pack.
Charger.
Basic front and rear lights.
Basic tool kit with metric hex wrenches and open-end wrenches:
Included Tool Kit. bigger.
Price, U. S. A. specifications top
May 2021
1,699.98 direct from Turboant.
Optional Accessories top
Unboxing & Assembly User's Guide
I got my bike directly from Turboant.
The rear light is wimpy. I use my American-made Cygolite Hotshot tail lights in the daytime. About 80 ~ 150 Lumens is bright enough to make you visible from space if you align them properly. I set them to blink, hoping modern drivers will wonder what the red light in the corner of their eye is all about as they're busy texting.
I also use a basic American-made strap-on 450 Lumen Cygolite headlight in the daytime. I set it to flash for the same reason: so people see me coming as they're trying to answer an important text.
I never ride at night. These are great lights, but when motorists see just one light coming at them rather than two, there's no way they can have any idea of what you are or how close: you're still as good as invisible at night. Stay home.
You'll want a bike bag unless you prefer your backpack.
You'll also want a 20 oz. water bottle and one water bottle cage. I use insulated bottles to keep my drinks cold for hours.
I also list some tools that are nice to have at Assembly.
Unboxing & Assembly top
Unboxing & Assembly User's Guide
I got my bike directly from Turboant.
I've been fixing my own bikes since I was a kid. I even changed a crankset for the first time over the summer, so I'm good at this and own all the tools. While it does include the basic tools you need to assemble and adjust this, if you're not an experienced home bike mechanic, be sure you have a local shop or friend who will assemble and fit this bike to you.
As received. bigger.
This arrives in a big box. It's easy for one or two guys to muscle it around with its handles.
Even if the box arrives totally destroyed as mine did (I'm not showing the other side!), it completely protects the bike inside.
There are no unpacking suggestions on the box, so I went in through the top.
Here's what I got:
What's inside. bigger.
Follow the directions and pop-on the handlebars, the front wheel, fender and headlight and the pedals and you're ready to size it. It took me a very careful hour to get it together.
Hint: it was surprisingly straightforward, but look at the pictures in the manual because the front fender was backwards as shipped. I flipped it around no problem.
Hint: good practice is to put a little anti-seize compound on the pedal threads so you can get them off again easily.
I have a Park Tool PW-5 pedal wrench which made it trivially easy to attach the pedals. I don't know if it would have been as much fun with the short little wrench Turboant includes.
I also have torque wrenches that help me tighten everything just right. I used this one. I've had them since I started working on my hot rods before I got out of college, everyone should have them for precise work, especially for the handlebars which have the exact torque values marked right on them! The values are around 6 Nm; just a tiny 2~10 Nm wrench is all you'll want.
User's Guide top
Unboxing & Assembly User's Guide
I got my bike directly from Turboant.
Charging user's guide top
You charge the battery through a little rubber-covered connector. You can charge it on the bike as it sits, or use the included key to unlock it and take just the battery pack inside.
First plug the charger into the battery, and then plug the charger into the wall. This way we don't ask the small charge connector to handle a big inrush of current.
The charger's LED lights red while charging, and it turns green when done.
Charge the battery while you're assembling your new bike. It arrives mostly charged, so it should be ready as soon as you are.
Power ON and OFF user's guide top
Hold the middle button on the computer to turn the bike ON and OFF.
Walk Assist user's guide top
Hold the bottom button on the computer to turn the bike motor on a little bit to help you push the bike up a hill or driveway.
Battery Meter user's guide top
There are battery gauges both on the computer, and also on top of the battery pack. Press the rubberized button on the pack to light its four green LEDs.
The computer gauge is just a voltage meter, it's not advanced enough to accumulate current draw and charge.
Lights user's guide top
You have to remember to turn on the lights every time you turn on the bike. Hold the top computer button a few seconds to do that and you'll see an icon on the computer.
Both front and rear lights switch on and off together. They're powered by the main battery pack.
If you use separate lights as I do, of course you have to turn them on and off and charge them separately.
Suspension user's guide top
There is front but not rear suspension, so if you fly over a speed bump the first bump is softened by the suspension, but remember to lift off from the seat as the second bump is more severe when the rear wheel crosses it!
Have fun! I got my bike directly from Turboant.
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