When it comes to newer models of transportation, electric bikes have been quickly gaining more and more popularity over the past few years.
A lot of people use an electric bike as a greener alternative to driving to work, plus it helps make cycling accessible to those with health problems like asthma or joint pain.
Although they are louder and typically less affordable than traditional bikes, electric bikes are a great way to help the environment and get you to and from work quickly. On the other hand, you can just ride one around for some fun.
So - if you are tempted to get yourself an electric bike, which one should you get?
One issue that comes with electric bikes is that there are so many different types. Different brands, different models, some with pedals and some without, some you can connect to your phone and others you can’t.
So when it comes to choosing just one, it can be a little confusing which is best.
That’s where we come in. Here is our review for the Jetson Bolt Pro electric bike, one of the latest releases from Jetson - a well trusted manufacturer when it comes to making electrical transport like scooters, bikes and hoverboards.
Their Bolt Pro is meant to be an improved, updated model of their previous Jetson Bolt electric bike but is it impressive enough to buy?
Check out our review below to see if the Jetson Bolt Pro is just the right kind of electric bike for you!
Design
Just looking at the Jetson Bolt Pro is enough to make you impressed. It’s visual design is sleek and minimalist, and it is colored all black for a cool and sophisticated look. It’s a very clean design - but there may be one other thing that sticks out to you.
It’s short.
The Jetson Bolt Pro is a compact electric bike, meaning that it only has 14 inch wheels and sits low to the ground. However, don’t feel put off too much by how different it looks to a regular bike.
You can lift the seat for it to feel more comfortable, but the low design helps make this bike smaller and easier to fit into cars and take with you to your desired destinations.
This is further helped by its foldable design, which means that you can help reduce its size even more when it comes to storing or packing your Jeston Bolt Pro up to save on space.
It’s a very useful design feature for this bike to have as it makes it easier to fit into smaller spaces or to take with you to further riding spots.
This electric bike is lightweight as it is made from aluminum and only weighs 41 pounds - meaning that you can pick this bike up and carry it up flights of stairs without breaking a sweat.
So this bike is not only mobile when it comes to riding it, you are also able to take it pretty much anywhere thanks to its compact and lightweight design.
Another part of the design of this bike to mention is the pedals. Pedal assist on an electric bike is not always a guarantee, but it is a very useful feature for it to have.
If your battery suddenly dies or there is a technical issue with your electric bike, then you can just switch modes and use the pedals like on a regular bike. Thankfully, the Jetson Bolt Pro comes with this additional feature.
No more walking around carrying your electric bike - just pedal to your destination and recharge your Jetson Bolt Pro.
If we had to pick a design flaw, it would be the 6.0 lithium ion battery. Although it is fairly powerful to help you travel pretty far on your Jetson Bolt Pro, a lot of customers complain about the battery.
Some claim that it fails after a few months of use, and others say it never worked out of the box. This is a huge issue that Jetson needs to address but, thankfully, we did not experience any battery related issues during our test.
Overall, we like the Jetson Bolt Pro’s design. It is not clunky or heavy, and it looks cool and clean thanks to its color and design.
Although that battery is something that needs to be watched carefully, hopefully future models of this bike will switch to something more reliable.
Assembly And Performance
When you first get your Jetson Bolt Pro, you have to first assemble it together and let it charge before you can try it out for yourself.
This process can sometimes be a pain, especially when it comes to more complicatedly designed bikes, but the Jetson Bolt Pro was very easy to assemble.
All the tools needed to assemble your bike come included, and most parts like the pedals and handlebar just need unfolding and clipping into place. There are no screws involved - just some tightening with a hex key. Overall, it was very easy to do and took very little time. Awesome!
As for charging, the Jetson Bolt Pro needs 4 hours to completely charge. It sounds like a lot of time but we have seen tiny Roombas take longer to fully charge so those 4 hours, when put in perspective, is not a bad charge time at all.
Once your bike is charged and fully assembled, you can take it outside and give it a spin.
When we tried out the Jetson Bolt Pro, there were a lot of things we were impressed by. It picks up to a good maximum speed of 15.5 mph, which is a lot faster than an ordinary bike.
It’s throttle and brakes are very reactive as you can feel a difference in your speed the moment you give it a twist or press respectively (depending on which one you are using).
It is very important for an electric bike to have a very reactive braking system, especially if you are traveling at a high speed in public areas, so this is a very impressive feature to us. It gives you full control over your bike, allowing you to ride in confidence.
The bike itself was comfortable to use. Despite the low frame, we thought our knees or legs might start to feel cramped at awkward angles but we experienced no such thing.
It felt natural to ride while pedaling and when just relying on the motor to carry us forward.
As for mileage range, we can’t complain about how far the Jetson Bolt Pro can take you. The battery can take you 17 miles when fully charged, and by pedaling at alternative times to save on battery, you can travel up to 30 miles using pedal assist.
So, is there anything about the Jetson Bolt Pro that affects this bike’s performance negatively?
Well, it’s not so great going uphill. The Jetson Bolt Pro works fine going up inclines of around 15 degrees, but any steeper and you are going to have issues.
So, if you live in a particularly hilly area with steep inclines, you will definitely be better off looking at a more powerful electric bike.
This is disappointing as a lot of people may look for an electric bike specifically to help them get uphill easier.
Especially as this electric bike features pedal assist, this means you can use it as a normal bike until it comes to going uphill, then switch to the motor to help power you up there. However, the motor is not powerful enough to get you up very steep hills and inclines.
Despite that, the Jetson Bolt Pro is an absolute pleasure to ride. It’s quick and smooth, translating between pedal and motor power with little fuss or issue, plus you can feel very safe and in control thanks to the reactive brakes and throttle systems.
It’s great for cruising and riding along flat or slight inclines, but you are going to have to push it up those steep hills yourself.
Bonus Features
Jetson has their own app called the Ride Jetson app that contains a lot of great features when you sync it up to your ride.
You can play music, customize your ride’s LED lights, track your activity and keep an eye on your speed and battery life! You can also challenge your friends or yourself with goals.
It’s a great app to connect to your ride - it’s just a shame that the Jetson Bolt Pro does not connect to it.
We don’t know why this is the case but Jetson really missed the mark with this. The Jetson Bolt Pro is not able to connect to bluetooth, making it incompatible with their app.
So when it comes to bonus features, the Jetson Bolt Pro is seriously lacking. It does come with a 1 year warranty so if you do have any issues with that battery, you are covered for the first year.
But as far as bonus features go, that’s about it with the Jetson Bolt Pro. It would have been great if it was compatible with the app but unfortunately, for some reason, it’s not.
Comparison Against The Jetson Bolt Electric Bike
So how does the Jetson Bolt Pro compare to its predecessor, the Jetson Bolt electric bike?
Firstly, the Jetson Bolt Pro comes with pedals, allowing you to travel further and save battery by switching to manual cycling. This means you can also use it as a normal bike, whereas you are limited to electric power alone with the original model.
Instead of pedals, the Jetson Bolt electric bike has two foot bars for you to rest your feet on while you zip around. If the battery dies, then you are stuck.
The speed is also slightly faster with the Jetson Bolt Pro. On the original Jetson bolt, you could travel at speeds up to 15 mph, but this has increased with the Jetson Bolt Pro to 15.5mph.
The battery is also bigger on the Jetson Bolt Pro, sitting at a healthy 6.0 lithium battery compared to the Jetson Bolt’s 5.2. This means the Jetson Bolt Pro offers more power and charge than its predecessor, making it the more powerful bike.
However, this comes at a slight cost. The Jetson Bolt Pro is heavier than the original Jetson Bolt bike which weighs 34 pounds, a while 7 pounds lighter than the Jetson Bolt Pro.
This is mainly due to the added weight of the pedals, but both bikes are still very light and easy to carry. So really, this does not make much of a difference.
The real kicker is that the Jetson Bolt is bluetooth compatible. You can connect the original bike to the app and use all its fun features, but not with the newer model. It doesn’t make sense but unfortunately, that’s the reality.
In our opinion, it does not make the Jetson Bolt the superior bike, but it is frustrating that Jetson had the ability to make the Bolt Pro compatible with the app but chose not to.
So our winner between the two is the Jetson Bolt Pro, despite its little flaws.
Conclusion
So what did we think of the Jetson Bolt Pro overall?
We would definitely recommend it as it is a cost effective way to enter the e-bike world, plus it works great as an electric bike or as a normal one. It’s compact and light, making it easy to carry around and take anywhere, plus it offers a great ride.
It’s flaws are relatively minor although we do wish it was more powerful to go up steeper inclines and was able to connect to the Ride Jetson app.
These are hopefully things Jetson will address in future models, but for now - the Jetson Bolt Pro is a good little electric bike that will definitely help you get around with ease.
The Jetson Bolt Pro is now available at ridejetson.com and Costco.com.
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