New Lectric Xpress

[Doggyman1202]

I really LOVE the folding portability, light weight, and SIMPLICITYof the XP Lite. (I was always fussing with adjusting the derailleur and brakes on the Ride1Up and it got old very fast. I just left it in one gear and just used the PAS modes so all that shifting system hardware was useless to me. Lectric really nailed the XP's single speed gearing. It's damn bear perfect.I also like the NIMBLE handing of the XP Lite vs the Core 5. It's not even close. The XP Lite invites you to throw it into a turn. You can also modify the XP Lite to your heart's content with BMX wheels and handle bars and mod it out to your liking. The 20" wheels frankly ride very well to my surprise. It's just more FUN to ride (without the maintenance) if I can sum it up in one sentence. I think if they put a carbon belt on the XP Lite, it would be near perfect for most people.

I certainly like the XP Lite a lot more than all the other foldable fat tire (4" or more) incarnations with 20" diameter wheels. I agree that's it is very nimble and a surprisingly capable hill climber given the single speed. It does not have great battery capacity which I regard as the Lites greatest limitation. (I share your dislike of derailleurs. Ugh!).

To address Rexicon directly, 20 inch bikes can be very nimble, fattys notwithstanding (those handle horribly, but smooth out an otherwise bumpy ride on some surfaces). They require less torque to start rolling, so very zippy off the line. Conversely, they have more rolling resistance when cruising along though. They are also less forgiving on rougher terrain or potholes (again, that's the trade-off with the popular fat tire versions, adding comfort but subtracting agility).

Still, our XP Lite and Propella Mini are fun to ride in a sports car kind of way, so I understand the popularity of 20 inchers. For myself, I find 26" or greater wheels more comfortable overall for long rides with fewer compromises than a 20" wheel.

 

[myers830]

I certainly like the XP Lite a lot more than all the other foldable fat tire (4" or more) incarnations with 20" diameter wheels. I agree that's it is very nimble and a surprisingly capable hill climber given the single speed. It does not have great battery capacity which I regard as the Lites greatest limitation. (I share your dislike of derailleurs. Ugh!).

To address Rexicon directly, 20 inch bikes can be very nimble, fattys notwithstanding (those handle horribly, but smooth out an otherwise bumpy ride on some surfaces). They require less torque to start rolling, so very zippy off the line. Conversely, they have more rolling resistance when cruising along though. They are also less forgiving on rougher terrain or potholes (again, that's the trade-off with the popular fat tire versions, adding comfort but subtracting agility).

Still, our XP Lite and Propella Mini are fun to ride in a sports car kind of way, so I understand the popularity of 20 inchers. For myself, I find 26" or greater wheels more comfortable overall for long rides with fewer compromises than a 20" wheel.

For most riders...the most important thing about any eBike...and the question they should ask before they buy...is it FUN to ride (as opposed to having to work unnecessarily with complicated and or unnecessary crap). For me the XP Lite is serious FUN, and I look forward each day (weather permitting) to ride it. BTW...I'm 72 years young and this is my 3rd eBike. Now put a carbon belt drive on it Lectric..!!...

 

[bholio]

Any idea if the battery is somewhat standard and can be used on any other bikes? I'm torn between the 500 and 750. The only reason I want the 750 is due to the longer range battery. I have no use for the 2nd battery, and want nothing to do with caring for it. There is no option for getting the 14ah battery with the 500 model. If I got the 750, I'd sell the extra battery right away.

 

[myers830]

Any idea if the battery is somewhat standard and can be used on any other bikes? I'm torn between the 500 and 750. The only reason I want the 750 is due to the longer range battery. I have no use for the 2nd battery, and want nothing to do with caring for it. There is no option for getting the 14ah battery with the 500 model. If I got the 750, I'd sell the extra battery right away.

With a #60 frame, and the larger 27.5" wheels, I would get the 750 model without hesitation. Those larger wheels take a lot more to get them rolling. I had a Lectric XP with the 500 watt/20" wheels, then sold that for a Ride1Up with 750 watt/27.5 wheels...and they were about the same in so far as getting rolling. I would not have been happy if that Ride1Up had only a 500 watt motor and a smaller battery. In fact when Ride1Up introduced the Core 5 originally... it had the 500 watt motor. It didn't take them long to update that to a 750 watt motor after a lot of buyer feedback. Plus you get the extended range battery with the 750. I would spend the extra $ on the 750 even without the extra free battery.

 

[Doggyman1202]

Any idea if the battery is somewhat standard and can be used on any other bikes? I'm torn between the 500 and 750. The only reason I want the 750 is due to the longer range battery. I have no use for the 2nd battery, and want nothing to do with caring for it. There is no option for getting the 14ah battery with the 500 model. If I got the 750, I'd sell the extra battery right away.

I'll second Myers830's advice. I'll only add that you might regret not hanging onto the spare battery even if you can sell it, especially since you mentioned range. Until I started e-biking I never imagined that I'd regularly ride 30 to 60 miles or more in a day. You can carry the spare on a rear rack for long trips if for no other reason than to relieve range anxiety.

 

[myers830]

I'll second Myers830's advice. I'll only add that you might regret not hanging onto the spare battery even if you can sell it, especially since you mentioned range. Until I started e-biking I never imagined that I'd regularly be riding 30 to 60 miles or more in a day. You can carry the spare on a rear rack for long trips if for no other reason than to relieve range anxiety.

The idea of poo-pooing a FREE $500 battery is hard to understand. If you ever have to replace an expensive eBike battery, you'd run, not walk to get a deal like that. So you may not use it? You don't use home insurance 99% of the time but when you need it...the battery is almost half the cost of the entire bike. I mean...come on man.

 

[bholio]

I've had the XP 1.0 for a few years. Battery still works after 2500 miles. While I've never been stranded by its battery, I see the value in having a longer-range battery. I have no use for a 2nd battery that I have to be careful about rotating with the other one periodically, and ensuring is always stored at an appropriate state of charge. Otherwise it will be broken/dead if I ever need it.

The xpress would be used for my wife to ride with me while I ride my analog bike. No need for 750w power. We don't go far enough to need a 2nd battery. But 14ah would be welcome over 10ah in case we don't start with a 100% charge.

 

[bholio]

Just ordered the 500 plus the fenders + rear rack.

 

[jobtraklite]

How reliable is Lectric? I pre-ordered the upgraded xpress back in April with the understanding that it would ship in June. Come June and I got an email saying it would ship in July with no explanation at all. At the end of July will I get an email saying it will ship in August?

I see that they have raised the price of the upgraded version $100, which implies that sales have been robust. Does that mean that whenever they start shipping there will be a big backlog? Will they ship first-come, first-serve based on order date? or what? The procedure for pre-orders seems to be a military secret.

The reason I ask this is I would like to know if the whole Summer will be wasted waiting for the bike. I've done a lot of research in case I decide to ask for my money back. There are options that satisfy my specs; but the extra battery trumps all of them in my opinion.

 

[Johny Rocket]

In my experience with them (6 purchases), they have been the most respectable company I have dealt with in the past 30 years. They are a company that tends to under promise and over deliver a vast majority of the time. They are a U.S. company that does all manufacturing in China and so they do occasionally run into production issues that will delay pre-orders but personally I would prefer they stop production and delay than to deliver a defective or inferior product. I would not bet money against them making good on their current ETA as they seem to hate making someone suffering the same customer service issue twice. The only customer service issue that occasionally comes up is when a bike needs repair and the customer support person gets it wrong what part needs replaced but they will keep at it with additional parts till they get it right.

 

[bholio]

If an expensive vacation is dependent on you having this bike in July, or maybe something medical is involved, I'd have a backup plan in place in case the delay is longer. Lectric is a good company, but they have had issues in the past delivering pre-orders when expected, although that could have been during covid. At the moment, the 750w bike is $100 more, but you get the fenders and the light at that price. Those were not included at the 1299 price before. I have an xpress on the way and was not surprised to get the July delay notification.

 

[jobtraklite]

If an expensive vacation is dependent on you having this bike in July, or maybe something medical is involved, I'd have a backup plan in place in case the delay is longer.

It's something like that. I'm a snow bird; and in the Fall I head to Florida by train without the bike (I have one there). Also, I'm 82 so I don't know how many more active Summers I will have.

Yes, I have a backup plan. That is cancel the Lectric and go with another one. I've done a lot of research and found a couple of possibilities. If it weren't for that extra battery, I would cancel now. I'm leaning toward waiting until July 1 before making a decision.

The comment about the $100 increase in price was merely to point out that pre-orders must have been robust. I've already paid; so I don't have to worry about it.

 

[Taylor57]

It looks very similar to my Aventon Level 2 and specs are real close I think. 1300 and an extra battery seems like a good deal...

 

[Rexlion]

Time's a-wastin'! For a couple hundred more you could have a Ride1Up LMT'D V2 at your place in a week. I like my version one LMT'D well enough. 750W motor, torque sensor. Just another option.

 

[BigNerd]

I’m looking at the Xpress and the R1U Turris. Very similar.

 

[myers830]

I’m looking at the Xpress and the R1U Turris. Very similar.

Lectric is at a disadvantage with the introduction of a model they have never had before (and long wait times). The competition already has inventory of this type of eBike, so Lectric is banking on "Lectric loyalists" to not only give them a bunch of money upfront...but be willing to wait a long time to get one while their competition can have one in your driveway in a week. This new model doesn't have any market shattering "unique stuff" (like thier XP Lite and ONE models had when they came out). Frankly I always wait until Lectric has the model in stock before giving them any money...but I get the "package intro deals" they cleverly introduce for new models.

 

[jobtraklite]

The competition already has inventory of this type of eBike,

Could you mention several examples.

 

[myers830]

Could you mention several examples.

Ride1Up Turris, Aventon Level2, Heybike City run...just for starters. Ecotric, Rad, etc, all have had COMMUTER eBikes for years before it was a thought at Lectric. That said, being late to the game sometimes is a beneficial thing because you get to see the others stumble before you strike. To be honest I like the Ride1Up Turris over the Xpress and I would get the Ride1Up Portola over the XP3. Where Lectric TRULY is all by themselves are the XP Lite 2.0 and the Lectric ONE. Nobody (yet) has an alternative for those 2 models.

 

[jobtraklite]

Ride1Up Turris, Aventon Level2, Heybike City run...just for starters. Ecotric, Rad, etc, all have had COMMUTER eBikes for years before it was a thought at Lectric. ... To be honest I like the Ride1Up Turris over the Xpress.

For one reason or another (e.g., price, weight, customer service), I passed on your list, except for the Turris which is my plan B bike if Lectric doesn't come through the beginning of August. If they start shipping then, I've got a decision to make.

 

[jobtraklite]

The Lectric website now says the Xpress will ship in August. I think I'm going to cancel an go with Plan B.