According to different sales resports, Lectric’s XP line is not only the most popular electric bike on the market today, it’s the third most popular electric vehicle of any kind, trailing only Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3 cars. As everything gets more expensive, electric bikes included, that popularity no doubt has to do with the relative affordability of Lectric’s bikes.
Their new XP4, which is the fourth iteration of their well-known XP line, retails for just $999. And for an additional $299, you can upgrade to the new XP4 750, which Lectric claims can get up to 85 miles of range thanks to its combination of 750-watt motor and 17.5Ah battery. I spent a few weeks testing the XP4 750, in a beautiful, muted Pine Green finish.
Long Range
Photograph: Michael Venutolo-Mantovani
From boxed-up product to rideable bike only took about 20 minutes, as all that was required for assembly was to remove all of the protective material tied to the bike, attach the seat tube and handlebars, snap on the quick-release pedals—which is a godsend for those of you who are unfamiliar with screwing on bike pedals—insert the battery (which arrived, as most batteries do, about half charged), pump up the tires, and roll.
Rather than reinvent the wheel, the XP4 750 takes much of the DNA from Lectric’s previous model, the XP 3.0, and added a few new bells and whistles such as a torque sensor for smoother power delivery, a stunning full-color display, and a whisper-quiet 750-watt motor.
Sometimes when ebike companies try to look like The Future, they fall quite short. The XP4, on the other hand, takes the traditional idea of a bicycle’s triangle-based geometry, and straightens it out like an arrow, giving a rare sense of industrial sleekness, uncommon in the ever-bulky ebike market.
Photograph: Michael Venutolo-Mantovani
The XP4 750’s claim of 85 miles of range is rooted in ideal conditions, likely on flat roads with a lighter load. No way the XP4 750 I tested was going to get all 255 pounds of my frame (which is 75 pounds shy of the bike’s 330 pound max payload) over the undulating grades in Chapel Hill for 85 miles. That said, my first full charge took me well over 50 miles, which lasted me about a week. Considering many ebikes need a full charge after a day or two of use, it’s a welcome upgrade.
Those 50 miles (and the hundred or so more that have come since) felt great. Oftentimes, with wheels that are smaller, tires that are wider, and elongated wheelbases, ebikes can feel like land yachts, uneasy to navigate in anything but a straight line. The XP4 750, on the other hand, offered a nimble ride that was closer in spirit to a mountain bike than it is a cargo bike. (Of course, at 62 pounds, it’s still a hulking piece of equipment.)
Thanks to the bike’s 750-watt motor, its five variable power output options, and its ability to create 1,310 watts of power, I never felt as though the bike was underpowered as I rolled around town.
Carry On
Photograph: Michael Venutolo-Mantovani
The bike is equipped with Starunion 602 hydraulic brakes, which, when paired with a duo of massive 180 mm brake rotors, make stopping and slowing a breeze, no matter how fast I came barreling down those aforementioned hills.
While the ride is great, the one place the Lectric XP4 really shines is in its portability. Anyone who’s ever traveled with an ebike knows the struggle. Given the heft of these bikes, a weight-rated bike rack is required. Unless you’re one part Macho Man Randy Savage, you probably needed the aid of a ramp to wheel the bike onto said rack.
Not to mention, considering that most ebikes come equipped with bulky, oversized tires, you might have even needed aftermarket strap extenders to ensure the bike can be secured to the rack itself, as the stock wheel straps that most racks come equipped with aren’t nearly long enough.
The XP4, on the other hand, folds at the center of the frame, thanks to a hinge and a simple-yet-sturdy lock that can be secured and undone with just a bit of hand strength. Considering so many Americans are now driving around in SUVs, a folded-up XP4 can fit snug in the back of your vehicle. No racks, no ramps, no extra straps. It even fit in the back of my family’s Volvo wagon with enough space to slide my four-year-old daughter’s bike in beside. That said, given the bike’s weight, some of that Macho Man strength might come in handy. That, or someone to help you lift.
You can mitigate the weight a bit by removing the 9-pound lithium-ion battery, which separates from the bike with ease. Still, loading a 53-pound bike is never going to be a picnic.
While the XP4 750 is certainly one of the better e-bikes I’ve ever ridden, it’s not all great. At least, it isn’t for me, a bigger-than-your-average-bear bike rider who usually tops out whatever size bike and cycling apparel brands offer.
All that said, the first thing I noticed about the XP4’s ride was how narrow the handlebars are.
Photograph: Michael Venutolo-Mantovani
Granted, this is probably only the case for big people like me (6’ 4”, 255 pounds, and with very broad shoulders) and it might not even register for average-sized people. In fact, at 6’ 4”, I’m an inch too big for the XP4, at least according to the brand, which says the bike fits riders 4’ 10” to 6’ 3”. But that extra inch feels negligible, as, over my first 150 miles on the bike, my legs have yet to feel hemmed in by my saddle height.
Speaking of that saddle, the bike’s seat post features an integrated suspension coil, offering 40 mm of travel. While, in theory, some rear suspension is welcome, I felt as though, every time the coil compressed, it was actually my seat tube slipping down into the frame. It was a strange sensation and one I must admit that, some 200 miles into riding the bike, I haven’t quite gotten used to.
Something else I don’t love about the XP4 is its old-school, one-sided kickstand. A bike of this heft should feature a motor-scooter-style stand that retracts from beneath the bottom-bracket, giving even support to both sides of the machine. The one-sided kickstand, however, often finds itself (and me!) fighting gravity when I’m trying to lock the bike up on anything resembling an incline.
All told, those very few shortcomings are hardly enough to make me not love the XP4 750, as it’s smooth ride, extra-long range, handsome design, and litany of aftermarket add-ons make this a bike I would commute with for a long, long time.
