The Affordable Lectric XP Lite 'E-Thing' Changed My Thinking

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The Affordable Lectric XP Lite 'E-Thing' Changed My Thinking Treehugger

Treehugger often says we need three things for the e-bike revolution: good affordable bikes, safe places to ride, and secure places to park. So I was excited to be offered a test drive on a Lectric e-bike. I asked for the least expensive model and they sent me an XP Lite, which retails on their website for $799. It's in a more accessible price range. For reference, it's less than a quarter of what my Gazelle Medeo retails for.

The XP Lite lives up to the "Lite" in its name in many ways. It weighs just 46 pounds, including a 7-pound battery. It is light in its footprint, folding up easily into a small space. Compared to some bikes sold in the U.S., it has a light geared rear hub motor at 300 watts, although it peaks at 720 watts. The 48-volt, 7.8 amp-hour (.375 kilowatt hours) battery gives it a relatively lite range, up to 40 miles on Pedal Assist (PAS) level 1. It has excellent 160 mm mechanical disc brakes, integrated front and rear lights, and 2.6-inch tires on 20-inch wheels. It also has a gloriously huge display that tells you everything you want to know—far more than on my bike's Bosch display, where you have to toggle for different information.

A feature I like about the company is it has a really strong service network in the U.S. "Lectric has partnered with reputable bike shops nation-wide who are willing and able to assist you with service and repairs." This was always a worry of mine about buying bikes online, but Lectric has this one covered.

When I received the bike, I was certain that it would be a disaster; the box had holes in it and was taped together. This was not the case. It is a very solid, well-built bike that took me by surprise. I have seen cheap e-bikes with sketchy parts, and there is nothing cheap about the build of this bike...

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