Smaug
Well-known member
2/27/2023 Edit: Updates are in italics and at the end of the main review.
I got the XP Lite yesterday. I put it together in my cube here at work and got it charging the rest of the afternoon.
This post will be my first impressions and I'll revise it (in italic text) as I get more miles on it. Other owners are welcome to put their thoughts on the bike in this thread too.
PROS:
+ Excellent paint job!
+ Good fit & finish (though the charging port plug could fit the hole in the frame a bit better)
+ (revising my comment in the video) the brakes are excellent. Not a strong initial bite, but they're strong enough once you squeeze a bit harder. Very progressive feel.
+ One gear keeps it simple for non-technical people
+ Lightweight; it barely weighs more than a purely mechanical bike. It was not a problem to lift this into a tote, and then put the tote in the back seat of my car. (I'm 45 and in decent shape)
+ 2.4" tires are a perfect compromise to act as suspension and still not having fat tires that jack the weight and rolling resistance up
+ No tools needed for assembly, except a pump
+ Very nice display; easy to see in all lighting
+ The PAS electric speeds are well-chosen:
1 = 6.5 mph (can't help the motor hardly at all. Counter-intuitively, it's a bad hill-climbing gear)
2 = 11 (slow cadence; relaxed, but not that efficient, as we can't assist much due to high gearing)
3 = 13.5 (perfect cadence)
4 = 16 (fast cadence, like you see serious cyclists doing in the Tour)
5 = 20 (ridiculously fast cadence, like we used to do as kids when going for top speed on our single speed bikes)
+ The seat post is long enough (and the design accommodates a long seat post) for me to get full leg extension; I'm 5'8 with a 30" inseam. It's also graduated, so we can return to the height we like easily after transport. (I'll report later on its adequacy for shorties)
+ The motor is torquey. Either the motor itself is wound for more torque or its gearing is lower, or both. It pulls harder than my "500 W" heybike Ranger with its larger battery. (added 7/20)
+ The instruction manual appears to have been written by a native English speaker, which is refreshing in this day and age. It's of good physical quality and is easy to follow. It has details on how to customize the programming to one's liking and even includes torque specs (in Nm) for the main fasteners. It's well worth keeping. In the future, Lectric may want to also include ft-lbs or in-lbs in parenthesis, for those of us with old SAE torque wrenches. (added 7/20)
CONS:
- They didn't wait for the paint to dry fully before inserting the charging jack plug. They managed to keep paint out of the contacts, though. (see video)
- No horn. I humbly recommend an electronic horn with a polite tone like an old fashioned bicycle bell. "BRRRINGG!"
- No fenders included; front tire will roost the key hole in the frame. I don't know about you, but I would accept an extra 1/2 lb. and $5 in price for a set of plastic fenders.
- Cable harness is routed right below the keyhole. Wires have to be pushed out of the way to insert the key
- Cables could be routed a bit better; maybe through the frame. This is admittedly a nitpick. Look how Sailnovo did it and how heybike does it on their Ranger; much neater.
- Headlight is wimpy, It's good for maybe 10-12 mph. In this day & age, we should not have to pay again to upgrade the headlight for the top assisted speed of the bike. Rather than pay for the upgraded headlight from Lectric, I'll probably put on a nice aftermarket one for a fraction of the cost.
- Range advertised on Lectric's site is with tires @ 45 psi, but the tires are marked 35 psi max. That's pretty sketchy.
- Seat is awful. It makes the pereneal area burn after just 10-15 minutes, and I'm not even that heavy, at 185 lbs. Paid reviewers seem to brush this off, but (even at $800) we shouldn't have to immediately spend more on a decent seat. I did spend the extra hunge to order the comfort package, mainly for the shock seatpost, but it was back-ordered at the time of my order. I'll report on that later. I have the Grean seat on my Sailnovo ebike, and it is a lot better. (and only $20)
- Packaging job is not great. I can see why some customers are getting bikes with display smashed, right out of the box. heybike does a much nicer job here. (though they cost more, for the specification level)
- Charger has no safety certifications. Folks don't care about this until their house gets burned down. They should source a better charger. You might say it was to keep costs down, but my Sailnovo, which cost $300 less, has a UL Listed charger and even the BIKE has a UL Listing!
OTHER THOUGHTS:
+/- The one gear is high; like 5th gear on a 7 gear bike in this class. This means climbing hills is going to be quite demanding on the battery, because the rider can't help much, even standing up and pumping. If it were lower, it would not be useful in the higher gears, so I think they made the right choice here.
+/- Tires came out of the bike at about 16 psi, maybe to save space in the box or to act as an extra cushion
+/- It would have been nice to have more speeds from which to choose, for more resolution. Maybe two extra speeds in the spaces between 2nd and 3rd in the PAS list above.
+/- Different tail light modes would have been nice. At least have it blink during braking, which some affordable brands now do. (both of my other eBikes do this)
A QUICK VIDEO:
8/15/2022 UPDATE:
It's got about 100 miles on it now. It is doing great. The brakes only squeak a tiny bit; nothing objectionable.
I received the Comfort Seat Package from Lectric and it is quite nice. The seat alone would not be worth $100, but the seat and shock seatpost are. The comfort seat strikes a nice balance between being wide and thickly-padded enough for sitting comfort, but not so wide that it impedes pedaling.
I also bought the folding lock from Lectric. It is really neat; seems like higher security than a cable lock, but not quite as high as a U-lock. It's also a great size & weight compromise. It came with a bracket to mount it behind the seat tube. It is REALLY difficult to get it mounted. Needs the seat removed (no biggy) and the rear light bracket removed. Removing the rear wheel would make it even easier, but I didn't want to do that unless I had to, so I just struggled with the tiny hex key inside the lock case until I finally got 'er mounted. The lock case is not the best fit, as the cables routed through that part of the frame push it off at an angle, but it works. It is SO convenient to have a case for the lock and it's a lot less obtrusive than any other lock I've mounted to a bike.
If you don't want to go to this trouble, the lock takes up less room in a backpack than a U-lock and about the same as a smaller cable lock. (weighs more than a cable lock, but is a lot more dense, when folded.)
The overall quality of components and fit & finish is higher than that of my heybike Ranger, which cost $1400 instead of $800.
The torque of the motor continues to impress.
Next step: rack & fenders, to make this a proper commuter/shopper. I see there is a carry package on Lectric's site, and that pannier would do OK in lieu of a rear fender for a while, but there's nothing for the front tire. I'd rather have a front fender than a front rack, if I have to choose. I'll be keeping an eye on their site and emailing customer service about the fenders. I could've sworn I saw something there that the XP Lite fenders were "coming soon".
9/29/2022 Update: I'm starting to ride this more as the weather cools down. When I take this bike, I wear a backpack, which makes my back sweaty before I get to work in the summer months. Lectric doesn't seem to have the fenders for it yet. I would like their rear rack and front/rear fenders, but not the front rack or pannier bag, so I'm waiting, still; can't get the combo I want. The quality of the bike is holding up. Brakes are quiet, motor is torquey. I really like it. My only regret is that I didn't get the Lectric XP 2.0 instead of my heybike Ranger for my other bike. The Sailnovo is gone; too unstable and it took significant damage from being crashed 3x by a teen girl who won't quit messing with devices while riding.
I got the XP Lite yesterday. I put it together in my cube here at work and got it charging the rest of the afternoon.
This post will be my first impressions and I'll revise it (in italic text) as I get more miles on it. Other owners are welcome to put their thoughts on the bike in this thread too.
PROS:
+ Excellent paint job!
+ Good fit & finish (though the charging port plug could fit the hole in the frame a bit better)
+ (revising my comment in the video) the brakes are excellent. Not a strong initial bite, but they're strong enough once you squeeze a bit harder. Very progressive feel.
+ One gear keeps it simple for non-technical people
+ Lightweight; it barely weighs more than a purely mechanical bike. It was not a problem to lift this into a tote, and then put the tote in the back seat of my car. (I'm 45 and in decent shape)
+ 2.4" tires are a perfect compromise to act as suspension and still not having fat tires that jack the weight and rolling resistance up
+ No tools needed for assembly, except a pump
+ Very nice display; easy to see in all lighting
+ The PAS electric speeds are well-chosen:
1 = 6.5 mph (can't help the motor hardly at all. Counter-intuitively, it's a bad hill-climbing gear)
2 = 11 (slow cadence; relaxed, but not that efficient, as we can't assist much due to high gearing)
3 = 13.5 (perfect cadence)
4 = 16 (fast cadence, like you see serious cyclists doing in the Tour)
5 = 20 (ridiculously fast cadence, like we used to do as kids when going for top speed on our single speed bikes)
+ The seat post is long enough (and the design accommodates a long seat post) for me to get full leg extension; I'm 5'8 with a 30" inseam. It's also graduated, so we can return to the height we like easily after transport. (I'll report later on its adequacy for shorties)
+ The motor is torquey. Either the motor itself is wound for more torque or its gearing is lower, or both. It pulls harder than my "500 W" heybike Ranger with its larger battery. (added 7/20)
+ The instruction manual appears to have been written by a native English speaker, which is refreshing in this day and age. It's of good physical quality and is easy to follow. It has details on how to customize the programming to one's liking and even includes torque specs (in Nm) for the main fasteners. It's well worth keeping. In the future, Lectric may want to also include ft-lbs or in-lbs in parenthesis, for those of us with old SAE torque wrenches. (added 7/20)
CONS:
- They didn't wait for the paint to dry fully before inserting the charging jack plug. They managed to keep paint out of the contacts, though. (see video)
- No horn. I humbly recommend an electronic horn with a polite tone like an old fashioned bicycle bell. "BRRRINGG!"
- No fenders included; front tire will roost the key hole in the frame. I don't know about you, but I would accept an extra 1/2 lb. and $5 in price for a set of plastic fenders.
- Cable harness is routed right below the keyhole. Wires have to be pushed out of the way to insert the key
- Cables could be routed a bit better; maybe through the frame. This is admittedly a nitpick. Look how Sailnovo did it and how heybike does it on their Ranger; much neater.
- Headlight is wimpy, It's good for maybe 10-12 mph. In this day & age, we should not have to pay again to upgrade the headlight for the top assisted speed of the bike. Rather than pay for the upgraded headlight from Lectric, I'll probably put on a nice aftermarket one for a fraction of the cost.
- Range advertised on Lectric's site is with tires @ 45 psi, but the tires are marked 35 psi max. That's pretty sketchy.
- Seat is awful. It makes the pereneal area burn after just 10-15 minutes, and I'm not even that heavy, at 185 lbs. Paid reviewers seem to brush this off, but (even at $800) we shouldn't have to immediately spend more on a decent seat. I did spend the extra hunge to order the comfort package, mainly for the shock seatpost, but it was back-ordered at the time of my order. I'll report on that later. I have the Grean seat on my Sailnovo ebike, and it is a lot better. (and only $20)
- Packaging job is not great. I can see why some customers are getting bikes with display smashed, right out of the box. heybike does a much nicer job here. (though they cost more, for the specification level)
- Charger has no safety certifications. Folks don't care about this until their house gets burned down. They should source a better charger. You might say it was to keep costs down, but my Sailnovo, which cost $300 less, has a UL Listed charger and even the BIKE has a UL Listing!
OTHER THOUGHTS:
+/- The one gear is high; like 5th gear on a 7 gear bike in this class. This means climbing hills is going to be quite demanding on the battery, because the rider can't help much, even standing up and pumping. If it were lower, it would not be useful in the higher gears, so I think they made the right choice here.
+/- Tires came out of the bike at about 16 psi, maybe to save space in the box or to act as an extra cushion
+/- It would have been nice to have more speeds from which to choose, for more resolution. Maybe two extra speeds in the spaces between 2nd and 3rd in the PAS list above.
+/- Different tail light modes would have been nice. At least have it blink during braking, which some affordable brands now do. (both of my other eBikes do this)
A QUICK VIDEO:
8/15/2022 UPDATE:
It's got about 100 miles on it now. It is doing great. The brakes only squeak a tiny bit; nothing objectionable.
I received the Comfort Seat Package from Lectric and it is quite nice. The seat alone would not be worth $100, but the seat and shock seatpost are. The comfort seat strikes a nice balance between being wide and thickly-padded enough for sitting comfort, but not so wide that it impedes pedaling.
I also bought the folding lock from Lectric. It is really neat; seems like higher security than a cable lock, but not quite as high as a U-lock. It's also a great size & weight compromise. It came with a bracket to mount it behind the seat tube. It is REALLY difficult to get it mounted. Needs the seat removed (no biggy) and the rear light bracket removed. Removing the rear wheel would make it even easier, but I didn't want to do that unless I had to, so I just struggled with the tiny hex key inside the lock case until I finally got 'er mounted. The lock case is not the best fit, as the cables routed through that part of the frame push it off at an angle, but it works. It is SO convenient to have a case for the lock and it's a lot less obtrusive than any other lock I've mounted to a bike.
If you don't want to go to this trouble, the lock takes up less room in a backpack than a U-lock and about the same as a smaller cable lock. (weighs more than a cable lock, but is a lot more dense, when folded.)
The overall quality of components and fit & finish is higher than that of my heybike Ranger, which cost $1400 instead of $800.
The torque of the motor continues to impress.
Next step: rack & fenders, to make this a proper commuter/shopper. I see there is a carry package on Lectric's site, and that pannier would do OK in lieu of a rear fender for a while, but there's nothing for the front tire. I'd rather have a front fender than a front rack, if I have to choose. I'll be keeping an eye on their site and emailing customer service about the fenders. I could've sworn I saw something there that the XP Lite fenders were "coming soon".
9/29/2022 Update: I'm starting to ride this more as the weather cools down. When I take this bike, I wear a backpack, which makes my back sweaty before I get to work in the summer months. Lectric doesn't seem to have the fenders for it yet. I would like their rear rack and front/rear fenders, but not the front rack or pannier bag, so I'm waiting, still; can't get the combo I want. The quality of the bike is holding up. Brakes are quiet, motor is torquey. I really like it. My only regret is that I didn't get the Lectric XP 2.0 instead of my heybike Ranger for my other bike. The Sailnovo is gone; too unstable and it took significant damage from being crashed 3x by a teen girl who won't quit messing with devices while riding.
