8/10
Open rating explainerInformationWIREDSuper-comfortable ride. Bigger wheels combined with front suspension can take on anything the road throws at you. Packs plenty of power.TIREDQuick-release thru axle is confusing to assemble. Quite heavy and hard to maneuver when not riding.One recent morning, as I rode to my class at the college campus that dominates our town, I found myself wondering why the bike I was testing was called a “cruiser.” Because “cruiser” implies a sort of laid-back, leisurely ride. But, as I weaved through the foot traffic on campus, toggling through each of the Lectric XPress2’s five power modes and cranking the thumb throttle all the way open, I realized how much fun I was having on this bike. It was fast, quick, nimble, easy to pilot, and ultra-responsive—despite its upright riding position and swept-back handlebars. It moved as I wanted with no lag and, despite its name, was able to squeeze through a number of the little gaps between cars and buses, under-caffeinated undergrads, and any number of dog walkers wandering through campus.
As one of America’s most popular ebike brands, Lectric has built a reputation for making sturdy, well-built bikes sold at entirely reasonable prices. The new XPress2, an update to the Lectric XPress, is no different. And while Lectric trades in a wide variety of niche models—from cargo bikes to folding bikes and even tricycles—the XPress2 is a versatile offering that can serve as most people’s only ebike.
One Bike, Endless Riding Options
Photograph: Michael Venutolo-MantovaniThe XPress2 retails for $1,784 direct from Lectric and is available in one of two frame styles: Commuter, which features a standard double-triangle design, and Cruiser, which adopts a Dutch step-through style design. Having tested plenty of stiff and speedy commuters lately, I opted for the Cruiser. I spent the better part of my first week with the bike putting it through its paces, trying my best to drain its battery as fast as I could, push it to move as fast as possible, and see how quickly it could stop.
While the original XPress gave buyers the option to choose between 500 watts or 750 watts, the XPress2 rejects any notion of mildness and comes standard with the more powerful 750-watt motor, regardless of frame style. The 46-tooth front chainring sits right at the sweet spot of standard chainrings, lending itself to riding ease on varied surfaces. Meanwhile, in the back, a wide-ranging 11-32 cassette covers eight speeds and is operated by a seamless Shimano Altus derailleur (the name of the gadget that’s responsible for shifting the chain into different gears). All components of the ebike’s anatomy marry into a fine machine that can easily get most any rider over most any hill they’d encounter.
The XPress2’s five riding modes and a thumb-drive throttle aren’t its only features for customizing rider assistance. For instance, its programmable pedal-assist sensor lets you toggle between torque and cadence responsiveness. Each option reflects a way for the bike’s motor to deliver power: either by how hard your legs push the pedals (torque) or by the speed the pedals turn (cadence).
The XPress2 also comes with the option to toggle between any of the three standardized ebike settings: Class 1, which denotes pedal-assist-only bikes; Class 2, which have pedal assist, plus an independent throttle; and Class 3, which exceed the 20-mile-per-hour maximums of Class 1 and 2 bikes, can reach speeds up to 28 mph, and have restrictions about where you can ride them. Just be sure to check with your local laws before setting your bike’s class.
All of those settings are adjustable to the rider through the bike’s bright, colorful, 3.5-inch handlebar-mounted LCD display, which shows power, battery, and trip information.
Heavy-Duty, but Nimble and Controlled
Photograph: Michael Venutolo-MantovaniThe Lectric XPress2’s motor can produce up to 1,310 watts, which is a lot. Not only is it enough to handle the bike’s claimed 330-pound payload capacity, but it’s more than enough for most people, especially those living in flatter areas. I weigh 250 pounds, and being tasked with traversing hills can spell a bit of extra doom for me. This worried me a bit, given the endless rolling rises of my local Chapel Hill, North Carolina. However, despite the more than 300 pounds I was moving (my own weight plus the ebike’s 60-plus (66.4 pounds with the battery), I never felt like I was struggling or like my legs were giving more effort than the bike. I could have ridden just as comfortably had I loaded up my pannier bags and tossed them on the bike’s included rear rack. And thanks to a technology Lectric calls Stealth M24, the motor delivered power in a smooth, uniform way, never forcing the bike to feel jerky or out of control.
Some of that weight is thanks to the bike’s battery, which adds another 6.4 pounds to the overall total. It’s a pack that, thanks to an easy-to-access external port, you can easily charge without removing it from the bike. Though, if you prefer to charge inside, the battery is easily removable from its home beneath the bike’s downtube. And, while most of that battery is used to power the bike, some of it delivers power to the bike’s bright 90-lumen headlight, brake light, and side signals.
The battery took a bit less than seven hours to charge from dead to full, which Lectric claims can get you up to 60 miles. Of course, those 60 miles are in ideal conditions, likely with a much lighter-weight rider, and on perfectly flat roads. Thanks to my size, the hills around my town, and that I enjoy the thumb throttle a bit too much, I didn’t get nearly that kind of range on a full charge. But, I was able to get just over 30 miles out of a full battery as I toggled between the various power settings and opened up the throttle all the way. For the purposes of commuting or just cruising around, I found that battery life to be more than sufficient.
For all of that go, you still need to stop, and the bike’s massive 180-mm, 2.3-mm thick rotors paired to hydraulic brakes effectively brought all 300-plus pounds of me-plus-bike to a safe and reasonable stop. During testing, I always felt in control of my speed, even down the backside of a hill. The bike also has a smooth SR Suntour XCM32 suspension fork that features 80 mm of travel, which easily tamped out any of the minor bumps, holes, and asphalt divots I regularly encounter.
Often, cruisers can feel more like an ocean liner than a speedboat. However, despite its upright riding position and the bike’s overall heft—both of which could have easily made the bike feel lumbering or just plain boring—the XPress2 has a nimbleness that cruisers often miss out on. This is due in large part to its 27.5-inch wheels and its 2.1-inch thick tires, which find the sweet spot between thick enough to withstand rough roads and narrow enough to feel like you can really rip. The tires are also puncture-resistant, preloaded with Slime tire sealant, which prevents flats by filling small holes without the rider even knowing. These details, in addition to a relatively compact wheelbase, allowed me to zip and weave through the car and student traffic of my little college town with ease and aplomb.
Should You Buy the XPress2?
Photograph: Michael Venutolo-MantovaniAfter a week of riding, I only found two issues with the XPress2.
The first was during the assembly process, which you can avoid by bringing your new bike to your local bike shop and having them build it for you. Check here to see if you live near a shop within the Lectric Repair Service Network, though some local bike shops will assemble ebikes for a fee (plenty of others will decline with barely disguised scorn).
That is, the over-complication of the front wheel’s thru axle, which utilizes the SunTour’s Q-Loc technology in place of a standard threaded thru axle. It features a spring-loaded collar that secures the thru axle in place. And while, yes, it is a tiny bit faster than a threaded thru axle, it’s an evolution that seems to me wholly unnecessary, as it neither makes the bike safer nor easier to use. Having never seen a Q-Loc thru axle before, I struggled for a good 10 minutes trying to figure it out before finally retreating to YouTube to find an explainer.
Then there was the bike’s sheer mass, which was really only a problem when I wasn’t riding. At more than 66 pounds with the battery, the XPress2 is a beast, and I found myself struggling to maneuver into my garage, safely around my cars, and to the little nook where I store my bikes.
Ultimately, the Lectric XPress2 is more than the sum of its parts. Sure, it has a powerful motor with several options and combinations for assistance: It has a sturdy rear rack and comes with tires that will fight against flats. It’s also reasonably priced. But beyond all of the bike’s value, utility, sturdiness, and good looks, the Lectric XPress2 is, perhaps—most importantly—a super-fun bike to ride.
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$1,784 at Lectric
