via Lectric
Lectric Xpress Lite
If you’ve ever rented an ebike on vacation, you know the feeling. You start pedaling, the motor kicks in, and the hill that would normally ruin your afternoon becomes the best part of the day. My wife and I had that moment cruising through Zion, and again on rentals along the California coast, so this summer we finally agreed that it was time to buy our own.
Then we started shopping…
The e-bike world can be intimidating as hell. A million brands, a million spec sheets, and a steady drumbeat of horror stories about companies that folded, leaving riders with an expensive paperweight and no parts or support.
We chose Lectric for the combination of real quality and real affordability from a company that’s clearly built to last. My wife chose the foldable Lectric XP4 750, and the last four months of riding adventures have been one heck of fun. I’ve also emailed Lectric’s customer service, and I can tell you firsthand it’s excellent. That matters more than any bike spec.
I’ve been watching how smart Lectric is about expanding into new kinds of riders, and its newest bike might be its most important move yet. Meet the Lectric XPress Lite, a lightweight, mid-step commuter that costs $1,099 via LectricBikes.com.
It’s the lighter sibling of the high-powered XPress2. I’d point any first-timer to it.
The Lectric XPress Lite – $1,099
For $1,099, the Lectric XPress Lite gives you premium eBike features like a smooth torque sensor, hydraulic brakes, and turn signals, all backed by a company with customer service I can personally vouch for. Grab one at Lectric.com and start finding excuses to skip the car.
The price seals the deal
Here’s what nobody tells you about owning an e-bike: it quickly becomes your most-used vehicle. Just this past week, I took a 15-mile cruise on a Sunday evening, picked up a takeout sandwich, ran to my barber, and hauled to the other side of the neighborhood to pick up a package at a UPS store. My wife rides hers to get her nails done. The other night we rode six minutes, barely a mile, to the high school in our neighborhood to catch one of our favorite artists give a talk and sign copies of his new book. If we’d driven, we would have had to hunt for parking. Ultimately, we probably would have talked ourselves out of going.
That’s the magic of pedal assist. You get there faster than walking, without the headaches of driving or arriving drenched in sweat. You start inventing excuses to go places. The farmer’s market, the park, meeting friends for a beer: suddenly they’re all a fun little ride away.
This is why the $1,099 price tag on the XPress Lite is such a big deal. At that price, the sticker shock disappears, and the bike becomes what it should be: a daily driver that lives in your garage and handles all the small trips that make up a life.
TAP HERE TO BUY VIA LECTRIC – STARTING AT $1099
A torque sensor at this price is rare!
The feature I’m most excited about on the Lectric XPress Lite is the in-house-designed torque sensor. Plenty of budget ebikes use cadence sensors, which basically turn the motor on when your pedals spin, sometimes with a jolt that feels like you’ve been rear-ended by an enthusiastic golden retriever.
A torque sensor reads how hard you’re pushing and matches the assist to your effort, so the power feels like an extension of your own legs.
Lectric says its lighter frame and custom motor programming deliver the smoothest ride it’s ever built, with less lag and fewer hiccups in how the power comes on. If you want an old-school bike feel, the XPerience Switch lets you flip to cadence mode.
Plenty of motor for the real world
The XPress Lite runs a 500-watt nominal brushless gear hub motor (864 watts peak) with 61.2 Nm of torque and a Shimano Altus 8-speed drivetrain. There are five levels of pedal assist plus a thumb throttle under the bar, and it can be set up as a Class 1, 2, or 3 ebike where state law allows.
This is just enough juice for stoplight starts and overpasses. Most importantly, it’s also enough for any hills on the way home you forgot existed.
Brakes and lights that take city riding seriously
You get hydraulic disc brakes, which deliver stronger, more consistent stopping with less hand effort than the cable brakes common at this price. In a city full of drivers who treat turn signals as a suggestion, I’d consider them a must.
Speaking of turn signals, the bike has them. The integrated rear light includes a running light, brake light, and turn signals, which is a genuinely useful upgrade for anyone riding in traffic. My wife is obsessed with using hers around the neighborhood.
via Lectric
Lectric Xpress Lite
“Lite” means lighter, so here are the numbers on this bike
The XPress Lite weighs 45.6 pounds without the battery. That’s trim for a full-size e-bike with this much going on, and it’s a lot easier to maneuver than the heavyweight models out there. It’s still a 45-pound bike, so walk-up apartment dwellers should budget a little extra effort.
The 7.8Ah battery is rated for up to 45 miles on a charge. Like any range figure, that’s the best-case scenario, and rider weight, hills, weather, and heavy throttle use will bring it down. For the around-town riding most people will do (commuting, errands, the sandwich run), it’s plenty.
It has a detachable 3.5-inch TFT color display, so you can pop it off when you park outside.
TAP HERE TO BUY VIA LECTRIC – STARTING AT $1099
Safety certifications you should actually care about
For first-time buyers especially, this is a big one: the XPress Lite is UL 2849 certified, and its lithium-ion battery is UL 2271 certified. Battery safety is a real concern in the e-bike world, and some buildings now pay close attention to certification. Getting both on a $1,099 bike adds significant value.
The thoughtful extras
- Puncture-resistant 27.5 x 1.95-inch slick tires with Slime pre-installed to fight flats
- Lightweight aluminum front fork with a quick-release thru-axle
- Quick-release pedals and lock-on grips
- 275-pound load capacity
- Assembly in under five minutes and free shipping
It comes in four colors: Toasted Marshmallow, Pine Green, Glacier White, and Stratus White. Toasted Marshmallow sounds like a seasonal latte and looks fantastic, so that’s where my vote goes.
To turn it into a true grocery getter, the accessory list includes a rear rack, fenders, water-resistant panniers, a trunk bag, a suspension seat post, a comfort seat, a phone mount, mirrors, a lock, and a wireless ebike speaker for anyone who needs a soundtrack on the way to the farmer’s market.
The Lectric XPress Lite – $1,099
For $1,099, the Lectric XPress Lite gives you premium eBike features like a smooth torque sensor, hydraulic brakes, and turn signals, all backed by a company with customer service I can personally vouch for. Grab one at Lectric.com and start finding excuses to skip the car.
The bottom line
I’m stoked that XP is now making the XPress Lite. It nails that brief better than anything I’ve seen, and comes in at a great price. You get a torque sensor, hydraulic brakes, integrated turn signals, and full UL certification on a lightweight commuter for $1,099 via LectricBikes.com, backed by a company whose customer service I can personally vouch for.
If you’ve been on the fence about your first e-bike, this is a great place to hop on.