Lectric has been one of the best ebike manufacturers for some time now, and for good reason. Not only do its bikes offer modern tech like a long range and powerful motors, but they also often fold up for a more portable storage experience. Now, Lectric is putting all its tech into a new, premium foldable ebike — the Lectric XPremium.
The Lectric XPremium boasts that fold-up, step-through design, with the company’s powerful 500W mid-drive motor, and a range of over 100 miles. That’s a big deal — and as a result, the Lectric XPremium caries a big price tag. Does the Lectric XPremium do enough to justify its $1,900 price? I’ve been using it to find out.
Pros
- Folding design
- Awesome range
- Powerful
- Smooth ride
- Easy to use
Cons
- Expensive
- Heavy
Lectric XPremium design
If you’ve seen other Lectric ebikes before, you’ll recognize the XPremium. Not because it looks the exact same as Lectric’s other offerings, but because it carries the same overall design language. It has Lectric’s distinct logo on the side, and it’s available in a few different colors — black, and white. We’re reviewing the black model, which I generally prefer, based on online images.
One thing that sets the XPremium apart from other Lectric models is the fact that it has a battery pack on the back. That doesn’t mean that there’s not one built into the frame though — this bike has two batteries, which helps make for a much longer range.
The bike comes with tires that are wider than even many of Lectric’s other fat tire bikes. They’re 4 inches wide, and the result is a cushiony, comfortable ride. We’ll get more into actually riding the bike a little later.
There is one downside to the second battery and the wider tires. The bike is heavy — weighing in at 75lb. That’s heavier than most other folding ebikes, and makes folding the bike a little tricky. It’s not impossible, but if you fold the bike regularly, you’ll have to get used to the method of doing so. When folded, the bike measures 40 x 22 x 32 inches, which makes it relatively easy to store and fit in smaller places.
Generally, I like the overall design of the Lectric XPremium. It’s not the lightest ebike out there, and that can make folding it up difficult. But it looks good, and you’ll get used to folding it as needed.
Lectric XPremium features
There are a number of things that make the Lectric XPremium unique over other ebikes. For starters, as mentioned, the bike has two batteries, which allows it to deliver a longer ride time. Lectric notes a ride of over 100 miles, however the caveat is that figure is when using pedal-assist level 1, and no throttle. Still, it’s an impressive figure.
Connected to those two batteries is a mid-drive motor, which is something that you don’t commonly see on a fold-up ebike. It’s also one of the things that makes the ebike “premium,” considering the fact that mid-drive motors usually offer a lower center of gravity and better torque in lower gears.
The bike offers five levels of pedal-assist and a throttle to not need to pedal at all if you don’t want to. It’s not just great at speeding up though — when you need to slow down, you’ll be able to make use of the 160mm hydraulic disc brakes, which indeed, worked very well in my testing.
You’ll interact with the electronics of the bike through a display in the middle of the handlebars and buttons on the left handlebar. You basically just get controls for turning the bike on, and changing the pedal-assist level, but the simplicity is helpful. On the right side are the throttle and the gear shifter.
Lectric XPremium ride
Actually riding the bike is a breeze, and fun to do. The bike is quick, comfortable, and versatile — and while it’s perhaps not the best solution for full-on mountain biking, it’s more than comfortable enough for almost any other situation. The suspension, combined with the mid-drive motor and 4-inch tires, make for an incredibly smooth ride. The bike boasts a nice 80mm suspension fork, and it’s excellent at absorbing any bumps that you hit along the way.
The bike comes with an automatic shift detection system, which cuts out the motor whenever you change gears. This is necessary to help cut down on stress on the drivetrain, and I found that while the feel of it does take a little getting used to, it works very well.
While the 100+ mile range is a little optimistic, even half of that is excellent, and you should get at least 50 miles with heavy use of the throttle, or more if you rely more on pedal assist features.
One of the best things about the Lectric XPremium is how responsive the motor is. The bike is quick to kick in when using both the throttle and the pedal-assist system, making for a relatively intuitive riding experience overall.
Conclusions
The Lectric XPremium is an incredibly high-end folding ebike — and if you’re willing to spend some cash, perhaps the best out there. There are some caveats — like the hefty weight and high price tag. But if you can look past those issues, you’ll love the Lectric XPremium.
The competition
Much of the competition in this space comes from the likes of Rad Power Bikes, like the RadExpand 5. The RadExpand 5 is a solid option, but doesn’t deliver quite the same range, and same number of levels of pedal-assist. The Lectric XPremium is probably the best folding ebike out there for most.
Should I buy the Lectric XPremium ebike?
Yes. It’s an excellent folding ebike for any user.
