Almost every bike test I do starts the same way. After assembling the bike, I set the seatpost to its maximum recommended height, took it on a short test ride, and tried to figure out new and creative phrases to describe the same old problem: the frame isn’t big enough to accommodate my legs. Although I’m a little over 6 feet (~190 cm) tall, I’m certainly not unusually large. Yet very few e-bike manufacturers are interested in offering a comfortable ride for people of my stature.
So imagine my surprise when, within two blocks of my first ride on the Express 750, I had to pull over to the side of the road and lower the seat. This was especially notable because the XPress is a budget bike (currently on sale for just under $1,000.00) that is only offered in one frame size. So kudos to Lectric for giving me a comfortable and enjoyable ride, and for doing so with a lot of features I couldn’t have expected at this price.
That said, hitting that price requires some significant compromises. We will discuss them in detail so that you can understand whether any of them will hinder your riding enjoyment or not.
a little more than you paid for
Lectric isn’t a household name, but the company says its XP foldable bike is its best-selling model in the US, making it a major seller in that market. It got there largely through affordability, with none of its models costing more than $2,000.00. However, within that range, the company tries to remain responsive to the needs of its users, as evidenced by the introduction video for the latest version of XPress.
The XPress model is not foldable, and comes in both step-through and step-over frames; We tested the latter. It’s a pretty standard hybrid-style bike, not built for everything you’d use a hard-tail mountain bike for, but strong enough for commuting or running errands and a little sportier than a dedicated commuter bike. It comes with a suspension fork to make the ride a little more comfortable; It also includes a setting that locks it in place, which is good for riders who spend their time on smooth pavement and find that the fork comes loose when they stand on the pedals.
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