The Lectric eBikes Electric XP Trike – CleanTechnica Tested

Phoenix-based e-bike manufacturer Lectric eBikes has pushed the envelope on delivering impressive value at absurdly low prices since the introduction of its first folding e-bike, the XP. Since then, the company has continued to expand the capability of its bikes with a wide range of accessories and with core upgrades like higher performance motors, more battery capacity, and different form factors.

Lectric eBikes gave us an early look at its Electric XP Trike several months ago, and we were excited to hear that the bike had moved into production. The company sent us one of its first bikes off the production line for us to run through the paces for a review.

Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica

Right out of the gate, the most attractive part of the Electric XP Trike is its design. It’s low and squat with compact 20-in knobby tires that feel a little more like BMX tires than a pure mountain or street tire. They give it plenty of traction while the 20″ diameter translates to a low stance that makes the XP Trike approachable for riders of any ability.

The squat stance also keeps the cargo basket at the rear of the bike low, meaning any cargo added to the basket will help keep the Electric XP Trike planted to the ground. That’s important because as much as we fondly remember ripping around our childhood neighborhoods on three-wheelers, modern utility trikes are different beasts with higher centers of gravity.

The motor lives directly in front of the rear axle and drives it with a chain. Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica

With their three wheels, trikes are more prone to tipping when rounding corners and require the rider to be aware of their body position and any weight added to the bike in a different way than most people are accustomed to. Most people grew up riding two-wheeled bicycles and the transition to a three-wheeled, full sized XP Trike must be done with intention. Turns should be leaned into to counter the tipping motion and care must be taken around any obstacles because of the XP Trike’s wider stance.

The reason many people look to a trike is because the form factor offers a unique set of strengths over a traditional two-wheeler. Their three-wheeled base make them super stable and doesn’t require the rider to balance as much when mounting, dismounting, or riding it. This is great for riders who are not as stable themselves or who just prefer the extra stability afforded by the extra wheel.

This is especially true when adding cargo to the rear cargo basket or any additional items added to the front rack. Trikes have been used for years as the workhorses for maintenance crews around the world, keeping campuses and buildings up to snuff. Adding a battery and motor only serves to take their functionality to the next level, hauling more gear for more hours to even more places.

Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica

This combination on the Electric XP Trike make it a great option for park rangers, park maintenance personnel, large campus maintenance crews, and much, much more. The more utilitarian and practical applications are exciting and allow maintenance teams to be more agile and responsive without tiring out their folks with a manual cycle.

Of course, the Electric XP Trike is also great for just getting around town. Its stable base makes it an absolute beast when it comes to hauling groceries or equipment around or bringing the materials for your next project back home from your local hardware store.

We put this to the test and loaded the XP Trike up with the week’s groceries at the store and rode back up to the house. It’s clear that Lectric eBikes has really put a lot more effort into perfecting the tuning of their motors as the electric XP Trike handle the downhill section of our route to the store with ease. It’s worth noting that The Electric XP Trike is only a single-speed mechanical drivetrain.

Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica

This simplicity again makes it more approachable for riders of all skill levels with bikes, but does limit its ability in more diverse terrain. This reality came to the forefront on the way back up the hill with the groceries in the back.

Navigating to the store in the flatlands, the Electric XP Trike was a breeze to ride. Its BMX tires provide plenty of comfort and the motor is more than capable of providing any assistance needed to travel further and faster than we would have on a manual bike or trike.

Loading up a few bags of groceries in the cargo basket and on the front rack added weight, but did not change the handling characteristics significantly. Heading back up the hill, things changed and we not only had to crank the motor up to the max, we were forced to carve side to side on the road to make progress. The single speed just doesn’t allow for enough mechanical power to be pushed out and the motor just wasn’t able to make up the gap.

Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica

A bit of sweat never hurt anyone, but it would be nice to have either more power from the motor or a few lower gears to make hill climbs possible. This was a steep hill with a heavy rider and a full load, so your range will vary depending on the intensity of the terrain, rider weight, and cargo.

On the range front, the Electric XP Trike’s 14 amp-hour battery is mounted directly to the frame as an external add-on. This is part of Lectric’s new direction with product design, as keeping the battery in the frame prevents them from using the higher capacity batteries needed to support more powerful, longer range builds. Going with an external battery also makes it easy to remove to make the bike lighter if you need to move it into a car or truck.

Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica

The larger capacity battery translates to more flexibility when it comes to balancing range and power. In lowest pedal assistance mode, the Electric XP Trike could easily achieve 40 or 50 miles of range per charge. Cranking the power up in our testing, the range dropped to between 15 and 20 miles depending on if we were using throttle only or maximum assist with some pedaling effort.

Overall

The Lectric eBikes Electric XP Trike delivers an impressive value for riders looking for a stable, three-wheeled e-bike. Its low standover height make it easy to get on and off of, while the range of available accessories let you build the perfect platform for your life.

For more information about the Lectric eBikes Electric XP Trike or to purchase one for yourself, head over to their website.

Lectric eBikes Electric XP Trike Specs

• Weight: 69.5 lb
• Frame: 6061 aluminum frame with center fold
• Battery Capacity: 14 Ah
• Range: up to 60 miles per charge
• Motor: 500 watt continuous, 1,092 watts peak output
• Pedal Assist Modes:  5 levels of pedal assist via cadence sensor with twist throttle
• Top Assisted Speed: 14 miles per hour
• Mechanical Drivetrain: 36 x 16 tooth single speed drivetrain
• Tires: 20″ x 2.6″
• Brakes: 180 mm front and rear hydraulic disc brakes with parking brake on both
• Lights: Front and rear LED safety lights with twin fender mounted brake lights
• Standover Height:  13.8″

Disclaimer: Lectric eBikes provided the Electric XP Trike to the author for the purposes of this review.