The Lectric eBikes ONE – CleanTechnica Tested

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Phoenix-based Lectric eBikes has been driving the pace of innovation in the affordable, high volume e-bike space for years and charged onto the scene this year with perhaps its most disruptive new bike yet. The Lectric ONE is a compact, lightweight e-bike that packs some of the best components not just in affordable e-bikes, but in the entire cycling industry. The Pinion gearbox with Smart Shift and the Gates belt drive are typically only found on e-bikes in the $10k range, and Lectric eBikes brought the ONE into the world fully loaded for just $2,199.

We were able to spend some time with the ONE on Lectric eBikes’ media ride in Tempe, Arizona, a few months ago and were excited to finally get our hands on one for a proper review.

The Lectric eBikes ONE — Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica

Disclaimer: Lectric eBikes provided the ONE to the author free of charge for the purposes of this review.

The wheelbase of the Lectric ONE is squat, starting with its 20-inch tires that translate to a ride that feels a lot like an old school BMX bike. It’s a foundational design element for the bike as it was designed not only to be compact but to offer a wide range of adjustment to suit a range of rider sizes. Its long travel seat tube can compress all the way down for vertically challenged riders and is even suitable for children. On the growth front, it can also expand upwards to accommodate taller riders. At 6’2″ myself, I found the Lectric ONE to be extremely comfortable and appreciate all of the flexibility that was built into the geometry of the bike

The slightly oversized 20″ x 2.5″ tires offer more comfort than a traditional BMX tire would, though they definitely aren’t at the same level of comfort as the plus-sized Lectric XPeak we reviewed a few weeks ago. Lectric opted for a more budget-friendly Chao Yang tire for the ONE which, while it isn’t a top tier tire, it does help them deliver on affordability. Tires are a wear item, so it’s easy for owners to upgrade to a higher quality or more fun BMX-style tire later down the line.

Speaking of the tires, Lectric continues to include a liquid sealant in the tires of all of the bikes across its lineup, including the ONE. This is a fantastic offering, as nobody likes to get a flat, and the places electric bikes can take you also means you’re more likely to encounter flat-inducing road debris.

Up front, the handlebars can fold down, meaning you can drop the seat down and fold the handlebars down to allow the Lectric ONE to store comfortably in much tighter spaces, like the trunk of a car or storage compartments in an RV or boat.

The handlebars are mounted to an adjustable stem which allows for quickly bringing the stem up to a vertical position for taller riders to sit upright, or dropping the stem down and forward for a more aggressive posture that’s also more suitable for shorter riders.

Shifting with Pinion’s Smart Shift-enabled gearbox is a breeze, thanks to a simple pair of electric buttons mounted just under the right grip that allow you to shift up or down to suit the terrain. The gearbox emits a slight electromechanical squelch to let you know the gear has shifted and you’re off to the races. Smart Shift can also shift down to an easier gear automagically when it detects the bike coming to a stop. This is a huge improvement, as it sets the rider up for an easy start when it’s time to get rolling again. The behavior can be almost infinitely tuned to suit your needs by connecting it to the Smart Shift app on your smartphone.

If the whole mechanical bit of riding an e-bike seems like too much work, there is a controller for the rear hub motor mounted under the left side of the handlebars. A tap of the + button summons extra power to help you glide up challenging hills so you don’t break a sweat on the way to afternoon tea with the ladies.

Lectric’s full-sized 750 watt Sutto rear hub motor can push out an impressive peak power output of 1,310 watts for a brief period. This is fantastic, but combined with the battery mounted behind the seat tube, it makes the ONE a tad rear-heavy. This is really only something you notice when you’re lifting it up with the frame integrated handle, but using such a powerful motor on such a small e-bike does seem like overkill. The upshot is that you will almost never feel like you need more power from the motor.

Up top on the handlebars, the e-bike control pad is the same one Lectric eBikes has been using for years, just with the data pushed out to a brilliant new full color LCD display at the center of the bars. Speed, pedal assist level, the status of the lights, the amount of battery capacity left, and my favorite, the amount of real-time power being pushed out from the rear hub motor, are all easily visible on the new screen.

The Lectric ONE has a strange quirk when you’re powering it on. The battery pack itself times out after 2 days and goes into a deep sleep state, meaning that you have to reawaken it before you can power on the bike. This is a simple matter of tapping the button to check the power level of the battery and then you’re immediately able to power the bike on after that. It’s not a game-changer, but it’s sure to cause some frustration for owners the first couple times they’re riding it.

Riding the Lectric ONE

Riding the ONE is silky smooth, thanks to the addition of the Gates belt drive. This closed loop carbon-reinforced belt replaces the traditional dirty and loose chain that provides the mechanical connection from the mid-drive Pinion gearbox and pedals to the rear hub of the bike. The Pinion gearbox’s internal gearing provides the ability to shift between different levels of mechanical advantage without the need for a high maintenance external derailleur.

Bombing a few hills at the start of the ride was a blast, with a few hard brake check slides to confirm the effectiveness of Lectric’s new hydraulic disc brakes. They are solid in both lever feel and function, bringing the bike to a stop in short order. For those coming from a more traditional 26″, 27.5″, or 29″ wheel bike, it’s definitely worth taking the first ride to get used to the more nimble handling of the shorter wheelbase and 20″ tires.

In our first few rides of the Lectric ONE, the estimated range of “up to 60 miles of range per charge” feels about right, but it’s worth restating that this assumes an average weight rider, mild terrain, and low levels of pedal assist. In practice, we found ourselves having way too much fun and gobbling up extra battery capacity along the way. The ONE’s compact footprint and BMX styling reinforced this and had us smiling from ear to ear each time we hopped on the bike. If you are looking to max out your range on any e-bike, keep the pedal assist on levels one or two and be prepared to put in your fair share of effort…or just buy a second battery.

Overall

The Lectric ONE’s compact yet flexible design means it retains its lightweight and easy-to-stow form factor while also supporting a wide range of rider sizes. This is a huge benefit for families looking to use a single bike for different members of the family or for children to use for years as they grow. The compact format is also fantastic for city dwellers looking for a bike capable of weaving between traffic and able to be stowed in awkward corners of the apartment at the end of the day.

The external battery pack means you can purchase a second battery or upgrade it over time as your needs change. This is a nice benefit over previous Lectric eBike designs which used frame-integrated battery packs that you’re locked into after the purchase. The new frame for the Lectric ONE is svelte, and with its alloy construction, is the perfect foundation for the premium Pinion Smart Shift gearbox, Gates belt drive, and Sunno rear hub motor. This core feature set means you get all of the premium components that are more difficult to upgrade included in the purchase of the bike, and gives you the freedom to upgrade the tires, brakes, grips, etc. to fine tune the bike to your needs later on.

Finally, we love that the Lectric ONE comes with a rear rack and fenders with plenty of accessories that can be added after purchase, thanks to its integrated front rack mounts on the head tube and the modularity of the rear rack.

The upgrades Lectric eBikes was able to bring into the ONE while still keeping it at the unbelievable price of $2,199 makes the Lectric ONE the hands-down best value in e-bikes under $4,000. Moving forward, the Lectric ONE is going to be at the top of our list of e-bikes we recommend for commuters, families, children, RV owners, boat owners, casual riders, serious riders, and so many more people. The design is fantastically flexible and we just can’t stop marveling at how Lectric eBikes was able to include top tier components at such an absurdly affordable price.

Head on over to Lectric eBikes’ website to learn more about the Lectric ONE or to purchase one for yourself.