GoKawiilWhile the original XPress gave buyers the option to choose between 500 watts or 750 watts, the XPress2 rejects any notion of mildness and comes standard with the more powerful 750-watt motor, regardless of frame style. The 46-tooth front chainring sits right at the sweet spot of standard chainrings, lending itself to riding ease on varied surfaces. Meanwhile, in the back, a wide-ranging 11-32 cassette covers eight speeds and is operated by a seamless Shimano Altus derailleur (the name of the gadget that’s responsible for shifting the chain into different gears). All components of the ebike’s anatomy marry into a fine machine that can easily get most any rider over most any hill they’d encounter.
The XPress2’s five riding modes and a thumb-drive throttle aren’t its only features for customizing rider assistance. For instance, its programmable pedal-assist sensor lets you toggle between torque and cadence responsiveness. Each option reflects a way for the bike’s motor to deliver power: either by how hard your legs push the pedals (torque) or by the speed the pedals turn (cadence).
The XPress2 also comes with the option to toggle between any of the three standardized ebike settings: Class 1, which denotes pedal-assist-only bikes; Class 2, which have pedal assist, plus an independent throttle; and Class 3, which exceed the 20-mile-per-hour maximums of Class 1 and 2 bikes, can reach speeds up to 28 mph, and have restrictions about where you can ride them. Just be sure to check with your local laws before setting your bike’s class.
All of those settings are adjustable to the rider through the bike’s bright, colorful, 3.5-inch handlebar-mounted LCD display, which shows power, battery, and trip information.
Heavy-Duty, but Nimble and Controlled
Photograph: Michael Venutolo-Mantovani
The Lectric XPress2’s motor can produce up to 1,310 watts, which is a lot. Not only is it enough to handle the bike’s claimed 330-pound payload capacity, but it’s more than enough for most people, especially those living in flatter areas. I weigh 250 pounds, and being tasked with traversing hills can spell a bit of extra doom for me. This worried me a bit, given the endless rolling rises of my local Chapel Hill, North Carolina. However, despite the more than 300 pounds I was moving (my own weight plus the ebike’s 60-plus (66.4 pounds with the battery), I never felt like I was struggling or like my legs were giving more effort than the bike. I could have ridden just as comfortably had I loaded up my pannier bags and tossed them on the bike’s included rear rack. And thanks to a technology Lectric calls Stealth M24, the motor delivered power in a smooth, uniform way, never forcing the bike to feel jerky or out of control.