Lectric XPedition 2.0 First Ride Review | Hello, Upgrades!
Nov 11, 2024
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Lectric’s original electrified cargo bike was already a really tough value to beat. With the 2.0, they’ve found ways to make improvements nearly across the board while still keeping the value proposition sky-high.
Lectric, one of the best-known e-bike brands in North America, is releasing the second generation of its immensely popular cargo bike. The original Lectric XPedition took the market by storm, offering more power, greater range, and higher carrying capacity than most competitors—all at a significantly lower price. When affordability and capability come together, it’s a win for consumers. Cargo haulers and families alike found much to love about the XPedition.
Lectric invited me down to Phoenix, where I was able to spend a day hands-on with the XPedition 2.0. The next generation made a strong first impression. Several small improvements make a big impact. The headline changes include a new suspension fork, an upgraded motor with a torque sensor and custom in-house programming, and frame refinements for added stiffness and stability. Lectric still has single and dual battery options available, but there’s even an upgraded dual battery so you can get a ridiculous 35Ah worth of battery.
Looking closer, you’ll notice smaller but significant upgrades, such as 8-speed gearing, narrower tires for improved handling, a color display, and even turn signals.
These changes weren’t made just for the sake of change; each new feature enhances the ride in a meaningful way. The XPedition 2.0 is intuitive to ride, has great control over the motor’s impressive power, and feels noticeably comfortable.
The best part? Lectric is keeping the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality with pricing, starting the 2.0 at the same MSRP as the 1.0—just $1,399 for the single-battery model.
Read on to learn more about all the changes to the new Lectric XPedition 2.0!
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Lectric XPedition 2.0 Video Review
The Lectric XPedition 2.0: The Big Standouts
Lectric first debuted the M24 motor on the original XPedition. On a Zoom call with the brand’s CEO, Levi Conlow, he emphasized what he wanted from this motor: No road in America should be able to make the XPedition quit, and he even offered a bounty to his employees if they could find a hill the bike couldn’t summit. Trips along the California coast and up the infamous San Francisco hills ensued.
To my knowledge, he never had to pay up, and that bears out in our testing which confirmed that this is one of the more powerful motors out there. It’s a 750W rear hub motor with 1310W of peak power and 85Nm of torque—plenty strong for hauling heavy loads up steep grades.
This time around, the motor on the XPedition 2.0 is improved thanks to two key changes: the addition of PWR+ programming and a switch to an 8-speed drivetrain.
PWR+ is Lectric’s torque sensor that signals the motor to provide more power when you’re pressing harder on the pedals. Lectric’s approach combines the benefits of both cadence and torque sensors, giving the bike a smooth, easy start while also offering better power control. This allows the bike to respond with extra power on hills or maintain steady speed on flat stretches when the rider really hits the pedals hard.
The new gearing enhances the experience even further. I’ve made no secret of my distaste for the Shimano Tourney shifter—it’s acceptable on a budget bike, but the first thing I’d want to upgrade. I welcomed the new 8-speed Shimano Acera with rapid-fire shifters, which give you more control over your gear range to find the ideal climbing gear. Iit is also a wide enough range to give you some “bite” in the pedals when trying to hit the class 3 max speed of 28 mph.
The XPedition 2.0 is also quite comfortable, thanks to its suspension fork. The 50mm of travel helps soften the impact of bumps, and the quick-adjust stem makes it easy to find an upright seating position for better control of the front end. With this setup, the bike doesn’t require excessive front-end suspension; the travel provided does the job well.
Overall, the handling is solid. The XPedition 2.0 uses 20”x2.5” tires that offer good maneuverability. The only quirk I noticed was during curb drops, where the weight of the rear end can cause a hard “thunk” on impact—at least, that was my experience with the largest dual-battery setup.
Speaking of batteries, the XPedition 2.0’s only downside on paper is a smaller starting battery. The single-battery option starts at 13Ah, which is slightly less than the 14Ah of the 1.0 model. However, the ~7% reduction in capacity isn’t a dealbreaker, especially given the addition of the suspension fork and other feature upgrades. Also, the new torque-sensing capabilities of the motor give it, in theory, better efficiency than the older model, which was just a cadence sensor. We’ll test it out soon enough to confirm, but the one step-back isn’t much of one with proper context.
There are three battery options to choose from: the single 13Ah, the dual 13Ah (26Ah total), and now an impressive dual 17.5Ah (35Ah total), making it the largest capacity electric cargo bike I’ve seen so far. Prices are $1,399, $1,699, and $1,999 respectively.
We’ll have our test model in the office soon, but Lectric quotes a range of 60-170 miles, depending on the battery configuration and riding conditions. Such a high range brings the question of whether a cargo e-bike can truly replace your car closer to reality.
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The heavy weight and smaller 20” tires give the XPedition a nice and low center of gravity that makes the bike feel well-balanced. .
Who doesn’t want more range? The XPedition has three battery configurations to pick from, with the largest being this 35Ah(!) dual battery setup.
Lectric’s color display is crisp and easy to see. It’s a nice visual boost that helps the ride feel a step above what you’d expect on a low price tag.
The Lectric XPedition 2.0: How Little Things Add Up
For a relatively budget-friendly bike, the XPedition has some premium-feeling touches.
The frame looks sharp and feels nice and stiff. Lectric seems to be refining its design elements: the paint colors (Raindrop Blue and Stratus White) look great in person, and details like the logo placement all feel like improvements.
The frame tubing has been reinforced to provide a sturdier ride. The weight capacity remains a robust 450 lbs (with up to 300 lbs on the rear rack), and the slightly longer wheelbase allows for more room to load gear or seat children. The rear rack is sturdily built with a unique spider-web pattern. According to Lectric, it meets the German DIN standard for electric cargo bike durability.
Touchpoints are well-designed, with a comfortably padded saddle, secure lock-on grips, and some of the best pedals I’ve seen on an affordable brand’s bike. This may be a personal note, but as someone who tends to wear shoes with minimal tread, I often have issues with feet slipping off pedals. Lectric’s quick-release pedals with pins are exceptionally grippy, providing solid footing—especially helpful when you start pedaling faster to reach 28 mph.
The bike now features an easy-to-read color display and turn signals for safer road navigation. It also includes lights, fenders, and a rear wheel shroud (not included on our test bikes, but we were told it will be on production models).
Finally, though it seemed like a small detail at first, Lectric is quite proud of the new kickstand. Its wider feet allow you to engage the dual-leg kickstand on grass without it sinking into the ground. This was apparently a significant issue for many XPedition 1.0 riders, and Lectric was eager to address customer feedback.
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A lot of riders can fit the XPedition thanks to the adjustable stem. It’s easy to snap into position if you’re constantly swapping with a partner.
The frame looks really sharp, and Lectric put in some extra effort on items like the wheel shroud which has channels road noise can escape through to keep the ride quiet.
The roominess of the bike is a huge factor. You can comfortable seat two kids, and have some space for the rider.
New Bike, New Accessories
Cargo bikes are one category where accessories feel more like a necessity than an extra, and Lectric offers several ways to outfit the XPedition 2.0.
Full disclosure: There weren’t enough accessory samples available at the reveal event, so this was mostly a show-and-tell session. In an ideal world, I would have loaded the bike up with some cargo or even taken my kids to Arizona for a joyride, but that will have to wait. However, the revamped accessories for the 2.0 looked solid, so the potential for a great ride is high.
Lectric has introduced a new frame bag that fits the frame’s dimensions and redesigned pannier bags that integrate well with the bike.
The new passenger setup also includes several enhancements for those looking to bring kids along. There are inner and outer grab bars, seat cushions, running boards, and a backrest. While I didn’t get exact measurements, by eye-balling it, it certainly looked spacious enough for a couple of kids, with room to spare for the driver.
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The XPedition 2.0 has a new kickstand that keeps the ride upright and level for loading, and the new design of the feet ensure it won’t dig into grass or soft terrain.
The rear rack is well enforced, and featues a weight capacity of 300lbs (total bike payload is 450)
The quick-adjust stem takes mere seconds to find your ideal fit.
Additional Lectric XPedition 2.0 Pictures
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The Lectric XPedition 2.0 rides really nicely. Outside of a harder-than-most “thunk” when coming off a curb, you can easily forget you’re riding a cargo bike.
Lectric’s M24 motor has made the rounds on several of its models now, but it feels better than ever on the XPedition with it’s new PWR+ torque-sensing programming.
A new feature to the 2.0 model, it now comes with a 50mm suspension fork. It softens up the ride by absorbing imperfections in the road.
Remaining Questions
Overall, I thought the XPedition 2.0 had a solid feel. The motor is as powerful as ever, the handling is smooth, and it still offers jaw-dropping value for the price. I’m a fan of the suspension fork’s comfort and the overall quality of the touchpoints.
That said, I still have a few lingering questions I’m eager to answer: Will the bike deliver on its quoted range? How does the torque sensor affect hill-climbing performance? What will the ride feel like when fully loaded? And how will it compare to other recent cargo bike releases, like the Flyer Via Pro or RadWagon 5?
For now, I can only speculate, but I’ll reserve full judgment until I’ve had a few weeks to test the bike more thoroughly.
If the XPedition 2.0 has caught your attention, stay tuned for our full review coming in the next few weeks! Be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you don’t miss out on the update!
Happy Riding! In the comments section below, make sure to let us know if you have any questions or if you think we left anything out in this review of the Lectric XPedition 2.0.
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