2old

The best cargo bike value I've seen.$1399, 28 mph and Lectric quality (my son's XP has been perfect). Check their website for reviews.

Caseydc

I’d love one if they were cheaper

2old

To me, the price is reasonable especially considering their hill climbing prowess (see the YouTube video on their site), and I'd grab one if I hadn't just built something similar.

shabs

I know this post is a bit old, but how are you liking the bike? We're thinking of getting one soon. Did you get it with the extra battery or did you stay with the single one?

2old

My son procured the $999 XP 3.0 and still loves it. He uses it around Las Vegas mostly (Burning Man too), and it's a great application for a hub drive.

cat0020

To me, it's a no-brainer to get dual battery for the cost;
even if you don't use it, just having a spare that's ready to go when you need it.
Cargo Bike Purchase Question
Cargo Bike Purchase Question

campfire

The XPedition was launched exactly when I was shopping for a cargo ebike, and it looked great on paper. So we rolled the dice and bought one of the first ones. After 2 months and 300 miles, I have few gripes. It seems to be very solid. It's noticeably easier to maneuver than the Flyer and Vista Cruiser that we cross-shopped (~12" shorter overall length). I do wish they had spent an extra $50 on shifting and brake levers, as I'm constantly reminded of their cheapness. Unfortunately that isn't unique to just this brand. The rear light is only for visibility, it doesn't indicate when braking. The stock "headlight" is also a visibility light. It's worthless for seeing the road in front of you. I'm gonna get a 48-->12VDC converter so I can attach a conventional ATV/UTV headlight pod.

The rest of it seems more than adequate. Plenty of torque. I fit three small kids on the back of mine, and it's a lot more stable than having even one kid on a conventional kid seat. The stem, handlebars, and seat can be reconfigured in a few seconds without any tools, so it's quite easy to switch between drivers (which we do regularly).

So far I'm pretty happy with it. Time will tell how well it holds up...

Anybody else have one of these?

2old

campfire, thanks for the update. Please keep us informed of your thoughts on the bike.

campfire

One more gripe...the bike ships with a wide comfort saddle. I understand why they do this, from a marketing perspective. But I do not find wide saddles comfortable. I haven't yet swapped it out, but the temptation is growing.

I thought the tall, spindly, hinged (folding) stem would feel flimsy, but (so far) I don't even notice it. Looks like the same stem they use for their XP series of folding bike. The hinge is tight and it feels solid. We'll see how long it stays that way.

cat0020

Honestly, for $1700; is there a better value for the money?

Does the XPediton have any significant lack of performance when compared to $3-4k (or more) cargo ebikEs?

campfire

Obviously, I thought it was the best value in the $2k price range. Still do. I have not ridden any of the more expensive cargo ebikes, so I can't compare. But I can say, performance-wise, this has drastically faster acceleration than the Vista Cruiser or the Flyer L882 that we tested. Compared to my home-built non-cargo ebike (1000W nominal), it's slightly faster off the line but pretty similar overall. It's also a class 3 bike, so the top speed is higher than some of the competition.

We've liked the cargo bike enough to consider buying a second one. My preference would be to try something different just for variety's sake. The Aventon Abound or the Blix Packa look like good deals, but they're both advertised as class 2 bikes (~20MPH instead of ~28MPH). After a few years of commuting on my homemade class 3 bike, I'm not sure I want to step down to a class 2. Sometimes the extra speed is quite useful. So I might wind up with a second XPedition (at some point down the road).

Smaug1

What do you s'pose Lectric is developing now?

Hopefully an eMoped or something without fat tires or folding.

tds101 

Sheesh,...all I want them to do is take that xp lite and pop a larger battery in there. That's the ONLY reason I don't own one.

Smaug1

Well, why not just buy an extra battery when you buy the bike, and take it with you when you may need it? I bet they'd cut you a deal on it if you reached out to them before buying a bike.

As an owner, the one thing I'd change would be to give it a couple more gears. It doesn't need the full 7 or 8. Just three would be good and would let it stay "lite": A hill climbing gear for maybe 5 or 8 mph, the current 15 mph gear and a top speed 20 mph gear. No one makes that kind of cassette though.

...or maybe a higher-end model with a Bafang mid drive with Gates carbon belt drive and a 3 speed IGH? Make it maybe $1200 and call it the XP Lite Premium.

tds101 

An extra battery is what I'm trying not to carry, considering I already have the Radmission w/an extra battery. I'd want max milage with minimal luggage.

I could see a geared version, but that would eliminate the fun, BMX style ride quality it has. And no way could you get a 3 speed igh without boosting the cost up way too much, considering it would have to have a mid drive motor for that kind of setup.

top5ebikes

I've ridden both the Radwagon and Flyer L885 (probab have 750 miles on both of those)....recently I started riding the Xpedition and it's my favorite out of the three.

likes:

• The price is amazing. Much better price vs most popular cargo ebikes
• Love the dual battery even though I don't need it, it's great to not have to charge on a consistent basis
• Low step over height is great. Make is more accessible for people of all heights
• Hydraulic brakes are stock (Radwagon & Flyer both have mechanical)
• 750w motor with 85 nm torque (haven't done a head to head test w the RW but it seems more powerful)

Dislikes:

• When I have two Yepp Maxi's on the rear rack (I have two young kids), my foot hits my kid sitting directly behind me so I need to move my foot further up the pedal which feels weird
• No deflopilator (the spring that holds the front wheel in place). Probab not a big deal but people should be aware that the wheel will flip on you
• The kick stand could be more secure (like the Radwagon's)

campfire

I agree with the likes. I can't speak to the Radwagon, but the Lectric kickstand is more stable and easier to use than the Flyer. I have 3 little kids (but not little enough to be in the Yepp seats). I haven't kicked them yet, but I have brushed their running boards with my heel a couple of times.

I'll add one more point. Over the weekend, my wife & 3 kids were rear-ended at 40MPH while riding the XPedition. Everyone went to the local trauma center, recovery is going to take a while, and I don't care to get into details.

But, regarding the XPedition, the Orbitor passenger cage is much, much stronger than I imagined. It held up well and kept all the kids away from the car that hit them. When I first installed the cage, I thought it was ridiculously overbuilt. It's a fully-welded tube frame, fitted to a fully-welded, overbuilt bike frame, with an obsessive number of bolts. Much stronger than the traditional seats & cargo racks I've had on traditional bikes. It seemed like an inefficient waste, putting such a heavy cage onto a bike. But, given the events we've been through, I'm certain we would have had worse injuries had they been riding in a more conventional child bike seat. That cage was worth the weight (and also the wait, since we are early adopters and the cage wasn't available for a couple months after ordering).

Buyers have a long list of things to look for when selecting a bike. But if rear-ending is high on your list of concerns, I highly recommend the XPedition with Orbitor passenger cage. I think the running boards and seat cushions are extra now, but they were free at the time I ordered mine. So be sure to order those as well.

2old

I'm so sorry to hear about the accident, happy that it sounds like everyone will recover completely and in awe that you took the extra step of protecting the "cargo". Please share any other info you care to regarding the extent of injuries (even to the bike).

cat0020

Very sorry to hear of the accident, as a survivor of debilitating bike accidents, I hope everyone a full recovery; that's the only thing they should focus on now.
Having someone who knows how to advocate for patients can drastically affect the recovery.
Don't be afraid to ask your doctors to repeat things to you until you fully understand your options.

top5ebikes

Wow campfire I'm sorry to hear about the accident but glad you're able to tell us about it.

Thanks for the feedback and I hope you're recovery is going well.

campfire

Thank you for the kind words. I'm not going to say much while I have an active insurance claim. When the legal stuff is behind me, I'd happily share more info and pictures of the bike. Yes, all 4 of them are expected to make a full recovery (in time).