There’s an uncommon quantity to debate with our Pace Take a look at(s) for the Lectrix XP Trike. The trike makes use of a 48V, 500W hub motor for its pedal help and throttle propulsion, and ships in a restricted “Newbie Mode,” which Lectric advises is finest for getting a dangle of the distinctive really feel of a tricycle; this mode has primarily two pace settings with a most of 12 mph.
In Newbie Mode, the XP Trike primarily has two pace settings. As proven within the graphic above, we measured a most of round 5 mph within the trike’s two lowest pedal help system (PAS) settings and a most of roughly 11.5 mph in PAS 3-5. Our information correspond intently with Lectric’s commercials; PAS 1-2 are restricted to five mph and PAS 3-5 are restricted to 12.
Riders who’re snug going quicker can unlock the trike by means of its settings menu to its 14 mph most. Contemplating that trikes are most secure when going gradual, we advocate retaining it on this setting – however we examined it when unlocked to its full potential as nicely. When unlocked, we measured roughly 7.5 mph when pedaling with no motor help, which required some effort to realize. Our pedaling expertise lightened up in PAS 1, the place the motor’s help introduced us to round 8.5 mph. PAS 2 gave a major enhance as much as roughly 11 mph, after which our speeds in PAS 3-5 all maxed out someplace between 13 and 13.5 mph.
We additionally measured its throttle-only speeds when unlocked for these riders who’re prone to rely solely on motor energy to zip round; as with pedaling, the XP Trike’s throttle speeds have completely different limitations in motor energy for every PAS setting. This permits riders relying solely on the throttle to modulate their pace extra simply than attempting to carry the twist grip in a particular location whereas using! We measured a most of round 8 mph in PAS 1 and 10 mph in PAS 2. Our speeds in PAS 3-5 mirrored the information we gathered when pedaling – the throttle reached between 13 and 13.5 mph throughout all three settings.
Lectric has used an alternate methodology of pedal help programming with the XP Trike. As an alternative of limiting its speeds inside every pedal-assist setting, the PAS limits the quantity of present flowing from the battery to the motor – so technically, all settings are able to reaching the 14 mph max pace.
For this reason our outcomes present comparable speeds in PAS 3-5 throughout the board; the motor had sufficient energy to achieve its high pace at PAS 3, however with extra energy in PAS 4 and 5, it reached that pace quicker. When using with a heavier payload or touring uphill, the variations between settings are extra pronounced, however there’s much less of a noticeable distinction when using the place the extra energy isn’t wanted.
It’s value mentioning that the XP Trike makes use of only a single-speed drivetrain. In my expertise, this may be considerably tough to get transferring; it requires a quarter-turn of the cranks adopted by a brief delay. This additionally leads to ghost pedaling at speeds above roughly 10 mph, the place pedaling quick is important to contribute to what the motor is doing. Normally, this can be a level of critique for us, nonetheless, contemplating that the trike is made to supply a straightforward, informal expertise, we’ve no qualms about its operation or efficiency on this take a look at.
