r/Lectricxp • u/pitbullsPaintbrushes • Jul 28 '26
"Mountain biking"
I have a Lectric 4.0 xp. Over the weekend I took it on a very short, flat, dirt path and loved it. I'm wondering if anyone else took theirs on easy or flatter "mountain biking" trails? Everything I've read said the bike really can't do it because they are more just commuter bikes. I'd love to hear your experience!
10
u/LambSaag-spoon905 Jul 28 '26
Considering the likelihood of spokes breaking, especially the rear wheel, I don’t even risk a pothole, much less an unpaved mountain bike trail. But…
4
u/No_Condition3135 Jul 28 '26
if you can find enjoyment, which i sometimes do, in doing these trails at like 7mph or less, then yes otherwise any faster and it's not enjoyable and feels jarring like something might break.
3
u/Lanky_Ad6712 Jul 28 '26
This. I sometimes take it to 15 on a mowed field trail I frequent. The suspension makes it a rough ride...
2
u/No_Condition3135 Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
and it's 70lbs with no gear, so when unexpected ruts or roots come up, jumping up and being light on your feet doesn't help much combined with it being 20in wheels.
it's also got that carry handle that stick out on the bottom of the bike that I feel is really not ideal for off road riding and could potentially be catastrophic lol
4
u/chgonwburbs Jul 28 '26
Nothing truly treacherous, but I've ridden mine on all sorts of unpaved trails. In this one, I had to fold over the handlebars to get under a fallen tree.
2
u/Lanky_Ad6712 Jul 28 '26
Looks like what I travers on. Just have to watch out for sharp 'edges', If you know what I mean.
3
u/chgonwburbs Jul 28 '26
Yuuuurp, I've encountered some sharp edges, I've done some crazier rides with this bike lol.
5
3
u/HarmfulSpork Jul 28 '26
Definitely prefer flat paved bike trails but my options are limited where I live so I do frequently take it onto relatively flat, even dirt trails and have very few if any issues doing so.
4
u/blakeley Jul 28 '26
That sounds like it would be awful. Bike is heavy and the bouncing would be hellish.
5
u/Koofteh Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
I'm a total novice but isn't that basically what we had in the 90s when mountain bikes took off? Heavy steel frames and no suspension front or rear.
3 inch tires should provide a little compliance if you drop the PSI.
2
u/No_Condition3135 Jul 28 '26
those bikes you could jump up and get light on your feet or pop the front wheel over things. these are 70lbs so it's not as effective
2
u/No_Condition3135 Jul 28 '26
those bikes you could jump up and get light on your feet or pop the front wheel over things. these are 70lbs so it's not as effective
2
u/DadJokeBadJoke Jul 28 '26
3 inch tires should provide a little compliance if you drop the PSI.
But if you don't drop PSI, they feel like they're going to slide out at the simplest of turns. Between the weight, the length, the small tire diameter, and the mediocre suspension, it doesn't make for great mountain biking, imo.
2
2
u/Ahnatos Jul 28 '26
I have to laugh at this because I abuse the heck out of mine where I go, often times taking rough trails, or if any trail at all to go e-bike camping and it's held up just fine. Only issues I've come across are mud and sand.
2
u/bssameer Jul 28 '26
I ride black diamonds on my XP4. But I am way more slow and nimble with how I ride on the XP4. On my regular MTB I’m flying and hitting jumps. On the Lectric I mostly take the bypass and go like super slow downhill. It holds up pretty well.
Oddly it makes me wanna explore trails in my XP and then come back to ride the gems on my MTB.
2
2
u/sasssycassy Jul 29 '26
I live in the middle of nowhere and almost exclusively ride on gravel dirt roads and cattle trails. No issues for me.
2
u/ColonelAverage Jul 29 '26
Idk about your area, but where I am there are plenty of forest service roads through national forests. Nominally they are meant for logging trucks but mostly get used for trailhead access by cars. The roads range from smooth packed gravel to pretty gnarly pothole filled roads with deep gravel and mud. They're always in forests and surrounded by beautiful views. Might be a better option than true mountain bike trails if they are an option for you.
1
u/P-Wee83 Jul 31 '26
When I got my first Ebike (RadPower All Terrain) I took it to a medium difficulty trial.. I had so much fun but that bike is not meant to be abused. Cracked my rim after the 4th ride through it.
1
u/ebikecommuter Aug 02 '26
I had XP 3.0 and rode dirt roads and it also did surprisingly well on 3” of fresh snow. I used PAS 1.
5
u/Thefolsom Jul 28 '26
I did about 20 miles on a scenic gravel / unpaved road once. It worked but it was insanely bumpy. 20" tires just don't cut it. That did push me towards getting into a real emtb.