Which eBike is best for your family? Lectric XP4 vs. Xpedition2

The last few years, we’ve barely gotten out on our bikes because let me tell you, biking uphill (even a slight incline) with a child seat attached is NO JOKE.

We tried attaching a tow-behind chariot, but that was very cumbersome, connecting and disconnecting (and then storing in our already packed garage).

I found myself making excuses not to bike, and we’d just drive instead.

But this summer, I vowed I’d change that.

When we started researching eBikes, we were so surprised by just how many options there are out there. Not only that, but the prices varied dramatically from one company to another.

We knew that we wanted eBikes that wouldn’t break the bank but were easy to use, so that we could quickly hop on and go for a ride. 

That’s when we found Lectric eBikes. 

We knew we needed two bikes for our family of four. So we settled on the XP4 and the Xpedition2. 

In this article, we’re going to break down our decision to get these two eBikes and hopefully help you decide which one (or both) is best for your family.

The Short Answer: Which one to get?

Buy the XP4 if:

• You travel a lot because it is foldable and can be stored in your trunk
• Only have one kid under 4 years old

Buy the XPedition2 if:

• Have multiple children
• Want to replace car trips and store cargo

The Technical Specs

	XP4	XPedition2
Starting price	$999 (500W) / $1,299 (750W)	$1,399 (single battery)/ $1,999 (Long-Range Dual-Battery)
Motor	500W or 750W rear hub	750W rear hub (1,310W peak)
Battery range	Up to 50 mi (500W) / 85 mi (750W)	Up to 60 mi (single) / 170 mi (dual long-range)
Weight capacity	330 lbs	450 lbs
Folds?	Yes	No
Passenger-ready?	Buddy seat add-on available	Yes, seat pads and footboards included
Suspension	Front fork (750W) + rigid rear	50mm front fork + suspension seatpost
Best for	Yes, seat pads and footboards are included	Kids, cargo, errands, family days

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The XP4: Foldable and Affordable 

To be completely honest, before I started looking at eBikes, I thought they all cost thousands of dollars. Like I thought the entry point would be around $5,000. 

So I was pretty shocked to see the Lectic XP4 priced at $999. 

The XP4 is Lectric’s flagship folding eBike, and the fold is not the only fun feature. It has a full-color display, a thumb throttle, and space for a baby seat on the back. 

There are other features that bike enthusiasts would geek out about, like a torque sensor,  hydraulic disc brakes, and an 8-speed Shimano drivetrain. But for me, I just know that I will be able to buckle in a baby in the back and be able to make it up several hills without breaking a sweat. 

We chose to go with the 750W version since our hometown of Bend, OR is quite hilly and the extra power helps. The 17.5Ah battery has a range of up to 85 miles, which is nice and we don’t have to charge it as often. 

The folding feature is super neat if you are solo (it only takes 10 seconds) and have a trunk to store the eBike in to keep it safe. For us, we got the Hollywood hitch rack so we can haul both our bikes at the same time. 

The XP4 is a great fit if you:

• Travel by car and want a bike that comes with you without needing a rack
• Ride mostly paved paths, river trails, and light adventures
• Want two bikes for two adults without spending cargo bike money twice
• Have kids who are old enough to ride their own bikes alongside you

Where it has real limits:

• It weighs about 70 lbs. “Foldable” doesn’t mean “easy to carry up three flights of stairs.”
• Cargo capacity is limited. A rear rack add-on works for light loads, but this isn’t a grocery-run bike.
• If you have a toddler who needs to ride with you, you will need something like the Yepp 2 Maxi seat carrier from Thule. 

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The XPedition2: The One That Replaced a Car Trip

This was the eBike we wanted to carry our two girls around in. There’s plenty of space in the extended rear rack that has a 450 lb weight capacity. 

The package we got, it included the Orbitor, which is the handlebar that surrounds our kiddos in the back. It also included an extra seat cushion and running boards for their feet. 

There are several battery setups, but we went with the long-range dual-battery configuration so we have a range of up to 170 miles. I don’t think we’d ever go that far in one day, but it is nice to know that we could go a few days without having to charge the batteries if needed. 

When trying to set up the seating of the rack, we had to make a not-so-serious decision: do we put the 1-year-old in the Yepp seat in the back and hope that she doesn’t mess with our 4-year-old? Or do we put the Yepp seat in the front and allow our 4-year-old to have a backrest? We actually debated this for a hot minute. 

We tried out both, and in fact, it was pretty easy to swap the seats out and reinstall. The whole process took about 5 minutes. 

When Juniper, our 4-year-old was in the way back, there were a few times she bonked her helmet on the back of the Yepp seat. So for everyone’s comfort, we decided to keep the Yepp set in the back. 

What I like most about the Xpedition2 eBike is being able to set the assist to #1 or #2 setting and use the throttle just a bit to get going from a stop. It makes it so much easier to get the bike going from a standstill. 

There are very few negatives I have about this bike, but one is definitely the kickstand. It comes out from both sides to keep the bike stable when loading cargo or kiddos. But once everyone is loaded, it is very hard to move the bike forward to stow away, or put it back down once stopped. 

Can’t wait to use the Xpedition2 for trips to the park, local festivals, or even going from a campsite into town.

The XPedition2 is a great fit if you:

• Have young kids who need to ride along rather than pedal themselves
• Want to genuinely replace car trips for errands, day care runs, or weekend outings
• Have significant gear to haul
• Want maximum battery flexibility and range for longer family days

Where it has real limits:

• It doesn’t fold. Transporting it requires a hitch rack or a truck bed.
• It’s a bigger, heavier bike. With dual batteries, the Xpedition2 weighs 83 pounds. 
• The higher price point (especially dual battery) is a real consideration. Though for what it replaces, the math often works out faster than you’d think.

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eBike Accessories 

To make the most out of your eBike, you might need some of these items depending on your situation.

Hitch Rack

If you’re getting the XPedition2, a hitch rack is not optional. it should be part of the purchase. The bike doesn’t fold, so unless you have a truck, you’re not going anywhere without one.

Standard bike racks are not rated for eBike weight, which matters because most eBikes weigh significantly more than standard bikes. Lectric sells a compatible vehicle rack designed to handle the load.

We load both bikes on the hitch rack and it has worked out really well. The first time setting it up take a bit, but once you get it set, you won’t have to move it. 

I put the XP4 closest to car/van by picking it up and placing it in the wheel holders. Next, for the Xpedition2, I lift the front wheel and place it in the front wheel holder, then lift up the back into the rear wheel holder. 

Child Seat

The XPedition2 comes with seat pads and footboards for a rear passenger, which works well for kids who are comfortable holding on and have some body awareness.

I am not an expert, but I wouldn’t let our girls sit independently without a harness until the age of 4. They have to be able to hold on all by themselves and not risk falling asleep. 

For younger kids, a more structured child seat with a harness gives you and them more confidence.

The Thule Yepp Maxi is the seat we had before and would recommend. While it might seem a bit pricy, it will grow with your child, and they can continue to use it for many years. Plus, I always see these being sold on Facebook Marketplace, so you could make back your money if you choose to sell it when your child is too big.

Check Lectric’s current accessory recommendations before buying, since compatibility details can shift with new model releases.

Cargo Bags and Panniers

The XPedition2’s rear rack is built for cargo, and a good set of cargo bags makes it genuinely practical for grocery runs and errands. We haven’t bought ours yet but I think we will soon, as it will really come in handy when gearing up for the park and coming back from the farmers’ market. 

If you’re replacing car trips in any serious way, this is a $50-80 investment that completely changes the utility of the bike.

Fast Charger

If you’re going with the dual battery XPedition2, add the fast charger. It pushes 5 amps versus the standard 2 amps, which cuts charging time by about 60%. When you’re using the bike daily or running big days with kids, waiting 8 hours for a full charge gets old quickly. The fast charger is worth it.

Other Biking Gear

We have a whole list of the biking gear we either bring along each ride or keep in our garage to tune up the bikes. Here is a curated list on Shop My that you can browse:

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Here is how we use our bikes together. 

As a young family of four, there are a few combinations of eBikes we considered. 

1. Get two of XP4: We thought we both could ride and carry a child on the back, but then that limits us on how much cargo we could carry. It also isn’t the safest for our 4-year-old to just hold on to two small handlebars with the Buddy Seat attachments. 
2. Get only one Xpedition2: This way one parent could haul both kids and the other parent could just pedal a regular mountain bike. While this is possible and a good way to go for many families, we thought it wouldn’t be fair for the parent breaking a sweat uphill while the other has pedal assist on. 
3. One XP4 and one Xpedition2: the perfect combo for our family. Both parents get pedal assist, we can haul our family and more safely, and we will be able to have this combination for a really long time. 

The XP4 is for the rides where you want to move freely, travel light, and cover ground. The XPedition2 is for the days when you’re hauling kids, hauling groceries, doing the work of a second car without actually driving one.

We use both, and the honest answer is that we reach for a different bike depending on the day. Solo morning ride? XP4. Farmers market run with the kids and a plan to haul a week’s worth of produce home? XPedition2. Road trip where we want both bikes to explore? Pack both of them on the rack. 

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The Bottom Line

If I had to recommend one bike or the other to someone with no other context, here’s my actual answer:

Get the XP4 750W if you want a highly capable, travel-friendly eBike that does 90% of what most active adults need, folds into your car, and costs under $1,300. It’s the bike I’d recommend to someone who only has one child and doesn’t yet know how they’ll use the bike, because it’s flexible enough to figure that out without committing to cargo mode.

Get the XPedition2 if you have young kids, you’re serious about replacing car trips, or you want to build a genuine cargo setup. The dual battery version is worth the upgrade if your budget allows. The range flexibility makes a big difference on full-family days.

And if you’re like us and your family does all of the above, well… get both!

Let me know what questions you have in the comments below. 

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After doing the research on eBikes, we chose to partner with Lectric eBikes for this article. The bikes were gifted to us, but all opinions are my own. Some links may be affiliate links.