Some of that weight is thanks to the bike’s battery, which adds another 6.4 pounds to the overall total. It’s a pack that, thanks to an easy-to-access external port, you can easily charge without removing it from the bike. Though, if you prefer to charge inside, the battery is easily removable from its home beneath the bike’s downtube. And, while most of that battery is used to power the bike, some of it delivers power to the bike’s bright 90-lumen headlight, brake light, and side signals.

The battery took a bit less than seven hours to charge from dead to full, which Lectric claims can get you up to 60 miles. Of course, those 60 miles are in ideal conditions, likely with a much lighter-weight rider, and on perfectly flat roads. Thanks to my size, the hills around my town, and that I enjoy the thumb throttle a bit too much, I didn’t get nearly that kind of range on a full charge. But, I was able to get just over 30 miles out of a full battery as I toggled between the various power settings and opened up the throttle all the way. For the purposes of commuting or just cruising around, I found that battery life to be more than sufficient.

For all of that go, you still need to stop, and the bike’s massive 180-mm, 2.3-mm thick rotors paired to hydraulic brakes effectively brought all 300-plus pounds of me-plus-bike to a safe and reasonable stop. During testing, I always felt in control of my speed, even down the backside of a hill. The bike also has a smooth SR Suntour XCM32 suspension fork that features 80 mm of travel, which easily tamped out any of the minor bumps, holes, and asphalt divots I regularly encounter.

Often, cruisers can feel more like an ocean liner than a speedboat. However, despite its upright riding position and the bike’s overall heft—both of which could have easily made the bike feel lumbering or just plain boring—the XPress2 has a nimbleness that cruisers often miss out on. This is due in large part to its 27.5-inch wheels and its 2.1-inch thick tires, which find the sweet spot between thick enough to withstand rough roads and narrow enough to feel like you can really rip. The tires are also puncture-resistant, preloaded with Slime tire sealant, which prevents flats by filling small holes without the rider even knowing. These details, in addition to a relatively compact wheelbase, allowed me to zip and weave through the car and student traffic of my little college town with ease and aplomb.

Should You Buy the XPress2?

Photograph: Michael Venutolo-Mantovani

After a week of riding, I only found two issues with the XPress2.