Being a lifelong cyclist, I’m one who puts a big importance on value for money – perhaps more than most other aspects of the bike. Over the course of the thirty or so bicycles I’ve owned, I’ve always veered towards bikes that strike the perfect balance between price and performance – be it on my mountain bikes, road bikes, gravel bikes, and yes, electric bikes. 

Though folding commuter bikes were never my flavor, one brand that’s caught my eye recently is Lectric. This value-focused e-bike brand has quite a solid model in the form of the XP 3.0. For a dollar under $1,000, it offers nearly unbeatable value for money. Indeed, from a performance perspective alone, the XP 3.0’s 1,000-watt rear hub motor puts commuter e-bikes twice the price to shame. With 55 newton-meters of torque, it’s strong enough to tackle even the steepest climbs. 

That level of performance on a $999 USD e-bike is impressive no matter what you say. However, for Lectric has just one-upped itself by updating the XP 3.0 to feature hydraulic disc brakes. The best part? There’s no price increase for the upgrade, and even better still, current owners can get the hydraulic disc brake upgrade for free! 

Of course, it goes without saying that hydraulic brakes are objectively better than mechanical, cable-actuated disc brakes. For starters, they offer much better brake feel and require hardly any adjustment apart from the occasional bleed when changing pads. They’re also impervious to the weather, meaning you won’t have to worry about rusty brake cables. 

Apart from the new hydraulic brakes, Lectric retains all the impressive features of the XP 3.0, including the previously mentioned 1,000-watt rear hub motor, as well as the 48-volt lithium-ion battery good for about 65 miles on a single charge. A previous upgrade consisted of Lectric’s PWR technology, or Pedal-Assist Wattage Regulation, which is essentially a torque sensor that fine tunes pedal assistance depending on rider input – a feature you’d more commonly find on high-end bikes.