Xtracycle Hopper: 750 W Is Not Under 750
The Xtracycle Hopper is $2,499. The motor is a 48-volt, 750-watt rear hub with a torque sensor, and the system is UL 2849 by SGS. The pack is 720 watt-hours, UL 2271. The manual’s range is 20 to 60 miles, not a brochure 80. Sixty miles is 12 watt-hours a mile. The throttle is capped at 20 and cannot go higher. Pedal assist ships at 20 and can be set from 7 to 28, except 20 in California. A 28 mph assist plus a throttle is not clean Class 3. It is not the Swoop. This desk did not ride it.
By SickEBike desk
The short answer
The Xtracycle Hopper is $2,499. The motor is a 750-watt rear hub. The pack is 720 watt-hours. The manual says 20 to 60 miles, which is 12 to 36 watt-hours a mile. The throttle stops at 20. Pedal assist can be set to 28. A throttle plus 28 mph assist is not clean Class 3, and 750 is not under 750.
The Hopper is $2,499. The motor is a 48-volt, 750-watt rear hub with a torque sensor. The system is UL 2849, tested by SGS. The pack is 720 watt-hours and UL 2271. The owner’s manual puts range at 20 to 60 miles. That is not an 80-mile brochure line. Seven hundred twenty divided by 60 is 12 watt-hours a mile. Divided by 20 it is 36. The range page is the band. The bike weighs 85 pounds with the battery, and that figure includes the Hooptie and the PorterRack. It is not the Swoop. The cargo guide is the long tail.
Kilograms and the pounds printed next to them. This desk’s factor is 2.205.
| Rating | Kilograms | Pounds on the page | Times 2.205 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross vehicle weight | 230 kg | 500 lb | 507.2 lb |
| Rear rack | 110 kg | 242 lb | 242.6 lb |
| Front rack | 25 kg | 55 lb | 55.1 lb |
500 pounds is not 507
Two hundred thirty kilograms times 2.205 is 507.2 pounds. The page prints 500. That is 7 pounds, not a rounding of a tenth.
The rear rack’s 242 pounds is within a pound of 110 times 2.205, which is 242.6. The front rack’s 55 is within a pound of 55.1. The gross-weight line is the one that does not survive the factor. Tires are Kenda Kwick, 20 by 2.25 and 20 by 2.40, with a maximum of 2.5. That is not a fat tire. The tire page is the width. The fork is a SunTour Mobie, a 20-inch cargo fork. The drivetrain is Shimano, 8-speed, 11 to 34. The motor page is the hub: torque sensing at the wheel, not a mid-drive.
28 on the pedals is not Class 3
Xtracycle says Class 1 or Class 2. The throttle is capped at 20 mph and cannot be set higher. Pedal assist ships at 20 and the rider can set it from 7 to 28, with 20 as the maximum in California. A throttle at 20 can be Class 2. Assist to 28 is the Class 3 speed, and Class 3 does not get a throttle. Seven hundred fifty watts is not under 750, which is the other half of the federal test, even when the throttle is well behaved. The class chart is the test. No public loop that emptied the 720 watt-hours, with a rider and a load, turned up in this pass. This desk did not ride it.
Questions people ask
How far does the Xtracycle Hopper go?+
The owner’s manual says 20 to 60 miles on a 720 watt-hour pack. Sixty miles is 12 watt-hours a mile. Twenty is 36. That is not an 80-mile brochure line.
Is the Hopper Class 3?+
Xtracycle says Class 1 or 2. The throttle is capped at 20 and cannot go higher. Pedal assist can be set from 7 to 28 mph, with 20 as the California maximum. Assist to 28 plus a throttle is not clean Class 3, and 750 watts is not under 750.
How much weight can the Hopper carry?+
The page prints 230 kilograms gross and also 500 pounds. Two hundred thirty times 2.205 is 507.2 pounds. The rear rack is 110 kilograms, printed as 242 pounds. The front rack is 25 kilograms, printed as 55.
Is the Hopper the Swoop?+
No. The Swoop is the other Xtracycle on this desk. The Hopper is $2,499, weighs 85 pounds with the battery, the Hooptie, and the PorterRack, and uses Kenda Kwick tires, not a fat tire.
Keep riding
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