The JackRabbit XG is mainly the stronger, greater brother of the well-known little JackRabbit micro e-bike, and I had the possibility to check one out to see how effectively a tiny little EV might work for the typical commuter. Because it seems, little is huge nowadays!
JackRabbit is well-known within the micromobility business for its pint-sized city runabouts. The model’s diminutive 25 lb mini two-wheelers appear to be a micro tackle a kind of typical e-bike, but regardless of their small measurement they nonetheless provide 20 mph speeds and sufficient vary for many city riders.
However simply because the model has lengthy centered on being as small and light-weight as potential doesn’t imply they don’t even have aspirations for energy and options. That was the thought behind the JackRabbit XG: take all the pieces individuals know and love a couple of tiny JackRabbit and hotrod it into much more “oomph” in a mini bundle.
Take a look at what it’s prefer to throw a leg over one in every of these enjoyable little rides in my video evaluation under. Then carry on studying afterward for much more!
JackRabbit XG video evaluation
JackRabbit XG tech specs
- Motor: 500W geared rear hub motor
- Prime pace: 32 km/h (20 mph)
- Vary: 32+ km (20+ mi)
- Battery: Twin 151 Wh batteries, plus the choice to interchange with bigger RangeBuster batteries
- Max load: 125 kg (275 lb)
- Bike weight: 14.5 kg (32 lb)
- Brakes: Entrance and rear mechanical disc brakes
- Tires: 20″ x 2.4″ in entrance and rear
- Worth: $1,749
- Extras: Thumb throttle, rotatable handlebars, foldout foot pegs, bell, LCD show, kickstand, twin battery slots, elective fenders and different equipment
What’s it for?
Because the JackRabbit XG just isn’t an e-bike within the conventional sense (missing purposeful pedals in favor of foot pegs), you’re clearly not going to decide on a JackRabbit for those who’re on the lookout for train. As a substitute, that is purely a get-around-town sort of experience, and doubtless additionally a have-some-fun-while-doing-it experience, too.
I’ll name it a micro e-bike since that’s how JackRabbit classifies it, however you wouldn’t be mistaken to name it seated electrical scooter, both.
In comparison with the standard standing electrical scooters we often consider, the JackRabbit XG has lots of main benefits. The wheels are bicycle-sized, giving it a a lot better experience over rougher terrain and streets with pot holes. The seat and handlebars may also really feel extra acquainted to anybody with bike expertise. But regardless of ‘feeling’ like a motorcycle, it has the light-weight portability of a scooter, actually providing the very best of each worlds.
I actually just like the sideways spinning handlebars since they will rotate 90 levels and shrink the width of the JackRabbit to simply 7-inches (while you additionally fold up the foot pegs).
It solely takes a number of seconds and abruptly the micro e-bike is additional micro. With the bars turned, it could simply conceal away beneath a twin mattress, reminiscent of in a school dorm room.
It is also stashed behind a sofa or behind a closet with out taking on a lot room for itself.
The foremost upgrades
I’ve spent lots of time on JackRabbit’s smaller and extra reasonably priced micro e-bike, so it was attention-grabbing for me to match the JackRabbit XG’s greater measurement and elevated options.
The most important upgrades are probably the scale of the body and the twin battery slots.
The larger body offers you extra space to stretch out by placing the handlebars a bit additional out in entrance of you, and likewise makes the bike extra sturdy to permit the next weight score of as much as 275 lb.
The twin battery slots imply the bike comes with an out-of-the-box vary of 20 miles as an alternative of 10 miles.
For riders who need much more vary, one or two RangeBuster batteries seen above will be swapped into these battery slots, giving riders as much as 48 miles of vary (or much more, for those who carry the unique batteries with you in your pocket or bag!).
It’s vital to notice that the batteries are additionally UL-compliant, which is important nowadays for making certain battery security. And for those who stick to the smaller batteries, their sub 160Wh score means you might be able to carry them on many home airways in your carry-on baggage (however it is best to verify with the airline first, as batteries between 100Wh and 160Wh typically require advance permission).
Final 12 months I flew by a number of cities with my JackRabbit OG, and its 151 Wh battery stayed safely with me in my carry-on the entire time!
However the twin battery slots and bigger body are actually simply scratching the floor of all of the upgrades. There’s much more right here than meets the attention.
The brand new show is far nicer to make use of, lastly giving extra information than the unique easy LED dot show, and it now offers controls for issues like LED lights.
Talking of these lights, they’re lastly obtainable to assist hold you illuminated at evening for others to see you on the highway! And since they run off the primary battery, you don’t have to fret about charging up separate LED mild batteries.
The larger 500W motor is one other good addition because it permits for higher acceleration and likewise extra highly effective hill climbing. The pace remains to be restricted to twenty mph, however that’s tremendous by me. With a wheelbase this quick, you most likely don’t need to be hitting Class 3 speeds anyway. I don’t have any huge hills round me, however I think about bombing down an enormous hill on this factor at effectively over 20 mph could be a bit iffy.
The brand new twin brakes provide extra highly effective stopping as effectively, which is sweet when you may have a extra highly effective motor. You by no means need to have extra ‘go’ then you may have ‘cease’.
There are much more attention-grabbing equipment you’ll be able to add now, reminiscent of greater deal with bars and a rear strut fender for conserving the puddle spray off of your again.
Mainly, it looks like lots of thought went into the brand new designs! Since this isn’t some out-of-the-catalog white labeled e-bike, they probably needed to design lots of these items from scratch with out the advantage of dozens of different e-bike corporations utilizing the identical elements first.
One change that doesn’t thrill me although is changing the keyed lock for the batteries with a thumb screw lock.
On the one hand, it positive does make it simpler to swap your battery out while you need to. Then again, it positive does make it simpler for a thief to steal your battery for those who lock your bike outdoors and don’t carry the batteries in with you.
In fact when the batteries are this small, you’ll be able to simply put them in your bag to carry them inside. However I nonetheless would love the choice to lock them so I’m not obligated to carry them in with me all the time.
Luckily, JackRabbit does give us a keylock accent on their website if you wish to swap out the thumb locks, however you’ve obtained to pony up an extra $25 per lock.
However what in regards to the worth?
Yep, right here’s the kicker. Oh lordy, it’s priced at $1,749. That’s some critical dough!
I had gotten so used to the $999 worth of the smaller JackRabbit OG that the considerably greater value of the XG actually slaps you throughout the face.
On the one hand, JackRabbit doesn’t get the advantage of utilizing plenty of pre-existing bike elements that they will merely choose out of catalogs. Positive, some issues like tires and motors are the identical. However many different elements just like the body, handlebar mechanism, and distinctive batteries all should be customized made for JackRabbit. So I perceive that they aren’t getting the identical economies of scale that carry us ultra-cheap electrical bikes.
However on the identical time, I do know there are individuals on the market who examine watts per greenback as their principal metric, and JackRabbit won’t ever win there. If you happen to’re on the lookout for the quickest or longest vary experience for the least cash, this ain’t it. You’ll be able to go away now.
If you happen to’re nonetheless right here, then you definitely clearly are open to different options and benefits of particular e-bikes, and that’s precisely what JackRabbit is about. Positive, you pay a premium, however you get an excellent light-weight and easy-to-ride micro e-bike that folds as much as a mere 7 inches broad. For some individuals, that’s definitely worth the premium. And if it’s not, then I nonetheless suggest testing the OG and OG2 fashions from JackRabbit for $999 and $1,299. You don’t get twin batteries or a number of the different options, however the costs are higher and you continue to get lots of the advantages discovered within the XG just like the small measurement and peppy pace.
If you happen to’ve obtained the money although, the JackRabbit XG is a critically enjoyable experience and provides far more options than I ever anticipated from such a small, minimalist little e-bike.
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