Bye Lectric, Hello Maui Summers

by JamesE-Biking / Gear / Mods

While camping at Cattail Cove State Park in Nov 2023, our Canadian neighbor had a compact, folding “Maui” e-bike. I was unfamiliar with the brand but it resembles the Qualisports Volador I was considering buying to replace our Lectric XPs.
We love our Lectric XP 2.0s E-Bikes but at 65+lbs each, they are hard to travel with. So we often bring our much lighter conventional Zisso folding bikes. They are much easier to ride but work best on flatter terrain like Yosemite Valley.
I considered the Lectric XP Lite but didn’t like it being single-speed. We prefer to peddle and only use the peddle-assist on hills, so having 7-speeds is important. Plus the Lectric XP Lite equipped is close to 50lbs and we wanted something closer to 40lbs. Unfortunately, the lighter the e-bikes, the more it costs or the smaller the wheels (14″-16″). Qualisports has several lightweight 7-speed ebikes around $1000. So when I saw the Maui e-bike, I had to check out its specs and compare it.

Maui Summer $1100
Qualisports Volador $1200
Black Zizzo Urbano
White XP Step-Thru 2.0
Red Zizzo Urbano
Black XP 2.0

The Maui Summer, from Canadian-based Maui Bikes, is their lightest e-bike at ~41lbs. It has 20″ wheels, 7-speeds, and a seat-post battery. No suspension, lighter frame and a 350w motor so it’s a much lighter design than the Lectric (the Maui Jack model has specs much like the Lectric XP, including the weight). The Maui ebikes have really good components (see list below) & are folding for easy transport. So the Maui Summer is perfect for our rv-lifestyle. Availability in the USA is via their US website maui-bikes.com with a Florida warehouse.
Because of their excellent Black Friday pricing, we bought us two Maui Summers. We’ve tested them on some local trails and they performed great. There are some compromises compared to our Lectric XPs – we miss the suspension & fatter tires for trail riding plus the rear racks. But because they are 25lbs lighter, they were much easier to load/off-load. Plus both fit in my Tacoma truck bed without needing to be folded. We will definitely enjoy taking the much lighter Maui e-bikes in the RV on our next trips.

Maui Summer

  • Pros:
    • 350W BAFANG motor
    • XD-E300 Hydraulic disc brakes
    • Removable battery.
    • Bike weight – 41lbs (19kg)
    • Misc: CHAIN – KMC Z7; CRANK SET – PROWHEEL, 46T; REAR DERAILLEUR – SHIMANO Tourney 7-speed; ROTORS – 160mm; TIRES – KENDA 20 x 2; MOTOR – BAFANG 36V/350W brushless rear hub motor; BATTERY TYPE – SAMSUNG 36V/10AH Lithium battery, integrated in the seatpost.
  • Cons:
    • Weight capacity – 250lbs (114kg) – not a con for us but lower than the Lectric by 80lbs
    • Rider height – 4’6″ to 5’8″ (seems short but that’s what they list)
    • Range: 22-32mi (35-50km), which is plenty for us but ~30% less than the Lectric
    • The coiled battery cable hangs down below the crank housing. I’ll zip-tie it so it can’t catch on anything.
    • Price when not Black Friday: $1100

Lectric XP 2.0/3.0

  • Pros:
    • Motor: 500W (850W peak) geared rear hub motor
    • Top speed: 28mph (45 km/h)
    • Range: 45mi (72 km), but actually less if not peddling a lot IRL
    • Battery: 48V 9.6 Ah (460 Wh)
    • Lockable battery
    • Max load: 330 lb (150 kg)
    • Rider height: 4’10” – 6’5”
    • Rear robust rack
    • Suspension: front fork suspension; optional seat post suspension in the Comfort Kit
    • Fat 3″ off-road tires
    • great warranty & US (Arizona) support
    • a pile of new accessories
    • Price: $999 with great accessories
  • Cons:
    • Weight: 64lbs (29 kg); actually more like 66-68lbs w/ racks & accessories

Similar specs:

  • LCD screen that displays your speed, battery status and odometer throughout your ride.
  • Folding 20″ frame
  • Removable battery
  • Charge time: 4-6 hours
  • front and rear LED lights
  • On demand half-twist throttle
  • POWER ASSIST – 5 Levels of power assisted pedaling
  • SHIMANO 7-speed trigger shift; SHIMANO 7-speed 14-28T gears
  • fenders included standard, although Lectrics are sturdier/heavier
  • Folding Pedals.
  • Kickstand.

A few issues with the Maui Summer I’ve noticed that are not deal-breakers for me:

  • No mount holes for rear rack. Unlike similar ebikes, like the Qualisports Volandor, there are no threaded holes on the frame where you can attach accessories like a rear rack.
  • The LCD controller manual (King-meter K5317 LCD) doesn’t list the full settings. The manual lists settings from P01 to P13 and our controller has settings from P01 to P20. I contacted support & they sent me a link to a pdf of the same manual. Perhaps there was a firmware update?