Xtracycle Hopper review: A better cargo e-bike at a better price

More people are shifting from car-focused lifestyles to a mix of cars and bikes—or even going mostly car-free. While switching to a bike or e-bike might seem limiting, the cycling industry offers a wide range of categories to suit various needs.

Take cargo e-bikes, for example. These are basically the SUVs or pickup trucks of the electric bike world. And having spent many good miles on the Xtracycle Hopper cargo e-bike, the newest offering from the most famous cargo bike maker in the US, I can tell you that this family truck in an e-bike form is capable of a lot more than many people would expect.

This is not Xtracycle’s first spin around the block. The company traces its roots back to 1998 when it pioneered the concept of longtail cargo e-bikes, which feature a stretched rear end. Until that time, the most popular version of cargo bikes were Dutch-style bakfiets, often called “box bikes” at the time due to their large wooden box that sat on the stretched front end.

Long-tail cargo bikes were lighter and rode more like traditional bicycles, despite having an elongated design perfect for carrying more cargo or passengers.

Over the years, Xtracycle has introduced several high-end cargo e-bikes, though they’ve traditionally had lofty price tags in the $4k-$5k range. Last year, a revamp with a new model saw the brand recently introduce the new Xtracycle Hopper, which draws upon the same high-end design and componentry influences from Xtracycle’s roots yet drops the price to a mere US $2,999 – a rarity in the premium cargo e-bike space.

To see what it’s like to get around on the Xtracycle Hopper, check out my review below. Or keep reading for the full story!

Xtracycle Hopper Video Review

Xtracycle Hopper tech specs

• Motor: 750W hub motor with torque sensor
• Top speed: 28 mph (45 km/h) on pedal assist or 20 mph (32 km/h) on throttle
• Range: 20-50 miles (32-80 km)
• Battery: 720 Wh frame-integrated and removable battery
• Weight: 38.5 kg (85 lb) with all cargo accessories installed
• Frame: Aluminum alloy with cargo-rated suspension fork
• Tires: Kenda Kwick 20″ x 2.25/2.40″ front/rear (on triple-wall tubeless-ready rims)
• Brakes: 174 Hudson dual-piston hydraulic disc brakes with electric cutoffs
• Extras: Shimano 8-speed shifter, KMC 8-speed chain, fenders, included front and rear racks, child cage on rear rack, running boards, bright LED display, front and rear LED lights, dropper seat post (with dual telescoping latches for more height adjustment), and touch-up paint included

A little big cargo bike

Despite Xtracycle being considered somewhat of the grandfather of longtail cargo bikes, the Hopper model here is arguably more of a mid-tail model than a true longtail. That’s because it’s actually somewhat compact, at least by cargo bike standards. It’s still got a longer rear rack than you’ll find on a traditional bike, which means you can easily fit two kids or a bunch of cargo, but it’s not the crazy long cargo bikes we’ve seen in the past.

That’s nice for apartment dwellers like me, and I was able to fit it fairly easily into my elevator, even if I still had to rock it up on its tail for the elevator doors to close. However, I have to do that for my regular-sized commuter e-bike also, so that should tell you how small the elevator is.

The Hopper may be more compact than a traditional longtail cargo e-bike, but it still hauls a ton of stuff. It comes standard with that rear child cage (called the Hooptie), which is designed to provide a safer area for children. It even has dual side-bars so the kid can hold onto the inner bar and not get their fingers pinched if the outer bar rubs on an obstacle.

I took my two nephews on the bike with me, and based on how much they liked to squirm around and dance on the back of the bike (as you probably saw in the video above), it’s a good thing that the bike comes with that Hooptie accessory to hold the kids in. For even younger passengers, like my friend’s toddler, we added a child safety seat to the rack.

The front of the bike is adorned with another rack, which is also great for adding more cargo. In fact, the bike’s frame is rated to 500 lb total, the rear rack alone is rated to 242 lb, and the front rack is rated to 55 lb, so you’ve got a lot of cargo-carrying options.

I let my friend borrow the bike for a week so that he could try bringing his kid to daycare every day with it. He found it to be a fun way to spend more quality time with his son as well as get some fresh air and exercise each day. He was even able to put his son’s stroller in the back behind the child safety seat so that the babysitter could pick the kid up on a day he had to stay later at work.

I also tested out the Porterpack, a front bag for easily accessible cargo, and a set of CargoBay bags, expandable pannier bags that fit on either side of the rear rack. They’re rain-resistant, adjustable in size, and covered in reflective material to make the bike stand out even more at night.

With all those bags, I found it easy to use the Hopper as my grocery-getter vehicle, doing a week’s worth of grocery shopping with just the three bags on the bike. Not only was I using a cargo e-bike to go get my groceries, but I was also getting a little exercise on the way there and back.

That’s another big benefit of using a cargo e-bike like this, is you have the opportunity to sneak a little exercise into your day. The Hopper does have a traditional thumb throttle, meaning you won’t have to work very hard if you don’t want to. But it’s also got a torque sensor-based pedal assist system that makes it a pleasure to actually pedal the bike. The 750W rear hub motor is powerful so you can use a large amount of assist for just a small workout, or you can leave the assist in low power and get more of a workout. The choice is yours, and yours alone!

With a big battery measuring 720 Wh, even if you use the higher power settings, you’ll still have plenty of energy left for longer rides. You could likely get over 50 miles (80 km) if you stick to lower power pedal assist, but even cruising around on throttle will still likely net you at least 25 miles (40 km).

The entire electrical system is certified to UL2849, meaning that the motor, controller, wiring, and other electric parts have all been tested to safely operate together. The battery is certified to UL2271, giving peace of mind and full compliance in locations that require UL certification.

At the same time, the bike isn’t quite as premium as the $4k-5k models in Xtracycle’s lineup, as evidenced by the more entry-level Shimano derailleur and the hub motor instead of a mid-drive motor. But other than those two components, pretty much everything else feels like it came straight from a premium, bike shop-level cargo e-bike.

Really nicely designed and outfitted

The Xtracycle Hopper walks a nice line, balancing the brand’s premium roots with the goal of affordability for more families. The bike is obviously premium-leaning, which you can see from a wide selection of quality parts. There are the 174 Hudson dual-piston hydraulic disc brakes, the wide and super-stable Y-kickstand, the mesh safety covering over the rear wheel to protect children’s feet, the nicely designed running boards and rear rack, the built-in LED lighting, and the dropper seat post to allow riders to drop into a lower position for mounting and dismounting the bike, then return the seat post back up to a better pedaling position once they’re up in the saddle, all with one finger.

Unlike dropper posts you may be familiar with from the mountain biking world, which usually have a button on the handlebars, this dropper post is wireless and instead has its button underneath the saddle. It’s a bit less convenient and also looks like you’re trying to get to second base with yourself, but you get used to the button placement quickly. Plus, you deserve a little fun. Treat yourself!

The cargo-rated Suntour Mobie suspension fork is a quality piece of kit that adds to the comfort without compromising the bike’s strength or ruggedness.

The 20″ tires are wide enough to offer even a bit of off-road ability, though more in the direction of a smooth nature trail.

My buddy took the bike on a trail with his kid in back, and the two had a wonderful time, so the Hopper certainly seems capable of excursions outside the typical bike lane commute.

With full UL compliance on the electrical system, a powerful motor that provides a top speed of 28 mph (45 km/h) if unlocked from the standard 20 mph (32 km/h) speed limit, and great cargo-carrying accessories that come standard, it’s frankly kind of surprising that it’s priced at just $2,999. This undercuts the more premium cargo e-bike brands on the market while still offering much nicer build quality than the budget models.

Oh yeah, and it even comes with a little bottle of touch-up paint, which is a small detail but just one more differentiator compared to the more budget-level cargo e-bikes out there!

It won’t compete against cargo e-bikes twice its price, but it offers a heck of a lot nicer build quality and better components than the budget cargo e-bikes we’re used to seeing.

What are the downsides?

Every e-bike is ultimately a series of compromises. More range means heavier. More speed means chunkier motors. Higher-end components mean higher price tags. Everything is a tradeoff, and how those tradeoffs are balanced results in how well the bike fits into the market.

On the Xtracycle Hopper, I think the company did a great job finding a comfortable balance to produce a more premium bike that still carries an affordable price. But even so, that means there are still a few things I can complain about.

The rear tail light is nicely integrated into the fender, which is great for ruggedness and reliability since there aren’t any external wires to snag. But it also means the light can be more obscured when looking from a rear side-angle as compared to directly from the rear, as the wheel guards slightly hide it at wider angles. You could add a second tail light onto the child cage or the back of the rear rack, which is probably a good idea for extra nighttime visibility.

The throttle requires the bike to be slightly rolling before it kicks in, which is better for component longevity but is a bit annoying if you want to blast away from a standstill. It means you need to give a quarter or half turn of the pedals before you can use the throttle.

And lastly, the bike is quite heavy at 85 lb with all the accessories installed. There’s not a lot that can be done about that though. It’s already got an aluminum frame, and when you build a bike that can carry three people for long distances at high speeds, it’s just going to get heavier.

So I can complain about the nitty gritty, but the major components, features, and design of the bike are all incredibly well done.

Sum it all up

Basically, the Xtracycle hopper feels like a great in-between cargo e-bike, both in the sense of fitting in between the smaller and larger sizes on the market, as well as fitting in between the value brands and the premium brands.

It’s not going to rival the bang-for-your-buck of something like a Lectric XPedition at half the price, but it’s going to give a much nicer riding experience and last a lot longer.

It’s not going to be as high-end as a top-shelf Tern or Riese & Müller, but it costs half as much as those more premium models.

So basically, it falls in the Goldilocks zone for a lot of people. It’s premium enough to get those nicer parts, the bigger battery, the dropper seat post, etc. But it’s not so fancy that it costs most people several paychecks. It’s the cargo bike for when you don’t want to cheap out on the thing you’re carrying your kids on, but you also don’t need the fanciest thing out there, either. And that’s the sweet spot for me!