We got the opportunity to ride the Hero Lectro F3i, so we decided to take it to the trails and have some fun.
Story: Vaibhav Kashyap
Photography: Apurva Ambep
Being a cyclist myself, I have ridden for some good kilometres and have done trails and the long city rides following a 10-km daily cycling routine. Sometimes while doing the longer runs I feel I should be able to give my legs a break and that’s where electric cycles come into the picture. I got the opportunity to ride the Hero Lectro F3i and here is what I think.
The Hero Lectro F3i has a full alloy frame. The downtube packs a 36-volt/6.4-Ah battery which helps achieve a top speed of 25 km/h. The frame gives an overall upright posture which helps a lot when dealing with downhill sections by maintaining an even weight ratio.
The front suspension comes with a 100 millimetres of travel which helps reduce uneven off-road impacts while heading downhill over rougher terrain. The very beneficial lockout-feature in the suspension helps in maintaining good and a stable speed during the city rides.
The Shimano seven-speed gearset was smooth and the set-up is very easy to control with the up-down shifting toggles on the right hand side of the handlebar. The gears come in handy once the level of the battery in the cycle is low. The Lectro has riding modes, too. It can go 100 per cent electric or can switch to ‘pedelec’ mode which allows one to ride it with pedals and the electric assistance when one wants to sweat those calories out.
The Lectro F3i runs a 36-V, 250-watt (0.34-hp) brushless DC motor which is installed in the rear hub. The motor is powered by the aforementioned 6.4-Ah lithium-ion battery which is IP67 rated. The battery takes 4.5 hours to get fully charged. On a full charge, the Lectro is able to do around 35 km with the pedal-assist mode and a little less on full electric mode. The range from the battery also depends on the rider’s weight and the type of terrain they choose to ride over.
The left side of the handlebar has the electric mode on and off buttons, mode switch button, light toggle button, and the battery indicator. This model gets Hero’s i-Smart App and, thus. comes with the RFID tag which can be tapped on the controller to turn the electric mode on or off; which also works as a safety feature that helps in avoiding mishandling of the controller as well as theft protection. On the right side is the gear toggle button and the rotary controller to use the electric assist function. The wide riser alloy handlebar on this e-bike allows for an upright riding position and easy handling. The bike has an LED headlight mounted on the front end which is enough to show the way ahead, with light reflectors front and rear.
The Lectro can come to a total stop with the “Promax 310” mechanical disc brakes at both the front and the rear. The MTB comes with the 29 x 2.10-inch tyres with a good width and button treads which make it easier to ride on trails. The padded cushion layer on the seat of the Lectro makes the ride more comfortable without any inconvenience while riding with the vertical seat height adjustment.
To sum up, I would like to mention that the Hero Lectro F3i is an ideal bike or upgrade for someone looking to tackle both urban and rural trails. Hero Lectro F3i is available for the price of Rs 40,999.
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