There’s a fairly wide spectrum of moped-style electric bikes these days. Some are essentially conventional e-bikes wearing motorcycle-inspired designs, while others lean so heavily into the mini-moto experience that the pedals start to feel like little more than a legal technicality.
The Macfox X1S definitely falls closer to that second group.
After spending some time riding the bike, I don’t think this is the model I’d recommend to someone who actually enjoys pedaling. But if you want a fun little urban runabout with a motorcycle-inspired design, fat tires, and a right-hand throttle for cruising around at compliant 20 mph (32 km/h), and is street legal, then the X1S starts to make a lot more sense.
At $1,399, the Macfox X1S is built around a 500W rear hub motor rated for 750W of peak power. Those specs are key, because along with the throttle on the handlebars, they help it fit just inside the Class 2 electric bicycle regulations used by most areas in the US. That keeps the bike street legal, even if it looks and feels more like a moped-style bike than anything else.
The Macfox X1S gets a 500Wh (48V 10.4Ah) removable battery, 20 x 4-inch fat tires, front suspension, hydraulic disc brakes, and a long bench-style saddle.
Macfox rates the single-battery model for up to 28 miles (45 km) of range, though there’s a dual battery version that gets twice the range.
That’s a pretty straightforward setup for this style of e-bike, with the exception that the battery is smaller than most you’d find on this style of bike.
But again, there’s that dual battery version, so if you’ve got an extra $299 burning a hole in your pocket, you can double up for twice the run time.
Going beyond the base specs, there are a couple of interesting details that help the X1S stand out.
First, as I mentioned, it’s a true Class 2 e-bike with a 20 mph (32 km/h) top speed. There are plenty of moped-style e-bikes out there that arrive capable of 30, 35, or even 40+ mph, putting them well outside the legal e-bike classification in most of the US.
The X1S doesn’t play that game. Macfox specifically markets it as Class 2 street legal, and the 500W motor is plenty for having fun around town without turning this into an e-motorcycle pretending to be an e-bike.
It may not crush hills the same way other models with twice the power can, but the smaller motor keeps the price lower and keeps the battery drain in check.
In my experience, cruising the urban jungle is really where the bike shines.
The X1S is just fun to zip around on. It has that little urban assault bike feeling where you can hop on, hit the throttle, and squirt around town like you’re on a miniature motorcycle. Sure, 20 mph isn’t going to rip your arms off, but on a small moped-style bike like this, it’s enough to put a smile on your face. Of course, “small” is relative. It’s a compact moped-style bike, but it still weighs a hefty 65 lb (29.5 kg).
And Macfox gets bonus points from me for putting the throttle on the right side – especially at a time when so many e-bike companies seem to be going insane and installing left-side throttles. Technically, the throttle is adjustable and removable, so theoretically you can reposition it, but having a right-hand throttle just feels more natural to me as someone who rides a lot of motorcycles and scooters.
It’s just the way the good lord intended two-wheelers to be. If they were supposed to have left-side throttles, they would have been born that way. (That’s a bit of sarcasm, before you blow up my comment section. But I still firmly believe in the virtues of right-side throttles, even if I support your right to choose. Get it? More sarcasm. I’ll be here all week, folks!)
Pedaling, on the other hand, isn’t exactly the X1S’s strong suit.
The bike has three pedal-assist levels and uses a cadence-based pedal assist system. Levels 1 and 2 aren’t overly jumpy, and I found them reasonably manageable. Kick it up into level 3, though, and the power comes on much more abruptly. At that point, there’s no mistaking this for a torque-sensor bike. You turn the pedals and the motor responds with a fairly binary-feeling shove. That’s a basic cadence sensor, through and through.
More importantly, the riding position simply isn’t conducive to effective pedaling. The long fixed-height bench seat and moped-style geometry leave the X1S borderline unpedalable in the traditional sense.
That isn’t universally true of this category. I’ve tested plenty of moped-style e-bikes that are surprisingly decent to pedal. The X1S just isn’t one of them.
So I quickly found myself treating those pedals more as auxiliary equipment and riding the X1S the way it seems to want to be ridden: with the throttle.
The component quality also generally matches the bike’s position in the market. You get front suspension rather than full suspension, and while it helps take the edge off rougher roads, don’t expect a particularly refined suspension setup.
The same goes for the hydraulic disc brakes. They work, and I’m glad to see hydraulic brakes here, but they didn’t have as much bite as I expected. It’s another reminder that simply reading “hydraulic disc brakes” on a spec sheet doesn’t tell you everything you need to know. Not all hydraulic brakes are created equal.
Fortunately, we’re dealing with a 20 mph e-bike here, not something that will be repeatedly hauling itself down from highway speeds. And over time the brakes did wear in a bit better, but still never got to where I’d prefer them, or where I get them to on higher end models.
There’s also some welcome news on the battery-safety front. Macfox says the X1S’s electrical system is UL 2849 certified, while the single battery is UL 2271 certified. Macfox notes that the dual-battery configuration falls outside the standard UL scope, an important distinction if you’re specifically shopping based on certification.
If you’re shopping for an e-bike because you love cycling and want something that enhances your pedaling, I’d look elsewhere. The X1S’s cadence sensor, geometry, and fixed bench seat simply aren’t designed around that experience.
If what you really want is a fun little 20 mph electric mini-moto that still fits neatly into the Class 2 e-bike framework, though, the Macfox X1S makes a much stronger case for itself. It’s simple, it looks cool, it’s fun to rip around on, and you can double the battery capacity if you want to spend more time cruising between charges.
Just think of the pedals as more of a supporting cast member than the star of the show.
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