Raleigh E-Bike Range Review

Cycling Weekly

Raleigh has been in the cycling game for decades, so it's safe to say they know a thing or two about what makes a brilliant bike. Raleigh has also been in the electric bike game for quite some time too, so, Sam Gupta talks through a few of its most popular models and helps you to understand which e-bike is best for you.

Transcript

00:00Who didn't spend their childhood pulling wheelies on a rally chopper or a grifter?

00:04Or getting air on a rally burner after watching ET?

00:09Okay, you might be getting a little bit long in the tooth for those particular moves,

00:13but you actually can still experience the same classic rally fun as a grown-up.

00:19There's a whole range of rally e-bikes designed to power you

00:23to whatever type of riding you want to do.

00:26Whether it's speeding about the city without breaking a sweat,

00:29or whether you're after some extra oomph on your off-road adventures or bikepacking trips,

00:35Rally's ever-growing e-bike range does have it covered.

00:39In this video, I'm going to take a look at four different models to help you decide

00:43which rally e-bike is best for you.

00:47An e-bike is literally a bike with an electric motor to boost your pedalling.

00:52In the UK, an e-bike can legally assist you up to 15.5 miles an hour.

00:57Once you reach the speed, the assistance backs off, and then you're riding under your own steam.

01:03The motor is allowed a maximum power of 250 watts,

01:06and a UK legal e-bike has to have two pedals as its main form of propulsion.

01:12The electric assist has to be activated by you turning the pedals,

01:17rather than by twisting a throttle.

01:19So, that's the basics.

01:22But, just like conventional bikes, there are a lot of different categories of e-bike to choose from,

01:28all designed for different types of riding and different types of terrain.

01:33And as with conventional bikes, you can expect specific features such as suspension,

01:37bigger tyres, and a more rugged build for off-road riding,

01:41whereas an e-bike designed for the tarmac will generally be fully rigid, lighter, and nippier.

01:47If you want to make the morning commute at least 10 times more enjoyable without breaking a sweat,

01:53a lightweight, speedy machine like the Raleigh Trace is the e-bike for the job.

01:58The Trace has a classic looking frame shape with sleek straight tubes,

02:03and at a glance, you might not even notice that it's an e-bike.

02:08The 250 watt-hour battery is neatly tucked away into the down tube,

02:12and the e-bike motion motor is in the rear hub.

02:18You've got a discrete display and control panel on the top tube.

02:22It's literally freedom from gridlock at the touch of a button.

02:26The Trace weighs 16.5 kilos, which is light for an e-bike.

02:30On the flat, you could easily find yourself pedalling at over 15.5 kilometers per hour,

02:36without the electric assistance.

02:37But, when you come to a hill, or you need to accelerate away from the lights,

02:42that's when you'll really notice the boost.

02:44The range of 50 miles could actually be a conservative estimate with this bike.

02:51Of course, low weight means low stress for apartment dwellers,

02:54who carry bikes up and down steps on the regular.

02:57As you'd expect of an urban legend like the Raleigh Trace,

03:00it comes with all of the fixtures and fittings.

03:03Both front and rear lights.

03:05You've got mudguards and a rear pannier rack.

03:09There's a Shimano 9-speed drivetrain with a 40-tooth one-by chainring,

03:13and Tetro hydraulic brakes.

03:15And it's priced pretty competitively at £2,199.

03:23If you're looking to take commuting to the next level,

03:27and you need more range and extra comfort compared to the Trace,

03:30with its smaller battery supplies, then check out the Raleigh Motus.

03:35With a bigger 400Wh battery, or 500Wh on the Intube Tour and Grand Tour models,

03:41you can get up to twice the range of the Trace.

03:44100 miles compared to 50.

03:47It has an RST suspension fork with 50mm of travel,

03:51and it comes in different frame configurations,

03:53giving you the choice of either a step-through frame or a standard crossbar.

03:58As well as different specs with different gear systems.

04:02Derailleur or hub.

04:04The top-spec Motus Grand Tour is powered by a Bosch motor,

04:07that supplies the assistance to the cranks, rather than the rear wheel.

04:13Some people prefer the weight of the motor in a more central position,

04:17and the assistance comes in a smoother, more natural-feeling way.

04:21It's also worth noting that the Bosch Active Line motor is virtually noise-free.

04:27With the bigger battery and motor drive unit, plus the suspension,

04:30you're looking at an overall sturdier bike, with a weight of 28.5 kilos.

04:36It is not messing about.

04:38Except, it kind of is.

04:41Because with the range that could take you from Raleigh's founding city of Nottingham,

04:45all the way to London, without breaking a sweat, a lot of easy riding is guaranteed.

04:52The bike is priced from £2,199 for the standard Motus,

04:57or £2,799 for the Motus Grand Tour.

05:03The Raleigh Centros is for people who want to go further afield, or off the beaten track.

05:08It's basically designed for adventures, with no limits for everyone.

05:12It has a 130 mile range, thanks to a 625 watt-hour battery,

05:17that beats both the Motus and the Trace.

05:20And it has a superior motor, too.

05:24You get a mid-mounted Bosch Performance Line motor,

05:27which supplies more power to the cranks than the active line of the Motus,

05:32so that you can get up steep, gnarly climbs just by finessing the pedals.

05:37The Suntour Neck Suspension Fork has 63mm of travel,

05:4213mm more than the Motus's fork,

05:45so that going off-road is not only enabled, but actively encouraged.

05:50The wheels are 650B,

05:52slightly smaller than the diameter of the standard Road 700C of the Motus and the Trace,

05:58which does give manoeuvrability, strength, and tyre clearance.

06:03As such, they come with some pretty chunky 55mm Schwalbe Marathons.

06:08For portage, it comes with a pannier rack,

06:11but there's also a built-in modular rail system,

06:14making it easy to carry extra water bottles and batteries

06:17if you're nowhere near a water or electricity supply.

06:22There are two models, one uses a Shimano Nexus 8-speed hub,

06:26and the other uses a Shimano Elivio 9-speed derailleur system.

06:30Prices are £2,999 for the derailleur version,

06:35and £3,099 for the hub gear equipped Sentros.

06:42If you're after an e-bike that can handle heavy-duty commuting and heavy cargo haulage too,

06:48the Raleigh Modem is an all-new urban utility bike that ticks all the boxes,

06:54combining features of the Motus and the Sentros with a cargo-friendly frame.

06:59It has a 500Wh battery and a 100 mile range like the Motus,

07:04but it has the superior Bosch Line Performance mid-mounted motor of the Sentros,

07:10so that when it's in beast of burden mode, it can power any payload.

07:15Small 20-inch wheels leave plenty of space to load up the Modem,

07:20while keeping the centre of gravity as low as possible.

07:23The other benefit of small wheels is that they're super strong,

07:27especially when they're shod with super wide 60mm Schwalbe pick-up cargo tyres.

07:33It can go, but it can also stop.

07:36The Modem is specced with Shimano MT200 mountain bike hydraulic disc brakes,

07:41with a big 180mm rotor at the front and a 160mm rotor at the rear.

07:48As for gearing, to keep things simple,

07:50there's a bomb-proof Shimano Nexus 5-speed hub and a 38-tooth chainring.

07:56Nicely judged gears that will work well with the Bosch motor for a good range of speeds,

08:01keeping the cadence even.

08:04The Modem is all about keeping things simple and practical,

08:08and it's for that reason that the aluminium frame comes in just one size,

08:12with the adjustability taken up by the dropper seat post and the adjustable stem.

08:18It comes with SKS mudguards, lights front and rear,

08:22and a modular carrier that makes it simple to add extra haulage capacity if you need it.

08:28And finally, in keeping with the simplicity and practicality that is the bike's USP,

08:34it comes in a single build option for £3,399.

08:41So that's four extremely compelling reasons to swap four wheels to two,

08:46and Raleigh's e-bike range doesn't even stop there either.

08:50Looking for a long-tail e-cargo bike or something else we just haven't covered?

08:55Go and check out their website to see the details of the rest of their range.

09:00Let me know down in the comments below though, which of these bikes is your favourite?

09:05If you enjoyed the video, then please do drop it a like,

09:08subscribe to the channel for more content, and I will see you again very soon.

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