Looking to buy first electric bike - have identified two

[Michael Price]

I was was unlucky I think to have such a badly assembled bike from the off, however I do believe the 2019 motus was badly designed in respect of components. In retrospect a derailleur version would have been a lot less trouble for me. If anyone has the hub gear version and wants to fit a chain tensioner I’d be happy to share my experiences. Fitting one requires only a little engineering skill and costs about £20.00 for the parts.

 

[Michael Price]

I didn;t have the chain tension problem because mine is the base version - hence only derailleur gears available - which I would have gone for anyway as I understand them.
I do wonder how much of the assembly is done by Raleigh and how much is done by the local bike shop/online retailer
Anyone know - and whether or not the problem you had could have been due to dodgy assembly after it left Raleigh??

 

[Saudidave]

I doubt if the dodgy assembly was anything other than Raleigh. They aren't delivered to the L.B.S with the gear cables, mudguards, or chain guard not fitted. Those things are are assembled by Raleigh albeit somewhere in eastern Europe. Additionally the mudguard bracket failed because it was a poor design, and the choice of horizontal dropouts coupled with a disc brake and 8 speed Nexus hub that Shimano deemed non- compatible were specs chosen by Raleigh and rectified on the following year model. Raleigh failed miserably specifying the bike, did insufficient product testing then went in to denial about it when I challenged them. If that happened with a car, it would be all over the tabloids and the subject of a product recall!

 

[Andy McNish]

Mainly why I went with the Cube over the Motus or the Crossfuse when I bought mine a year ago.

Germany is mad on ebikes and Cube are their largest manufacturer. I just figured the build quality would be superior.

And it has been tank-like to be fair.
Apart from moving the bell over to the right handlebar (so it doesn't interfere with the Intuvia controller) and swapping out the stock tyres for Marathons Pluses I haven't needed to do a thing in 3000km.

 

[Saudidave]

My purchase was something of a Protracted impulse purchase - if there is such a thing. I'd toyed with the idea of buying an ebike for a year or so and was reasonably up to speed with specs etc, then went to look at a Halfords sale at my wife's suggestion. A Saturday morning inspection of a £700.00 folder turned in to a day of ebike shop visits, then a night of googling followed by a further, intense day on the Sunday. At 2:00 p.m. on the Sunday I saw the Motus at £2,250.00 and it met my spec requirements. I then beat the shop down to a £2,000.00 deal and went for it. I'd had two Raleigh bikes some 20 years before, a Record and a Granada tourer and they were both quality machines so that swayed my decision.

My bike came with quality components, badly put together and I've fettled it to my requirements; Brookes B17 seat, Marathon pluses, chain tensioner, Shimano platform/clip in pedals, cateye lights. eco grips, handlebar mirror, full Rixen and Kaul luggage etc. Everything is adjusted to perfection, so it's going to last me a while and I love it, but when it comes down to replacement I suspect Riese & Muller will be a port of call.......

 

[Danidl]

Another mention for the Raleigh Motus - this is my 4th ebike (if you include one that I returned and my wife's folder that I ride occasionally) and the Motus is far and above the best. 2019 version has Bosch crank drive motor, central battery , rear rack
Overall everything is just class.
I don;t know if it is the tyre of something else - but the thing just flies - I often look at the speedo and find I am doing 18-20 mph - which is not bad for an overweight unfit asthmatic bloke of nearly 60
Last time I looked there were several great offers on the 2019 versions - companies trying to get rid of old models as the 2020 version came out just before Christmas - you could get one for about £1300 and spend the rest on slime tyres and panniers - then celebrate with a bottle of wine and still have loads left.
or get a better model of Motus - although personally I like the basic Purion display on the base version - but I would like the auto lights!

Fully agree. I have the 2016 version. Since I have a decade on you, I went for the unisex or non crossbar version. Getting ones leg over , as it were is becoming a bother. The motus is like a ford focus of the bicycle world. Well spec ed , household name Raleigh

 

[sjpt]

Another 2016 version Motus (bought 2nd hand). Step through and hub for and easy life and less leg lifting. Very nice to ride but there have been buts (including some repetitions from above).

- The hydraulic rim brakes are a pain to adjust.
- Rear rack fixing not as secure as it should be.
- Rear rack battery easy to slide into wrong place (must be a Bosch design fault) so it locks and works but rattles and can't be doing the connections any good.
- Horizontal dropouts: awkward to adjust chain length with hub gears; difficult to make tight enough to stop the rhs slipping forward with a strong rider (no problem for my wife and I, just keep our son off it).
- Hub gear outer fixing clip (not sure its proper name) has come wrong a few times.
- One of the rear anti-turn washers installed on wrong side (may have been previous owner?)

 

[Saudidave]

My example has disc brakes, a frame mounted battery and the racktime rack is very secure indeed' so I don't have those problems. I'm not sure why you can't tighten the RH axle bolt tight enough to secure it as I've actually stripped a couple of the chrome dome headed bolts by overtightening them! Must get a torque wrench.................. I'm not sure what you mean by the hub gear outer fixing clip?

A chain tensioner is an easy fix once you know how. On my frame there is a recess and two holes on the chainstays forward of the drop outs. You get a gear hanger off ebay, (£15.00) fix it with two bolts and washers(£5.00 or less) to the inside of the chainstay, with them. More washers are the added if required to one of the gear hanger fixing bolts to align the tensioner jockey wheel parallel to the chain line. the tensioner bolts to the hanger as per normal. It took me about 2 hours to install when I'd worked all that out.

The anti turn washers can be fitted facing in to or out of the dropouts. My bike came with the tabs facing in to the closed end of the dropouts but looking at new Raleigh Motus examples in Holfrauds and other LBS's I observed that they were a mixture of facing in and out. Simon at Woodsons in Stockport confirmed they could go any way and prior to installing the tensioner I reversed mine to face out to the open end of the drop out and thus provide more room for chain adjustment.

 

[Michael Price]

I will need to watch out for my Motus shaking loose over the summer but they have stood up well so far - in spite of some bumpy shared footpaths
My summer rides are a lot bumpier than the winter rides
but get a bit muddy over the winter
I will report back any problems - but from what has been said the hub gears may be a problem due to overall design problem - at least up to the 2020 version
Good job I was put off hub gears by the old Sturmey-Archer 3 speed ones and only trust 'proper' derailleur gears
(and yes - I know they get muddy etc - but I am used to them!)

 

[Saudidave]

The only problem with the hub gear, pre 2020 is the lack of a chain tensioner, resulting in the need for chain adjustment every couple of hundred miles which means turning the bike upside down and getting the spanners out. The horizontal drop outs are short on adjustment room too which adds to the issue. Since I've fitted the tensioner at a cost of £20.00 it's been absolutely fine, with no need to adjust the rear wheel. I would also say that the gearing on my 2019 8 speed Nexus is a tad low and I may fit a smaller back sprocket next time I need a chain swap, but it isn't a major issue for me by any means.

 

[Andy McNish]

The anti turn washers can be fitted facing in to or out of the dropouts. My bike came with the tabs facing in to the closed end of the dropouts but looking at new Raleigh Motus examples in Holfrauds and other LBS's I observed that they were a mixture of facing in and out. Simon at Woodsons in Stockport confirmed they could go any way and prior to installing the tensioner I reversed mine to face out to the open end of the drop out and thus provide more room for chain adjustment.

I live in Edgeley - are you local? My Cube Touring needs a service and I'm torn bewteen Woodsons and the NW Mountain Bike Centre.

 

[Saudidave]

Yes, I live in Poynton, opposite the train station. I'd go Woodsons if I were you, not that I have anything against the NW Mountain Bike Centre, but Woodsons is closer to you and they are big in to electric bikes. Simon is really knowledgeable and helpful and has ebikes himself. When my Motus was submerged in floodwater for several hours last year and the hub gear later got noisy, I took the wheel in to him and he did a full oil bath service for £25.00, which I thought was great value. Put it this way, if I ever wanted to buy another Raleigh ebike, I wouldn't think of going anywhere else. Despite my bad experience with a badly specified and assembled bike, It's great now it is sorted out, the faults have been designed out on post 2020 models and had I bought it from Woodsons I think it would have had a much better pre delivery check.

 

[Andy McNish]

Thanks. I'll check him out.

I go up to Poynton on my Bramhall- High Lane- Middlewood Way- Macclesfield route (I prefer off road) . I like the cafe just up from the abandoned railway station at Poynton and sometimes wander down the canal there.
I followed the canal all the way towards the High Peak once but it was winter and got very muddy!