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.
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00:00Who didn't spend their childhood pulling wheelies on a rally chopper or a grifter?
00:05Or 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,
00:14but 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 or whether you're after some
00:30extra oomph on your off-road adventures or bikepacking trips, Rally's ever-growing e-bike range
00:37does 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 and a half miles an hour.
00:57So once 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 and a UK legal e-bike has to have two pedals as
01:10its main form of propulsion.
01:12The electric assist has to be activated by you turning the pedals rather than by twisting a throttle.
01:19So that's the basics.
01:23But just like conventional bikes, there are a lot of different categories of e-bike to choose from,
01:29all 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,
01:38bigger tyres and a more rugged build for off-road riding.
01:42Whereas 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,
01:56a lightweight, speedy machine like the Rally Trace is the e-bike for the job.
02:01The Trace has a classic looking frame shape with sleek straight tubes and at a glance,
02:07you might not even notice that it's an e-bike.
02:10The 250Wh battery is neatly tucked away into the downtube and the e-bike motion motor
02:17is in the rear hub.
02:18You've got a discreet 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 and a half kilos, which is light for an e-bike.
02:30On the flat, you could easily find yourself pedalling at over 15 and a half kilometres per hour
02:36without the electric assistance. But when you come to a hill or you need to accelerate away
02:40from the lights, that'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 who carry bikes up and down
02:55steps on the regular. As you'd expect of an urban legend like the Rally Trace,
03:00it comes with all of the fixtures and fittings, both front and rear lights.
03:05You've got mudguards and a rear panty rack.
03:09There's a Shimano 9-speed drivetrain with a 40-tooth 1-byte chainring and
03:13Tetro hydraulic brakes. And it's priced pretty competitively at £2,199.
03:23If you're looking to take commuting to the next level and you need more range and extra comfort
03:29compared to the Trace with its smaller battery supplies, then check out the Rally 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. 100 miles compared to 50.
03:47It has an RST suspension fork with 50mm of travel and 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, derailleur or hub.
04:04The top-spec Motus Grand Tour is powered by a Bosch motor that supplies the assistance to the cranks
04:10rather 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, you're looking at an overall
04:32sturdier bike with a weight of 28.5kg. It is not messing about.
04:38Except… it kind of is, because with a range that could take you from Rally'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, or £2,799 for the Motus Grand Tour.
05:02The Rally 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 that 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 which supplies more power
05:28to the cranks than the active line of the Motus, so that you can get up steep,
05:33gnarly climbs just by finessing the pedals.
05:37The Suntour Neck suspension fork has 63mm of travel, 13mm more than the Motus' fork,
05:45so that going off-road is not only enabled but actively encouraged.
05:50The wheels are 650B, slightly smaller than the diameter of the standard Rode 700C of the Motus
05:57and the Trace, which does give manoeuvrability, strength and tyre clearance.
06:03As such, they come with some pretty chunky 55mm Schwab marathons.
06:08For Portage, it comes with a pannier rack, but there's also a built-in,
06:12modular rail system, making it easy to carry extra water bottles and batteries
06:17if you're nowhere near a water or electricity supply.
06:21There are two models, one uses a Shimano Nexus 8-speed hub and the other uses a Shimano
06:28Olivio 9-speed derailleur system. Prices are £2,999 for the derailleur version and £3,099 for the
06:38Hubgear Equip Centros.
06:42If you're after an e-bike that can handle heavy-duty commuting and heavy cargo haulage too,
06:48the rally modem is an all-new urban utility bike that ticks all of the boxes, combining features
06:55of the Motus and the Centros with a cargo-friendly frame.
06:59It has a 500Wh battery and a 100-mile range like the Motus, but it has the superior Boschline
07:07performance mid-mounted motor of the Centros, so that when it's in beast of burden mode,
07:12it can power any payload. Small 20-inch wheels leave plenty of space to load up the modem,
07:20while keeping the centre of gravity as low as possible. The other benefit of small wheels
07:25is that they're super strong, especially when they're shod with super-wide 60mm Schwab pickup cargo tyres.
07:33It can go, but it can also stop. The modem is specced with Shimano MT200 mountain bike hydraulic
07:40disc brakes with a big 180mm rotor at the front and a 160mm rotor at the rear.
07:48As for gearing, to keep things simple, there's a bomb-proof Shimano Nexus 5-speed hub and a 38-tooth
07:55chainring. Nicely judged gears that will work well with the Bosch motor for a good range of speeds,
08:01keeping the cadence even. The 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, with the adjustability
08:14taken up by the dropper seat post and the adjustable stem. It comes with SKS mudguards,
08:20lights, front and rear, and a modular carrier that makes it simple to add extra haulage capacity if you
08:27need it. And 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, and Raleigh's e-bike range
08:48doesn't even stop there either. Looking for a long-tail e-cargo bike or something else we just
08:54haven't covered? Go 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? If you enjoyed the
09:06video, then please do drop it a like, subscribe to the channel for more content, and I will see you again