Raleigh has revamped its entire Motus e-bike range for 2022, with new designs, improved range, and surprisingly modest price tags.
There are five bikes in the new lineup, all with prices towards the lower end of the scale for e-bikes, with a range of frame styles to suit different riders:
- Motus – £2,199 (about $3,000 / AU$4,100)
- Motus Tour Derailleur – £2,499 (about $3,400 / AU$4,700)
- Motus Tour Hub – £2,599 (about $3,500 / AU$4,900)
- Motus Grand Tour Derailleur – £2,699 (about $3,700 / AU$5,100)
- Motus Grand Tour Hub – £2,799 (about $3,800 / AU$5,300)
The bikes have a range of between 80 and 100 miles with pedal assistance, which is very impressive for the price. To put that into context, most similarly priced models in our roundup of the best electric bikes can only keep rolling for between 40 and 60 miles with the motor engaged and pedals turning.
Each model is equipped with a near-silent 400WH Bosch Active Line motor built into the downtube – a system also used by brands including Cannondale, Canyon, Kona, and Trek. The motor has has four power assistance modes that can be adjusted using a Purion on-board computer mounted on the handlebar within thumb’s reach. This also lets you check stats including your speed, battery life, and remaining range at a glance.
Quick and quiet
The Motus Tour and Grand Tour models are powered by a Bosch Powertube battery weighing a modest 2.9kg. This can be detached for easy charging, unlike the built-in batteries used in some lightweight e-bikes that mean the entire frame has to be plugged into an outlet.
To make life easy for commuters and general city riding, each bike also comes fitted with fenders, reflective tires, a kickstand, hydraulic brakes (essential for a bike with a powerful motor) and seven-speed gear system.
We’ll be testing one of the new Motus bikes very soon, and will bring you a full review once we’ve put it through its paces.
Opinion: analysis
Not only are there five different bikes in the new Motus lineup, they’re also available in a wide range of sizes. That’s great news for accessibility.
Until recently, many electric bikes (such as 2020’s Cowboy 3) were only available in a single frame style and size, typically optimized for a man of roughly average height. That severely limited accessibility to some of the people who stand to benefit most from battery assisted pedalling, including those with mobility issues who’d find a step-over frame hard to use.
It also ruled out most women – the average height for a man in the US is 5’9″, while the average woman is 5’3.5″, which makes a huge difference when it comes to bike frames. There’s no one size that fits all.
E-bike builders are starting to make progress on this front (the Cowboy 4 is available with either a step-over or step-through frame, as are many new fat tire e-bikes), but it’s refreshing to see that Raleigh has taken things even further. The refreshed Motus line is specifically designed with different ages and abilities in mind, with low-step, crossbar, and open frame models in sizes from 44cm to 50cm, so everyone can benefit from the convenience of power assistance.
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