Raleigh Motus Tour
£2,599 Easy riding and fully kitted for less
Weight 28kg Frame Aluminium Fork RST Volant 50mm travel Gears Shimano Nexus 7 speed hub gear Brakes Tektro hydraulic Wheels 700c double wall alloy rims on 36H quickrelease front hub, Shimano Nexus rear hub Ebike system Bosch Active line motor and Powertube 40Wh battery Finishing kit Alloy handlebar and adjustable stem; Selle Royal Wave saddle, Abus Frame lock, full mudguards, Motis MIK rear rack, Spanninga Aerflow 2 rear light, kickstand, Herrmans MR.GO front light I’VE ALWAYS LIKED RALEIGH’S
Motus range, with its combination of reliable Bosch motor and battery plus quality frame and plenty of accessories, all at a great price. For 2022, it’s even better. Out goes the skinny-tubed alloy frame with external battery and in comes a new oversized aluminium frame with an internal battery and two new frame shapes: choose from a crossbar or this low-step model that makes it easy to get on and off the bike.
The frame is very neatly finished, and the matt-copper colourway adds a bit of class. Up front, a short-travel 50mm suspension fork does a decent job of soaking up the bumps and at the back, a simple suspension seatpost and shapely Selle Royal Wave saddle provide a comfortable place to sit too.
The power comes from a quiet, centrally mounted 250w Bosch Active line motor that’s 25% smaller than before (and weighs just 2.9kg). This is powered by an integrated, lockable yet removable Bosch Powerpack 400Wh battery that takes six hours to fully charge. The Bosch powerpack is guaranteed for two years (or 500 charge cycles) and the battery can be recycled and replaced for around £500.
The Active Line motor is Bosch’s most basic unit, and it delivers 40nm of torque. While not as powerful as some, it provides smooth assistance. It’s best suited for urban use and will get up most hills with ample power, but you’ll have to pedal away too if you want to go up steep hills fast.
The system is controlled via Bosch’s large LCD Intuvia display. There’s an easy-toread screen and buttons to scroll through the information, reset the trip distance, turn the system on and off and operate the integrated lights.
Commuter compatible
To move between the levels of assistance from off, through Eco (40w assistance/ 30nm torque), Tour (100w/35nm), Sport (170w/38nm), and Turbo (250w/40nm), you use the remote control on the bars by your left thumb.
It’s a very simple system and the range display calculates fairly accurately. Raleigh claims a range of up to 99 miles for the bike, but I think you’d only manage that on the flat in Eco mode. In my hillier locale, I clocked up a still-impressive range of 56.75miles/92km with 2,150ft/655.3m of ascent. That should be more than enough for a daily commute, and 50+ miles is certainly ample distance for family weekend rides for instance.
The bike rides smoothly and the upright riding position and wide bar with its swept-back shape and swift, balanced steering works well for all types of riding. There are several frame sizes from 41cm to 56cm and you can tip the adjustable stem forwards to create a bit more room or a lower bar. For a shorter, taller front end, adjust the stem back and up.
The large 700c wheels wrapped in 47mm-wide Mitas tyres get the Motus up to speed quickly and the tyres’ light tread offers more grip than slick tyres. There’s also a reflective pinstripe on the tyres’ sidewall. The Tektro hydraulic brakes do their job well, but the feel at the lever is a little squishy compared to Shimano and Sram’s offerings.
Shimano provides the hassle-free, Nexus seven-speed hub gears (hub gears allow you to change gear while standing still and should need less maintenance than the more standard derailleur versions as they’re enclosed in a protective casing). The gear range suits the Motus, with the top end providing a big enough gear to breeze past the motor’s 15.5mph limit. At the other end, a super-light first gear will make short work of most gradients, especially when you factor in the power assistance.
Ramping up the gears, it’s quick to engage so you can zip from first through to seventh with smooth cadence and motor power. Coming back the other way, however, the hub is often hesitant to move. It’s best to stop pedalling for a moment or quickly back pedal for the gear to engage. This means that if you’re in the wrong gear at the start of a steeper incline, you’ll have stuttering progress as you try to find the right gear to match the power and gradient.
The Motus is well equipped, with a rear rack that’s MIK compatible. MIK is the latest quick-fit and release, click-in system and is used by a wide range of luggage brands. The full-length mudguards do their job well and you’ll also get a framemounted lock from Abus, a Spanninga rear light, a kickstand and a Herrmans front light.
Overall, the Motus is a great bike at a very competitive price. It has no pretentions to be sporty, but is just a very nice bicycle that works well as a daily commuter, grocery workhorse and weekend leisure ride.
Verdict
A dependable, wellequipped commuter bike for urban riding