Raleigh Motus v Felix

[Deeky]

What’s the main differences? I understand the Felix is exclusive to Halfords. Both are similarly priced.
I’m considering one of them. Good choice? Both mid crank Bosch motors.
Any help or advice would be welcome

 

[ChuckingFeet]

Have had my Raleigh Motus Grand Tour for 11 months , over 2500 miles . Its been terrific , nothing has broken despite my less than perfect maintenance schedule , its used daily for commuting , currently 35-40 km , in all weathers , and for lots of fun rides .Its the 2019 model , 10 Deore gears ( which is overkill for an e-bike IMHO , I've never used the lowest 4 ) and 400 wh battery . This is good for well over 50 fairly hilly miles , I live in Derbyshire and tend to use the Tour setting with higher power for steep bits . On flat ground, using Eco setting its perfectly possible to pedal over the power limit , but I tend to sit at 25 kmph , and that would give a range of at least 80 miles .
The Active Line Plus motor is a gem, totally silent to my ears , makes you feel you have borrowed the legs of Bradley Wiggins .Gets you to the power cut off in 2-3 turns of the crank . Its obviously not up there with the emtb- orientated Performance line motors but is perfectly adequate for any road use and "soft-roading " on tow paths , gravel tracks etc , tyres are no use in mud though .
Brakes were a revelation to me once they had bedded in . Rear rack is excellent, good and strong . Front light is okay , rear light which is built into the rack is not up to the mark for unlit roads , I just got a good USB one to supplement .
Maintenance wise, about to replace the brake pads , put some Marathon pluses on and a new chain , the sprockets are all fine . If you ride sensibly on the road you are unlikely to break a chain IMHO , it will let you know by skipping etc when its had it , obviously the shock- loading of heavy off-road use is a different matter .
As to the differences between the Motus and Felix , its basically badge engineering, slightly different components as far as I'm aware .If you buy from Halfords , you might experience less than perfect customer service ,I certainly have in the past .
All in all , the Motus is a great bike , but the standard across the market is rising and certainly the likes of Whoosh,Whisper , Juicy , Oxygen , Volt and others all have some excellent looking bikes .

 

[GSV3MiaC]

Unless you have an unusually good local branch, Halfords are probably best avoided. They are not a bike shop, although they certainly sell them.. But then so do Argos.

 

[Kilrymont]

I can underline the above note re Halfords. Their £400 discount off a Felix+ tempted my to buy there rather than from a Raleigh agent half the distance away, Big, big mistake. Halfords don't answer the phone, almost without fail. On the odd occasion they do, despite using the bike service number you get ANYONE answering, on one occasion the store manager. Promises to call back are never, ever kept. My bike has had recurring brake problems and yesterday its chain snapped under the mildest of loads. Fortunately, this happened only a minute or two after leaving the house, and on the level. But it might have stranded me many miles from home. In thousands of biking miles over the decades I've never once had a chain break on me. Till now.
I would strenuously advise anyone reading this to consider very, very carefully indeed before buying an ebike from Halfords. And if you're keen on a Motus type bike, then despite pretty much ANY price difference, buy via a Raleigh agent who is a proper bike shop. That way you might find yourself actually getting the assistance you need when something goes awry.