Hi all, I’m new to the forum and to the electric bike market. I’ve decided to go for Raleigh Array E Motion Crossbar 2020 or Carrera Crossfire. As for Carrera I’ve found a lot of reviews online but can’t find any for Raleigh 2020. Can anyone help me with the choice? Thanks

Personally I would not touch the Crossfire with a barge pole, I would be more inclined at that price to go for a Wisper, Woosh or Juicy all well regarded on this site , but each to their own.

So is Raleigh not a good choice either? My budget is up to £1500 and Raleigh fits nicely in it.

The current crossfire is better than the previous model. It now has a complete Suntour powertrain with no mixing and matching of components and appears more reliable. Battery capacity is decent too. Whether its a nice bike to ride dynamically is another matter. Not my cup of tea to ride, but that is much a taste thing as anything else.

 

Carrera ebikes have a bad rep on these pages, some of it perhaps deserved, much of it definitely not. However, Halfords modestly claim they have sold more Carrera ebikes in the UK than every other brand combined. Nevetheless, if you go back through the pages of this forum looking and threads from people that are having problems the majority will be from other makes, despite these other makes being far, far less common, which is rather counter to the supposed wisdom that some commentators trot out. Go back through these pages and see that for yourself, rahter than listen to mere opinion.

 

Leaving aside it doesn't suit my riding style, I would have no qualms with the Crossfire. I recently apent some time with the 2020 Subway Electric and thoroughly enjoyed it so is worthy of consideration, although that has a lesser battery capacity so assisted range will be less in comparison.

 

Alas, I have no experience of the Raleigh so can not advise.

Thx, I know a lot about Crossfire from the reviews, any thoughts about Raleigh E Motion 2020?

Following your advice I’ve checked the Juicy Bike Montana for £1500, looks nice. My only concern is the torque which is 45nm. My weight is around 90kg, would it be enough?

I would strongly advise you to consider a lot more options as has already been suggested. I test rode at least 30 bikes before making my final decision. Until you ride the various bikes and motor systems you won't know what YOU like.

There is some fantastic advise from incredibly knowledgeable people on the forum but you will also find opinions based on nothing more than personal prejudice.

Read reviews but remember only 10% of happy purchasers will bother to write a review while at least 75% of unhappy purchasers will write one.

Good luck deciding.

Following your advice I’ve checked the Juicy Bike Montana for £1500, looks nice. My only concern is the torque which is 45nm. My weight is around 90kg, would it be enough?

I’m just over 14 stone at the moment thanks to lockdown! my hub motor is rated 42nm and it carries me up hills with no problems at all! Overall for £999 my bike is excellent value and even though I’ve been having “grass is greener” vibes looking at some of the bikes mentioned on this forum, I’m glad I chose it.

The new Whisper Wayfarer with a 450Wh battery and rear hub motor is £1,599 new. I have bought the 700Wh battery version and it's an excellent ride, plenty of power, good brakes, nice colours, nice ergonomics etc.

Thanks guys for your help.

So, the more I read the more lost I feel... Buying a car was easier... I’ve decided to go for Raleigh Array 2020 from Evans Cycles. Raleigh is a well known company so hopefuly I won’t regret it. Anyway, I can always return it if I don’t like it

Thanks guys for your help.

So, the more I read the more lost I feel... Buying a car was easier... I’ve decided to go for Raleigh Array 2020 from Evans Cycles. Raleigh is a well known company so hopefuly I won’t regret it. Anyway, I can always return it if I don’t like it

Good choice my friend, I have fun pedelecing!

Good choice my friend, I have fun pedelecing!

I wouldn't buy either. £130 for a Raleigh charger when it goes wrong compared with £10 for a typical Chinese bike.

I had an Array and it was great - except for a problem that they have now fixed - but it was massively better than my previous ebike, which I had had for 10 years.

I wouldn't buy either. £130 for a Raleigh charger when it goes wrong compared with £10 for a typical Chinese bike.

£130 is scandalous!

Thanks guys for your help.

So, the more I read the more lost I feel... Buying a car was easier... I’ve decided to go for Raleigh Array 2020 from Evans Cycles. Raleigh is a well known company so hopefuly I won’t regret it. Anyway, I can always return it if I don’t like it

Actually, you might want to read this first

 

https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/charging-problem-raleigh-array-suntour-battery-and-motor.35743/

I’ve heard this has been fixed in 2020 model.

I’ve heard this has been fixed in 2020 model.

 

Yes there was fix design change, go out enjoy your bike.

Yes there was fix design change, go out enjoy your bike.

And that’s exactly what I’m going to do I’ll let you know my first impressions after I got it.

I have a few classic Raleigh bikes but nowadays its a brand of Accell of the Netherlands and they slap the brand on some pretty cheap imports and charge a lot for them. It's not so much they are bad bikes they get the job done but you are paying a premium for a recognised brand. The factories they use are fairly low end, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand etc. The sort of factories that many budget brands use like Apollo at Halfords or many models at Argos. Obviously it depends on actual model but I don't think it would be unfair to say you can pay a 30-50% premium to get the Raleigh brand on a bike. The example of the charger cost shows the opportunist approach to pricing, what the market will bear rather than what price would be fair.

 

It goes without saying that there is little connection with the UK for that brand nowadays, the company is dutch owned, the bikes are all made in the far east and they aren't really even designed in the UK you often see the same bikes under multiple brands probably fully designed by the actual manufacturer with Raleigh just choosing the components and frame colours.

 

There are many UK importers who provide better value and customer service so if you are going with Raleigh because of its past UK connections I would say its the wrong choice. Still love the classic Raleigh bikes though. It's like when you see a Blaupunkt radio in Sainsburys, once a German brand of fantastic quality and now just low end Shenzhen electronics with a badge slap. Still does the job though admittedly.

I have a few classic Raleigh bikes but nowadays its a brand of Accell of the Netherlands and they slap the brand on some pretty cheap imports and charge a lot for them. It's not so much they are bad bikes they get the job done but you are paying a premium for a recognised brand. The factories they use are fairly low end, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand etc. The sort of factories that many budget brands use like Apollo at Halfords or many models at Argos. Obviously it depends on actual model but I don't think it would be unfair to say you can pay a 30-50% premium to get the Raleigh brand on a bike. The example of the charger cost shows the opportunist approach to pricing, what the market will bear rather than what price would be fair.

 

It goes without saying that there is little connection with the UK for that brand nowadays, the company is dutch owned, the bikes are all made in the far east and they aren't really even designed in the UK you often see the same bikes under multiple brands probably fully designed by the actual manufacturer with Raleigh just choosing the components and frame colours.

 

There are many UK importers who provide better value and customer service so if you are going with Raleigh because of its past UK connections I would say its the wrong choice. Still love the classic Raleigh bikes though. It's like when you see a Blaupunkt radio in Sainsburys, once a German brand of fantastic quality and now just low end Shenzhen electronics with a badge slap. Still does the job though admittedly.

I absolutely agree about the price for a charger being ridiculous but to suggest that Raleigh bikes are just cheap imported frames re-branded as Raleigh is equally ridiculous. Many of the cheap created brands are just as you describe but Accell don't play in that market. The issues with the Array were created by the Suntour battery & charger just as Kalkhoff got a bad name because of the Daum Impulse motor but it's the bike brand that people remember.

PS I own a Raleigh Pioneer but it dates from 1998 so by then it was part of the German group Derby Cycles.

I absolutely agree about the price for a charger being ridiculous but to suggest that Raleigh bikes are just cheap imported frames re-branded as Raleigh is equally ridiculous. Many of the cheap created brands are just as you describe but Accell don't play in that market. The issues with the Array were created by the Suntour battery & charger just as Kalkhoff got a bad name because of the Daum Impulse motor but it's the bike brand that people remember.

PS I own a Raleigh Pioneer but it dates from 1998 so by then it was part of the German group Derby Cycles.

 

It's not difficult to find evidence of Raleigh using low end factories in places like Bangladesh so I'm not sure what your reply is all about and why you defend Accell. Pretty sure they even supplied models to Walmart too which were pretty cheap and nasty. Accell give the impression of being higher status than they are. They buy in frames from companies like fuji-ta in China and assemble the bikes in Europe like Haibike but its important to understand that is final assembly not manufacturing the component parts. Even Bosch ebike motors come from China although admittedly they are fully designed by Bosch. You only have to look on the fuji-ta manufacturer's site to see ebike frames identical or near identical to Haibike models. Some higher end bikes especially ebikes get assembled in Europe but most lower end models are fully imported. This is pretty much the norm for most of the European and US brands that sell at mass market prices sadly. My point is that Raleigh gets the low end cheap factories where as other brands get higher end factories in Taiwan and mainland China, Raleigh as a brand is treated like garbage with zero respect for its heritage and customers are exploited with overpricing for fairly low end bikes in my opinion. I've seen Raleigh bikes in local bike shops with slightly rough welds visually and scuffs on the seat post as the internal seat tube has not been properly machined smooth, typical of such lower end factories in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka etc. I've not seen it myself but I've seen comments where frame alignment has been a little poor, nothing terrible but again signs of a lower end factory with quality a little below the average for the industry. It just feels exploitative to me.

 

http://www.meghnagroup.com.bd/bicycle-division/manufacture/transworld-bicycle-ind-ltd/

So, I’ve got my Raleigh Array What can I say, I’m very happy with it. Can’t compare it to any other E Bike because this is my first one, but it met my expectations. Smooth ride, enough torque to get me up the hills, motor is not loud and good battery life. Bike feels very sturdy and it’s a pleasure to ride it.

Furthermore I can confirm that they’ve fixed the battery charger connection issue as it comes with a cradle which connects to the battery with no problems at all. I think I can’t expect more for £1350 and I’m very happy with the purchase.

BTW, i bought it at Pure Electric in Liverpool, and I’d like to thank the staff as they were extremely friendly and helpful, THANK YOU GUYS

Here is a curved ball for you! Have a look at the range at Decathlon. I recently bought my first pedelec, the Rockrider E ST900. The spec is excellent for the money. It compares well against the well know brand models costing £1k more. The build quality is really good as well. Took it into the mountains last week and was grinning ear to ear with the joy of riding it.

So, I’ve got my Raleigh Array What can I say, I’m very happy with it. Can’t compare it to any other E Bike because this is my first one, but it met my expectations. Smooth ride, enough torque to get me up the hills, motor is not loud and good battery life. Bike feels very sturdy and it’s a pleasure to ride it.

Furthermore I can confirm that they’ve fixed the battery charger connection issue as it comes with a cradle which connects to the battery with no problems at all. I think I can’t expect more for £1350 and I’m very happy with the purchase.

BTW, i bought it at Pure Electric in Liverpool, and I’d like to thank the staff as they were extremely friendly and helpful, THANK YOU GUYS

Sorry just saw this post, it was over the page when I wrote mine about the Rockrider. Wishing you many happy adventures on the Array

So, I’ve got my Raleigh Array What can I say, I’m very happy with it. Can’t compare it to any other E Bike because this is my first one, but it met my expectations. Smooth ride, enough torque to get me up the hills, motor is not loud and good battery life. Bike feels very sturdy and it’s a pleasure to ride it.

Furthermore I can confirm that they’ve fixed the battery charger connection issue as it comes with a cradle which connects to the battery with no problems at all. I think I can’t expect more for £1350 and I’m very happy with the purchase.

BTW, i bought it at Pure Electric in Liverpool, and I’d like to thank the staff as they were extremely friendly and helpful, THANK YOU GUYS

 

In fairness that doesn't look a bad bike but on this forum many criticise the Suntour hub motor system, I personally don't I think its a great option because of its torque sensor. The Array annoyingly uses a 7 speed cassette rather than 8 or 9 speed which is more common for suntour based ebikes, this means a more limited range of cassettes are available but for a casual riding bike like this not an issue. I would say the Carrera Subway ebike at Halfords is a much better ebike for less but they are different designs. The Array is more closely related to the Carrera Crossfire although the Crossfire likely has frames and forks made in a higher quality factory. The Crossfire has better components, 9 speed, LCD display, slighter better battery and will be faster on the flats and uphill due to wider gearing. I'm not really a fan of either because I hate the Suntour forks on both models. The Subway is the faster more comfortable model as it has thicker profile tyres, its much lighter due to lack of front suspension and much stronger and safer but again more of a take anywhere versatile bike where as the Array is more a casual comfort bike like the Crossfire. The Array does have an angle adjustable stem, chain guard, mudguards, rear rack and integrated lights which adds value.

 

I also have to say the Array shares the same basic LED display as the Subway, you don't get the speed display and other options of the Crossfire but I think for long term durability that is the better option. I've seen so many LCD displays where water ingress has fogged up the display. Admittedly these were Viking and Argos type ebikes not Suntour based. Personally I'd rather buy my own cycle computer and if that fails its a quick and easy replacement.

 

I tried to see if I could find a better value ebike close to the Raleigh Array but very difficult at the moment with pandemic pricing. There are a few at Parkers of Bolton but the spec's are not directly comparable although similar.

 

https://www.parkersofbolton.co.uk/collections/electric-bikes/products/b-grade-lectro-townmaster-gents-36v-250w-aluminium-electric-bike-teal-large

 

Argos would be the typical place to compare but they only have 4 ebikes listed at the moment and none of this style and I've never seen a Suntour based ebike from them.