BY BARRY LYSTER
Raleigh Transit Urban Raleigh Transit Urban is a Performance eBike Ready for Any Commute or Adventure We were excited to test the Transit Urban e-bike, as Raleigh has been associated with cycling since the late 1800s and is a household name. Described as a “performance-oriented city bike” the Transit is a great example of how the trickledown effect is greatly enhancing entry-level and mid-range e-bikes, making quality products more accessible to a larger part of the population while helping to reduce our dependencies on fossil fuels. First off, the Raleigh Transit Urban presents itself as a clean, traditional-looking e-bike, with the looks of something you might expect to pay much more money for. The 6061 aluminum frame conceals the battery neatly in the downtube, while the steel blue colour gives it an attractive, finished appearance. The rear-hub motor is almost unnoticeable, as it is concealed behind the large 34T Shimano MegaRange cog and disc rotor. The mountain-bike-inspired 27.5” x 2.4” puncture-resistant tires add to the overall appeal — something like fat bike meets vintage mountain bike. More kudos were in order when loading it into my vehicle for
transport, as the 23kg weight didn’t break my back. The Transit is equipped with a microSHIFT 7-speed shifter and rear derailleur to help dial in the perfect cadence for a variety of terrain. The Jak-8 cable disc brakes also lived up to their task to manage speed and delivered stopping power on demand for confident riding. Powered by a Shengyi 250-watt, 36-volt rear hub drive motor, the 10.5Ah frame-integrated battery is neatly concealed in the downtube. The built-in cadence sensor activates the motor when pedalling, while a bar-mounted controller manages the five levels of assistance, with an LCD display that indicates speed, distance travelled and battery life. Out on the road, the Raleigh Transit Urban was immediately fun, predictable and reliable, exceeding my pre-ride expectations. As with any new e-bike, it took a few minutes to become familiar with the controls, and activating the motor is a 2-step process of pushing a small button on the left side of the downtube, and then holding the power button on the LCD controller for a couple of seconds. The initial slight “whirr” of the motor became unnoticeable when underway.
Raleigh’s Transit Urban e-bike is dialled for performance, commuting and adventure.
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