This review is for the 2016 Raleigh Sprite iE, click here for the latest version with a deeper, more updated look. The Raleigh Sprite iE is an approachable electric bike with a low-step frame that’s easy to mount and stand over. The seat goes way down (almost in line with the battery pack) and that’s perfect for petite riders. The frame is available in three sizes including an extra small 13” (I was on the medium 15” for this review) and the stem is adjustable for an even better fit. Rather than forcing you to push hard to activate the motor in pedal assist mode, this electric bicycle relies more on cadence so you just pedal along gently and it jumps into action! With four levels of assist to choose from and an optional boost button for $50 it performs well in a wide range of use cases. I like the integrated rack, the slide-out battery can be difficult to get out but it’s nice that it will charge on or off the bike. Note that as with other mid-drive e-bikes you have to change gears to achieve higher speeds (or better climbing/hauling performance) and the TranzX motor does not offer shift detection. For this reason I usually arrow down to a lower level of assist to switch gears or at least wait until I’m on a flat section so the chain, sprockets and derailleur don’t take a beating. The display panel is fixed but offers backlighting for use at night and there are 6 volt wires at the front and rear of the bike to add lights if you wish (or have your shop help you out) and there are mounting points on the front fork to add a fender while the rear rack should keep your back dry.
Pros:
- One of the smallest and easiest to mount electric bikes I’ve tested, the single-tube low-step frame offers a 16.5″ stand over height and the seat can go down to ~28″ off ground level
- The rear rack is setup with a “cage” that protects the battery but can also work with a trunk bag or side mounted panniers, it uses standard gauge tubing that should be compatible with the widest range of accessories including clip-on panniers
- I love that you can purchase the “boost button” and turn this into a Class 2 electric bike for $50 and that it’s pre-wired with 6 volt leads for adding lights
- The rear rack functions as a fender to keep your back dry and there are mounting points on the front fork for adding a 26″ fender
- The tire tubes come with Slime inside designed to plug holes and stop leaks, you could bring along a mini-pump in a bag or mount one like this to the bottle cage bosses along the downtube
- Available in three frame sizes including the extra small 13″ which would be perfect for petite riders, it’s nice that it also goes large for taller people who just want to save money and prefer step-thru
- The drive unit relies mostly on cadence sensing so you don’t have to push especially hard in order to make the motor go, this is good for people with sensitive knees or when riding with a heavier load but may drain the battery a bit faster than torque sensing
- Extra attention to detail with the plastic sticker slap guard on the right chain stay, the aluminum chain guide to keep the chain on track and black painted spokes that match the tires and black highlights of the frame, I also like that most of the wires and cables are internally routed through the frame so it looks nicer
- The electronic systems all “talk to each other” using CAN bus (Controller Area Network) which makes diagnosing issues and updating firmware much easier for shops, that’s a unique feature for a more affordable ebike like the Sprite iE
- Nice step-thru frame that’s easy to mount, comfortable ergonomic grips, adjustable angle stem and “gull wing” style handle bars that don’t make you bend forward as much when riding
Cons:
- The battery pack has to be switched on before the display panel can be activated, it’s an extra step that takes time and can be easy to forget… also, the button pad on/off has to be held for three or four seconds and once the display begins booting up there’s an eight second countdown to wait through
- There is a “zero” assist level that completely shuts off the motor but leaves the display active like a cycle computer (or to power integrated lights) but it’s kind of hidden, once the display is on and you’re in assist level 1 just hold the power button on the button pad for a couple of seconds and it will go to zero, another tip is to hold the plus button for a few seconds to activate the lights and display backlighting and to hold the box icon to switch from mph to km/h
- The display backlighting only has two options (on or auto) so you can’t switch it off completely if you want to ride without light which could be annoying for some people
- Because the Sprite iE uses a single-tube frame and the battery is mounted on a rear rack, there is some frame flex (especially if you stand up and pedal hard)
- Without a suspension fork the bike can feel a little stiff and jarring at higher speed, the tires are medium in size which adds some bounce and comfort and the saddle is oversized but you might consider getting a suspension seat post to reduce bumps while riding (you’ll need a 27.2 mm to 29.8 mm seat post shim like this in order to make it work)
Resources:
- Official Site: https://www.raleighusa.com/electric
- More Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/maBsohUxRwH7YogE9
Sofia says
I have this bike, I love it. The only thing is that you really need to know your gears to make the best use of the battery, excellent overall!
Court Rye says
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Sofia! glad you’re enjoying the Raleigh Sprite iE :D
Marc t says
Salut, can you explain me how to switch from miles to kilometers? Do you have a link that I can follow for the programming? Merci
Court says
Hi Marc! I don’t remember specifically, but looking at the picture of the display a couple of ideas come to mind. One is to hold the up and down arrows simultaneously for a few seconds to see if the settings menu launches. If that doesn’t work, try holding the options menu (the one that looks like sheets of pages below the down arrow) and see if it launches the menu. Finally, you could experiment with some combination of buttons such as up and options or down and options or options and power. Most ebikes have the following: hold the up arrow to activate lights, hold the down arrow to activate walk mode. Tap the options button or power button to cycle through menus. I hope this helps! Good luck, and please chime in if any of these things work, or you figure it out on your own :D salutation!
Ron says
Thanks for this excellent, comprehensive review, Court. It was instrumental in my purchasing a Raleigh Spite iE. I also took into account your reviews of the Raleigh Detour as well as those of the Trek Lift+ and the Pedego 24″ Interceptor. Took test rides on both the Sprite and the Pedego. The other two were not available in my (smaller) size locally.
The Sprite suited me perfectly from the git-go. I agree with your assessment wrt the saddle, seat-post and the pedals, all of which I’m replacing and that’s not a problem. But the overall ride experience is perfect for me. Great choice for my first e-bike.
My only regret at this point is that the Currie boost pad/button isn’t available where I live (western Canada). I’m trying one eastern Canadian bike shop but haven’t heard back from them yet as to whether they can even source one. A couple of US shops sell internationally but charge exorbitant shipping fees that inflate the price of that item by 200%! Anyway that’s my small rant.
Again, thanks for the review. This is really a superb source of good info on e-bikes.
Court Rye says
Hey Ron! So glad the reviews helped guide you and thanks for chiming in. Sorry the boost button has been difficult to locate in Canada, I hope you’re able to find a US shop willing to send one up (or take a road trip down here soon). Feel free to post updates of the bike as you get to use it more often :D
Michael says
Wow, talk about a thorough review. That was one excellent video review of the Sprite ie with a beautiful backdrop. It’s funny, I havnt rode in over 20 years, since I was a kid, but I recently am looking to possibly buy a bike again. I could not believe how little the designs changed. Then, I looked into electric bikes and finally, bikes with style, and then some. I asked Mr. Google about electric bikes and he yielded me results such as the audi bike, Ford bike, the scoot e bike – which people are saying is going to be HUGE later in 2016. There saying its the next hooverboard craze which was temporary popular this past year but for several reasons faded . . . Anyway, thanks again for the review.
Court Rye says
Sure thing, I hope the Scoot E is made better than Hoverboards and doesn’t cause more fire concerns… This Raleigh is made by Currie Technologies which also makes IZIP and has been in the space for over a decade. They do a good job, I’m glad you enjoyed the review :)
M.P. says
The izip e3 sumo is another really nice electric bike, has big tires too, but it’s pricey. New ones are around $3k.
Court Rye says
Yeah, some of these ebikes can get pretty pricey… You get a warranty and higher quality components, batteries, display etc. so it can be worth it, especially if you’ve got a dealer nearby :)
RUrschel says
I’m confused by your statement that the top speed with assist 1 is around 11 miles per hour. Isn’t the top speed how fast you can peddle in top gear with assist cutting out at 20 mph?
Court Rye says
Technically yes, that’s the definition. I was generalizing about how it felt to me, like I noticed a big drop off in support from the motor in Level 1 around the 11 mph mark. I like that there’s a difference in power and speed with each level in some cases because it enables more cautious riding in crowded environments. That’s not always the case… Hope this helps to clarify :)
RUrschel says
Yes, that does help, thanks. I just got back from test driving and buying it. I’m 6’1″ and fit with full leg extension on the medium frame. Accell Corp. is underselling the Vibe/Sprite. I’m 70 with a bad leg and did 15 mph with no assist. Assist level 4 in 7th gear is as quick from a start as many a motorbike I rode back in the 50’s and 60’s. This is similar to dangling your feet in the air and making pedaling motions. I’ll be riding hills when I get the bike delivered. I believe there is a huge untapped market of baby boomers for ebikes.
Mike says
Hi there. Love your reviews. Helped me in making informed decisions about selecting a bike. I have the two mounting points on the right down tube like you pointed out on my SRSunTour suspension fork. They are for a hub dynamo light cable.
Court Rye says
Oh cool! Thanks for this info Mike, dynamo lights are very cool (and popular in Europe). I hope you enjoy whichever bike you choose :D
Mike D says
Raleigh now offers the Trike version of this bike. Planning to review that anytime soon?
Court Rye says
Hey Mike! I think I saw one in person earlier this year but it wasn’t a final version (and I think I saw it again at Interbike). Yeah, I’m super excited about the trike and want to review it. There’s a long list of bikes to check out, thanks for expressing your interest in that one :D
Ashley says
Hi Court! Love the reviews! I’m between this bike (Raleigh Sprite), the Raleigh Misceo, iZip Metro and Izip path and I live in downtown Philadelphia with around a 4 mile commute every day. Pretty flat city here, but curious what if/any you reccommend. I like them all!
Court Rye says
Hi Ashley! Great group of ebikes you’ve selected here. Did you know that Raleigh and IZIP are owned by the same parent company! You should get good support for whichever bike you choose. Depending on your leg length, the Sprite iE could be an excellent choice because it’s a step-thru whereas the Misceo is a bit stiffer and sportier bit higher and the Metro is sort of a mid-step but has the cool rear rack and basket up front. The Path is an in-between of the Misceo and Metro because it has the rack but is more sporty… but not quite as sporty as the Misceo. Your height, weight and perhaps budget all come into question and could influence your choice in this matter. Now that we’ve arrived at the end part of 2016 many shops have sales going on in preparation for 2017. You could get any one of these bikes for a deal and be very happy with it but I’d need to know more about your intended use and body type to provide more insight. I hope this quick comment helps :D
Barbara says
I just went to the Raleigh site and don’t even see ebike or electric when I search. Does anyone have a link to their ebike line? Thanks1
Court Rye says
Great question Barbara, try this link. I will update the Resources section in the review above, their website was down when I published this :)
Ron says
I recently tried out this bike and noticed that, for 2017, the computer has been integrated with the leftt-hand control and is much simpler. Could you share your feelings about that?
Thanks
Court Rye says
Hi Ron, yeah! I’m actually planning to review the 2017 model soon and you’re correct. The new mini-display is actually pretty good. It shows your speed, estimated range (if you tap the power button once in any of the assist levels), your assist level number and battery level. The downside is that you don’t get trip distance, odometer, max speed and the numbers are smaller and trickier to read. I personally love how it blends in and feel that the integrated Mini-USB port is a cool upgrade. But the battery lights red, yellow, green vs. an info-graphic is a slight downgrade. I hope this helps you!
Ron says
Court,
Thanks for getting back to me. I have a couple follow-up questions.
The combination of the mid-drive motor and throttle option makes the Sprite iE an attractive choice, but I’d rather have an internal-gear hub. Is it possible to install this on the bike? Does it make sense?
Court Rye says
Hi Ron, if you’re going to install a hub motor then it might make sense to do it on a non-electric bike or to buy a purpose built hub motor powered bike which would have all of the wires organized and hidden. Some hobbyists have made dual-motor ebikes but the weight and wires often make them impractical for normal everyday rides. They often use the all-wheel-drive setup for snow or sand :)
Ron says
Hi Court, I think I miscommunicated in my previous question. What I want to know is, would it be feasible and practical to replace the Shimano Altus gear set on this bike with an internally geared hub?
Court Rye says
Hi Ron, this is a tricky situation. You’d either have to buy the internally geared hub, like a Shimano Nexus Inter 8, NuVinci, SRAM Alfine etc. and then spoke it into your existing wheel with shorter spokes… or you’d have to buy a premade wheel with the hub already installed (probably easier and cheaper). From here, I think it would be manageable to just put the chain onto the rear sprocket and keep your front sprocket as normal since the Sprite iE is a one-by drivetrain (with a single sprocket chainring). Unfortunately, I’m just not that experienced with this sort of thing and feel a little intimidated about whether the chain would line up properly if you could actually buy an internally geared hub and have it spoked by someone etc. it would be good to find a shop who does this to check pricing and if it’s even possible.