Do you have a burning passion for the great outdoors? Are you looking for something that will get you over rough and treacherous terrain in style, comfort, and peace?
Well, I got some great news for you. The QuietKat Ranger ticks all the right boxes. It’s got a beast of a motor, ginormous tires, a cushy suspension, and a frame that can withstand a nuclear blast.
The catch? Ranger comes with a pretty spicy price tag. You can get a low-end ATV for the same money. But ATVs are noisy, a nightmare to transport, and guzzle gas.
On the other hand, this bike will let you enjoy nature without disturbing the wildlife.
But enough of my ramblings. Let’s go on a deep dive into this e-bike!
Apex Sport and Ranger share virtually the same frame.
So, just like Apex Sport - Ranger is a hardtail bike. This is just a fancy way of saying this is a mountain bike without a rear suspension.
But just because there’s no rear suspension, that doesn’t mean your butt and lower back are going to suffer. Quite the contrary, the front suspension with 100 millimeters of travel and fat tires does an admirable job of keeping the ride as smooth as butter.
After all, adding a rear suspension would just add more failure points and unnecessary weight. The Ranger is heavy as it is - clocking in at 65 lbs.
At least all that heft is put to good use. This bike can carry up to 325 pounds, and the frame won’t budge, crack or buckle even if you drop it from a four-story building.
For added accessibility, Ranger features a slightly swept-back upper tube. So even if you’re in your full outdoor getup, you won’t have much trouble getting on or off the e-bike.
The only issue I have with the frame is that it doesn’t come with any mudguards. You have to buy those separately. I don’t know why they would do that. To spend more money? The bike is already expensive as it is.
Motor
Although Apex Sport and Ranger share the same frame, they certainly don’t share the same motors.
Don’t get me wrong; both bikes come with a pretty decked-out motor. In the case of the Ranger, it comes with a rear-hub motor that can churn out 1000 watts of continuous power.
It can produce an additional 500 watts if you run into particularly difficult terrain\, which you probably will.
But this is not where the good stuff ends. You see, this motor is unrestricted (at least that’s what Quite Cat claims on their store page). This means you can run it well over the 28 MPH limitation of Class 3 e-bikes.
With that said, you’ll probably get in trouble with the law if you actually enable this feature.
Still, in the worst-case scenario, you can register the Ranger as a class 3 e-bike and ride it at 28 MPH.
When it comes to controls, they’re as simple as they get. You have your standard control cluster on the left-hand side of the handlebars with buttons for turning the motor on/off and switching the level of pedal assist.
Now, since this is a rugged bike, it comes with one pretty cool feature. The motor is completely independent of the chain. So even if the chain brakes, you’ll still be able to roll back home on nothing but the thumb throttle conveniently located on the left-hand side of the handlebars.
Battery
Since Ranger comes with a beastly motor, it’s only natural it comes with just a beastly battery.
And this is exactly the case. This bike comes with a 12.8 Ah 48V battery that can produce 614 Wh of power.
This means you’ll get anywhere between 19 to 38 miles of range on a full charge.
While you might think the range is kind of crappy, you need to factor in that Ranger comes with a 1000W motor. It takes a lot of juice to power it and roll 200 lbs over all kinds of difficult terrain.
If 38 miles isn’t enough, you can always get a spare battery. If you drain a battery while riding, you can just plop the spare one, and Bob’s your uncle.
Speaking of replacing the battery - that’s as simple as apple pie. It’s integrated into the lower part of the downtube and secured with a lock. Taking the battery out is as easy as turning a key and sliding it out.
When it comes to charging, you can either charge the battery while it’s on the bike since there’s a charging port right next to it on the downtube or remove it and charge it somewhere more convenient.
Brakes
Ranger comes with high-end 2-piston hydraulic brakes with 160-mm rotors.
These are your standard high-performance mountain bike brakes. They’re incredibly responsive and come with an automatic-shutoff system that’ll turn off the motor the moment you press on the brake lever.
On top of all that, they’re pretty easy to maintain. Just clean the discs every once in a while and you’re golden.
Wheels And Tires
Just like Apex Sport, Ranger comes with ginormous and awesome Kenda Juggernaut tires.
The Juggernauts measure a whopping 26” x 4.5”, which means you’ll have no issues finding grip on even the muddiest, gravely-est terrain imaginable.
On top of that, they’re puncture resistant, so there’s no need to fret if you slide over sharp rocks.
Pros And Cons After Testing
The Ranger is, in essence, just a more budget version of Apex Sport.
Both bikes share the same frame. However, the Ranger is 5 lbs lighter and features a beefy rear-hub motor and not-so-high-end brakes.
Even with all these, let’s say, budgetary cuts, the Ranger is an excellent off-road bike. The front suspension and fat tires work beautifully together at absorbing most of the road shock, and you have more than enough power to climb up a greased-up pole.
On top of that, it can carry up to 325 pounds of cargo, including the rider. That's more than enough cargo capacity to take everything you need for a two-day adventure.
The only thing I don’t like about the Ranger is the mudguards. They’re just not wide enough to stop all the mud and dirt that gets kicked up by the ginormous tires. I learned this pretty quickly once I hit my local off-road trail. To make things even more absurd, the road wasn't even that muddy.
Advice To Consumers
If you don’t mind spending a couple of bucks extra on an off-road e-bike, I recommend you pick up a Ranger. The value you get is insane - superb suspension, a beefcake motor, super-grippy tires, and more than enough weight capacity for everything you want to take on your adventures.
Our Rating - 89/100
Durable, powerful, and comfy - Ranger is one of the best off-road bikes you can buy.
The caveat? It comes with a pretty spicy price tag.