Raleigh Misceo iE Electric Bike Review Part 2: Ride & Range Test [VIDEO]

The Raleigh Misceo iE is one sporty and high-tech electric bike!

This is the first e-bike in the U.S. to feature the Shimano STePS mid drive system and it also includes the Shimano Di2 electronic shifting system for the Alfine 8 internally geared rear hub.

The Misceo iE has the efficient ride of a road bike with a stable feel thanks to the flat handlebars and wider tires.

At $3,199 it offers a lot; aluminum frame with carbon fork, Shimano STePS with electronic shifting, Shimano hydraulic disc brakes, and more.

In this second part of the full review you will get an idea of the ride characteristics, range test results, pros, cons, and overall thoughts on this electric bike.

Make sure you check out part 1 of this review with large pictures and specifications to get a detailed look at this e-bike.

What you can expect from the Raleigh Misceo iE:

To get acquainted with the Misceo iE, checkout this video:

Raleigh is one of the older bicycle brands in the world, dating back to 1885! For the U.S. market, the brand is owned by the Accell Group who also owns IZIP, Diamondback, Haibike, Lapierre and eFlow.

Riding the Raleigh Misceo iE:

If I had to condense the Misceo iE ride characteristics down to one word it would be “sporty”.

This bike has an efficient and nimble ride like a road bike but with the stability of a solid urban commuter. The electric assist make you feel like you’re in tip top shape while you stand out of the saddle swinging the bike side to side as you conquer a big hill.

Some of that sporty handling is derived from the fact that this e-bike weighs 42.3 pounds with great central weight distribution. That is light for a full sized e-bike.

The high performance riding position (lower stem) with flat handlebars and relatively wide tires provide a confident and stable ride feel.

The solid Shimano Di2 electronic shifting adds to the Misceo iE’s luxurious sporty style. By powering through the 8 speed drivetrain, the Misceo iE can quickly get up to 20 mph and it will climb almost any hill with it’s ability to leverage the pedal & motor power through the lower gears of the bike.

The aluminum frame has some stylish curves and it provides solid performance characteristics. When pedaling hard the frame transmits your pedal power (and motor power) with very little flex. Of course because the frame is so stout, you can also feel a lot of the roughness in the road.

Right now the Misceo iE is only available in the traditional triangle frame but rumor has it that a step thru frame option is in the works.

The carbon fiber fork is a nice perk that helps to keep the Misceo iE lightweight. Carbon forks also help with absorbing some of the road shock but you are still going to feel a majority of the road roughness.

The Shimano STePS 250 watt mid drive (500 watt peak power) pedal assist system (no throttle option) uses 3 sensors to determine the appropriate amount of assist: a torque sensor, cadence sensor, and wheel speed sensor. The combination of those sensors leads to a pedal assist that is very responsive. It will engage as soon as you put some power to the pedals and stop assisting as soon as you ease up.

There are 4 levels of pedal assist: Off, Eco, Normal, and High. In addition there is the Walk mode that can be enabled with the pedal assist control pad to help with walking the bike up stairs, etc. This will provide motor power up to ~2.5 mph.

The Shimano Di2 electronic shifting is very cool; with the push of a button you are in a new gear! And you can change multiple gears quickly by hitting the up or down buttons a few times.

The pedal assist is adjusted with the same type of control pad as the electronic shifting. In fact, with this Shimano system you can decide which control pad will adjust the pedal assist and shifting because you can simply switch the wires that connect to the display mount on the handlebars.

Since the entire pedal assist and drivetrain system is from Shimano they have added some cool features.  When shifting gears the pedal assist power will reduce to make shifting the gears smoother.  This is especially important for internally geared hubs because they generally don’t shift well under power.

Shifting to lower gears under power (climbing a hill) works fairly well in most gears but the transitions from 7 to 6 and 3 to 2 are not as smooth. There can be some hesitation and a clicking noise as the hub tries to shift down. The solution is to reduce your own pedal power so that the shift can happen easier. That is typical of a lot of internally geared hubs and sometimes it can be disruptive when climbing a hill.

One cool thing about internally geared hubs is that you don’t have to be pedaling to shift the gears. Shimano takes that a step further by automatically shifting to a lower gear when it senses you have come to a stop and this helps with accelerating from a stand still. There is a way to choose which gear the system will reset to in the display settings menu.

Internally geared hubs are also nice because there are not multiple cogs or derailleurs to deal with. And because this uses electronic shifting there are no cables to adjust. Theoretically the gear system should never need adjustment.

If the battery doesn’t have enough “juice” to provide pedal assist, the electronic shifting will still work. The bike will be in the “Off” mode which is no pedal assist and the electronic shifting and display will still function.

Speaking of the display it provides a lot of the typical info like the battery level, current speed, time, pedal assist level (walk, off, eco, nomal, high), trip distance, odometer, average speed, max speed, and the estimated range!

Based on the current battery level and the pedal assist level, the display will estimate how much range you have left. And this will fluctuate based on how many hills (or lack of hills) you have been climbing.

For instance, when I started the full range test (results below) for the Misceo iE the estimated range for a completely full battery and the high pedal assist setting was 42 miles. As I got into the range test with some hills the estimated range recalculated to indicate less range. At the end of the test the bike had traveled 30.6 miles and climbed ~2,600 ft. which is very good for a 418 watt hour (36V 11.6ah) lithium battery. The initial estimate of 42 miles was most likely based on flat terrain.

During the whole test the estimated range was adjusting and it was able to provide a good estimate of how many miles of assist were left. If you are descending for a significant portion of time the estimated range will recalculate and provide a number that is a bit high if you still have some hills left in your ride.

Charging the Shimano STePS battery pack takes about 4 hours if it is completely empty. The charger is about the size of a laptop charger and it plugs into any normal wall outlet. The battery pack must be unlocked and removed from the bike for charging. Unfortunately there isn’t a way to charge the battery on the bike.

Like most mid drive systems there is some noise from the Shimano STePS motor. It is not so noticeable when you are cruising along the flat roads but when you are climbing steep hills there is definitely some noise coming from the motor.

The Shimano hydraulic disc brakes do a good job of stopping the Misceo iE quickly. They have a very solid feel and they modulate well to allow you to apply a little or a lot of power. Since this is a full Shimano group, it is a little surprising that the brakes don’t have switches that will stop the assist if the brake levers are engaged.

The Kenda Kwik Bitumen 700 x 40mm (28″ x 1.6″) tires are a good fit for this urban commuter/recreational road e-bike. They have a nice rolling efficiency with enough width to have a stable feel. They also seem to be good at resisting punctures because I ride in areas with thorns, rocks, glass, etc. and I didn’t get a flat. Normally I installed Slime sealant in the tubes of the bikes that I test but I didn’t do that on the Misceo iE.

The Selle Royal gel saddle has a narrow performance style at the front with a wider profile at the back. It seemed comfortable to me during the whole range test.

Raleigh Misceo iE Range Test Results:

Here is the real world information on how the Raleigh Misceo iE electric bike performed on a riding circuit that includes hills, flats, traffic, wind (when available) etc.

While testing these bikes I like to put them through the toughest conditions to see where their bottom line is in regards to range and speed. I tested the Misceo iE in the High pedal assist level with relatively easy pedaling.

Range: As you can see from the GPS info that I recorded, the Misceo iE traveled 30.6 miles and did a total elevation gain/loss of around 2,600 ft. Considering that I weigh 190 lbs and I pedaled very lightly this is very good range for a 36 Volt 11.6 ah battery pack (418 Watt Hours) with a 250 watt motor.

Watt hours are the total energy in a battery pack and it is based on the volts x amp hours of a pack. This is a way to compare the size of the “gas tank” of electric bikes.

Please keep in mind that if you pedal more, weigh less than me, ride slower and/or you use the bike in terrain that is not as hilly you will get more range. These results are from tough testing.

Speed: The Misceo iE will assist up to 20 mph. Since the Misceo iE is a road style bike with good efficiency, pedaling above 20 mph is easier when compared to other types of e-bikes.

Weight: The Sport tips the scales at 42.3 lbs which is impressive for an electric bike!  Removing the battery brings it down to around 36 pounds which makes it easier to load onto a car rack.

The weight distribution of the Misceo iE is very good because both the motor and battery are relatively low and centered on the bike. This helps with the handling of the bike as well as with the ease of picking the bike up.

Pros:

Shimano STePS w/ Electronic Shifting: The complete Shimano STePS system with the Shimano Di2 electronic shifting is very cool. With it’s ability to reduce power when shifting and provide estimated range it is a very well integrated system that provides a clean look.

Lightweight & Sporty: If you like a performance ride style then you will really enjoy the lightweight Misceo iE. It feels quick and sporty with it’s low and centered weight distribution and road bike style.

Price: $3,199 is not inexpensive but you do get a lot of high tech features with the Misceo iE. And that is all backed up by the quality of the Raleigh brand and complete Shimano group.

Cons:

Charging on the bike: It would be nice to be able to charge the battery while it is installed on the bike.

Shifting down under power: Even though the system reduces power for shifts there are a few gear changes that still hesitate (7 to 6 and 3 to 2).

Noise: When climbing steep hills it would be nice to have a bit less noise from the motor.

Conclusion:

Overall the Misceo iE is a fun bike to zip around town or on country roads. It’s lightweight, efficient and stable ride with electric assist make you feel like you are in tip top shape.

The Shimano STePS system has a solid quality feel and the Di2 electronic shifting is very cool techy feature!

For $3,199 the Raleigh Misceo iE offers a lot of high tech features with an inspiring performance ride style.

Please keep in mind that this is a relatively short term test. This testing can’t really give you the long term review of durability and reliability. My thoughts on the quality of this bike are from previous experiences with similar bikes. If you own this bike and have some input on the long term durability, please share your comments with the Electric Bike Report community below.

Where to buy a Raleigh Misceo iE? Check with Raleighfor a dealer near you.

Do you have any questions about the Raleigh Misceo iE?  Do you own a Misceo iE?  Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Thanks!

-Pete

Review Note: Each company pays a fee for a review on Electric Bike Report because of the considerable amount of time that it takes to provide an in-depth review of each eBike. A lot of time is spent on the full range test with distance & elevation profile, the wide variety of detailed pictures, in-depth video, and the write up with the specifications, ride characteristics, pros, cons, and overall thoughts. The reviews on Electric Bike Report are focused on providing you with a detailed “virtual” look at each eBike to help you determine if it is the eBike for you or not.

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