Quietkat Ranger in the Snow
Hub Drive QuietKat Ranger is a viable Snow Bike!
I was hesitant regarding recommending the Quietkat Ranger for snow riding due to its hub drive propulsion. I was wrong!!!
I took the Ranger out today and it totally performed beyond my expectations! Yes, it went through the battery a little quicker than a mid drive, but for the price differential you could up the battery size to compensate and save big bucks over mid drive options.
I was concerned about its ability to hill climb with snow resistance. Snow Hill Riding assistance wasn’t an issue, the bike has torque! This bike climbed some significant hills and it kept pace with its more expensive mid drive brother the Apex in the snow.
If you are interested in purchasing an E fat tire mt. bike, the Ranger is an interesting value proposition with its performance when stacking up against its mid drive competitors! I would likely pick a Ranger over the European Bosch or other European market dominant Mid Drive options if presented a choice in the stable. The Ranger has a throttle and it delivers more torque to the surface in most terrain cases compared. The throttle adds extra control in sliding around corners when you put your foot down. A game changer compared to the market leaders in Bosch and other European market dominant non throttle drives.
The cool thing with a hub is there is 0 delay from the power to the surface. There is a extremely slight delay when chain or belt is in play with mid drives. This is a subtle difference and is not crucial in the decision tree. But, it was a nice to have in responsiveness when needed.
Over all the Ranger hits all the high points for snow riding! And if you need a longer ride, simply upgrade to a larger battery!