We've seen a lot of all-terrain cargo e-bikes this year, but the new Rattan Quercus is definitely one of the beefiest. This fat-tire bike is a long-range e-bike capable of holding two batteries for a maximum range of 150 miles on a single charge, and with a load capacity of 450lb including the rider. That's a whole lot of bikepacking gear for weekend adventures.
Rattan is a California-based company, and describes the Quercus as the "Swiss Army Knife of e-bikes". It comes with one Samsung battery as standard, but can be bundled with a second and both can be mounted on the frame at once for maximum range.
As always with an e-bike, the real-world performance will depend how you ride the Quercus. loading it up with a couple hundred pounds of camping gear will naturally mean reduced mileage, as will tackling hills or making use of the throttle rather than pedalling (the bike has a top speed of 30mph in throttle mode).
The bike is equipped with high-intensity headlights, and an LCD handlebar control unit that allows you to charge your phone while using it to navigate. Hydraulic disc brakes provide the stopping power you need when carrying heavy loads, and Kenda 20*4 fat tires provide traction and control on loose surfaces like gravel and sand.
The Quercus also has a torque sensor, which detects the moment you start to turn the pedals, avoiding the sudden lurch that can happen with some e-bikes when the motor kicks in late.
Perhaps most surprising of all is the price. The Quercus is on sale now for the early bird price of $1,749 with a single battery and frame pack (a discount of $349), or $2,399 with two batteries. That's certainly not cheap, but is still very respectable considering the specs.
