I don’t want to be that guy that leaves a negative review, but i think that if you are a larger rider considering one of these bikes you should read this before purchasing. I’m going to save you the hassle.
I hope someone reads this review from Quietkat and actually does something to change the way these problems are handled. Ive made calls and emails and no one responded. Too busy selling bikes. These are expensive bikes.
probably the most expensive ones on the market. Everyone’s experiences are different, some people may have had not had any issues, mine has been negative/expensive experience all around. I am an avid outdoor person.
I ride mountain bike trails in Indiana every day. They are bunny slopes in comparison to where these bikes are tested in Eagle Colorado. I am a larger rider at 6’8′ 320lbs. I decided that i wanted to add a e-bike to my garage to use on upcoming hunts out west going farther on my mountain biking adventures.
I researched each model made phone calls to the competitors of Quietkat. Rungu and Backou said none of the bikes would work for me and recommended i go to Quitkat due to my size. I called and told the Quietkat salesperson what i was looking for and my size and without hesitation he said Apex 10 is what i needed.
I ordered everything. Vehicle charger, bigger battery, bags, trailer, mounts everything. (Still haven’t gotten all of my order and i purchased in April 2022 and it is now middle of September still no response).
I ordered the Apex 10. Felt like i get a great deal they give me a discount. I get the bike home the next week. Arrives packaged perfectly no damage no issues. Super easy to put together. First ride I am impressed.
Front shocks are very smooth. Brakes work great. Climbs hills with ease. Seat completely fails. No worries most riders are more than 100lbs less than I am i expected to have to replace. I replace with upgraded seat, grips, and dropper post.
I ride it a couple times a week to figure out what it can and cant do. I’m interested in buying a second one because i absolutely love riding this thing. 50 miles into trail riding this bike the rear hub completely fail under normal riding conditions to boot.
I put a ticket in online. I call and they promptly set me up with a replacement wheel. Warranty people are very polite helpful on phone. Wheel arrives two weeks later to a local bike shop that is an approved Quietkat repair facility.
This is where it all goes downhill. The Wheel is completely wrong 2″ smaller than what i needed. I called Quietkat back said they would package up a new wheel and send me the correct one. Two days go by no update on shipment.
Two weeks later the bike shop gets the correct wheel. I ride the new wheel for two weeks, and the front fork begins to travel in the wrong directions completely failing internally, the front wheel hub begins popping.
Take to the bike shop again. I call quietkat yes we have had problems with several of these forks we will get you a new one. Nothing moves again. I call they say they will call me back, no return calls.
Warranty person i deal with goes on vacation. one week turns into two, two into three. I send emails to the sales person i bought bike through no response, warranty person i have been dealing with no response.
I had a warranty person mock me on phone completely unprofessional at week 2. At this point i am fed up that i spent 8k for a bike that i have had to completely rebuild and after 3 weeks they send me a fork for a different bike (not the same one that’s on it) and the correct wheel.
Fork Travel is different from the original bike. The response i got was we build 25 bikes per day and don’t have time to source parts. It wasn’t until i threatened to take them to small claims court for this lemon that i actually got a call back on the third week.
They overnighted that time. Again i get a different fork that what came with the bike but they get the front wheel right this time. There is a lot of good things about the bike, It has a sturdy frame, brakes work great, battery has great life, plenty of power from the mid drive motor.
Screen and controls work great. Internal wiring looks sturdy. Its all completely worthless if the drive train wont hold together. To me this should be the foundation of their bike as much as the frame.
None of the parts cross reference with anything in the bicycle industry for the wheels/fork so you cant repair these parts you have to order from quietkat. If you break this bike, you have to get parts in time for a trip, forget about taking that bike you wont get parts in time.
Parts takes week(s) if your lucky to get the right parts on time. My APEX 10 has spent all summer in the bike shop i have less than 150 miles of riding on it. Great investment to have to rebuild the entire drive-train.
Next problem im sure to have is the cassette or chain/ring so im sure ill have more BS to deal with im positive. To hopefully salvage this bike and actually be able to use it without falling apart every 5 min.
I made the decision to replace the factory wheels, hubs, and forks to versions that i can readily get parts for and service that are e bike rated and more robust for what i want to do with it. Just ride it.
I still don’t have it back. Sure it will void warranty. Their warranty is completely useless in my opinion because they cant send you the correct parts to fix your problem. Ive dealt with this all summer.
I don’t have any more energy to deal with Quietkat and this bike. Drag it out long enough like they do your warranty will expire before they get your problem fixed. Although their media, sales is top notch pictures are great.
All the pros on TV that has one say they are revolutionary technology. Quietkat service/warranty doesn’t know what parts go to what bike, and forget about getting anything quickly. I’m disappointed that i spent 8k on a bike that they said would hold up under my size and has completely failed.
Spend 8k on a bike an you get treated like you bought a huffy. Warranty/sales people tell you only what you want to hear. If you buy one based on my experience you can know what your getting. Buy a used one and take wheels fork, seat, bars off of it immediately because they aren’t gonna last you when you go out west.
Good luck to the next guy!.