There are many good reasons to buy a pedelec, and apparently mine are not quite mainstream: according to a recent survey by the Deloitte Institute, "sport and leisure trips" is the most common reason for buying an e-bike. However, I had completely different ulterior motives when I applied to be a long-term tester for the Kettler Quadriga Town & Country: I wanted to push the car a little further out of my everyday life, in which it had become very prevalent after starting a family. Even on short journeys with a small child, the car had become a matter of course despite my love of bikes: The combination of a fully loaded child trailer and a local mountain with a gradient of over 20 per cent is impossible for me to manage with normal muscle power.
A thick layer of dust has settled on my mountain bike - and despite the supposedly comfortable car, the stress of everyday life has increased. The car is impractical for the mostly short journeys. Finding a parking space and loading and unloading the pram and child often take longer than the journey itself. Anyone who has ever tried to stow the pram in the estate car as quickly as possible with a crying child on the back seat will easily understand my motives. A pedelec should bring the wind back into your hair and freedom into your everyday life.
Which pedelec is suitable as a towing vehicle for the child trailer?
The decisive factors in the choice of bike were quickly clear: it had to be suitable for towing a trailer and, because of the local mountain to be tackled every day, it also had to be heavily motorised. Everyday equipment with lights, pannier rack, kickstand and mudguards is also essential. In the end, I chose the Kettler Quadriga Town & Country, especially as it is obviously designed as a towing machine for child trailers with its integrated towbar.
The anticipation for the bike was huge, but the disappointment after the first test was almost as great: my bike failed downhill. Even after a long braking phase, Shimano's BR-MT-200 brakes developed too little braking power. The braking distance was so long for the combination of e-bike, rider, child trailer and child, even at low speeds, that I didn't dare descend our steep local mountain. So after 566 kilometres, I upgraded the Kettler with a much more powerful brake system. Magura's MT7 stopper with thick 200 mm brake discs almost managed to repair the damaged relationship between the Quadriga Town & Country and me - for me, a powerful brake is actually a standard feature of an everyday bike with a trailer option.
3 good reasons for the Kettler as a car replacement
Upgraded in this way, the functional relationship almost turned into a real love story. The good riding dynamics despite the trailer, the comfortable seating position and the fact that there was no need to look for a parking space were the pedelec's biggest trump cards in the duel with the car. The wide mountain bike tyres also ensured a safe riding experience on gravel paths or when riding over kerbs. Bosch's powerful performance drive purred powerfully forwards when setting off and took the teeth out of the local mountain.
However, minor incidents raised doubts as to whether standard bicycle parts can withstand the high loads on a pedelec. For example, the second largest sprocket of the cassette deformed under heavy pedalling, and the chain occasionally slipped over the chainring on the crank under high loads. It seemed to me that the normal Deore 10-speed drivetrain from Shimano was undersized for the strong chain pull of a pedelec, even though the wear measurement after 1,000 test kilometres did not reveal any excessive wear. In addition, the rattling of an ill-fitting plastic cover on the chainring - which can be remedied with household remedies - was annoying.
Apart from the underpowered braking system, the points of criticism are trifles when I weigh them up against the gain in quality of life: The pedelec has given me back the fun of everyday journeys - and created a new everyday problem: I have to carry three locks with me to park the stylish bike and trailer theft-proof ...
The results of the endurance test
Conclusion
The Kettler Quadriga Town & Country has fully convinced us in everyday use. The wide tyres and the powerful motor provide driving dynamics that can even inspire sporty riders. Instead of getting stress marks behind the wheel, there was plenty of wind blowing through my hair during the test phase. If you combine the pedelec with a trailer, a car becomes almost superfluous for daily short journeys. The Kettler has replaced the second car in our family and we can no longer imagine our everyday life without it. Only the weak braking system and the drivetrain consisting of chainring, chain and sprocket give cause for criticism.
