QuietKat Apex Pro Review 2024

As an all-terrain e-bike, the QuietKat Apex Pro is meant to go most anywhere. For hunters looking to reach places where they find game, the Apex Pro offers a couple of distinct advantages over bigger vehicles like quads. It can traverse narrow trails and it is far quieter than anything with an internal combustion engine, plus it doesn’t leave a smelly trail of exhaust in its wake.

That said, a rider needs to watch the battery indicator closely as they manage their riding. Our team performed two different range tests, one in Eco to see its maximum range, and a second in Boost to see just how much more spirited riding would curtail its range.

In Boost mode we managed to go 25.26 mi. before draining the battery. Bear in mind that on more challenging the terrain that figure could drop further. In Eco mode we saw the range grow to 32.34 mi. My take is that it delivered an impressive range for an e-bike in Boost mode, but there’s room for tons of improvement in Eco mode. When I consider just how powerful Eco mode was, speed-wise, I’m not surprised that the range was so modest. The e-bikes that impress us as long-range champs do so, in part, because their lowest PAS level sees us roll along at speeds closer to 13 mph than 19 mph.

Another point to consider with regard to the QuietKat Apex Pro’s range is that with a 1000W motor, we would want to see a battery of roughly 1000Wh to achieve that rule of thumb of a 1:1 motor wattage to battery capacity ratio. The QuietKat Apex Pro ships with an 828Wh battery.

This is a reasonably heavy e-bike thanks to the 1000W, heavy-duty frame, 828Wh battery and ginormous tires. We know those are factors that will pull down an e-bike’s range. Our guess prior to our range test was that the max test (Boost mode) would take a little less than an hour to conduct, maybe 50 minutes or so. We rode for more than 90 minutes, which gave us a pleasant surprise.

It wouldn’t be fair to compare this e-bike to all-terrain models equipped with a 750W motor when considering its performance in Eco mode, but when we compare it to other all-terrain models equipped with 1000W motors, our data tells us that we usually see an additional 19 mi. of range, for an average of 51 mi.

Honestly, a 1000W e-bike that can cover 25 mi. in its max PAS level is a recipe for plenty of fun. And for the anxious among us, or the hunters planning to bring back game, QuietKat does sell spare batteries, which take just seconds to swap out.

In our quest to achieve more consistent results on our hill test, Justin does all the rides up Hell Hole. Considering its a ⅓-mi., 12 percent grade, no one on staff seems to be complaining. Even on an e-bike, going up that hill requires some effort (except when we’re testing the throttle performance.

We were excited to see how the QuietKat Apex Pro would perform on Hell Hole, considering how powerful its motor is. It may not be particularly surprising to say that it had a stellar day.

The Apex Pro climbed the hill in 1:31 for an average speed of 11.9 mph. That wouldn’t be a bad result for an e-bike being pedaled, but that time was for Justin’s ascent with the throttle.

With Justin’s pedaling added in, the QuietKat Apex Pro’s time up Hell Hole dropped 10 seconds, to 1:21, for an average speed of 13.4 mph.

I tipped my hand a bit by saying the QuietKat Apex Pro had a stellar day. How good a day? Among the many mid-drive motor e-bikes we’ve tested, the Apex Pro delivered the sixth fastest ascent on throttle and the fourth fastest ascent among all mid-drive e-bikes. Are we surprised? No. An e-bike with a 1000W mid-drive motor is quite the beast and ought to perform impressively.

Our one word of caution regarding such a powerful mid-drive motor is that unlike e-bikes with hub motors where all the torque goes into the hub, spokes, rim and rear tire, a mid-drive motor sends all that power through the chainring, chain, cassette and then the rear wheel. Buyers of the Apex Pro will replace the chain, cassette and chainring more often than other e-bike owners will.

When riding off-road, whether the rider is on a natural-surface road or a singletrack trail, the brakes need to be solid. Not average or even pretty good. They need to perform well and this was another occastion when the QuietKat Apex Pro really delivered.

As usual, I accelerated up to 20 mph and then braked to a stop three times, then averaged the three results for a final distance. The QuietKat Apex Pro’s average was 22 feet 11 inches. That’s a great result. It’s so good in fact, that it’s the best result we have seen in an all-terrain e-bike—by more than a foot.

The QuietKat Apex Pro gave such a great performance thanks to Tektro Dorado hydraulic disc brakes paired with 203mm rotors. The Tektro Dorado is a terrific brake featuring a 4–piston design, which increases braking power; most brakes we see feature a two-piston design, which is typical among all-terrain e-bikes we review. Another part of what made it brake so well was their decision to mount 203mm rotors rather than the more common 203mm rotors. A bigger rotor increases the brake’s leverage, cutting stopping distance.

The Tektro Dorados offer great modulation, which is important because in off-road riding, it ain’t all about stopping. Modulating speed for turns or on rough terrain calls for frequent, light usage of brakes. Modulation is key to the rider’s sense of control.

The QuietKat Apex Pro is an unusual e-bike in that it was designed to fit the needs of a very particular rider: the outdoors person. Be it a hunter or an angler or someone simply heading out to go camping, this was aimed at the person who is looking for an e-bike capable of offering more than a fun recreational ride.

Part of what makes the QuietKat Apex Pro different from other all-terrain e-bike models is the way its rear rack was incorporated into the frame. It’s common for all-terrain e-bikes to come with a rear rack; that much is not unusual. However, most of the racks we see are bolted on and rarely have the ability to carry more than 50 lbs. In the case of the Apex Pro, the rear rack is made from stout aluminum tubing and welded to the frame. That does two things for the Apex Pro. First, it stiffens the frame, which improves handling. Second, it allows a rider to load up to 100 lbs. on the rack, which translates to an awful lot of fish.

The QuietKat Apex Pro goes for more than double what most of the all-terrain models we review. An obvious question is, why? What does a more than $4000 spend get you? Let’s take a minute to go through all the components that are better than what we see on $2000 all-terrain e-bikes.

For starters, the frame is superior to what we see. It features a mid-drive motor which is protected by an aluminum housing. The frame itself comes in three sizes so that it can make an honest claim to fit people from as small as 5 feet tall up to 6 feet 5, maybe taller. Also, the suspension fork is better suited to off-road riding than what we typically see. Most all-terrain e-bikes come with a suspension fork that offers between 60 and 100mm of travel and the spring is made from a piece of coiled steel. The KKE fork delivers a more sporty 140mm of travel and it uses an air spring (compressed air) that offers greater adjustment for rider weight and an inverted design that makes sure the wiper seals stay lubricated, lengthening the amount of time between fork service intervals.

The more value-targeted all-terrain models come with 7-speed Shimano drivetrains, while the QuietKat Apex Pro includes a 9-speed drivetrain. This drivetrain offers not only more gears, but the gears cover a wider range to offer more low-end climbing power. It’s easy to think that with such a powerful motor that low gears aren’t necessary, but motors last longer when they aren’t pushed to the limit of their torque, as do drivetrain components. Downshifting for hills makes everything last much longer.

As we mentioned previously, we usually see 2-piston brake calipers, not the 4-piston Tektros found here.

Some shoppers may wonder why the QuietKat Apex Pro features a hard-tail design, rather than full suspension. Because this is aimed at hunters and anglers, the ability to load the rear rack or pull one of their trailers would be compromised by full suspension. Suspension is set up relative to a rider’s weight, and suddenly adding 50 lbs. of gear to the rear rack would make the suspension bottom out.

With most all-terrain e-bikes, simply being able to ride away from the city is enough to excite the potential buyer. With the QuietKat Apex Pro, no such assumption is at work. The Apex Pro is aimed at people who hunt, fish and camp and want an e-bike that isn’t necessarily an end in itself, but exists to support their other hobbies.

There’s a truism among people who hunt and fish that the best game is the hardest to get to. The deeper into wild spaces that someone pushes, the more the noise they generate will scare away game. So while a quad will go places a truck won’t, an e-bike can reach places a quad can’t, and it will do so with a minimum of noise, and no smelly exhaust.

It’s perhaps a little more spendy than your average all-terrain e-bike. Yppingyour spend on an e-bike ought to result in a more capable ride, right? With the QuietKat Apex Pro, everything about this e-bike is a step up: It provides the buyer with one of the most powerful motors we’ve seen on an all-terrain model. The Tektro brakes provide outstanding performance. The 9-speed SRAM drivetrain will provide climbing gears that less expensive models can’t match. And the KKE suspension fork will make riding on difficult terrain a breeze.

Part of what makes buying a QuietKat e-bike exciting is the ecosystem of accessories that the buyer can choose from. Not everyone needs a game trailer, foldable solar panel set or cargo basket, but for the rider who wants to move deep into wild spaces, the QuietKat Apex Pro offers capabilities that most more affordable e-bikes can’t match.

For many people, an exciting ride on an e-bike is the point of getting out there, but for some people, the e-bike is a way to reach where the fun begins. The QuietKat Apex Pro is made by people who understand this. Whether you’re trying to reach your favorite fishing hole or to a duck blind 10 miles from cell service, this is one e-bike made to get you to wild places and return you home at the end of the day.

Happy Riding! Make sure to let the Electric Bike Report team know if you have any questions or if you think we left anything out in this review of the QuietKat Apex Pro down in our comments section.