OPINION: EMTB Power Wars
- kelly jorgensen
- 10 hours ago
- 3 min read
Who Is Winning The Battle Of The EMTB Power Wars?
Is More Power Better?
If you keep up with news in the mountain bike world you have probably noticed there isn't a whole lot of non motorized bikes being released lately. In the last couple of months it seems that all I see is ebike after ebike and the majority of them are all coming with motors from Avinox. Avinox first hit the market in late 2024 on the Amflow PL Emtb. Since then there has been a slew of bike brands releasing new ebikes with an Avinox motor attached. And while other motor brands seemed content with their power output, Avinox seems to keep bumping those numbers higher and higher.
The new Avinox MS2 motor is putting out 1,300 W of continuous peak power and up to 130 Nm of torque. When utilizing its temporary Boost mode, the power output spikes to a massive 1,500 W peak power and 150 Nm of torque (for bursts lasting 30 to 60 seconds). There really is nobody firing back. That's not to say there aren't any other motors worth looking at. Aventon who has partnered with Gobao to manufacture their mid-drive Ultra X motor on their first full suspension Emtb the Current that is putting down up to 120Nm of torque and up to 850W of peak power. There are still a few brands releasing bikes with the Bosch CX motor which is producing 120Nm torque and 750W with the most recent software update.
And where did all the other brands go? Shimano seems to have just given up. Although they do seem to hold out on releasing new product than any other brand out there. Are they going to be dropping something this year? Time will tell. And there really hasn't been anything new coming from any of the other players either.
But at what point do we have to get to where it becomes too much power to be considered a bike and not a motorcycle? Yes the bikes assistance are all capped out at 20mph in a class 1 setting but at some point torque and power numbers have to become overkill. Already a lot of reviewers of the newest Avinox systems are saying they are going into the app to tune those numbers down. If that power can't be put down in a controlled manner it's doing no good. I think the ones driving the so called need for more power is the consumer though. While the power that Aventon and Bosch motors are currently making could be right in the sweet spot, I'm afraid the consumer will always believe more equals better.
Are External Drivetrains Dead?
In the most recent news from Eurobike it looks like Avinox has teased another new motor called the MG which is slightly larger than the M1, M2, and M2S. It's currently just a prototype but there were several bikes showing the MG motor cleanly attached to frames. The new MG features a gearbox inside the motor that seems to work like a CVT type transmission.
Another motor eliminating derailleuars and cassettes was from Gobao. Weighing just 3.8 kg, the motor-gearbox unit combines drive and shifting functions within a single housing and delivers up to 150 Nm of torque and 1,500 watts of peak power according to the manufacturer. Gobao is wanting to reduce the weight on the next release to 3.5 kg. The Gabao system is giving a continuously variable gear range of up to 500%, which can reportedly be increased to as much as 600%.
Unlike conventional drivetrains, there are no fixed gears. Instead, the electronics continuously adjust the ratio according to cadence, power output, and terrain. Riders who still prefer the familiar sensation of shifting can activate simulated virtual gears.
The hype of these motors at Eurobike seems to be spreading rapidly but will these become the new norm? Will derailleurs be put out to pasture? Will brands like Shimano and Bosch tap in to these CVT type motors or keep doing the external drivetrain thing and just keep improving upon the motor and battery? What are your thoughts? What do you want to see?
