DJI's Avinox is the ebike motor of the future | Amflow PL vs Whyte ELyte

Amflow PL Carbon Pro

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DJI might be new to mountain biking, but it's no stranger to the world of electronics.

Its Avinox drive unit can deliver up to a claimed 120Nm of torque and 1,000W of peak power in Boost mode.

DJI offers 600Wh or 800Wh battery options on both Amflow PL builds.

Other details include 150mm of rear-wheel travel, Fox Factory level suspension and SRAM’s X0 Eagle Transmission gearing.

Amflow PL Carbon Pro specifications

• Sizes: M, L*, XL, XXL
• Weight: 20.64kg (size large, without pedals)
• Frame: Carbon, with 150mm travel
• Fork: Fox 36 Factory, 160mm travel
• Shock: Fox Float X Factory
• Motor: Avinox M1
• Battery: 800Wh
• Wheels: Amflow HMC-30 rims on alloy hubs
• Tyres: Maxxis Assegai 3C MaxxTerra EXO 29x2.5in (fr) / Maxxis Dissector 3C MaxxTerra EXO+ 29x2.4in (r)
• Derailleur(s): SRAM X0 Eagle AXS Transmission
• Shifter(s): SRAM AXS Pod controller
• Crankset: Amflow Avinox SL crank
• Cassette: SRAM XS-1295 Transmission
• Chain: SRAM X0 Eagle AXS Transmission Flattop
• Brakes: Magura MT7 Pro (203mm rotors)
• Bar: Amflow Enduro Carbon, 800mm
• Stem: Amflow Enduro alloy, 35mm
• Grips: Amflow Endruo
• Seatpost: Fox Transfer Factory, 155-180mm
• Saddle: Ergon SM Pro
• Price: £8,999 (800Wh)

Amflow PL Carbon Pro geometry

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Whyte ELyte EVO Stag Works

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Whyte sells the Elyte EVO Stag Works with the 250Wh range extender, which combines with the integrated 400Wh battery to help boost range.

The new Bosch Performance Line CX motor doles out 85Nm of torque and 600W of peak power.

A 150mm-travel fork is paired with 142mm of rear-wheel travel, taken care of by top-level Fox suspension.

While the ELyte EVO is pricey, it features a carbon frame, along with a good dose of Hope kit, including hubs, cranks and the impressive Tech4 V4 brakes.

Whyte ELyte EVO Stag Works specifications

• Sizes: M*, L, XL
• Weight: 22.2kg (size medium, without pedals and range extender attached)
• Frame: Carbon, 142mm travel
• Fork: Fox 36 Factory, 150mm travel
• Shock: Fox Factory Float X
• Motor: Bosch CX Performance Line Gen5
• Battery: 400Wh (plus 250Wh range extender)
• Wheels: DT Swiss HX531 rims on Hope Pro5 hubs
• Tyres: Maxxis Assegai 3C MaxxGrip EXO+ 29x2.5in (fr) / Maxxis Minion DHR II 3C MaxxTerra DD 27.5x2.4in (r)
• Derailleur(s): SRAM X0 Eagle AXS Transmission
• Shifter(s): SRAM AXS Pod controller
• Crankset: Hope E-bike cranks
• Cassette: SRAM XS-1295 Transmission
• Chain: SRAM X0 Eagle AXS Transmission flat top
• Brakes: Hope Tech 4 V4 (200mm rotors)
• Bar: Race Face ERA carbon, 800mm
• Stem: Whyte Trail CNC, 32mm
• Grips: Whyte Enduro Lock-on
• Seatpost: Whyte Drop.it, 140mm - 170mm
• Saddle: Fizik Terra Aidon
• Price: £9,999

Whyte ELyte EVO Stag Works geometry

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Motor and battery details

Let’s start with the headline-grabbing figures. The Amflow uses the DJI Avinox motor, which delivers a claimed 105Nm of torque and a whopping 850W of peak power.

But, should you toggle the Avinox into its most powerful Boost mode, you can access up to 120Nm of torque and 1,000W, although only for a 30-second burst.

While the Whyte’s Bosch motor might not offer quite the same jaw-dropping stats, it’s impressive nonetheless.

This fifth-generation drive unit is smaller and lighter than its predecessor, although it can still dish out 85Nm of torque and 600W of peak power.

Toe-to-toe, the Avinox and Bosch units are closely matched in terms of standard assistance modes.

While DJI offers Auto, Eco, Trail, Turbo and Boost modes, the Bosch motor has Eco, Tour+, eMTB and Turbo, with scope to do a whole lot more in the eBike Flow app, where you can customise and create modes.

Both have myriad features, such as Hold and Intelligent Walk modes.

Using the Bosch app is an optional extra – if you’re not into tinkering with your assist levels, pedal response or overrun, you don’t need it and can simply hop on the bike and ride.

It’s a different story with the Amflow PL, which requires you to download the Avinox app and pair it with the bike before riding.

The process is painless and quick, plus it opens up a whole world of mode customisation, ride stats and security features.

Both bikes feature discreet bar-mounted controllers to skip through modes, although the Amflow features a second on the right of the bar, enabling you to access more data on the integrated top tube touchscreen – this works with gloves on and when caked in mud.

The Whyte’s Bosch System Controller battery display (also integrated into the top tube) is far more basic and relies on five LED lights to denote the mode you’re in, along with battery life.

It’s certainly more rudimentary and lacks detail, although it works well enough.

When it comes to batteries, Whyte’s ELyte EVO packs a 400Wh integrated Bosch PowerTube. It comes with the Bosch PowerMore 250Wh range extender as standard, which sits low in the front triangle.

This gives you the option to ditch some weight (but lose some range) should you feel the need.

DJI, on the other hand, offers the Amflow PL with an integrated 600Wh or 800Wh (fitted here) Avinox battery on both build options.

Despite the additional capacity, the Amflow PL charges more quickly than the Whyte, which requires you to charge the battery and range extender separately.

I got from 5 per cent up to full capacity on the Amflow in around 2.5 hours. With a single charger, it took around 3.5hrs just for the Whyte’s 400Wh main battery to charge before I could plug the extender in.

Since mentioning this, Whyte has told me this top-of-the-range model will come with two chargers so both batteries can be charged simultaneously, though.

Frame and suspension

While electric bike motor tech is very important to ride feel, especially when pointed uphill, the frame shape, feel and suspension kinematics make the biggest difference when descending.

Whyte’s ELyte EVO frame has 142mm of rear-wheel travel, courtesy of the four-bar suspension design, and is matched with a 150mm-travel fork up-front.

It’s designed around mixed wheels (29in up front, 650b at the rear), although you can switch to a bigger rear wheel with the aftermarket Shape.It Link (£69.99).

The Amflow PL also uses a four-bar linkage system but delivers 150mm of bounce at the back, coupled with a 160mm-travel fork up-front. DJI says the suspension has been optimised around efficiency.

The Amflow PL comes with 29in wheels front and rear as standard, but it can be converted to house a smaller rear wheel using the frame’s flip chip should you wish.

Geometry

When it comes to the all-important geometry, these two contenders are fairly well-matched, although the Amflow PL has the upper hand when it comes to sizing, simply because DJI offers four sizes (M-XXL) compared to Whyte’s more limited three (M-XL).

Reach figures are closely matched, though, spanning from 452-525mm on the Amflow PL and 456-506mm on the Whyte.

I measured both head angles to be slacker than claimed, with the Amflow PL’s sitting at 63.9 degrees and the ELyte EVO’s at 63.6 degrees.

With my saddle set to my preferred height, the Amflow’s seat tube angle sat at 77 degrees, while the Whyte’s was 78.3 degrees, which should help to sit you more upright and over the bottom bracket.

Rear centres are also closely matched, although the Amflow PL’s is the shorter of the two at 445mm, while the ELyte EVO’s is 450mm.

Where the bigger differences lie are with the bottom bracket height and stack height.

While many e-MTB brands like to sit the bottom bracket nice and high to ensure loads of clearance when pedalling through chunky terrain, Whyte has taken a gamble and sat the ELyte EVO seriously low to the ground at 330mm for ultimate ground-hugging confidence.

This can be raised by 8mm with the Shape.It link if you're concerned, though.

It’s not quite a like-for-like comparison with the DJI because it runs a bigger rear wheel (slotting a smaller 650b hoop in might alter things very slightly) but does sit considerably higher at 345mm.

Although this isn’t out of the ordinary or particularly high for a trail bike with 150mm of rear-wheel travel, it’s substantially taller than the Whyte.

Another area where the two bikes differ is stack height, with the ELyte EVO’s medium size offering up a 640mm stack compared to the Amflow PL’s 618mm in the same size.

Spec details

While both bikes here use the same Fox Factory 36 fork with the latest, highly adjustable GRIP X2 damper fitted, the Amflow PL’s offers a touch more travel at 160mm.

DJI use a plethora of its own, Amflow-branded kit, including a carbon bar, Enduro stem, grips and carbon wheels.

These are wrapped in Maxxis tyres, both of which use the 3C MaxxTerra rubber compound.

An Assegai sits up-front, while there’s a faster-rolling Dissector at the rear in the tougher EXO+ casing.

To bring the Amflow PL to a stop, DJI has opted for the impressively powerful Magura MT7 Pro brakes.

The ELyte EVO is more expensive than the Amflow PL, but there's a host of beautiful Hope kit bolted to it.

Alongside the Pro 5 hubs, you get the supremely powerful Tech4 V4 brakes, as well as the stubby 155mm cranks that work in harmony with that low-slung bottom bracket.

The Amflow also uses 155mm cranks, though with the higher bottom bracket, you could argue DJI hasn't made the most of them.

I’d argue Whyte’s tyre choice trumps that of DJI. Yes, these bikes are ‘trail’ bikes, but the tougher casings (EXO+ up front and DoubleDown at the rear) add peace of mind when it comes to ploughing through rock gardens.

It helps that the front tyre uses the grippier 3C MaxxGrip compound, too, which further bolsters the bike’s capabilities in a wider variety of terrain and weather conditions.

Both rigs use SRAM’s X0 Eagle Transmission AXS gearing, although while Hope cranks drive the ELyte’s motor, the Amflow PL uses basic-looking own-brand cranks.

The ELyte EVO weighs 22.2kg with the range extender fitted (medium, without pedals), taking it closer to the realm of full-fat eMTBs.

The Amflow, on the other hand, weighs 20.64kg (large, without pedals), which is seriously impressive when you consider the battery size and motor stats.

Amflow PL Carbon Pro vs Whyte ELyte EVO Stag Works ride impressions

Assistance kicks in almost instantaneously as you press on the Amflow PL’s pedals, feeding in power naturally and matching your efforts seamlessly.

In fact, when it comes to feel, the Avinox drive unit is the smoothest I’ve used.

Even the way in which it accelerates up to full speed is slick, without any of that whiplash-inducing abruptness you might expect with the torque levels on offer.

What’s really different about the Amflow PL is how little effort is required to zip along at the motor’s cut-off limit.

On the climbs, even in the Turbo mode, hitting that max speed doesn’t require much effort at all.

Sit alongside a friend on a full-power eMTB with the Bosch equivalent and the Amflow PL will more than comfortably keep pace in Trail mode while they’re hoofing along in Turbo.

Switch the Amflow into Turbo and put some effort in and you’ll leave your friend way behind – the difference is massive. And you won't even be breaking a sweat.

Bump it into the 30-second Boost mode and you can blitz steep sections at pace. However, throughout testing, I rarely felt the need for this feature because Turbo was almost always enough.

When faced with a steep, root-riddled climb that twists and weaves its way through tight trees, the Amflow PL made life easier than expected.

As I made my way up and over the wet roots, easing on and off the power, or pausing completely to avoid spinning up the rear wheel, the way in which the Amplow PL delivered assistance was incredibly predictable.

The way it closely mimics your inputs makes tackling tricky climbs very intuitive and more achievable.

It’s totally in sync with your efforts – you don’t need to learn and adapt to the motor’s behaviour as it adapts to yours.

It feels as though the usable cadence window is far broader than most others, too.

Despite the ability to tune things such as overrun in the Avinox app, I left it as standard and had no issues with how assistance was being delivered.

In Turbo, even with all of that assistance on tap, I was able to control it just as I wanted, whether crawling along at a snail's pace or blitzing smooth but steep sections.

Unlike other motors, I found I could stick to one mode and just ride, regardless of the traction on offer beneath my tyres.

The lower weight and fast-rolling tyres help to make the Amflow PL feel quite sprightly should you exceed the motor's limit on flatter sections.

The rear suspension remains calm as you spin the cranks when seated and the seat tube angle feels steep enough that it perches you far enough forwards to keep things efficient when pointed skywards.

The Whyte’s proportions feel equally comfortable when climbing and it’s just as competent when things get really steep – although the Avinox motor sets the standard here.

The new Bosch motor is a step up from its predecessor, yet retains control across a wide range of speeds – critical when clawing up something slow and technical. It’s responsive, too, although it can’t quite match the pick-up of the DJI unit.

This is most notable when exiting turns, where you’ve paused pedalling before getting back on the gas, or when delicately pedalling up slippery root spreads.

On the same technical climb, it took more brain power and mode-toggling to ensure I could clear complex uphill sections. Switching from Turbo down into eMTB mode feels like more of a marked difference in assistance (as standard) compared to the previous motor iteration. However, it does enable you to wind on the power more delicately – a real plus to prevent rear-wheel spin when you least want it.

Should you falter, features such as the hill hold can make getting going that bit easier, though.

On really chunky climbs, the taller bottom bracket of the Amflow PL means you can pedal through pretty much anything without fear of clipping a pedal.

Whyte’s low-slung approach – even with the stubby 155mm cranks fitted – still leads to the odd pedal collision, but that’s something I’m more than willing to deal with.

In terms of range, I rode both bikes in their Turbo modes (on the same day, in the same conditions) and managed 1,524m of elevation on the Amflow PL until it hit 5 per cent battery and the assistance dropped off.

I managed a little less on the Whyte, clocking 1,458m of climbing.

Although the Amflow PL only just beats the Whyte in this regard, I was able to ride at a higher average speed, but with close to the same heart rate throughout.

Duking it out

There’s no denying the Amflow PL's motor has the upper hand, but it’s a different story when it comes to downhill performance.

Tip the ELyte EVO into a downhill section of trail and its performance is genuinely jaw-dropping.

While the proportions of the two bikes are similar, it’s how well-balanced and low-slung the Whyte feels that helps boost confidence as soon as you sling it into the first few turns.

The low bottom bracket and well-positioned weight in the frame combine with the superb suspension to deliver masses of traction when you most need it.

At the rear, the supple suspension works overtime to keep the tyre in contact with the trail.

There’s support when you want to load the bike when pumping, though, and a smooth progression through the travel that gives the impression the ELyte EVO has more travel than the Amflow PL when you get tanking into something chunkier.

This leads to an incredibly comfortable, stable ride that you’re unlikely to associate with many other bikes with the same amount of travel.

The result is a bike that manages to feel agile and lively, but incredibly planted as you carve through turns.

It’s a sensation that feels as though it buys you extra thinking time mid-turn, enabling you to make those split-second decisions and crank the bike over that bit further if you need to.

It helps that the ELyte EVO is almost silent, too, thanks in part to the updated Bosch motor that doesn’t rattle while coasting.

And in the steep stuff, the confidence garnered from the stickier rubber and powerful brakes takes the edge off the sketchiest trails, even in the wet.

The Amflow PL also offers an impressive ride on the downs, but while the ELyte EVO bridges the gap between trail and enduro bikes almost flawlessly, the lighter-weight Amflow PL in this build feels more like a trail rig.

There’s more feedback on rougher trails, so despite the jump in travel over the Whyte, I never felt quite as comfortable on it – something that was readily apparent on longer bike-park runs, where my hands and feet felt more fatigued.

Some of this could be down to the fork, though, because I’ve had a mixed experience on a number of different 36s with the new GRIP X2 damper fitted – this unit didn’t feel as supple or sensitive as the equivalent on the Whyte.

I felt more perched when standing up on the Amflow PL. It’s not quite as low-slung and I’d have liked a higher-rise bar to produce a more confident stance on the bike.

Increasing the sag at the rear beyond 30 per cent helped this and, thanks to the level of progression on offer, I never felt I was bottoming-out the rear end excessively on big impacts.

It carries feel like it carries speed, and doesn’t feel twitchy as the pace picks up.

The fact that I had to ride a size large (due to limited bike availability) probably helped in this regard.

If I had the chance, I’d switch to a smaller rear wheel, swap out the carbon wheels and move to a higher-rise bar. I think these changes would up capability and potentially comfort.

As it stands, though, downhill at least, the Whyte’s handling and ride feel make it hard to beat.

This has left me with something of a quandary when it comes to picking a winner. If it was all based on climbing ability and motor feel, the Amflow PL would come out on top.

Even if Bosch upped the torque and power numbers to match, the Avinox would still be hard to beat thanks to the superb response and in-sync feel it delivers.

If it were based on downhill performance, it’d have to be the Whyte. Even without changing a single thing on the bike, it feels incredible and far more capable than the travel figures would have you believe.

At present, it’s also hard to comment on the DJI motor’s reliability and back-up, while Bosch has a proven track record and infrastructure in place to deal with issues.

For me, while I love the feel, power and pace of the DJI motor, unless your mates have one, too, you won't be making the most of it on group rides.

Riding alone is a different proposition, though, and it feels as though you’re riding the drive unit of the future.