Drone and action camera manufacturer DJI has entered the electric mountain bike market with the Avinox – a 2.52kg lightweight motor system that delivers twice as much torque as its competitors.
The electric bike motor is accompanied by a fully-fledged app and two lightweight battery options.
The motor is specced exclusively on the Amflow PL at launch.
Torque, torque, torque
- Motor specs: 105 Nm torque, 2.52kg
- Battery specs: 800/600 Wh, 3.74/2.87kg
- Five assistance modes, including auto-assist
The headline stat of the new Avinox motor is its claimed 105 Nm torque output.
That’s twice as much as other lightweight motors, such as Specialized’s SL 1.2 (50 Nm).
The DJI Avinox also easily out-powers bigger motors like Shimano’s EP8 and Bosch’s Line CX, both of which deliver 85 Nm.
Whether or not that much torque is actually usable on the trail depends on the system’s power delivery, but it's still an impressive figure.
With a claimed weight of 2.52kg, the Avinox motor slots somewhere between the weight of a lightweight and a full-power motor.
Specialized’s SL1.2 offering tips the scales at approximately 1.9kg, whereas the EP8 and Line CX systems weigh 2.6kg and 2.9kg respectively.
Auto-assist, motor modes and integration
The Avinox motor has five assistance modes, all of which are tunable via the Avinox app.
Riders can choose from the traditional Eco, Trail and Turbo modes, as well as a 30-second Boost mode, which temporarily delivers maximum power and torque.
For riders prefer a set-and-forget approach, DJI’s motor features an auto mode. This automatically adapts assistance based on real-time information from in-built sensors. Exactly how this will work and what data the sensors collect is yet to be announced.
The accompanying Avinox app enables users to tube power modes, log rides and configure bike security settings.
Lightweight batteries for a lightweight motor
The motor is accompanied by two lithium-ion batteries.
The flagship battery has an 800 Wh capacity and a claimed weight of just 3.74kg – that's 600g lighter than the 750 Wh Bosch Powertube 750.
A lighter 2.87kg 600 Wh battery is also available. Again, this is considerably lighter than comparable offerings from Bosch, such as the Powertube 625, which weighs 3.5kg.
Amflow PL Carbon
At launch, the Avinox motor is exclusively specced on the Amflow PL Carbon.
Information about the Amflow brand is scarce, and the PL Carbon is the only bike currently in its lineup.
The Amflow’s carbon frame has a claimed weight of 2.27kg (without motor or battery), with full builds starting at 19.2 kg. It has 150 mm of rear suspension travel, which is delivered by a four-bar linkage design.
The Amflow PL Carbon is compatible with both 29in and 27.5in rear wheels. Swapping from one wheel size to another is done via a flip-chip. Amflow’s size charts suggest four sizes will be available, from M - XXL.
Amflow PL Carbon spec, pricing and availability
According to Amflow’s website, two models will be available – the PL Carbon and the PL Carbon Pro. Pricing is yet to be announced, as is the availability of the bikes, but we do know that both builds will use Fox suspension, SRAM drivetrains and Magura brakes.
