DJI’s Avinox e-bike drive system has quickly become one of the most talked-about names in the high-performance electric mountain bike industry, largely because of one headline-grabbing fact: the thing is absurdly powerful.
Now the company is trying to explain why.
In a lengthy statement released today titled “Power with Purpose,” Avinox defended its philosophy behind building ultra-high-output eMTB drive systems that can produce up to 1,500 watts of peak power and 150 Nm of torque in boost mode. Those figures significantly exceed what’s typical in the mainstream eMTB industry, where many premium mid-drive systems from brands like Bosch, Shimano, Brose, and Yamaha generally operate closer to 600-850W peak power and 85-100 Nm of torque.
For context, the legal limit for electric bicycle motor power is usually between 250-750W, depending on the country, though there is some debate regarding how this power is measured and reported.
The reaction from the cycling world has been mixed since Avinox launched. Some riders have praised the high-power system for making steep climbs and technical terrain dramatically easier, while critics worry that increasingly powerful e-bikes could blur the line between bicycles and lightweight electric motorcycles. This is especially worrisome in the eMTB community, where most electric bicycles have been of a more ‘pure’ form, largely mimicking pedal mountain bikes yet with reasonable assist. This stands in stark contrast to the more street- and recreational-oriented e-bike industry, where electric models have become increasingly powerful in recent years, evolving far beyond the realm of merely reasonably assisted bicycles.
