Electric mountain bikes (eMTBs) have been creeping into trail centres and bike parks for a few years now, but they still get a mixed reception. The purists grumble about motors, the converts evangelise to anyone who will listen, and the curious majority sits somewhere in the middle, wondering what all the fuss is about.
I used to be in that curious middle group. I’ve been riding mountain bikes since childhood in Canada, where getting out on the trails is practically a rite of passage. That passion followed me through the UK and eventually to Australia, and over the years I’ve owned a variety of cross-country and downhill bikes, from Specialized, Kona, Trek and Cannondale. None had motors. The riding modes were just your legs, the gearing, and how much suffering you were willing to accept on the climbs.
But an eMTB is not a city e-bike. It has no throttle. You still have to pedal, and it still demands fitness and skill. The motor just amplifies what you put in. The real question is what happens to a rider when that amplification comes from one of the most powerful drive systems on the market. After several weeks on the trails and in the city with the Amflow PL Carbon Pro, I have a pretty definitive answer.
Table of contents
- Who is Amflow, and what is the Avinox connection?
- Specifications and price
- Design and build quality
- Motor, battery and performance
- What it’s like to actually ride
- Tech features: display, app and connectivity
- PL Carbon vs PL Carbon Pro: which should you buy?
- Who is the Amflow PL Carbon Pro for?
- Frequently asked questions
Who is Amflow, and what is the Avinox connection?
Amflow is a young brand, founded in 2023 and announced to the world at Eurobike 2024. If the company sounds unfamiliar, the name behind it probably does not: Amflow is effectively DJI’s entry into the eMTB world. DJI, the company synonymous with consumer and professional drones, has brought its engineering culture of precision sensors, compact motors and straightforward software to two wheels.
The heart of Amflow’s bikes is the Avinox Drive System. The Avinox M1 motor in the PL Carbon Pro packs 105Nm of continuous torque and up to 850W of peak assistance into a unit weighing just 2.52kg.
Specifications and price: Amflow PL Carbon Pro
| Motor | Avinox M1 Drive Unit, 105Nm continuous torque, 850W peak (1000W in Boost) |
| Boost mode | 120Nm torque / 1000W, maximum 60 seconds |
| Battery | 800Wh (optional: 600Wh) | Range: up to 157km (800Wh, Eco mode, flat road, 80kg rider) |
| Charging | GaN 3x fast charger, 0-75% in approx. 90 minutes |
| Frame | Ultra-light carbon fibre, 2.27kg (M size) |
| Complete bike weight | 19.2kg (M size, with 600Wh battery) |
| Fork | FOX 36 Factory, 160mm travel, GRIP X2 Damper |
| Rear shock | FOX FLOAT X Factory, Trunnion (185x55mm), custom tune, approx. 150mm travel |
| Drivetrain | SRAM X0 Eagle Transmission (electronic), 10-52T cassette |
| Brakes | Magura MT7 Pro, 4-piston hydraulic disc, 203mm rotors |
| Tyres | Maxxis Assegai 29×2.5 (front) / Maxxis Dissector 29×2.4 (rear) |
| Display | 2-inch full-colour OLED touchscreen, integrated into the frame |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth wireless controllers, Avinox Ride App (iOS/Android) |
| Riding modes | Eco, Trail, Turbo, Auto, Boost + Walk assist |
| Head tube angle | 64.5 degrees |
| Australia legal speed | Assisted to 25km/h |
| Price | $12,499 AUD (on sale from $13,999) | PL Carbon: $9,399 AUD |
| Official website | amflowbikes.com/au |
Design and build quality
The PL Carbon Pro is built around an ultra-light carbon fibre frame that weighs just 2.27kg. The complete bike tips the scales at 19.2kg with the 600Wh battery fitted, which is genuinely impressive for a full-power eMTB. For comparison, many rival electric mountain bikes in this class weigh closer to 23-25kg, and you feel every extra kilogram when you’re navigating technical terrain or lifting the bike over an obstacle.
The geometry is confidence-inspiring without being intimidating. The 64.5-degree head tube angle gives you stability at speed, while a 77-degree seat tube angle puts you in an efficient climbing position. The four-bar rear linkage is stiff and rattle-free, and I never heard the chain slapping or snapping around, even on rough descents, thanks to the overall design.
Suspension comes courtesy of FOX at both ends. The FOX 36 Factory fork up front provides 160mm of travel with a GRIP X2 damper that gives you meaningful control over compression and rebound. The rear FOX FLOAT X Factory shock (185x55mm trunnion) delivers around 150mm of wheel travel, with a two-position lever that lets you firm it up significantly for climbing efficiency. Component quality throughout is top shelf: the drivetrain is SRAM X0 Eagle Transmission with electronic shifting across a 10-52T cassette, and the brakes are Magura MT7 Pro four-piston hydraulic disc brakes with 203mm rotors. This is the kind of specification you’d expect on a high-end non-electric trail bike.
Motor, battery and performance
The Avinox M1 offers five distinct riding modes: Eco, Trail, Turbo, Auto and Boost. Eco and Trail speak for themselves, while turbo delivers maximum continuous assistance. Auto is the clever one, adjusting assistance in real time based on terrain and riding dynamics without any input from you. Boost is reserved for the seriously steep stuff, delivering 120Nm and 1000W for a maximum of 60 seconds before stepping back down. There is also a Walk mode that provides gentle assistance when you are pushing the bike on foot, which is more useful than it sounds when you’re pushing it up hill.
The bike I tested came with the 800Wh battery, which Amflow rates for up to 157km of range under controlled test conditions. Real-world range will vary enormously with terrain and mode selection, but I consistently found the battery life to be more impressive than I expected. The GaN fast charger brings the battery from zero to 75 per cent in around 90 minutes, which is fast enough that a mid-ride coffee stop at a cafe with a power point becomes a legitimate range-extension strategy.
One feature I found myself wishing for is a removable battery. The integrated pack means charging the bike requires access to a power point near wherever you store the bike, which is not always practical. The good news is that Amflow has clearly heard this feedback: the newly announced Amflow PX and PR models feature Avinox’s first removable battery design, which also enables a spare battery for significantly extended range. It’s the kind of practical upgrade that makes a real difference to how you plan longer rides.
In Australia, the motor assistance cuts out at 25km/h, which is the legal limit for power-assisted pedal cycles. In other regions, I think you can get assistance up to 45km/h, which I would love here. On flat ground and in the city, I can’t say that I was too happy to reach this artificial ceiling. On the trails where you rarely run that fast anyway, the assistance on climbs is where the system truly earns its keep.
What it’s like to actually ride
The honest truth about riding the Amflow PL Carbon Pro is that it changes the way you think. The moment the Avinox motor kicks in on a steep climb, a part of your brain that was previously consumed with rationing effort simply goes offline. Suddenly, the question is not “can I make it up this?” but “where do I want to go next?” The entire terrain becomes your playground. I found myself taking lines I’d normally dismiss and tackling climbs I’d never attempt on a conventional bike. It’s not cheating, it’s a completely different experience.
In Turbo mode, my absolute favourite, and thanks to the 10-52T SRAM cassette, even the most punishing gradients become almost effortless. I was pushing so much torque through my pedals that I worried that the chain might break – which it didn’t. The single front chainring setup makes complete sense here, as the range of gearing and the motor’s torque make a second chainring redundant. The SRAM X0 electronic shifting is fast and precise, though during my test, the system occasionally struggled to find one particular gear, so it probably needs a little recalibration.
The dropper seatpost is a revelation for steep descents. Dropping the saddle on the fly lets you shift your weight fully over the rear wheel and let the motor and the bike’s geometry do their work. The lever worked flawlessly, dropping the post, but it seemed to stick on the way back up. Minor issue, easily remedied with some lube.
Suspension was superb. The FOX fork absorbed chatter and mid-sized hits with composure, and the rear shock tracked the ground cleanly on rougher trails. At 5’10, I found the riding position comfortable and natural, with good head tube and seat angles. (You can order the bike in three frame sizes to fit your stature.) The Magura brakes deserve a special mention: they are exceptionally powerful and progressive. It took a few rides to dial in the modulation, but once I did, braking confidence was great.
One genuine frustration is the handlebar width. At 800mm, the carbon bar suits wide-open descents and chunky terrain well, but it catches on trees constantly in tighter, technical singletrack. Most experienced trail riders will want to trim a centimetre or two off each end with a hacksaw, and I would strongly recommend doing so before your first proper trail ride. It is a straightforward modification, but it is worth knowing before you head out for a ride.
Tech features: display, app and connectivity
The two-inch full-colour OLED touchscreen is integrated flush into the top tube rather than bolted onto the bar, which is a nice touch. It displays real-time data and lets you swipe between screens for riding stats, estimated range and mode selection. It is easy to read on the move once you know where everything is.
The bike is designed to be controlled via Bluetooth wireless controllers mounted on the handlebars, so you can switch modes without taking your hands off the bars. On my test unit, however, only one side’s controller successfully paired with the display, which meant I could not set up the dedicated Boost mode shortcut button or access Walk mode via the bar-mounted controls. As a result, I did not get to fully evaluate Boost mode on trails. This appeared to be a unit-specific pairing issue rather than a system flaw.
The Avinox Ride App connects to the bike for deeper customisation: you can fine-tune the power, torque and cadence parameters for each riding mode, set up anti-theft mode (which sounds an alarm and sends a notification if the bike is moved), and track the bike’s location in real time. After each ride, the app records a comprehensive set of data including speed, distance, cadence, power output, torque, gradient, altitude, calories burned and, with a compatible heart rate monitor, your heart rate. Everything syncs to Strava if you want to share with the broader riding community. I liked having this record, and it adds a fitness tracking dimension.
PL Carbon vs PL Carbon Pro: which should you buy?
The PL Carbon Pro that I tested sells for $12,499 AUD (on sale from $13,999), and the standard PL Carbon is available for $9,399. The $3,100 price gap reflects meaningful upgrades across the drivetrain, suspension and brakes. The headline difference is the shift from a conventional cable-actuated groupset on the Carbon to the SRAM X0 Eagle Transmission electronic wireless shifting on the Pro. The Pro also steps up to FOX Factory-level suspension at both ends rather than Performance-specification dampers, more powerful four-piston Magura MT7 Pro brakes in place of a two-piston setup, carbon rims instead of alloy, and the FOX Transfer Factory dropper post.
For riders who spend a lot of time on demanding, technical trails, the Pro’s component specification justifies the premium. For those new to the eMTB category or who prioritise the core motor and battery experience over top-tier finishing kit, the Carbon at $9,399 offers the same Avinox heart in a more accessible package. Both bikes share an identical frame, motor, battery options and geometry.
Who is the Amflow PL Carbon Pro for?
The Amflow PL Carbon Pro is an exhilarating, thoughtfully engineered eMTB. The combination of DJI’s Avinox motor technology, premium FOX suspension, SRAM X0 electronic drivetrain and a feather-light carbon frame puts it at the top of what is out there in the full-power trail bike category. It does not try to disguise the motor assistance; it embraces it and builds a ride experience around it that is genuinely different from conventional mountain biking, and genuinely joyful.
A removable battery would be welcome for more flexible charging options, though Amflow has addressed this in the newly announced PX and PR models.
Who is it for? Someone who loves getting outside on technical terrain, who wants to push further and climb harder than their fitness alone would normally allow, and who appreciates premium hardware. If you are a seasoned trail rider wondering whether an eMTB would compromise your experience, the honest answer is: it won’t. It will just change it, in ways you probably won’t want to go back from.
It should be noted that the PL Carbon Pro is nearing the end of its life as the new PX Carbon Pro looks to be a monster — it has a 1500W motor and supports geometry adjustments to customise it to your terrain and riding style. This means there could be some great discounts on the PL model, and it’s fair to say that the PX will only build on the PL in terms of the quality, performance and fun that it delivers.
Frequently asked questions
Amflow rates the 800Wh battery for up to 157km under controlled conditions, and in my real-world testing, it consistently delivered more than I expected. Actual range varies significantly with riding mode and terrain, but battery anxiety was never a factor across the trail rides I did. You could definitely do a day’s ride on a single charge – and there’s the option to change to ECO mode or even stop all power assist if you want to extend the charge. The GaN fast charger brings it from zero to 75 per cent in around 90 minutes, which makes topping up between rides genuinely practical.
Yes. Like all power-assisted pedal cycles in Australia, the motor assistance cuts out at 25km/h, which is the legal limit for this category of e-bike. It also has no throttle, meaning you have to pedal for the motor to engage, which keeps it compliant with Australian road rules. You can ride it on shared paths and bike trails where conventional bicycles are permitted.
Less than you might expect, but fitness still plays a role. The five riding modes give you genuine control over how hard you work. In Turbo or Boost mode, climbs that would stop most riders become manageable regardless of conditioning. Trail and Eco modes let you dial in a real workout if that is the goal. What the motor cannot replace is trail technique, particularly on technical descents, so prior mountain bike experience remains an asset.
Confidently, with one caveat worth knowing before you head out: the 800mm handlebar width catches on trees constantly in tighter bush sections. I would strongly recommend trimming the bars before your first proper trail ride. Beyond that, the FOX suspension handles technical terrain well, and the bike feels noticeably more agile than its eMTB rivals, largely thanks to the lightweight carbon frame.
It was for me. I came to it with years on non-electric trail and downhill bikes and found the transition natural rather than jarring. The handling, geometry, brakes and component quality all feel familiar to anyone with a mountain biking background. The motor simply removes the ceiling on where you can go and what you can climb, rather than changing how the bike fundamentally feels to ride. If anything, that is what makes it compelling, but it is still unmistakably a mountain bike.
The post Amflow PL Carbon Pro review: This eMTB makes you feel superhuman appeared first on GadgetGuy.
