Hello Vital MTB Visitor,
We’re conducting a survey and would appreciate your input. Your answers will help Vital and the MTB industry better understand what riders like you want. Survey results will be used to recognize top brands. Make your voice heard!
Five lucky people will be selected at random to win a Vital MTB t-shirt.
Thanks in advance,
The Vital MTB Crew
Has anyone really used the new Maxon Air S motor yet? From my research and calculations it's market leading in power density, torque density and battery energy density and in the same ball park for peak power and torque as the other (Bosch/DJI) motors. Obviously a lot of wrong can be done with bad software and un-intuitive ride feel. I have a suspicion that the pricing wouldn't compete with DJI either....
400wh* battery, and no, to all points
*336wh usable
Market leading/ in the leading pack. I suspect most people quote nominal not useable battery capacity tho?
all the other motor‘s numbers are in the main article
Here's the full announcement from Atherton regarding their e-bike:
Atherton Bikes Open Presales for the New S.170E EMTB and Reveal Key Product Info
Presales now live. Limited to first 50 bikes.
The Atherton S.170E: Best-in-class fit, with the handling and power to match. Hitting the trails in April 2026.
Today Atherton Bikes opens presales for the highly anticipated S.170E, a full-power EMTB developed with a clear priority: ride feel. From balanced handling and controlled suspension behaviour to uncompromised fit across twelve frame sizes, every decision was made to ensure the bike rides like an Atherton, not just an EMTB. (editor's note: the first batch of 50 presales bikes already sold out, so another round has opened up with those bikes slated for May/June delivery).
Rather than rushing to market, the S.170E has been shaped by years of EMTB riding and testing in the Dyfi Valley. The result is a full-power enduro EMTB built around balance, durability and proper fit, developed to the same standards as every analogue Atherton bike.
A Handling-First EMTB
From the outset, the S.170E was engineered around a simple goal: build the best-handling full-power EMTB Atherton can create.
Geometry, suspension kinematics, chassis stiffness, motor choice and battery packaging were developed together as a single system. Weight placement and balance were prioritised from day one, rather than sacrificed in pursuit of headline figures. The result is a bike that stays composed, predictable and easy to manage, lap after lap.
Suspension is handled by Dave Weagle’s proven DW4 platform, delivering 170 mm of travel tuned specifically for EMTB use. Supportive under power, through the rough, and straightforward to set up, it delivers the same confident ride feel we expect from our analogue bikes, with high-torque motor support to unlock more runs.
“I’ve never ridden a full power EMTB that rides like an analogue MTB. The way the S.170E feels on the trail is so close to the standard S.170. It’s unbelievable.” Dan Atherton
Full-Power Performance, Compact Packaging
Power comes from the Avinox drive system, chosen not just for its industry leading output, but for its compact size and refined power delivery. This allowed Atherton to keep geometry, kinematics and chassis proportions exactly where they wanted them, without compromise.
“After months (and years) of testing various motors in the Dyfi Valley and beyond, the Avinox stood out as a big step forward in EMTB drive unit performance. The choice was clear.” Dan Brown, Atherton Bikes CEO
Real World Range
The S.170E will run a full-sized battery which offers the range needed for a solid ride, without tying the bike down when it comes to handling and manoeuvrability.
The battery is housed inside the downtube for strength and protection. It is not designed for trailside swaps but can be removed in minutes for service or travel when required. Every frame size runs the same full-capacity battery, with no cut-down capacity for smaller riders. Exact Wh figures will be revealed at launch, but through testing in the Dyfi Valley it’s proven good for 1600-2000 M of vertical.
Proper Fit, Across An Unmatched Size Range
True to Atherton’s Perfect Fit principles, the S.170E is offered in 12 frame sizes, starting from 415mm reach.
Crucially, every size receives the same motor system and full-capacity battery. Smaller riders get the same performance, range, and ride feel as larger riders, not compromised alternatives.
Key geometry figures include a 64° head angle and 77° seat angle, delivering confidence on steep descents while keeping climbing position efficient and poised.
A full geometry table and fit calculator are available on the presale pages.
S-Range Aluminium Chassis
The S.170E is built on Atherton’s S-Range aluminium platform, using subtractive-manufactured lugs and bonded tubes, all constructed from ultra-tough 7075 aluminium.
This approach delivers the strength and durability required for a full-power, gravity focussed EMTB, while giving Atherton the flexibility to offer our industry-leading range of 12 sizes, higher production capacity, and a more accessible entry point compared to our additive-manufactured platforms.
It also proved the most effective solution for EMTB design, allowing the team to accommodate motor cradle dimensions cleanly while precisely tuning stiffness and compliance to optimise ride feel.
Build Options
The S.170E is available in three complete builds, each centred around durability and on trail performance:
Build 1 (£8,999.00)
Fox Factory suspension (38 fork / X2 shock)
SRAM X0 Eagle Transmission, integrated with the Avinox drive system
FSA carbon Gradient handlebar
Build 2 (£7,999.00)
RockShox Ultimate suspension (ZEB fork / Vivid Air shock)
SRAM GX Eagle Transmission, integrated with the Avinox drive system
FSA alloy Gradient handlebar
Build 3 (£6,999.00)
RockShox Select suspension (ZEB fork / Vivid Air shock)
SRAM Eagle 90 Transmission
FSA alloy Gradient handlebar
All builds come equipped with Hayes Dominion A4 brakes, Mavic E-Deemax wheels, and Continental Kryptotal tyres.
Presales Information
-Presales for the S.170E open today.
-£1,000 deposit secures a bike
-Balance 28th February 2026, ahead of production start
-Presale bikes are scheduled to begin shipping April / May 2026
-Orders can be cancelled prior to production with a full deposit refund
Presale numbers are limited to just 50 models. Additional bikes will be available at official launch, subject to standard production lead times. In 2026 only UK and EU customers will be able to order EMTB’s from Atherton, with global distribution planned later. (editor's note: the first batch has already sold out, so a second presales batch has been made available with deliveries expected in May/June).
The link to the presale page can be found here.
About Atherton Bikes
Proven by racers. Engineered by obsessives. Established by icons of the sport. Founded in 2019 with a fresh outlook on bike design, backed by over 25 years of World Cup racing experience, Atherton Bikes represents the next phase of the Atherton legacy.
Built on pedigree, performance, and innovation, every frame is designed, tested, and hand-built in the Dyfi Valley, Wales. Our range combines two pioneering chassis technologies: additive-manufactured titanium-lug and carbon-tube construction, and subtractive CNC-machined aluminium lug and tube frames. Both deliver the same focus on perfect fit, strength, and trail feel, engineered for riders who looking for precision and durability above all else.
I wonder what kind of weight those bikes are going to be, 47 49lb? I hope they are lighter but don’t see it. Maybe a carbon version is in the works?
Is there any kind of estimation or guesstimation as to how much it’s gonna cost to import one of those new Athertons into the US?
Their alloy enduro bike is around 17.5 kg, so 2.5kg motor + 3.7kg + e system components should be around 24.5 kg / 53 lbs +-
Ouch
I saw 23.7kg. On a cat 4 only bike with a probably-not-800w-battery.
Yeah the Amflow bike with carbon frame and less burlier build is practically 50lbs so there's no way this bike is under 50.
Updated comparison (all motors so far), still waiting for more efficiency results to be published at: https://ebike-mtb.com/en/emtb-motor-comparison/
I used chatgpt to create the info below from the charts in the article. Eagerly awaiting the other motors to be published.
Motor
Avg efficiency
Bosch CX-R ~78%
Maxon ~77%
Pinion MGU ~75%
Fazua Ride 60 ~79%
Mahle M40 ~80% * derated at 250w input so was tested at 200w where-as the others were tested with 250w of input power.
I actually ordered a bike today with the CXR and a 600w battery. My opinion is that I'd rather have the power, reliability, silence, efficiency, dealer support, etc. and take the small weight penalty of the CXR over the Maxon. The Avinox & the Maxon are going to need a bash guard which erases the weight advantage anyways.
Ps. I had a drink and had to edit this like 10x to correct all of the errors!
Rather have mid power lighter weight. Full power 50+lb doesn’t interest me. I have a moto bike for that.
is that much fun on a steep downhill track?
More fun than a 50+lb bicycle? Yes. And so is my 44lb e bike. These manufactures are getting it wrong, more power and more weight isn’t the way to do it.
In my opinion . These heavy 50+ lb e bikes suck to ride.
my coming velduro will be 1.5-2kg more than my kenevo sl with range extender, i don’t expect it to ride that much differently
The thing is, it is possible to do both full power and lighter weight. My Vala (Bosch CX5 w/ 600wh battery) was a bit over 47 lbs with pedals with good components. And yes, it rides night and day better than my old 52 lb Levo for me as a 155 lb rider. I can still get over 5,200' vert in EMTB+ mode, I think it was 7,500'+ with range extender in the same mode. I'm honestly shocked that more companies aren't trying to go that direction, rather than making more 52+ lb monsters. Especially Specialized, which historically has prioritized low weight over durability.
Gotta agree with AndheM—the ride quality difference from my previous gen Norco Range to my current Bullit was an eye-opener. And I liked how the Range rode. I’ve definitely been of the opinion that you adapt to the bike as it becomes your normal ride. Going back to a 34 pound trail bike feels almost scary at speed once you’re used to the grip and weight of a big emtb. With all that being said, I was skeptical of the 600 wh Bullit when it was released—I figured the range would suck with less battery. I’ve been pleasantly surprised that I’ve matched my friends in used power to within a couple percentage points by the end of any given ride. These guys all weigh more than me, but they’re riding either 750 or 800 batteries. With less weight and where the battery is placed in the downtube, the Bullit is definitely sportier than the Range or the Rocky Altitude PP I had before it.
Having owned a Norco Fluid VLT, I can say I loved how nimble and fun it was to ride, but the battery range sucked. And if I rode with full power friends, I was burying myself trying to keep up. What ended up happening is I’d be into range anxiety mode 2/3 into a ride, feeling gassed, while everyone else had plenty of juice left in their batteries and legs.
All of that is to say that the sub-50 pound 600 wh batteries do seem to strike a nice balance for your typical ride. If you’re into 30+ mile rides in any power mode above eco, you’ll need a range extender, but that’s the case with an 800 battery as well.
Found this review:
https://ebike-mtb.com/en/maxon-air-s-test/
Honestly I see 53lbs as a win when my gen 3 Bullit is 53lbs and it's carbon. The Atherton is 7075 aluminum which to me is the holy grail of frame materials. Light enough, and can take impact from big rocks (like those in the Dyfi valley) without becoming compromised like carbon. We can also assume the range will be better than the current 600wh offerings. When they say "full size" battery I'm guessing it's just embargo-speak, and a new battery is coming along with the new Avinox motor too, almost-certainly with better energy density.
53lbs is perfectly acceptable for a 170mm ebike with a 38mm fork and DH tires. It's not acceptable for a 150mm ebike with a 35mm fork and an enduro casing tire in the front. My alloy Transition Patrol park bike is 40lbs.
If you think so.
I just happen to disagree after comparing (on the trail) full fat e bikes to my 44lb relay with DH tires and coil front and rear (ohlins) more capable and better built than the full power bikes I rode. I just felt the heavy full power E bikes were like riding a slug. If all you ride is a 50+lb bike and don’t know the difference it might not matter much. For me here in SoCal on steep rough stuff and whatever jump trail I can find to ride. The extra power also took away from the cycling aspect. Like I mentioned I ride lots of moto also, so I’m not after a moto experience. And I’m 160lb not 180-220lb. That would make a difference.
Just my feeling and I wish these company’s would built cool bikes like Atherton does but without having to jump into the power race with the non bike company’s
To each his own. The good news is that in the next 5 years, I imagine we’ll have full power/full range batteries that are close to what a Relay weighs. For those who want more of a motorless experience, they can detune their bikes; anyone who wants more power can have it. We’re going to have our cake and eat it too in no time.
44lbs is about perfect but i'll take a few extra lbs to be able to play on the uphill. My old e8000 is only 70nm but i dream of 100. That would make playing or more sections of trail less of a compromise
I've been grabbing the charts from here: https://ebike-mtb.com/en/emtb-motor-comparison/ that use power draw vs. output. Then I feed the charts in to ChatGPT to get an average efficiency. It's worth noting that the Mahle derated when 250w rider input was put in, so even though it shows the highest efficiency, it was tested with only 200w input so is maybe an outlier.
It appears that they are going from most efficient to least efficient. These efficiency's matter because if you need to add a bash guard and more battery size to equal meters climbed and protection, that's a more true measure of the motor system's weight.
Once all resuts are in I'll be able to create some interesting comparisons such as meters climbed/ kg or the like.
Updated comparison (all motors analyzed)
Motor
Avg efficiency
Mahle M40~80%
Fazua Ride 60~79%
Bosch CX-R~78%
Maxon~77%
Pinion MGU~75%
Bosch SX~73%
Came to the same conclusions after testing 10+ e-bikes on trails around Alps. But for me it’s not only the weight but the power itself. I kinda enjoyed full power as a novelty and also see its potential in winter (snow/mud) but for consistent/normal riding it is simply too fast. Mid power is just enough to make the climbing easier enough for me but I am not climbing at such intense speed that it takes away the meditative nature of an uphill journey. And then on the way down it feels pretty much exactly as a normal bike. Perhaps slightly harder to manual yet more planted to the same extent.
Makes me Avinox-Hype-Resistant, too. On that note, the whole power-obsession regardless of a bike is weird to me. Some full power eebs I tried were really underwhelming handling-wise and no power in the world would make me buy one. Though I can imagine a kind of people who get the appeal…
Remaining relatively fit while not sleeping enough and moving to much steeper hills is my reason for going a bit electric
I mean it depends on customization. You can tame every motor with the right software. But it's true as in my Bosch bike with the cx 4 and simple purion display had modes with a rather weak Eco mode and then 3 very powerful modes that felt too much to me as a light rider. It kinda made me ride fireroads too fast and felt unnatural. And then you run into problems with saving battery. So it's crucial that you can customize the power output in all metrics.
Figured I'd share my new Levo SL since I got it built up in time for my up coming trips. Longggg back story:
I rode an alloy Stumpjumper 15 the past year that weighed between 37.5-40.5 lbs depending on parts. It definitely made me stronger haha but overall I loved how hard I could ride the bike and still pedal it without blowing myself up.
This fall, I kept showing up to group rides being the only one not on an e-bike. It was exhausting to keep up, and I realized I really needed an e-bike. But I love the satisfaction of completing a big ride, and the responsiveness of a regular bike vs. a full-size e-bike. I always liked the SL bikes I tested in the past, but wasn't sure how to maintain the ability to do a regular ride. Was dropping the battery realistic on a regular basis? Would it even make a bike light enough to pedal?
I did some simple mathing, and figured that a Levo SL would be a similar weight to my alloy Stumpy with the battery removed, and I would just plan out my weeks to be e- or non-e-rides. That way I could ride with all the friend groups, and still get the satisfaction of looking at my Strava numbers after a big ride under my own power.
What I didn't know (hard to confirm this on the internet) is you can run the Levo SL off just a range extender. You still get full power, but you are going from a 320 Wh to a 160 Wh battery. So much less range. I think this will be a game changer for the 'one bike for everything' vibe I'm going for.
Here are initial build stats (S4 size, w/ pedals): 37.8 lb with no batteries // 40.4 lbs with range extender, no main battery. I pulled the battery before I even built the bike since it's going straight into a bike bag today to fly to NZ. But the battery weights ~ 4lbs. So that's 41.8 lbs with battery, 44.4 lbs with main and range extender battery. Also, pulling the battery took 10 mins.
I did one shakedown ride with a range extender and did 1,200 ft of climbing and used 25% battery using MicroTune between 20-60%. So I'd guess if I was really milking the range of the extender, I could climb 5k+. 20-40% assist provides less than half the watts that I was putting in. 50-60% provided 3/4 of my input watts. 20% was enough to take the edge off punches, but I was getting a proper workout.
TLDR: I'm pretty stoked to see how I can use this bike as a regular and e-bike with the different battery configurations. This is how I see e-assist being beneficial for my riding experience—being able to join group rides with other e-bikers, and having the option to knock out a ride when short on time, while still being able to go for a regular pedal on a bike that's responsive and manageable to handle. Def will have more insight into how this bike goes throughout the year.
I'm calling this color the "tell me you work at Vital without telling me you work at Vital" 😂
That color is radical
That's a pretty sick bike Jason. Also love the ideal/narrative behind the build. I will say that doing interval workouts on an ebike had a contributing factor in how I feel about them as well. My interval workouts were not only more effective (because of better between interval recovery), but the ability to finish the workout with a few zone 2 laps of my choosing, made them more worth doing.
Regarding SL Ebikes... I've been of the opinion that we're going to see this segment continue to exist, but change dramatically over the next 2 years. I feel like we're going to see long travel enduro bikes morphing into a 30nm/150-200wh form factor with a 3-6lb motor/battery weight. I feel like with the demise of enduro bikes selling, we're going to see this segment become the flexible ebike that's not also an ebike situation. I am a 1 ebike guy, but the thing that would make me own two of them, is the ability for my park bike to have 3lbs of ballast in the bb, still ride like an enduro/mini-dh bike and be able to help make a 6,000' pedal day feel like a 3-4k day.
Seems like that's where you're headed with this build and I'm stoked to hear what your impressions are.
Couldn't agree more! And all I'll add is wait until you see the bike that's dropping tomorrow. You might end up owning 2 e-bikes in the near future.
So you always take the motor out to swap the battery?
Post a reply to: E-bike talk: not tech rumor derailment