We’ve finally got our hands on a production Amflow PL e-bike, with the cutting edge DJI Avinox Drive System, for a proper longterm review. But before we hit the trails on this box-fresh electric mountain bike and get it totally caked in mud, we’re going to get it on the scales to see exactly how much it weighs in standard trim… Spoiler alert, the size L with the stock 800Wh battery is an impressive 21.52kg. Then we’re going to measure the geometry and travel, and see if the flip chips in the aluminium shock link correct the geometry 100% when switching out the stock 29in rear wheel for a smaller 27.5in wheel to run an MX set-up.
And Amflow seems to have thought of everything with its first electric mountain bike, because you can select the wheel size yourself in the Avinox app, so the motor won’t cut out below the 15.5mph/25kph assist limit when switching to MX.
Now for the geometry. Where possible we like to measure all of the bikes we review at MBR ourselves just for accuracy, rather than quoting manufacturers' claimed geometry. So while we only had one day on the Amflow PL Pro to see how it rode, this time round we’ve got the entry-level Amflow PL in the MBR workshop to run the angle finder and tape measure over it. And the numbers are as follows.
Amflow PL measured geometry:
Bike size L
Head angle 64.1º
Seat angle 69.4º
Effective SA 76.2º
BB height 341mm
Chainstay 445mm
Front centre 812mm
Wheelbase 1,257mm
Down tube 742mm
Seat tube 455mm
Top tube 621mm
Reach 470mm
Stack 639mm
Now, if you compare the geometry above to that published on Amflow’s website, you’ll see that the numbers do not align perfectly. The head and seat tube angles are both slightly slacker than claimed, and the BB height is a tad lower, but that’s pretty standard when measuring production bikes as the negative spring in the rear shock pre-comrpesses the shock ever so slightly, so most bikes are slacker and lower than claimed. Which is no bad thing, right?
And if you’re not going to take manufacturers’ claimed geometry at face value, well you’d best measure the vertical wheel travel too. So that’s exactly what we did with the Amflow and every other full suspension bike we get in for review. But why vertical, when most full suspension bikes have curved or slightly rearward axle paths? It’s because it’s the only number that matters when it comes to travel. Here’s why. Let’s do a thought experiment. You have a special bike with 150mm frame travel and it also has a 100% rearward axle path. So how much travel do you have for absorbing bumps? Zero, right? It’s why measuring travel along the axle path gives an artificially high number. So how much travel does the Amflow have? With the negative spring in the Fox Float shock charged it delivers 145mm of travel, so 5mm less than the claimed. With the negative spring discharged, we managed to squeeze an extra 3mm of travel out of the 4-bar suspension design, so 148mm in total and as close as makes no difference to Amflow’s claimed 150mm travel.
All we need to do now is to test the bike. Obviously the first thing we’ll do is fit tougher tyres, so the weight is going to go up. But even with DH casing tyres the bike is easily going to be under 23kg, which is impressive for a £6k e-bike with an 800Wh battery and so much power. Hopefully the handling of the Amflow PL matches the rest of its impressive stats.
Can’t wait for the full test of the Amflow PL at £5,999? Then check out Danny's first ride impressions of the more expensive Amflow PL Pro at mbr.co.uk
The bike in the unboxing video is an Amflow PL in size L
Specification: Amflow PL
Frame: Amflow PL Carbon, 150mm travel (148mm measured)
Shock: Fox Float Performance (185x55)
Fork: Fox 36 Performance Grip, 160mm travel
Motor: Avinox M1, 105Nm (110Nm in Boost)
Battery: Avinox Integrated 800Wh
Display: Avinox 2in OLED Control Display
Controllers: Avinox wireless, Left and Right
Wheels: Amflow Alloy 29
Tyres: Maxxis Assegai EXO 29x2.5in/Dissector EXO+ 29x2.4in
Chainset: DJI Avinox SL alloy 32t, 155mm
Derailleur SRAM GX Eagle 12-speed
Cassette: SRAM PG-1230, 11-50T
Brakes: Magura MT5, 203mm rotors
Handlebar: Amflow Enduro Alloy 800mm
Stem: Amflow Enduro 35mm
Seat post: KS Rage-i 170mm
Saddle: Selle Royal SRX Plus
Sizes: M, L, XL, XXL
Actual weight: 21.52kg (without pedals)
We may earn a commission when purchasing through affiliate links in this description.
Click here to subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/user/MBRmagazine?sub_confirmation=1
More at:
MBR: http://www.mbr.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MBRmagazine
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mbrmagazine
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mbrmagazine/
#mountainbiking #MTB #mountainbikes