Mavic is developing the lightest e-bike motor on the market

In a new phase in which Mavic intends to diversify its offer beyond the wheels with which it earned its fame, the French firm is working on the development of a motor for electric bikes that may make it possible to have models that lower the psychological barrier of 10 kilos on a road bike with electric assistance.

Mavic joins the e-bike revolution

Just 3.2 kg, including the 360 Wh battery, 250 W of rated power and up to 390 W of peak power and 37 Nm of torque are the figures of the spectacular X-Tend motor with which Mavic intends to make a breakthrough in the electric bike market and that comes to light in its preliminary version after 5 years of development and more than 120,000 kilometers of testing. A project in which Mavic has had the support of BMC, who has provided the platform on which to test these X-Tend with models that lowered the barrier of 10 kilograms, which is spectacular for an ebike.

It stands out for its extremely compact design, which is built around a bottom bracket shell of conventional dimensions. Its reduced dimensions, not much bigger than a usual bottom bracket, allow to build frames with little change in design compared to the muscular models, only with a few modifications in the bottom bracket area and the necessary housings for the control unit, charge port and battery.

In addition to its very small size and weight, Mavic's X-Tend features strain gauges for effective and accurate power measurement to provide the right assistance at every moment for the most natural pedaling possible.

With the limited torque it provides, the X-Tend is oriented for use in road and gravel bikes where a little help is sought and the bikes maintain a behavior and aesthetics as similar to conventional bikes as possible, although Mavic is also working on versions of this motor suitable for urban or mountain bike use.

Another interesting aspect of the features of this new Mavic proposal is that it is completely disengaged when it is switched off or the maximum speed of 25 km/h is exceeded, preventing the friction that would hinder pedaling when there is no assistance.

Regarding the range, Mavic states that with the 360 Wh battery chosen it is possible to climb 3,000 m of slope, with the possibility of mounting an auxiliary battery that is still under development, as well as the rest of the engine, which the brand expects to be marketed between 2025 and 2026.