The UCI has moved to put a lid on the escalating power war in competitive eMTBs, with reports that Avinox has had to create a specific, limited version of its latest M2S motor to meet the governing body’s rules.
As noted by Brujulabike, the UCI’s approved motor list has been updated to include Avinox for the first time — but not in full-fat form. Instead, it appears as “M2S RACE750”, a designation that strongly suggests a competition-specific tune designed to comply with the UCI’s 750W maximum power limit at the rear wheel.
What’s changed?
The key point here isn’t that Avinox has launched a new motor — it’s that the UCI has effectively forced a version of the M2S into existence.
As we know, the standard Avinox M2S is capable of up to 1,500W peak power and 150Nm peak torque, which would put it well outside the UCI’s competition threshold. The “RACE750” variant is widely assumed to be a software-limited version, using the system’s existing ability to alter assistance profiles and power delivery via its app.
No surprise there: modern drive units are as much firmware as hardware. If you can ship a motor with multiple modes, you can ship a motor with a rulebook mode.
This isn’t just about racing
The UCI’s 750W line in the sand is aimed at competition, but it’s hard not to see this as a signal flare for the wider e-bike world.
We’ve been here before: as soon as one brand throws a bigger number on the spec sheet, everyone else has to respond — even if the real-world benefit is marginal, and even if it drags eMTBs closer to the “is this still a bicycle?” argument.
And yes, we’re firmly in the camp that motor power output is getting out of hand.
We’ve ridden the Avinox M2S. It didn’t need 1,500W.
In our recent review of the Amflow PX Carbon Pro, our editor Benji Haworth didn’t mince words about the Avinox M2S’s headline figures, calling it a “frankly ridiculous amount of power” and warning that it risks pushing e-bikes into the same public perception bucket as electric motorbikes.
He also made the most important point of all: DJI/Avinox didn’t have to do this. In fact, in that review Benji says he used the Avinox app to dial the bike back, settling on 800W and 100Nm — and the result was, in his words, “Amazing. Simply amazing.” Powerful enough to match anything else out there, but with a more intuitive, less intrusive feel.
That’s the rub: more power isn’t automatically better off-road. Too much assistance can mean traction problems, torn-up climbs, and a riding experience that feels more like managing a machine than riding a bike.
Why the UCI is drawing a line
Brujulabike frames this as the UCI trying to “preserve the role of the cyclist” as motor tech outpaces regulation. That’s a polite way of saying: if eMTB racing turns into a horsepower contest, it stops being the sport it claims to be.
The report also notes Avinox had previously been excluded from the Valais 2025 World Championship for exceeding the limits — and that this “RACE750” version is what gets it through the door for UCI-regulated disciplines like E-XC and E-Enduro.
What happens next?
If Avinox can ship a 1,500W motor and then ship a 750W race-legal version of the same thing, it raises a few obvious questions:
- Will other brands follow with “race” tunes and “retail” tunes?
- Will organisers outside the UCI adopt similar limits to avoid an arms race?
- And will regulators and land managers start paying closer attention if eMTBs keep chasing bigger numbers?
For now, this looks like a rare moment of restraint — not from manufacturers, but from the rulebook. And honestly? Good.
Because if the best eMTB system in the world is still the best when you turn it down… maybe the sensible future is one where everyone does exactly that.
I’d like to think this would sway development towards lighter motors and batteries within the UCI power cap but, really, I don’t think anyone gives a toss about ebike racing and this move will just make that category of racing even more irrelevant. Back in the non racing world power will continue to sell