FLX Bike has a new electric mountain bike coming. The company has shown off a glimpse of test riding on the FLX Weapon X, seen below.
So far we have only minimal tech specs for the bike, but what we know points to the Weapon X being a high performance carbon fiber electric mountain bike.
The motor looks like a Bafang M600, which is known to offer speeds of at least 28 mph (45 km/h).
That motor can be outfitted for Class 3 specs in the US, meaning it would reach that 28 mph speed on pedal assist alone. The motor can also be unlocked to reach that speed or higher on throttle control as well, which would technically put it outside the bounds of Class 3 designation for street-legal use.
Of course in true electric mountain bike fashion, street legal status isn’t a primary concern for many riders — though public trail rules should of course be respected.
Graphics on the pre-launch page show an 840 Wh rating for the frame-integrated and removable battery, which would be well above average for battery capacity in the electric mountain bike industry.
There’s no telling yet what top speed FLX has planned for the Weapon X, or whether or not the bike will feature a throttle in addition to pedal-assist riding.
The company has released a promo video, seen below, showing off a combination of computer renders and riding footage with a prototype FLX Weapon X.
We can make out what appears to be a Fox suspension fork and DVO rear shock, but there isn’t enough detail to determine the transmission components.
No throttle can be seen on the handlebars of the prototype bike.
While FLX offers several other high performance electric bikes with throttles, going throttle-less wouldn’t be new territory for the company.
The popular FLX Babymaker 2, which was released earlier this year, is also a pedal-assist-only e-bike that has seen massive interest, especially from newcomers to the e-bike industry.
I’ve been testing a Babymaker 2 for the last few weeks and will have a review on that bike shortly, though the preview is that it’s an awesome and lightweight ride that doesn’t leave me missing a throttle at all.
The original FLX Weapon and higher-spec Weapon X were originally teased in early 2021, though production appears to have stalled. This new prototype testing video may indicate that production plans have picked back up and that a launch could be imminent.
There’s no word yet on a release date or estimated pricing for the FLX Weapon X, but it will be compete against a wide range of other eMTBs in the category.
In addition to the usual suspects of high-end electric mountain bikes, several companies are now offering modestly-priced high performance electric mountain bikes in the US.
The Luna X2 uses a heavily modified Bafang M600 motor wrapped in a carbon fiber full-suspension frame, offering up to 2,500 watts of power. That bike sold out immediately upon launch, even with a hefty price tag of $4,200. And that wasn’t even Luna’s first shot at high-end electric mountain bikes.
FREY Bike has also produced mid-level priced e-bikes with high-level performance and parts. The company has several models that compete with Luna’s higher end electric mountain bikes, but also just released a new lower cost line known as EVOLVE.
The $2,890 EVOLVE NEO uses a Bafang M510 motor to reach 25 mph (40 km/h) and still includes high quality components from brands like SRAM, Magura and RockShox.
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