Imagine an e-bike motor that lets you select your preferred pedaling cadence and then automatically adjusts the gears to keep your legs spinning at that exact speed, no matter how steep the hill gets — all without a fragile derailleur or heavy multi-speed cassette to maintain. Prefer manual control? No problem, you can have as many gears as you like in whatever ratio makes you feel most connected to the terrain. That’s the e-bike motor announced last week at the big Eurobike trade show in Frankfurt, by not just one company, but two.
This motor could be the future of e-bikes
A new generation of motor gearboxes coming in 2027 promise seamless shifting without derailleurs or cassettes.
A new generation of motor gearboxes coming in 2027 promise seamless shifting without derailleurs or cassettes.
is a deputy editor and Verge co-founder with a passion for human-centric cities, e-bikes, and life as a digital nomad. He’s been a tech journalist for 20 years.
Pictured above is the MG Concept. It’s a Motor Gearbox Unit, or MGU, from Avinox, the DJI spinoff that’s upending electric mountain bikes. Avinox burst onto the scene two years ago with the launch of its impressive M1 drive system that packed unprecedented power inside a mid-drive motor that’s smaller, lighter, and cheaper than anything provided by competitors like Bosch or Specialized — and Avinox just launched the upgraded M2-series two months ago. The MG Concept takes things a step further by combining an electric motor with an automatic gearing system inside a single, compact housing that lets bike makers do away with derailleurs and cassettes.
Avinox wasn’t alone, either. The MG concept debuted alongside the very similar X-series MGUs also announced last week by newcomer Gobao. These next-generation motors could fundamentally alter how standard e-bikes are built, despite both getting their start in cutting-edge electric mountain bikes that can easily cost $10,000 or more.
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