Full Power vs Lightweight E-MTB: Why I Swapped My Kenevo SL for 150 Nm

Full power or lightweight? For me it's full power, and it isn't close. I rode a Specialized Kenevo SL for five years. Now I ride a Mondraker Zendit with DJI's Avinox motor, 150 Nm of it, and I've done nearly 1,000 miles on it around the Forest of Dean and at BikePark Wales. It climbs harder, it gets me to the top quicker, and it hasn't spun the back wheel on me.

It isn't free. A big motor drains the battery faster when you ride it hard, and it eats chains and cassettes. Lightweight bikes still suit some riders, and I'll be fair about who. But first, the numbers.

Full power vs lightweight: what's the actual difference?

Lightweight e-MTBs (often badged SL) trade torque and battery size for less weight. Full-power bikes go the other way. Here's what the makers and testers say about six of them:

Motor	Max torque	Peak power	Weight	Worth knowing
Bosch Performance Line SX	60 Nm	600 W	2 kg (rounded)	Bosch calls it its lightest drive unit
Fazua Ride 60	60 Nm	not listed	4.3 kg total	Fazua's figure for the system, with a 430 Wh battery
Shimano EP801	85 Nm	600 W	2.7 kg	MBR's figures
Specialized Turbo Levo 4	111 Nm	850 W	bike from 21.16 kg	840 Wh battery, optional 280 Wh range extender
Bosch Performance Line CX	120 Nm	750 W	not listed	85 Nm as standard; the extra is switched on in the app
DJI Avinox M2S	130 Nm, 150 Nm in Boost	1,500 W	2.63 kg	1,300 W peak with the FS600 or FS800 battery

The M2S weight is from ebike-mtb.com's test. For the CX, BIKE reports that Bosch's 2026 Performance Upgrade 2.0 lets it be set up to 120 Nm, keeping the previous 85 Nm standard setting as the baseline. The extra has to be switched on in the app.

Most of the weight difference isn't the motor. Bosch's SX is about 2 kg and the M2S 2.63 kg. Batteries make the bigger difference: Bosch's CompactTube 400 is around 2 kg for 400 Wh, and its PowerTube 800 is about 3.9 kg.

And full power doesn't always mean heavy. Specialized lists an S-Works Turbo Levo R Ultralight at 18.8 kg. On ebike-mtb.com's list of Avinox M2S bikes, the Amflow PX Carbon Pro is 21.4 kg and the Amflow PR Carbon Pro 24.2 kg, both in size L.

Why I swapped my Kenevo SL for a 150 Nm Zendit

I bought my first e-bike in 2018 and I've ridden the Forest on one ever since. Then I got on the Zendit.

"I rode the Kenevo SL for five years, and I'm here to say the Zendit is hands down an all-round better bike. You get more power, it's basically one kilo heavier, and the geometry and suspension are far superior."

It isn't only the motor. My Zendit has a FOX Podium fork, the best fork I've ever ridden, and I've written up nearly 1,000 miles on the Podium separately.

"I think SL has had its day. I loved that bike while I had it, but full power is back in business."

That's my view from five years on one bike and nearly 1,000 miles on the other, not a lab test.

Is 150 Nm too much?

No. I'd go further:

"150 Nm is completely the correct amount of power for any riding around the Forest of Dean, or BikePark Wales. If you have any less, you're just slowing yourself down. I might be in my own category here, but I wouldn't buy another bike with less than 150 Nm of torque."

Where you feel it is the climbs. It gets you up and out of tricky climbs so much easier, and when I'm self-shuttling it gets me back to the top so much quicker.

It's worth knowing what "150 Nm" means on an Avinox. DJI gives the M2S up to 130 Nm in its normal modes and 150 Nm in Boost, and its drive unit page puts Boost at up to 60 seconds. ebike-mtb.com says you can set Boost to last anywhere from 10 to 60 seconds. So outside Boost, DJI's figure is up to 130 Nm, and the full 150 is there for up to a minute when a climb needs it. My Avinox settings guide covers the modes.

Doesn't it just spin the back wheel?

In my experience, no. It doesn't wheelspin. It manages that really well.

That's by design. DJI's FAQ says wheel-slip and wheelie suppression are built into the assist modes, and the help you get depends on the mode and the gear you're in. Bosch has its own version: ebike-mtb.com calls the CX's Dynamic Control mode a form of traction control and rates it highly.

There's a limit, though. Comparing the M2S with the older M1, BikeRadar found you don't get 50% more climbing ability, because you still need control through the pedals, and that limits how much of the power you can use. So more torque won't ride the climb for you. You still pick the line and keep the pedals turning smoothly.

Self-shuttling: where full power pays for itself

Self-shuttling is what I love to do, and it's where the torque earns its keep.

At the Forest of Dean Cycle Centre, more and more riders self-shuttle the downhill tracks. FoDMTB says plenty of people ride e-bikes on the downhill runs and pedal back up rather than pushing or paying for the uplift. On a modern e-bike in turbo, I've timed it at about 45 seconds to the first stage and about another minute to the top. With about 110 m of drop, a perfect day is about 12 runs. My downhill and uplift guide has the tracks.

BikePark Wales is where it really shows:

"I self-shuttle, and you actually beat the uplift by about 12 minutes every lap. I've ridden with a group, and I was always up there before them. I could do more runs than the uplift. I had more fun, and better exercise."

Self-shuttle days are better with mates. If you want company, post the ride on Plus1 and riders near you can join. It's new, so it works best when you bring your mates onto it too.

Is a 150 Nm e-bike legal in the UK?

The big numbers makers advertise are torque and peak power. UK law looks at something else. Under the electric bike rules, to count as an electrically assisted pedal cycle (EAPC), the motor must have a continuous rated power of no more than 250 W, and the motor mustn't propel the bike above 15.5 mph. The bike has to be marked with its continuous rated power and its maker. A bike that can go up to 15.5 mph without pedalling (a "twist and go") needs vehicle approval.

DJI rates every Avinox unit at 250 W. The 1,500 W is a peak. DJI also gives no way to remove the speed limit, and says any change to the drive system voids the warranty and may break the law. Leave it alone.

So more torque doesn't make the bike faster than 15.5 mph under power. It changes how hard the motor pushes below that, which is exactly where a steep, technical climb happens.

The downsides: battery drain and drivetrain wear

Battery. The testers agree. ebike-mtb.com lists high energy use at sustained full power as a downside of the M2S, and BikeRadar says it drains the battery faster if you ride it hard in Turbo or Boost. In practice it hasn't held me back. Range is incredible, and the Tour de FoD is easy on one charge. At BikePark Wales I get about 10 runs, then an hour on a fast charger over lunch and another five easy. I've gone into e-MTB range separately.

Wear. This is the real cost. Avinox absolutely kills cassettes: I've been through a chain in 200 miles and a cassette in 700 miles. Bear that in mind, but it's a small price to pay for the smile on your face.

Bosch seems to think along the same lines: BIKE reports that it limits the CX's 120 Nm to torque peaks, partly to protect the drivetrain.

The Plus1 Garage builds this in. Its starting estimate for an e-bike chain is 540 miles against 900 for a normal bike, and 1,620 miles for a cassette. Ride mostly in the wet on drip lube and that chain drops to about 300 miles. My own numbers came in under even that. Every figure is a starting estimate you can correct, and a chain checker has the final word: my chain wear guide shows how to measure it.

Who should still buy a lightweight e-MTB?

I'm firmly full power, and I've said I might be in my own category. So, to be fair to the SL bikes:

• Nobody you ride with has a big motor. My warning is specific: if you buy anything less than 150 Nm, or 130 now, you're going to be disappointed if you ride with an Avinox in your group. If your mates are on normal bikes or other SLs, that gap matters less.
• You lift the bike a lot. Roof racks, vans, stairs. Going by the figures above, a smaller battery saves more weight than a smaller motor.
• You want parts to last longer. Less torque is easier on the drivetrain, which is why the Garage gives lightweight (SL) motors half the e-bike wear penalty: an SL bike's chain starts at 720 miles and its cassette at 2,160.

I loved the Kenevo SL while I had it. I just wouldn't buy anything under 150 Nm now. Whichever way you lean, ride one on a climb you know before you buy. If it's full power, my list of DJI Avinox e-bikes is a starting point.