S.170E 2026

The Atherton S.170E 2026 is a Welsh-built, full-power enduro eMTB that hangs the DJI Avinox M2S motor (150 Nm, 1,500 W peak, 250 W rated) off a 700 Wh removable Avinox FP800 battery in a CNC-lugged aluminium frame. Travel is 180 mm front / 170 mm rear via Dave Weagle's DW4 twin-link layout, the claimed weight is 24 kg in a mullet configuration, and prices open at £6,999. Headline community verdict: this is the bike that finally puts Atherton handling on a serious eMTB, and the first batch sold out in under two hours.

Drive system and range. The Avinox M2S is the same 150 Nm unit that underpins every current Avinox bike, but Atherton pairs it with the new cylindrical FP800 700 Wh pack rather than the more common 800 Wh format. As @TG73 notes, the older M1 made 105 Nm and 1,000 W at 2.52 kg, so the M2S is a meaningful step in both peak output and the 2.63 kg motor weight. The 12A fast charger comes standard and pushes the pack to roughly 80% in 75 minutes. With less capacity than rivals on the same motor, expect 700-900 m of climbing on a charge rather than the 1,000 m+ figures riders quote on 800 Wh Avinox bikes.

Geometry and handling. Twelve frame sizes is the headline trick, with reach climbing from 405 mm at size 1 to 515 mm at size 12, and split 5 mm steps for half-sizes. The head angle stays at 63.6° across the lot, which is enduro-spec but not extreme. Chainstays sit at 435 mm on the smaller sizes and 445 mm on the longer ones, with wheelbases stretching from 1,194 mm up to 1,322 mm. The mullet wheel setup (29in front, 27.5in rear) keeps the back end tight without compromising rollover. @Citylad77 at 6 ft fits the size 7, comparable to a Specialized S4 or AMflow L, which gives a useful cross-brand reference.

Build and value. Four trims share the same frame. The £6,999 base (also marketed as Build 3) gets RockShox ZEB Select, Vivid Air Select, Hayes Dominion A4 brakes and SRAM Eagle 90 Transmission for a claimed 23.5 kg. Build 2 at £7,999 upgrades to ZEB Ultimate and GX Transmission. Build 1 tops the range at £8,999 with Fox 38 Factory, Float X2 Factory and SRAM X0 Transmission. Hayes Dominion A4 brakes on every build is unusual and reflects Atherton's racing roots. Mavic E-Deemax mullet wheels are fitted to the base spec. The flat price for both base options is interesting: Atherton is clearly positioning the SRAM-equipped Build 3 as the volume seller.

Community-verified strengths. @Weeksy describes the purchase process as "amazing" with attention to detail he can't fault, calling the bike "the most amazing eBike of the year". @Eckythump rates the DW4 suspension as "great in its own right" and notes that fewer bearings is a genuine advantage for the higher-mileage life of an eMTB. @Weeksy also reports timed-testing data from Dyfi where the bigger A200 sat just 1.1 seconds off a Trek Session over a 4.5-minute downhill stage, hinting at how composed the platform is at speed.

Caveats and known gripes. Production is small and capacity-constrained. @Zimmerframe confirms the structure: £1,000 pre-order deposit, balance due 30 March 2026, delivery April-May 2026, and only the first 50 bikes in batch one. @BikeBert had to cancel his Build 1 order after Croatian customs confirmed 25% VAT plus 14% duty on UK imports despite the Certificate of UK Origin, so EU buyers should price that in. The 700 Wh battery is smaller than the 800 Wh fitted to most rival Avinox bikes, which will count against it on big alpine days.

Verdict. The S.170E is for riders who want serious enduro geometry, hand-built provenance, and the strongest motor on the market without paying a carbon-frame premium. Twelve sizes mean it fits people that no other eMTB can. It is not for riders chasing maximum range, EU buyers who can't absorb import duty, or anyone who needs a bike off the shelf this week. Current production, first batch sold out, second batch via waiting list.