MG

DJI Avinox's motor-gearbox concept bakes stepless virtual gearing into the motor. There's no derailleur and no cassette, a 520% range, sub-0.1 s shifts, and it shifts under load and at a standstill. Shown at Eurobike 2026 on Canyon, Commencal, Forbidden and Mondraker mules, with a 2027-or-later horizon.

MG eMTB motor — Avinox MG Concept motor-gearbox, drive side (Eurobike 2026)

The verdict

The Avinox MG Concept is DJI Avinox's swing at the idea sweeping Eurobike 2026: kill the derailleur and the cassette, and bake the gearing into the motor. Avinox calls it a Motor Gearbox with stepless virtual gearing. It's one unit with no rear mech and no fixed gear steps, gear changes take around a tenth of a second, and you can run it as 4, 5 or 12 virtual gears or hand it to full AI auto. It was shown on concept bikes from Canyon, Commencal (a Meta Power SX prototype), Forbidden and Mondraker.

It arrived as the defining theme of Eurobike 2026. Integrated gearbox and eCVT drive units were the show's big story, with the MG landing alongside Gobao's eCVT and gearbox drives from Rotwild and others. It's the clearest sign yet that the industry wants to move the gears off the rear wheel and into the motor.

How 'stepless virtual gearing' works

The MG folds the drive motor and the entire transmission into one unit, then throws away the rear drivetrain. There's no derailleur, no cassette and no fixed mechanical gear steps. In their place is what Avinox calls stepless virtual gearing: the ratio between your pedalling and the rear wheel changes electronically across a continuous range rather than by jumping between sprockets.

Think of normal gears as steps and this as a ramp. Underneath there is effectively a continuous spread of ratios, and software then decides how that feels. You can run it as 4, 5 or 12 'gears', or hand it over to AI auto-shifting that picks the ratio for you from cadence, speed and gradient. Because it's electronic, a 'shift' takes about 0.1 second, happens under full load (up to ~300 Nm at the transmission) and even at a standstill, and never drops the chain or skips.

Avinox is deliberately coy about the mechanism. It would not confirm whether the MG is a true CVT, but stressed it uses no special internal belts that could wear out, which points to an electronically-managed gear system rather than a rubber-belt variator. The unit stays compatible with either a chain or a belt final drive, claims a 520% range (on a par with a SRAM Eagle 10-52 cassette), runs at around 45 dB (the same as the M2 and M2S motors) and is rated to a 150 kg rider. Regenerative braking and a mechanical motor-lock anti-theft are listed as being explored.

It targets a similar power level to the current Avinox M2S, but Avinox did not publish torque or wattage for the MG. That, along with weight, battery and price, is still unknown.

What we don't know yet

Almost everything that turns a concept into a product. Avinox has not published torque, power, weight, battery or price, would not confirm the transmission type, and has no production timeline. It's explicitly a concept and isn't expected to reach the market in 2026, with 2027 the earliest realistic window. The confirmed numbers are the gearing behaviour (520% range, under 0.1 s shifts, shifts under about 300 Nm load and at a standstill), 45 dB noise and the 150 kg rider limit. Power is only inferred as 'similar to the M2S' from the matching noise rating. Treat this as a direction of travel, not a spec sheet.

“A normal bike has fixed gears, like steps. This is a ramp. That's how Avinox describes the MG.”

Character

On the trail

Claimed near-instant (~0.1 s) electronic 'shifts' that work under full load and at a standstill, selectable as 4, 5 or 12 virtual gears or left in full AI auto, at around 45 dB (the same as the M2 and M2S). There are no independent ride impressions yet, as these are concept-bike claims.

Efficiency

Unknown, because Avinox published no efficiency or range data. It does say the MG needs 'no special internal belts that could wear out', which it positions as a durability and efficiency advantage over a rubber-belt variator, but nothing has been measured.

The case for and against

Strengths

Whole rear drivetrain gone: no derailleur, no cassette, no fixed gear steps
520% stepless range (about the same as a SRAM Eagle), ~0.1 s shifts, shifts under load (~300 Nm) and at a standstill
Run it as 4, 5 or 12 virtual gears, or full AI auto-shift
Chain or belt compatible, around 45 dB (the same as M2/M2S), 150 kg rider limit
Avinox says 'no special internal belts that wear out' (a durability angle)
Regen braking and a mechanical motor-lock anti-theft are being explored
Backed by DJI Avinox's drive expertise, with interest from Canyon, Commencal, Forbidden and Mondraker

Compromises

Pure concept, not a 2026 product, with no production date (2027 at the earliest)
No published torque, power, weight, battery or price
Transmission type unconfirmed: Avinox won't say if it's a true CVT
Efficiency, drag, range and durability all unknown and untested
Power only inferred as 'similar to the M2S', not stated

How it stacks up

Against the Gobao X1P, its closest rival, the MG carries the bigger name in DJI Avinox but is the less-defined product. Gobao has firm specs and a February 2027 production date, where Avinox has behaviour claims and no numbers. Both abolish the derailleur. Set against a Pinion, Shimano or SRAM gearbox, the MG is stepless rather than a fixed count of internal ratios. If it ships near the M2S's output with this gearing, it would be one of the biggest e-MTB drivetrain shifts in years, but that remains a big if.

Sources: Bikerumor — Avinox MG Concept (Eurobike 2026) · BIKE Magazin — Avinox MG / gearbox mania at Eurobike · EMTB Forums — Avinox reveals its Motor Gearbox (Rob's interview).