Specialized 3.1 S-Works motor review and DJI power comparison

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The new Specialized 3.1 is still based on a Brose motor. But it’s very different to the old one. The internal belt drive is gone, now it’s all metal gears inside. And that adds a bit of weight, taking it up to 3.15 kg.

We rode the S-Works version of the Specialized 3.1 that is rated at 111 Nm and 720 W. That’s the highest continuous torque number found on any of the current mainstream emtb motors. Read more ...
 
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Interesting comparison, so it will be exciting to as usual have another factual discussion about DJI and Specialized.
 
Unless you’re going to test both motor units across max/all levels of power that are freely available to the end user, and set out the benefits of latest updates that have been out for some time now. It’s a pointless biased comparison review, Imo.
 
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Citylad77 said:
Unless you’re going to test both motor units across max/all levels of power that are freely available to the end user
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Today, you can buy Gen 4 Levo at dealers everywhere but a DJI bike its still boutique.
What makes them alike is that they are both new motors and subject to service warranty issues etc.
Everyone gets to make their own decision, but DJI is not ready for prime time
 
it's still a fugly bike :eek:the new Levo and this dual pricing shit , if you want the full beans motor , you have to go S-Works , where as , pretty much any Avinox motored bike , from a motor standpoint are cheaper and have the same power. tuning capabilities., whether it is the lowest spec or the highest spec bike ,same power.

in terms of reliability , too early for the Spec Gen 4 motor and similar for the DJI Avinox

Ride 2d
DJI being boutique , maybe in Mexico and the US , but not in Europe / UK, UK with Amflow, currently primarily but more brands coming and in Europe with multiple brands and globally more adopting the motor ,I'm sure we will see more "mainstream "brands adopting the Avinox too.


Would be great to see factory Avinox removable battery option and range extender going forward also.
 
Ride 2d@y said:
Today, you can buy Gen 4 Levo at dealers everywhere but a DJI bike its still boutique.
What makes them alike is that they are both new motors and subject to service warranty issues etc.
Everyone gets to make their own decision, but DJI is not ready for prime time
Click to expand...
You say DJI are not ready for prime times, they are knocking out some bikes with their Motor unit. The Motor, Battery and Sw integration is by far the best all round package on the Market right now, in terms of weight, power, reliability, range, and the Screen interface, and app development. They have really given a wake up to the established brands. Spec took there loyal customers for granted with this Gen 4. My AMflow is 9 months old it’s been faultless, not a single problem and it’s got even smoother as the miles go on. Every one of my S works had to go back into the Shop for some problem several times a month.
 
Ride 2d@y said:
Today, you can buy Gen 4 Levo at dealers everywhere but a DJI bike its still boutique.
What makes them alike is that they are both new motors and subject to service warranty issues etc.
Everyone gets to make their own decision, but DJI is not ready for prime time
Click to expand...
Not where I live. There’s no S5 S-Works or Pro Levos anywhere. Any size Amflows are in 4 shops within 50km of me.
 
mooby77 said:
it's still a fugly bike :eek:the new Levo and this dual pricing shit , if you want the full beans motor , you have to go S-Works , where as , pretty much any Avinox motored bike , from a motor standpoint are cheaper and have the same power. tuning capabilities., whether it is the lowest spec or the highest spec bike ,same power.

in terms of reliability , too early for the Spec Gen 4 motor and similar for the DJI Avinox

Ride 2d
DJI being boutique , maybe in Mexico and the US , but not in Europe / UK, UK with Amflow, currently primarily but more brands coming and in Europe with multiple brands and globally more adopting the motor ,I'm sure we will see more "mainstream "brands adopting the Avinox too.


Would be great to see factory Avinox removable battery option and range extender going forward also.
Click to expand...
I agree on the looks of this Gen 4,
 
Ride 2d@y said:
DJI bike its still boutique
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Not anymore. USA has an authorized store, and Amflow is outselling just about everything out there.

Ride 2d@y said:
subject to service warranty issues
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Which right now the new Sworks is having a lot of problems with the battery cradle dropping power midride.

an adjustment to the cradle solves it. But the DJI system is having very few come backs, less than specialized

Ride 2d@y said:
DJI is not ready for prime time
Click to expand...
BS I will say its based on a severe lack of knowledge on your part.

You did not explain why you think this to be true. Its not butt ugly, its been reliable so far, its also a lighter bike. Its selling very well. And 4000 dollars cheaper than the Sworks

Buddy it already owns prime time, and it does not cost 14,000
 
Winford said:
Not anymore. USA has an authorized store, and Amflow is outselling just about everything out there.


Which right now the new Sworks is having a lot of problems with the battery cradle dropping power midride.

an adjustment to the cradle solves it. But the DJI system is having very few come backs, less than specialized


BS I will say its based on a severe lack of knowledge on your part.

You did not explain why you think this to be true. Its not butt ugly, its been reliable so far, its also a lighter bike. Its selling very well. And 4000 dollars cheaper than the Sworks

Buddy it already owns prime time, and it does not cost 14,000
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Here in UK the AMflow is what has kept some shops open. Unlike another Brand they sell out every time stock arrives. Not just hang around hoping that someone comes in and Buys one. When you ride one back to back with the new kid on the block you would think the price should be the other way round. AMflow and DJI have given a big wake up call to others, they must be losing sales everywhere. Every time I ride my AMflow that has been faultless for past 8 months and 1500 miles I am blown away at just how good it is to ride.
 
Citylad77 said:
8 months and 1500 miles I am blown away at just how good it is to ride.
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Nice!

I put 5000 miles last year in a Canyon with a EP801 set all kinds of records with it. But it has been a pain in the butt.

Constantly shuts off midride while coasting with no load. Motor was replaced once, the power cable 3 times. They recalled the battery so it just got replaced. Now the bike has lost 20% of its power, but sounds and rides semi OK. I do complain about the noisy plastic spacers under the stem. Bike is super fun if it stays running. Nothing worse than going for a KOM or trophy on a 10 mile section and busting your ass for 8 miles and it shuts down on you.

My long winded reply in context, im looking forward to Amflow, I was burned by a name brand from a good company.

So when the Sworks started having power issues, It was a hard pass.
 
I looked at both of these but I had a budget of £6k using cycle to work and I'm UK based, so it's amflow pl vs levo comp alloy. Even after adjusting for tyres it's a 3kg weight difference which is crazy.

I demo'ed both, the levo rides well and is a well sorted bike, lots of customisation and software config like sensitivity which can make it feel lighter than it is when setting off in low power modes (apparantly at the expense of battery life).

I'm not sure if it is sizing, weight or a combination but for a 6ft rider the amflow L felt alot nimbler than the s4, didn't get on with the XL amflow going downhill for some reason front felt too low/back too high.

The big power and fast charging isn't limited to the top end like on the levo which was a big plus. That of course and 1000w is ridiculous up a steep hill so I've ended up ordering an amflow.
 
Sort of a worthless article since it was not done with the latest update to the DJI

Either bike s a decent strong choice for trail riders.

4000 cheaper and the DJI is a hair ore powerful and lighter and better looking, at the cost of less adjustability of the Sworks which most wont use anyway. I like the rear shock of the Sworks and the dropper, but not 4k worth of like
 
ZR1 said:
I looked at both of these but I had a budget of £6k using cycle to work and I'm UK based, so it's amflow pl vs levo comp alloy. Even after adjusting for tyres it's a 3kg weight difference which is crazy.

I demo'ed both, the levo rides well and is a well sorted bike, lots of customisation and software config like sensitivity which can make it feel lighter than it is when setting off in low power modes (apparantly at the expense of battery life).

I'm not sure if it is sizing, weight or a combination but for a 6ft rider the amflow L felt alot nimbler than the s4, didn't get on with the XL amflow going downhill for some reason front felt too low/back too high.

The big power and fast charging isn't limited to the top end like on the levo which was a big plus. That of course and 1000w is ridiculous up a steep hill so I've ended up ordering an amflow.
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Hey @ZR1 did you get the L Amflow over the XL in the end? At 6'2 and 188cm I test rode the XL and was underwhelmed but since testing a Vala in size Large with a similar wheelbase to the L Amflow I reckon I should test that as I think it's the wheelbase that makes all the difference in handling.

Would be interested to hear if you bumped the reach up on the L with a longer stem or did anything else too.
 
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Not got the bike yet but I ordered a Large.

Sizing is a bit of a minefield and ultimately personal preference, I'm bang in the middle of the amflow XL according to their guide. I'm also bang in the middle of my E Mythqiue which is a Large which fits me perfectly and has very similar geo to the L amflow but with a 50mm stem so I plan to fit that first thing (along with a 27.5 rear, assegai exo+ and DHR2 DD)

Lots (or just people who like to post pictures on the amflow facebook group) seem to add a 170mm fork and run a mullet in 29'er mode which will slighlty decrease the reach.

Arguably I could have ordered an XL and would have got used to it as its not that different but I found they rode a bit differently I guess wheel size, chainstays are the same size so can't just proportionarly increase in size so they ride differently. I demo'ed the XL first, then large and was sure I wanted a Large. I was also swayed by this guy who was given amflows to ride and chose to switch from XL to L
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ZR1 said:
Not got the bike yet but I ordered a Large.

Sizing is a bit of a minefield and ultimately personal preference, I'm bang in the middle of the amflow XL according to their guide. I'm also bang in the middle of my E Mythqiue which is a Large which fits me perfectly and has very similar geo to the L amflow but with a 50mm stem so I plan to fit that first thing (along with a 27.5 rear, assegai exo+ and DHR2 DD)

Lots (or just people who like to post pictures on the amflow facebook group) seem to add a 170mm fork and run a mullet in 29'er mode which will slighlty decrease the reach.

Arguably I could have ordered an XL and would have got used to it as its not that different but I found they rode a bit differently I guess wheel size, chainstays are the same size so can't just proportionarly increase in size so they ride differently. I demo'ed the XL first, then large and was sure I wanted a Large. I was also swayed by this guy who was given amflows to ride and chose to switch from XL to L
View attachment 164397

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Click to expand...
Thanks for the detailed reply. Just seen from the comments on Will's video he's 184cm tall so interesting he also downsized
 
Winford said:
bike barn in phoenix az
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Well it would appear to be true-ish. "Our shop, Bike Barn AZ has limited allocations on the first shipment", so basically there were a few and they are gone with no idea when the next are coming. A search of their site yields zero zero hits for Amflow or DJI, so you may have over stated this a tiny bit. Regardless would be nice if any of the DJI power bikes where making it regularly to the US.
 
Power1tobe said:
so you may have over stated this a tiny bit.
Click to expand...
No sorry bud, I have stated the facts. The Bike Barn is the first authorized Amflow dealer in the USA. Just taking a while for their website to be updated to show such.
 
Power1tobe said:
Regardless would be nice if any of the DJI power bikes where making it regularly to the US.
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I believe others have applied, and have been offered the opportunity. So its in the works and they should be coming
 
The new Levo looks ugly and is expensive for the best motor. Avinox bikes offer similar power for less. The new motors’ reliability is still unknown. Avinox is growing, and more brands may use it soon. A removable battery and range extender would be great.
 
sorenvail17 said:
The new Levo looks ugly and is expensive for the best motor. Avinox bikes offer similar power for less. The new motors’ reliability is still unknown. Avinox is growing, and more brands may use it soon. A removable battery and range extender would be great.
Click to expand...
Define ugly
 
I rode the new Specialized, my buddies son got one.

2 things I really disliked about this bike
- its bottom bracket is WAY too low, especially when the suspension is compressed and the cranks are too long. ITs a pedalstrike machine.
- Weight and the old huge battery

I'd say Amflow blows this bike away, especially for the price.

THe motor was nice though. But nOt the amflow
 
Great Video on the recent DJI updates, some really interesting information. Well worth a watch as to what sets DJI bikes apart from the other EMTBs.
 
Interesting as the Amflow site for US is now live. LOL, when I posted this it wasn't.
 
sorenvail17 said:
The new motors’ reliability is still unknown.
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My bike shop is an authorized Shimano service center, the owner states in our area, most motors only last around 3000 miles on average from all makes and manufacturers.

I dont think its a high hurdle to jump over
 
Winford said:
My bike shop is an authorized Shimano service center, the owner states in our area, most motors only last around 3000 miles on average from all makes and manufacturers.

I dont think its a high hurdle to jump over
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Cesar at Unno has done 200k+ of Elevation and almost 4500 miles on a single Avinox unit mostly in Turbo, on their test Mith, they seem pretty stout

Original Chain as well 🤯
 
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