MGU E-bike availability

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The undecided

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Now for all the hype and excitement about the next latest and greatest evolution of the fabled MGU system.
I honestly wonder exactly where (if ever) we’ll be able to actually purchase one in the UK when they finally become available.
I’m reading on the ‘net how difficult it is for people to get hold of current models without including those boutique or unicorn brands that might never have a UK distributor with all that entails with warranty etc.
I had massive problems just trying to demo a “mainstream” emtb of my preference 2 years ago which ended up a forced 2nd/3rd choice model due to lack of availability.
Imho I feel this scenario won’t improve for many potential buyers if future demand keeps outstripping supply.
Hopefully you’ll all actually get the bikes you ordered soon,life’s for riding.
 
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The undecided said:
Now for all the hype and excitement about the next latest and greatest evolution of the fabled MGU system.
I honestly wonder exactly where (if ever) we’ll be able to actually purchase one in the UK when they finally become available.
I’m reading on the ‘net how difficult it is for people to get hold of current models without including those boutique or unicorn brands that might never have a UK distributor with all that entails with warranty etc.
I had massive problems just trying to demo a “mainstream” emtb of my preference 2 years ago which ended up a forced 2nd/3rd choice model due to lack of availability.
Imho I feel this scenario won’t improve for many potential buyers if future demand keeps outstripping supply.
Hopefully you’ll all actually get the bikes you ordered soon,life’s for riding.
Click to expand...

I’d be guessing, based on ‘Feb 2027’ launch dates, and allowing for bike manufacturers to design, test and build production frames, and for the motor manufacturers to scale and export the product during 2027 for model year 2028 bikes, late 2027.

Allowing for the mad rush by early adopters I’d be saying 2028, by which point something new will be announced and everybody will move on.

I can’t remember quite so many bikes advertised in online bike shops being pre-order, and that’s just for bikes with the new motors. It almost feels like a semi ‘soft launch’ for some models, and I don’t think the first eCVT bikes will be any different in that regard.
 
Which brands were you struggling to find two years ago? UK is a very decent market for emtb and nearly all the major brands (and some smaller ones) are available there. The only issue currently is that many brands have currently switched to Avinox who have by all accounts signed more brands up than they could realistic deliver product to on a reasonable time scale. You would hope they can catch up on this and learn from it for future products however.

I think Gobao will likely target fewer (but larger) brands for their new product and I think the customers they target will likely not release their bikes to the market until they have a decent stock level built up.
 
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DylanJM said:
Which brands were you struggling to find two years ago? UK is a very decent market for emtb and nearly all the major brands (and some smaller ones) are available there. The only issue currently is that many brands have currently switched to Avinox who have by all accounts signed more brands up than they could realistic deliver product to on a reasonable time scale. You would hope they can catch up on this and learn from it for future products however.

I think Gobao will likely target fewer (but larger) brands for their new product and I think the customers they target will likely not release their bikes to the market until they have a decent stock level built up.
Click to expand...
At the time I was hoping to test either a Trek Rail,Cube Stereo Hybrid 160 or a Whyte e160 but nobody in any of the major bike stores in my area had “demo”bikes as such, it would be just a pick of whatever was available in store for a 5 minute around the block /car park ride which is hardly ideal when I was contemplating such an expensive purchase.Every bike I liked wasn’t even my size (L)🤷
I’ve had too many wrong non powered mtb purchases over the last 20 years from online retailers solely based on reviews because I simply couldn’t physically see or try in local stores and wasn’t wanting to make the same mistakes with an expensive emtb.Fwiw I live in Glasgow and let’s be honest,the really good stores down South with multiple products aren’t exactly around the corner for a sneaky peeky.
 
Also, there's two distinct EMTB drive systems on the way, MGU and MTU (eCVT) and I think we need to start differentiating between them. It would seem. like VHS & BETAMAX video, one of them will prosper. MGU = Motor Gearbox Unit (Pinion) . MTU = Motor Transmission Unit (Avinox & Gobao) MTU's will have "fake" gears - time will tell which one riders prefer. So yes, demoing these bikes is important, not just importing from the "net."
 
Pentti said:
Also, there's two distinct EMTB drive systems on the way, MGU and MTU (eCVT) and I think we need to start differentiating between them. It would seem. like VHS & BETAMAX video, one of them will prosper. MGU = Motor Gearbox Unit (Pinion) . MTU = Motor Transmission Unit (Avinox & Gobao) MTU's will have "fake" gears - time will tell which one riders prefer. So yes, demoing these bikes is important, not just importing from the "net."
Click to expand...
Pretty sure those toothed spinning things are still called gears. I think you mean fake gear shifting effect.
MGU-F and MGU-V types (Fixed Vs Virtual)
😵‍💫
 
The undecided said:
At the time I was hoping to test either a Trek Rail,Cube Stereo Hybrid 160 or a Whyte e160 but nobody in any of the major bike stores in my area had “demo”bikes as such, it would be just a pick of whatever was available in store for a 5 minute around the block /car park ride which is hardly ideal when I was contemplating such an expensive purchase.Every bike I liked wasn’t even my size (L)🤷
I’ve had too many wrong non powered mtb purchases over the last 20 years from online retailers solely based on reviews because I simply couldn’t physically see or try in local stores and wasn’t wanting to make the same mistakes with an expensive emtb.Fwiw I live in Glasgow and let’s be honest,the really good stores down South with multiple products aren’t exactly around the corner for a sneaky peeky.
Click to expand...
hop in the early flight to zurich, take a 2h train to chur, change over to the postbus and test ride what you want at real mountains on the first weekend this september:

www.bikekingdom.ch

Testride Lenzerheide | 4 to 6 September 2026

Testride – The biggest bike test event in Switzerland. During the Testride in Lenzerheide you can test the latest MTBs, trekking bikes and e-bikes.
www.bikekingdom.ch www.bikekingdom.ch
 
Pentti said:
Also, there's two distinct EMTB drive systems on the way, MGU and MTU (eCVT) and I think we need to start differentiating between them. It would seem. like VHS & BETAMAX video, one of them will prosper. MGU = Motor Gearbox Unit (Pinion) . MTU = Motor Transmission Unit (Avinox & Gobao) MTU's will have "fake" gears - time will tell which one riders prefer. So yes, demoing these bikes is important, not just importing from the "net."
Click to expand...
Totally agree. I've suggested the term MTU, as in Motor-Transmission Unit as more a general term for combined motor/transmission systems, which would be a superset of MGU, ECVT, and PBW (Pedal-by-Wire). In my mind, MGU should specifically refer to true gearbox systems like Pinion and Intradrive.

There's a new category as well which is a Motor-Transmission Hub (MTH?). I would prefer MTU to refer only to mid-drive systems.
 
Pentti said:
time will tell which one riders prefer.
Click to expand...
If you grew riding a derailleured bike. You are going to prefer the feel of a derailleured EMTB. It's going to come down to re-training yourself to the feel of a virtual gearbox.

So. it's my opinion, that if you are damaging, or needing retune derailleurs and cages. Or needing to do lots of maintenance. Get an MGU. Re-train your muscle memory so it feels natural. At the end of the day, it's just about being able to vary gear ratio, so cadence remains in the optimum range for you to apply maximum power with your legs.

If you have a derailleur, and with your style of riding, it is proving relatively maintenance free. Wait till the MGU is a very mature product, freely available to test, before looking at it.
 
DylanJM said:
issue currently is that many brands have currently switched to Avinox who have by all accounts signed more brands up than they could realistic deliver product to on a reasonable time scale.
Click to expand...
Is part of the problem that there are only about only 4 large frame manufactures in Asia that are making most all of the frames for most all of the brands.
 
DylanJM said:
Where are you seeing this?
Click to expand...
BikeBert

Thread 'Pinion pulls the plug on EMTB motors [mod edit- Fake News]'

It seems like the Pinion MGU story is coming to an end. Pinion GmbH has been acquired by Schwarz Group. The MGU e-bike motor will be phased out in favor of retail conveyor systems. This shift is indicated by Avinox MG and Gobao X1P gaining traction.

www.industry-today.com/pinion_acquired_schwarz_group_view_list17263

file_000000009d4071f586618cb9a294a875.webp
  • Wow
  • Facepalm
  • Haha
 
Pentti said:
BikeBert

Thread 'Pinion pulls the plug on EMTB motors [mod edit- Fake News]'

It seems like the Pinion MGU story is coming to an end. Pinion GmbH has been acquired by Schwarz Group. The MGU e-bike motor will be phased out in favor of retail conveyor systems. This shift is indicated by Avinox MG and Gobao X1P gaining traction.

www.industry-today.com/pinion_acquired_schwarz_group_view_list17263

file_000000009d4071f586618cb9a294a875.webp
  • Wow
  • Facepalm
  • Haha
Click to expand...
Total B/S validated by some brief searches of relevant company and news sites
 
The undecided said:
Now for all the hype and excitement about the next latest and greatest evolution of the fabled MGU system.
I honestly wonder exactly where (if ever) we’ll be able to actually purchase one in the UK when they finally become available.
I’m reading on the ‘net how difficult it is for people to get hold of current models without including those boutique or unicorn brands that might never have a UK distributor with all that entails with warranty etc.
I had massive problems just trying to demo a “mainstream” emtb of my preference 2 years ago which ended up a forced 2nd/3rd choice model due to lack of availability.
Imho I feel this scenario won’t improve for many potential buyers if future demand keeps outstripping supply.
Hopefully you’ll all actually get the bikes you ordered soon,life’s for riding.
Click to expand...
Whilst the MGU CVT is probably next year, there are already MGU gearbox models available and not reliant on a few Chinese frame makers. Pinion is available and built into several bikes including Haibike (carbon) Nicolai (Aluminium). Both available to demo now, though you may have to travel a few miles. And trying one is like your first eBike. Planted suspension that tracks superbly. Get a geometry and suspension custom tune as well and you will be amazed how these bikes feel, perform and run on low maintenance. The pinion is already in V2 with updated controller and display.
 
Janc said:
Whilst the MGU CVT is probably next year, there are already MGU gearbox models available and not reliant on a few Chinese frame makers.
Click to expand...
🤭 Canyon, Commencal, Forbidden , Mondraker ??? Literally none of the frame makers at Eurobike 2026, with the concept Avinox MGU in a frame, were Chinese. Even Radiate, who had the Gobao MGU are Swiss.
Janc said:
The pinion is already in V2 with updated controller and display.
Click to expand...
1 kg heavier than the Avinox and Gobao MGU, and more than half the peak power. More weight. Less power. More expensive. Hmmm ........ I wonder why it's not selling well ?
 
Janc said:
Whilst the MGU CVT is probably next year, there are already MGU gearbox models available and not reliant on a few Chinese frame makers. Pinion is available and built into several bikes including Haibike (carbon) Nicolai (Aluminium). Both available to demo now, though you may have to travel a few miles. And trying one is like your first eBike. Planted suspension that tracks superbly. Get a geometry and suspension custom tune as well and you will be amazed how these bikes feel, perform and run on low maintenance. The pinion is already in V2 with updated controller and display.
Click to expand...
Part of the problem is the OP thread title. Nobody is thinking of an actual MGU, a term that Pinion coined. Rather it should be ECVT ebike availability, as ECVTS have no gearbox any more than an existing M1/M2 motor has.
 
slickrock said:
Part of the problem is the OP thread title. Nobody is thinking of an actual MGU, a term that Pinion coined. Rather it should be ECVT ebike availability, as ECVTS have no gearbox any more than an existing M1/M2 motor has.
Click to expand...
Apologies for not being perfectly specific about “A” specific system
I should have known better somebody would eventually criticise my post.
I thought everyone would understand where I was going with my thread ie a general discussion about the current hype and future availability of the latest WHATEVER kind of new gearbox equipped electric motor which ultimately is still pedal activated irrespective of all the electronic gadgetry.

Hope this might clarify things for anyone wondering WTF I was posting.
Ps and I’m not currently on “my bad week”😉
 
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