sethimus
😠 Donald Duck 😠
some people want to ride their bikes downhill, ever heard of that?
Just tested 2026 Amflow Pl
- Thread starter Nomadic Dad
- Start date
I hear a bunch of slow people complaining about more power.
Faster you get up and out of the canyon, the faster you can get your ass down the other side. Ive gone down 318,000' of hills this year already.
The point im trying to get across, the limiter on some bikes means you are stuck riding VERY slow. Class 1 limits your ability and limits your skill set, so does class 3.
Class 1 you are not going downhill as fast as class 3, and unrestricted you will go down the hill even faster.
Let me ask you a question slick. Do you think your skill set improves faster unrestricted or on a class 1 ?
Sweet....the power of gravity rules! Just shy of 100km/h!. Gravity equals speed for the brave....... That is unless you drag the rear brake all the time and don't understand how to use the front brake....and your fork is actually a pogo stick.......clearly that does not apply to you.I am just an old fart who complains about everything. 63 años. 70 nm y 38 T
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Probably! The air spring is naturally progressive meaning there is very little resistance at the beginning of the stroke. That applies regardless how many or how few spacers are fitted. The setting of SAG is designed to ensure that area of weak compression is absorbed by the proportion of static bike plus rider weight over the front wheel. Running no spacers creates a slower progression which could result in the fork running most of the time beyond its mid stroke. Testing for that is the best way to determine how many spacers are needed. Fox typically fit 2 on the 38 obviously on the basis it will be used for full enduro type riding. Thereafter of course high and low speed rebound and compression have a major impact on fork performance. The ability to tune the fork is of course compromised on more basic versions.
No problem. Did a century last year on my gravel bike.
There was of course a valid point in the post, but you evidently missed what
This is an interesting topic. I currently also ride a mullet kenevo, primarily at bikeparks. Its a great bike, have owned it 5 years now and love it.
I did a ride yesterday though at the Surrey hills and felt my kenevo was rubbish on flatter trails, my mate on a more trail orientated ebike left me for dead on some of the twisty stuff.
So have been looking at adding a trail bike as i intend to start riding more of this type of terrain.
It seems the amflow would fit the bill very well indeed, it doesn't feel it would make sense to buy anything but a dji powered bike currently, the levo gen4 is a bloated pig so thats off the table.
Guess i also need to demo one locally.
I did a ride yesterday though at the Surrey hills and felt my kenevo was rubbish on flatter trails, my mate on a more trail orientated ebike left me for dead on some of the twisty stuff.
So have been looking at adding a trail bike as i intend to start riding more of this type of terrain.
It seems the amflow would fit the bill very well indeed, it doesn't feel it would make sense to buy anything but a dji powered bike currently, the levo gen4 is a bloated pig so thats off the table.
Guess i also need to demo one locally.
Like you Cozzy. I reckon it's what might a good alternative to my enduro based bike.
But one day I fancy an Amflow, then next day it's a Crafty and next day I don't know WTF I want!
Probably euthanizin
Nomadic Dad
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Yes definitely demo an Amflow. I also did a test day swapping between the Vala and Bullit (see my YouTube of this) and really felt the difference between those which was basically the difference between a trail bike and a enduro with the Vala trail bike being more fun.
Since then I've cut my Kenevo handlebars down, tweaked my suspension and got it feeling more like the Vala so won't be getting a different bike until next year at the earliest now. The Kenevo with it's 180mm burly capabilites, easily swappable 700 battery, strong motor with decent tyres in S4 at around 25kg still beats most ebikes around IMHO.
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Did you ride the Pro with the 600whr battery ?
Mullet this model and you couldn't get a more quick, light and agile bike.
I had the same requirement and my short list was headed by a Whyte e lyte evo but was unable to get a deal that I thought represented value for money. So in the end I settled on a gen 3 Levo Comp for £4450. Even with stock geo, tyres and Fox 36 Rhythm it is a very capable trail bike .Like you Cozzy. I reckon it's what might a good alternative to my enduro based bike.
But one day I fancy an Amflow, then next day it's a Crafty and next day I don't know WTF I want!
Probably euthanizin
I had the same requirement and my short list was headed by a Whyte e lyte evo but was unable to get a deal that I thought represented value for money. So in the end I settled on a gen 3 Levo Comp for £4450. Even with stock geo, tyres and Fox 36 Rhythm it is a very capable trail bike .
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If you consider a Gen 3 Levo I can tell you it is a significant improvement on the gen 2 and has all the hallmarks of a bike that has been in production for a number of years. My tests of the bike make it obvious it's frame design is its biggest strength. At Comp level components it is surprisingly competent and can be extended further with some suspension and tyre upgrades if needed.
I dont, fair enough. I was guessing he was intrested in the non pro as it was a second bike
100% agree. But with that said, it takes some getting used to, and even with a 29er rear, im getting some fast times on downhill tight trails with switchbacks. At first i was a solid no way Im going to leave it like this when I can mullet it. Now im enjoying the benefits of a 29 rear.
Also I swapped out the Maxxis it came with for 2 rear Shredda radials installed in the front and back, and it turns much better.
I was talking to mr pace from pace cycles today at his shop at Sutton Bank in North Yorkshire.
There was a Whyte Kado in the shop and he reckons it's a better handling bike than the Amflow.
Something I hadn't considered
There was a Whyte Kado in the shop and he reckons it's a better handling bike than the Amflow.
Something I hadn't considered
depends on what kind of riding is done on any given trail
It would be easy to have 3 different bikes set up to match what this area has
sethimus
😠 Donald Duck 😠
Fast flowy downhill, to tight technical steep trails. I can ride to the American river and Salmon falls and Olmstead loop from my house
Downieville Downhill
Downieville Downhill is a singletrack mountain bike trail in Downieville, California. View maps, videos, photos, and reviews of Downieville Downhill bike trail in Downieville.
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Olmstead Loop
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Depends what you are doing with the bike.
My 2025 Alloy Merida E160 mullet feels more planted down hilling, It's a great bike, but it's 26kgs. The Alloy Kado would be near the same weight.
But when you need a more nimble bike. It's chalk and cheese between the Merida and Amflow. I do quite a bit of Urban freestyle type riding. Riding up stairs and Huck to Flats are so much easier on the Amflow. Riding down stairs is better on the Merida at speed, but I can definitely do it slower, without fear of going over the handlebars on the Amflow. I can just control the bike better.
Bunny hops and Stoppies are so much harder on the Merida. So many mountain biking basics I have learnt on the Amflow, because it's so much easier to learn them. There are some play areas, I just wouldn't try on the Merida.
So it's going to be different for everyone, and everyone's style of riding. Different bikes will feel different to different people. You just have to know your preferred riding, and pick a bike that should suit that, or test ride the bikes. But as detailed here. You cannot mullet a test bike, if it doesn't come mulleted, or fit tyres better suited to your usage, or fit a lighter battery.
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I'm in the market soon, so obsessing as we do. Certainly as I do. The Amflow is obviously high on the list. But I'm not convinced it'll be a better bike for me than the Vala. I can probably test ride the Amflow in a month or so when LBS gets them. They have Valas, but it'll be a car park test at best...
- The DJI is more powerful sure. But is the Gen 5 Bosch at 100nm (or even 85nm!) enough? Yeah, I think so...
- I don't think for a second the Amflow frame will be in the same league as the Vala. Is it good enough? Maybe, yeah. But I'm pretty heavy, so this may indeed matter for me more than others.
- There is a better build spec for the $ on the DJI. But it's Fox 36, when 38 either brand would be better.
- The Amflow is lighter. Yep, but if I 38'd the fork and put proper tires on it, it's probably 1kg difference, thought that's still with 200Wh in the Amflows favour. I wouldn't normally need more than the Valas 600Wh though, and there is a range extender.
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It's interesting doing the stats comparison, the Bosch kit with the smaller battery is indeed lighter than the Amflow at 800wh. Components are components, same shiz per performance, so unless I'm missing something if the Amflow still ends up lighter with the same (my favourite) components, it's frame material. I dunno, I think I like the idea of more frame material generally on a bike I want to ride the crap out of for years.
And here is comparing like for like on the batt, both 600Wh. Up to 500g in it.
And here is comparing like for like on the batt, both 600Wh. Up to 500g in it.
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Yep I added the 600wh Avinox to the post above.
I dunno how different they are. I can only see what others are saying in reviews, I've not seen a head-to-head. So I've found this online thing called a discussion forum to see what people say, hopefully
They are same travel. Both full power. Long standing MTB frame builder with essentially cult following versus cheap chinese "disruptor" frame that may be a vehicle for bringing the motor into the community more than anything else. Mission accomplished, hey. From what I can tell the Amflow frame has a lot less material in it and that's why it's lighter. Their warranty being 5 years vs Santa Cruz lifetime is a hint at overall quality, perhaps.
After 5000 miles on a 85nm ep801 I can promise you there is no comparison to the DJI.
The things you can climb with the extra power is amazing. Im taking different lines now because I can, where on the 85nm i was very limited.
Gen5 is a good choice, but after riding the Amflow I could never do less. Its just a really nice bike, besides the power. Changing tires made it corner quicker and im still getting used a 29 rear, but the mullet option is always out there for tight stuff as Astro pointed out. Why get less, when you can have more, it will be a question of how long the DJI last as its a new design. But the gen 5 wont be hard to be for longevity.
Cheap it is not. Its similar to most name brand quality frames. In fact better than many. My Canyon is JUNK in comparison. You have to remember most carbon bike frames come out of china anyway. Santa cruz is only a few hours away, but who knows where they have their frames made. Fastest current riders here are all on Pivots with 4rth gen motors adjusted a wee bit. We dont see a lot of Santa Cruz bikes around here, and we have about 1500 members in our group. Just Specialized since their research and development is in my town. And a few Gas Gas, The local shop only sells Santa Cruz, Pivot, and Specialized. Only thing moving for them was the new Specialized and that slowed down.
The fact you can buy the Vala with a Fox 38. It can be set up with a much slacker 63.9 head angle. You can get it standard with MX wheels. It all points to it being more suited to Enduro.
That said. If I was considering a Vala. I'd probably go a 180/170 travel bike. Hence why I'm considering adding a DJI Crestline to my stable.
Before I do that. With the Amflow. I am changing my Fox 36 to 170mm. It's a very cheap upgrade. Then changing the rear shock to a Fox DHX2 Factory Coil Shock. Hopefully this will give me more performance when I go to a gravity park. But this is such a small percentage of my riding.
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Well nah, Vala isn't enduro - that's the Bullit. The Vala is their trail bike, replacing the Heckler. 150mm. The point may simply be the Vala is a heavier built, more capable trail bike than the Amflow.
That's what I'm trying to get to the bottom of I guess. And I guess I won't, without riding it.
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