Forbidden & DJI Avinox?: What's behind the rumours about new DJI e-bikes?

Without doubt the most talked about bike of 2025, the Amflow PL Carbon with the new DJI motor shouldn't really have existed. At least that's what DJI has repeatedly indicated. Why did things turn out differently? DJI must have advertised the new Avinox motor to many mountain bike companies in advance. But none of them really wanted to bite at first.

To prove what is in their engine, the small powerhouse DJI Avinox the Chinese have created their own bike brand, Amflow, for the new motor. Even though the Amflow PL Carbon is currently really taking off, the basic idea of the Chinese tech giant is unlikely to have changed: Build and sell motors.

It is therefore no surprise that DJI now seems to have found its first customers for the Avinox system. Surprising, however: Who will be the first to make headlines with an e-MTB with the new Avinox system. In this context, few would have expected the Canadian high-pivot enduro brand Forbidden.

As a rather small brand, Forbidden does not currently build any e-bikes at all. However, company founder Owen Pemberton has now posted a somewhat ambiguous picture on Instagram, as reported by the online magazine Pinkbike. As you can easily see, Pemberton is sitting on a bike with a DJI drive. And it's definitely not a production bike from Amflow.

E-Druid & E-Dreadnought? Wild speculation

At the same time, the MTB platform mountainbikescanada.com has already published extensive speculation about the allegedly planned new bikes. However, the article presents the information as facts. Important to know: The website is a blog by "a group of enthusiastic bikers". It is not clear who exactly is behind it. However, leaks and rumours seem to be a speciality of the site, which is registered in Luxembourg. And a closer look reveals that the group seems to be well informed and occasionally hits the mark.

The post about the new Forbidden bikes with DJI motors is already pretty specific. They are supposed to be e-versions of the Druid trail bike (here in our test) and the Dreadnought enduro bike. Both bikes are said to have a high-pivot rear triangle with a pulley - typical of Forbidden. According to the blog post, the author of which is unknown, the e-MTBs are to be unveiled at the Sea Otter Festival in early April 2025. Where the information comes from remains unmentioned.

Just rumours? That's what Forbidden says

We checked with the German branch of Forbidden. And yes: Forbidden is indeed currently working on an e-mountainbike. The company even mentions the aforementioned Instagram post by the "boss", in which he is sitting on a DJI-powered bike. However, the brand has clearly distanced itself from the much-cited blog post. It was "riddled with errors regarding the expected products and timing". So for now, it remains a mystery as to which established company will be the first to come around the corner with an E-MTB with DJI Avinox.