24.02 kg in size L | €9,999 | Manufacturer website
Velduro are a new name in the eMTB universe. A small, international team from New Zealand and China are driving the brand forward. Frustrated by hype-driven eMTBs, the team set out to create bikes of their own. Design and frame development happen in New Zealand, supported by some suspension design input from Australia, while production takes place in China.
Velduro are aiming their first eMTB firmly at enduro riding, so it should be capable of tackling the roughest and steepest trails without sacrificing climbing performance. A high pivot rear end, full-carbon frame, Avinox M1 motor and a permanently integrated 800 Wh battery form the technical foundation behind this bold promise.
With a system weight of 24.02 kg, the Rogue R is not among the lightest Avinox eMTBs on the market. Bikes such as the AMFLOW or the UNNO Mith tip the scales at noticeably lower weights, but do without a high-pivot rear end. Whether the roughly €10,000 Velduro Rogue R justifies its uncompromising focus is something we tested on our home trails around Stuttgart, as well as on the rough tracks of Spain.
The Velduro Rogue R in Detail
Visually, the Velduro Rogue R looks clean, understated and well proportioned. The majority of the bike’s bulk is concentrated around the motor, tapering clearly towards the front and rear. While down tubes on Avinox eMTBs tend to be slimmer, the volume here remains reasonable given the integration of the 800 Wh battery. The generously sized front triangle also leaves room for a large water bottle and a tool mount underneath the top tube.
Cables and hoses enter the frame via ports at the side of the head tube, which makes servicing refreshingly easy. There are no additional clips, but the lines remain pleasantly quiet even on rough trails. The only area that looks a little less tidy is just above the motor, where the cables briefly become visible before disappearing back into the chainstay.
A generously sized chainstay protector helps keep the Rogue R impressively quiet on the trail. There’s also an integrated bash guard to protect the chainring, which is a nice touch.
At the heart of the bike sits a four-bar mid-high pivot rear end, with kinematics based on the patented i-Track system – this might look familiar from Norco’s high-pivot bikes. It’s designed to deliver excellent composure and loads of traction at speed, while keeping pedal kickback to a minimum.
The downside of the high-pivot concept is the added engineering effort it requires. An additional idler pulley routes the chain along a longer path, increasing complexity and making maintenance more involved than on a classic four-bar rear end.
The Avinox M1 Motor System in the New Velduro Rogue R
In the bottom bracket area of the Velduro Rogue R sits the Avinox M1, a full-power eMTB drive unit with some impressive figures. It delivers up to 120 Nm of torque and reaches a peak output of 1,000 W, placing it among the most powerful systems currently available.
The drive system includes two wireless remotes, a 2″ OLED touch display permanently integrated into the top tube, and an app packed with adjustment options. Support modes, maximum torque and various other parameters can all be customised to suit your preferences. As standard, the system is supplied with a 4 A charger only (so no fast charging). The charging port on the top side of the down tube is protected by a rather fiddly rubber cover. It does the job, but it looks and feels a little cheap compared to the rest of the bike.
We analysed the role the Avinox M1 currently plays in the market, and found out how it stacks up against established systems in our big eMTB motor group test.
If you want to know what the Velduro Rogue R really feels like on the trail, what kind of character it shows on the climbs and descents, and whether it suits your riding style, you’ll find the full review in our sister magazine E-MOUNTAINBIKE. There you’ll get all the real-world riding impressions and find out whether the Rogue R delivers on what its on-paper stats promise.
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Words: Robin Ulbrich Photos: Lars Engmann