And now for something completely different: an e-bike with a mid-drive motor so powerful that it needs a separate drivetrain with its own chain. The forthcoming Biktrix Juggernaut FS XD electric mountain bike features a 2300W mid-drive motor, which is capable of producing up to 10 times the power that a human can generate while pedaling, which could play hell with a standard chain and sprocket set. The company’s solution for handling that much power without blowing out the drivetrain is to give the motor its own heavy duty chain and sprocket on the opposite side from from the conventional crankset.
“The innovative Coaxial-Drive motor provides all the handling and weight distribution benefits that come with a mid-drive motor. But with all this power you need a drivetrain to handle it! The Juggernaut XD features a motor side drivetrain designed specifically to handle the power this motor puts out to keep this bike even more reliable than your average mid-drive motor.” Bicycle Electric Motor Kit
This divergent design with dual chains would seem to overly complicate things, on top of being a completely new system with its own proprietary parts. But Biktrix, which has been in the e-bike business for about 10 years now, must feel confident that its unique dual drivetrain configuration is roadworthy and worth the price, as the Biktrix XD series is priced starting at $5,599. Those kinds of prices put the Juggernaut XD models clearly in the higher end of the electric bike market, so prospective buyers are likely to be either early adopters, or have plenty of disposable income, or both, whereas your average first-time e-bike purchaser would probably balk at the cost, so perhaps Biktrix’ new approach to electric drivetrains won’t be a deal-killer for being overcomplicated or requiring proprietary parts if when it needs repair.
This video is from couple of years ago, so it references the Juggernaut XD and not the FS XD, but it does shine some light on the dual drivetrain system:
The Juggernaut FS XD model is, as the acronym in its name suggests, a full suspension eMTB, but two of the other XD models, the Duo and the Eagle, have similar specs but are hardtail bikes (no rear suspension) and they only incorporate a cadence sensor and not a torque sensor. The FS model, on the other hand, incorporates both a torque sensor and a cadence sensor in its drivetrain(s). I find it interesting that for those other two models, which are almost the same price as the FS model, the company stuck with a simple cadence sensor, but perhaps those models can’t readily be retrofit with a torque sensor or have a different tech limitation.
As far as the other features of the Juggernaut FS XD go, the 2300W motor (with 300Nm of torque!) is paired with a 52V 910Wh battery that is said to allow for a range of up to 40 miles between charges, and has not only 5 pedal assist levels, but it also has a twist throttle for on-demand power regardless of any pedal power input. The rear of the bike uses a RockShox Monarch RL suspension system with 145mm of travel, and up front, the FS XD is offered with a few different suspension fork options with up to 150mm of travel.
Other components on the FS XD include an 11-speed SRAM NX groupset with a trigger shifter, thru-axles on the front and rear, dual piston hydraulic disc brakes (180mm front rotor and 220mm rear rotor), and a 2000-lumen “Armageddon” headlight. The MSRP on the forthcoming Juggernaut FS XD is $5999, but will have a special launch price of $4999, and those who put down a $100 deposit now will get an additional $500 off, which brings the price of the FS XD down to $4499.
Derek lives in southwestern New Mexico and digs bicycles, simple living, fungi, organic gardening, sustainable lifestyle design, bouldering, and permaculture. He loves fresh roasted chiles, peanut butter on everything, and buckets of coffee.
Electric Wheel Hub Motor Derek Markham has 547 posts and counting. See all posts by Derek Markham