Ubco bikes are one of those great Kiwi success stories, with their fully electric 2x2 farm bike taking the world – and many a paddock – by storm.
While the 2x2 is a wickedly useful bit of kit and can ride up nearly anything, it is neither attractive or particularly exhilarating to ride.
Until recently we didn’t think Ubco would be making any moves away from its little white mountain goat, but stumbling across images of Kiwi enduro legend Chris Birch playing on Ubco's new machine really captured our attention.
Dubbed the FRX1, this new bike takes the Ubco brand away from the farm and out onto the trail.
The bike itself was developed by a Lithuanian company called Neematic, who Ubco has entered into a general agreement with to bring the free ride electric bike concept into the UBCO product family as the FRX1.
Stats are pretty good on first glace. The FRX1 is powered by a 15kW peak power brushless motor which is wrapped in a lightweight mid-drive frame with what the two companies describe as “hardcore off-road suspension.”
UBCO says the FRX1 is the perfect fusion of MTB and dirt bike, and it kinda shows.
Tipping the scales at just 52kg, it is definitely lightweight and can be propelled (and maybe pedalled, there is a pedal-assist function built-in) to a top speed of 80kph.
As with all electric vehicles, the really important numbers come in the form of the battery stats, and these aren't too bad either. Maximum range from the 2.2 kWh lithium-ion battery pack is a claimed 100 kilometres, with charging time listed a just 2.5 hours on a standard wall socket.
Ubco’s CEO Timothy Allan says the addition of the FRX1 to the Ubco stable will help the company move away from the single product focus of the past.
"The UBCO 2x2 is already being used in an array of environments including agriculture, horticulture, adventure, tourism, commuting, recreation, and conservation, among others, and now we have the ability to offer another solution to those customers, while also tapping into a whole new market of riders with both utility and performance product tracks. We don't want to offer one option to our customers, we want to be the solution."
Pricing for the FRX1 is yet to be confirmed, but UBCO are already taking pre-orders via their website if this mountain bike-come-enduro inbetweener takes your fancy.
