We Miss eMTB

Volition started making ebikes in Australia 10 years ago.
Not many electric bike businesses have survived that long.

Over the years, we’ve seen people come and go —
and everyone seems to claim they are the “best” in the ebike market.

Back then, most ebike riders were:

• People genuinely interested in lightweight motorised push bikes

• People who lost their licence and needed an ebike for transport

• Older riders who wanted to keep riding with an electric bike

10 years have come and gone.

Ebikes in Australia have evolved and matured —
now split into different categories, serving different purposes.

Fat tyre ebikes, which are basically electric mopeds disguised as bicycles,
have gained huge popularity in the electric bike market in Australia.

Our version — the Koala ebike — is different.
The goal was always to keep the electric bike feeling like a real bicycle,
not a fake mini dirt bike.

That said, fat tyre electric bikes are good at what they do:

• Carrying passengers (a mate, a girl, or kids)

• Carrying cargo

• Wide tyres = traction and stability

And the fact that many of these ebikes sit in a grey area legally,
yet are still widely ridden in Australia —
makes them feel… fun.

The middle segment — commuter ebikes / electric bikes —
has been heavily affected.

Big brands dumping electric bikes at 50–60% off
have flooded the ebike market in Australia.

Clearing inventory at any cost
has, in a way, damaged the electric bike industry
and put huge pressure on smaller ebike brands.

Volition simply can’t compete
with companies that just want to dump electric bikes at any price.

Now it comes to the last area of ebikes we want to talk about —
the electric mountain bike (eMTB), where we started.

We have to be honest.

The eMTB market is declining.

No matter what some brands tell you,
even the biggest electric bike companies globally are facing downturns
and reduced demand for high-cost electric mountain bikes.

You can see it in the discounts —
and in some high-profile closures.

30–40% off from major brands,
and suddenly the entire ebike market shifts.

We used to say:
half the price, 90% of the bike.

But when large brands start heavily discounting their electric bikes,
it puts smaller builders like us in a difficult position.

As a direct-to-consumer ebike brand in Australia,
our pricing is already competitive.

We simply can’t go much lower
without selling at a loss.

And we know some companies do exactly that —
just to clear unwanted electric bike stock.

The funny thing is — like karma — things go around.

Back in those days, magazines like Flow would shun us for being “illegal ebikes.”
I guess they didn’t see what was coming —
how much more “illegal” fat tyre ebikes would become.

Funny how that turned out.

We miss eMTB.

We miss what electric bikes used to be.

We miss customers who respect the ride —
not youth gangs riding illegally,
ignoring every rule on the road.

We want our original customers back.

People who are genuinely interested in cycling,
in pushing bikes,
in the feeling of riding.

Not fake dirt bikes —
that aren’t even good dirt bikes.

MAX PRO eMTB