PROPAIN EKANO 3 AL SPECS OVERVIEW
The Propain Ekano 3 AL is one of a handful of alloy-frame Avinox eMTBs on the market just now, helping to achieve impressive value proposition without serious detriment to the handling. With the Pro10 suspension system delivering 160mm travel in its enduro guise (tested), the Ekano 3 AL hit hard. There is an MX wheel setup only on the enduro, and a choice of MX or 29 on the trail build, letting riders obtain their preferred handling. And speaking of preferences, there is the choice of Avinox M2 or M2S drive units to suit different budgets, with the Propain bike builder giving full customisation possibilities for the parts spec. The Ekano 3 frame receives all of the niceties you would expect from a Propain bike, giving a premium overall finish to this Blend Alloy frame.
AVINOX M2 AND M2S EBIKE SYSTEM SPECS
Propain allows the customer to choose their preference of the Avinox M2 or M2S drive unit as they configure their Ekano 3 AL build, catering to different budgets with a $239 price difference between the two. For some the M2S is a bit quieter on the descents and that would be a reason enough to upgrade, for us we likely wouldn’t spend the extra money as the extra power is less of a concern to us and the M2 is still extremely quiet.
The Avinox M2 weighs 2.65kg (5.84 lbs) and produces 1100W Peak Power with 125Nm maximum torque, while the Avinox M2S weighs less at 2.59kg (5.71 lbs), yet delivers up to 1300W Peak Power and 150Nm maximum torque.
Both of these drive units can be powered by the choice of a fixed internal 600Wh or 800Wh battery, weighing 2,870g (6.33 lbs) and 3,740g (8.25 lbs), respectively. There is no Avinox Range Extender available currently.
The Propain Ekano 3 AL ships with the choice of the 4A standard Avinox charger or 12A fast charger. Charging times from 0-100% are around 6 hours, and 2hrs 25 minutes, respectively.
The touchscreen display choice can be made by the customer, either with the standard DPC100 or the DP100 display. Both feature turn-by-turn navigation offline thanks to the built-in GPS. The DPC100 features Apple Find My, while the DP100 gets 4G LTE to unlock theft protection functionality. Using the Avinox Ride app, the rider can connect to the Avinox system to tune the power modes and adjust the display screens.
PROPAIN EKANO 3 AL GEOMETRY
The Propain Ekano 3 AL Enduro geometry is well selected, with no figures that stand out. The result was a very comfortable fit on the size Large for our 5’10” to 6’2” (178cm to 189cm) test crew. The rear end features an interchangeable dropout, allowing for the adjustment of chainstay length by 5mm, tailoring the handling to the rider preferences and helping to offset the lack of size-specific chainstays.
PROPAIN EKANO 3 AL BUILD OPTIONS
The Propain Ekano 3 AL is offered with Propain’s bike configurator, giving full spec list customisation for the parts, eBike system and frame color and graphics.
We tested a custom build coming in at just over $8,000, with a component selection that struck a great balance of value and performance. The Avinox M2 system was good and offered all the power we needed, though real juice-heads may prefer the M2S and its slightly quieter downhill performance. A RockShox Zeb Ultimate 170mm and Vivid Air Ultimate suspension package offered stellar bump-eating performance. SRAM’s GX Eagle T-Type drivetrain was excellent, wired into the Avinox system to unlock the SmoothShift functionality for shifting without pedaling.
SRAM Maven Base brakes proved to be a great fit for slowing the machine down, with some of our crew preferring them to the SwingLink-equipped premium Maven models. A OneUp Carbon cockpit and OneUp V3 dropper did the job with minimal fuss.
Rounding out the specs, a DT Swiss HX1700 wheelset feature the Degrees of Freedom hub were wrapped in our Schwalbe Tacky Chan Gravity Pro and Magic Mary Gravity Pro control tire combination.
The Propain Ekano 3 AL enduro custom build in size large weighed 55.3 lbs (25.1 kg) with our Schwalbe control tires.
AVINOX M2 DRIVE UNIT PERFORMANCE
- Pure Power: The Avinox M2 drive unit is undeniably powerful. It’s not quite chart-topping like its M2S sibling, but there is no way we’d say it’s anything less than impressive. In fact there’s so much power, that the M2, like all our full power eMTBs was detuned for most of our testing at the shootout.
- Control: As we briefly mentioned above, the Avinox M2 and M2S are awesome eBike drive units. Our entire team found that we tuned all our bikes down, as the power was just too much for the technical climbing and the riding experiences that we were after. With the power tuned down, we had much better control of the acceleration, overrun, and touchiness of the system.
- Tunability: Avinox’s App and even more so, their touchscreen and tunability without the need of the App, are above the rest. It allowed us to quickly tune the settings, play with Torque and Wattage and deliver the required tune to optimize the battery range for big days. We’re big fans of the ecosystem.
- Perceived Efficiency: It may not be the absolute most efficient system, but it’s not terrible, so long as you aren’t full power Turbo or Boost mode. It is competitive with other drive units, and when we leveled out the power to 100Nm and 750W, it was nearly as efficient as the Bosch Performance Line CX in our testing.
- Drive Unit Noise: Another standout feature of the Avinox unit is the quiet operation of the system. It’s a pleasant tone when climbing, quieter than just about everything else out there on the way up. Our drive units were also rattle-free on the way down – some of the most sensitive listeners may notice a faint rattle, but it wasn’t an issue for us.
- Ecosystem: To be expected from a tech brand, the Avinox ecosystem was the team’s favorite overall in this year’s shootout. We especially love the touchscreen, ease of tuning, and the simple and effective bar controls for toggling on-the-fly.
PROPAIN EKANO 3 CLIMBING PERFORMANCE
The Propain Ekano 3 is a solid all-round climber for the most part. We tested the bike in the Enduro configuration, and found it to be comfortable while seated and capable of delivering impressive traction. It wasn’t quite as low as the Pivot Shuttle LT, but we did notice that the pedals would have a tendency to hit the ground on some of the more off-camber climbs and through chunkier rock gardens.
Despite not usually being huge fans of Pro10 suspension due to their traditionally high anti-squat values, the Ekano 3 is surprisingly smooth and comfortable. That combined with the geometry to put our riders in a great position for power moves on the way up, and comfortable for the longer epic grinds into the backcountry.
Overall the Ekano 3 is a very versatile eMTB for getting up the mountain, and will be a blast on anything from the uphill flow trails to rugged backcountry missions.
PROPAIN EKANO 3 DESCENDING PERFORMANCE
Crowd pleasing performance is the easiest way to sum up the Propain Ekano 3. Whether you wanted to take it easy down a groomer after a long day; embrace the spirit of enduro and ride as fast as you can on a blind backcountry singletrack; or push for a race-run down the local DH track, our crew regularly picked the Ekano 3 when it was available.
Some of our crew struggled with the rear shock setup on the Ekano 3. With its 160mm travel being handled by a relatively short 55mm stroke shock, the spring rate of the rear shock must be set higher than average to deliver the appropriate sag. Heavier riders such as Trent (240lbs / 105kg) found themselves maxing-out the rear shock pressure while still receiving over 30% sag. Most of the crew was able to find a good setup, but we would recommend that volume reducers are added to improve end-stroke support.
The suspension performance was quite solid overall, and the DT Swiss Degrees of Freedom’s 10-degrees of assistance further softened up the rear wheels movement over smaller obstacles. Our team thoroughly enjoyed putting this bike through a variety of tests, and found it to be one of the most neutral in terms of tradeoffs, lacking any polarizing points. While it may not have been the best bike in a certain category, we struggled to find a place that it didn’t do very well.
Our only real nitpick would be its weight being a little heavier than we’d like. At 55.3lbs with Gravity casing tires, it wasn’t the heaviest on test and it did hide its weight pretty well, but we would have loved it even more if this bike could lose a little weight. If our biggest critique is the weight, then you can be sure that Propain has done a stellar job at covering the fundamentals of geometry and suspension well enough that we’re left with very little to complain about.
HOW DID IT COMPARE?
The Propain Ekano 3 is competing in a stacked category. From a value perspective, the offerings Propain have are amongst the best in test, if not leading. In terms of performance, the bike isn’t quite as pointed in the all-out speed department as say the Mondraker Zendit or Forbidden Dreadnought E. It’s not as refined and doesn’t offer the adjustability of the Pivot Shuttle LT. It’s a lighter and more playful than the Cannondale Moterra, but still retains a pretty plush feeling rear end with the RockShox Vivid Ultimate out back and DF hubs. The Ekano 3 has a nice feel, confident and smooth, which made it stand out for a lot of our crew.
The Wolf’s Last Word
A real standout in this year’s shootout, the Propain Ekano 3 has officially become a threat. We’ve not always been the biggest fans of the Pro10 suspension platform and its bias towards pedaling efficiency, which has resulted in stiffer, harsher feeling rear end in the past. This bike combined with the DT Swiss DF hubs made it a very compelling option for all our test trails this year. Whether it was a big epic deep into the mountains, hot-lapping chunky DH tracks, or ripping flowy berms, few bikes were getting pulled out of the charging bay as much as the Ekano 3.
WHO SHOULD BUY THE PROPAIN EKANO 3?
Almost anyone. It’s probably easier to narrow down the small field who wouldn’t find it ideal. If you’re a racer looking for the most pointed, precise and performance-oriented bike that will give you sharp feedback, you may be better served elsewhere. That said, we still felt the Propain Ekano 3 went plenty fast.
Price: $8,103
Weight: 55.3 lbs (As Tested)
Website: Propain-bikes.com
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2026 eMTB SHOOTOUT SPONSORS
Without the support from the City of Santa Fe, Santa Fe County Tourism and Economic Development, Fox Racing, Schwalbe Tires and Glorieta Adventure Camps, this year’s shootout would not have been possible. If you’re in the market for new gear, new tires, a place to visit or a way to get your bikes to the trail, consider showing these guys some love.
