U
KIWI FIRM UBCO STEPS
OFF THE FARM
bco bikes is one of those great Kiwi success
stories, with its 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, images emerging of enduro
legend Chris Birch playing on something new
caught our eye.
Dubbed the FRX1, this new bike takes the Ubco
brand away from the farm and out onto the trail.
Developed by Lithuanian company Neematic,
Ubco has entered a general agreement to bring
Neematic’s free ride electric bike concept into the
UBCO product family as the FRX1.
Powered by a 15kW peak power brushless
motor which is wrapped in a lightweight mid-
drive frame with “hardcore off-road suspension”,
UBCO says the FRX1 is the perfect fusion of MTB
and dirt bike.
Tipping the scales at just 52kg, it is definitely
102 KIWI RIDER
lightweight and can be propelled (and maybe
pedalled, there is a pedal-assist function built-in)
to a top speed of 80km/h.
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.