Bosch has just launched a suite of new products, including an exotic CX Race motor, integrated top tube display, and even a free power upgrade for existing owners. You can read about all the new Bosch bits and bobs in our news story, but I flew out to the Dolomites to actually ride them.

I got to ride the latest Orbea Wild with the CX Race motor installed during the day, and scoff tiramisu in the evening. Not a bag gig!

Riding the new Bosch CX power upgrade

It’s a warm, by Yorkshire standards anyway, calm day at the foot of the Italian Alps. The shuttle from the hotel to the launch location has revealed a mini Bosch village, with reams of bikes and of course, plenty of cappuccinos. The order of the day is to be introduced to and test out the new products for Bosch’s model year 2026.

These include the long-awaited power update for the gen 5 CX motor, which increases the maximum torque and power available for all gen 5 owners, an integrated Kiox display, a new riding mode called eMTB+, extended boost, and, the new CX Race motor.

The new CX-R motor on display with the titanium axle and ceramic bearings on the right.

Just a small launch, right? Not a lot to think about.

The media are split into two groups, with two rides to embark on. The CX ride, which offered more explanation on the upgrades to the gen 5 motor, and the CX-R ride, which was led by former XC racer and E-Enduro World Champion, Natalie Schneiter. Oh, and Danny MacAskill was on the CX ride amongst some other MTB legends. No pressure, then…

This trusty Trek Rail+ was my bike for the CX test. It’s not the lightest, but certainly well-balanced on the trail.

From 85Nm to 100Nm – more torque is not just all mouth and no trousers

For the CX ride I tested the new Trek Rail+ – in purple, of course. A weighty bike, as I’d later find out trying to haul it back up a technical section I was trying to session.

The first thing I was encouraged to assess was the new eMTB+ mode. I did this by riding up some short, steeper climbs in a low cadence in eMTB mode. Then, going into the app, Bosch adjusted the dynamics to -5 (this basically means more traction control is activated), and then rode up the same climbs in eMTB+ mode to test the difference.

The Bosch CX motor remains physically unchanged, but the new firmware unlocks more power and torque.

I know it’s cliché to agree with marketing spiel, but it did genuinely make a difference. The technical difference between eMTB and eMTB+ is 15Nm and maximum 150W. And that difference is definitely noticeable – although more so for heavier riders than for me, I did note.

Riding generally in the eMTB+ mode, it’s certainly more responsive than the eMTB mode, and it would probably be my mode of choice – even above Auto. The power delivery is intuitive, and I like that it’s easy to set off on steep climbs, and doesn’t make you wheelie by accident. Not that I did that…

Just in case you haven’t seen what the CX gen 5 motor looks like up close, here it is

The final thing to discuss within this power update is the Extended Boost. It offers a maximum of 2 metres of full power boost (2 metres is the legal limit), and I really enjoyed fiddling with the pedal input to get it to come to life. Slam the bike into a corner and steady the pedals ready to kick down and boost it out to get that speed advantage. Yeah, your non-e-bike friends are going to really hate you now.

This was the first time we’ve got hands-on with the new Trek Rail+ – it’s bristling with adjustment.

But the question on everyone’s lips is probably, ‘will this upgrade actually bring Bosch closer to DJI?’ Well, in terms of basic specs, no. But, Bosch has a few reasons on why the brand has decided to cap the power at 750W, and it boils down to public image and perception of e-bikes. The brand also said that its eMTB products aren’t designed to take away the riding feel that you get from an acoustic mountain bike.

It’s more about keeping bikes as active mobility, rather than passive mobility. And it doesn’t matter where you sit on this argument, you can probably appreciate that as an idea. I think it’s important to say I haven’t had the chance to ride a DJI Avinox-equipped bike yet. So I don’t know how this compares, or feels. But I can say it’s certainly an upgrade compared to the eMTB mode.

Mega power and mega responsive, the CX-R isn’t for everyone, but it’s super impressive.

Not just for pros? I’m no racer, but I still loved the range-topping CX-R motor

In the afternoon, I got the chance to test out the CX-R motor atop an Orbea Wild. A package overall more suited to me, although I’d still get rid of the ABS (sorry Bosch).

The CX-R motor doesn’t appear massively different in terms of spec compared to the CX. It’s lighter, it uses a titanium crank but still offers the same maximum numbers in terms of torque and power. But where it does differ is the Race mode.

The old cutaway shot, making you realise just what all the whirring is beneath you

The only way I can describe the Race mode is like when you’re at a rodeo, and the bull is being wound up more and more until finally it’s released into the pen – it’s instant acceleration. In fact, put a foot on the pedal and apply just a smidge too much pressure and you’ll be fighting to escape the proverbial bull pen.

Particularly if you’re a lighter rider, that power could be considered too much – and it’s interesting, the concept of ‘too much power’, as it’s a big topic at the moment with the potential legislation that may come in and limit the maximum power of e-bikes, among other things.

My Orbea Wild test bike was packed with tech, including the Bosch ABS system in collaboration with Magura.

The reason the Race mode is so twitchy is the power curve – unlike eMTB+ or eMTB mode, which is steadier to reach the maximum power, Race mode offers instant acceleration. You put your foot down and you are hitting 750W whether you like it or not.

Of course, one can adjust this easily in the Flow app, which I get the impression Bosch is really keen for you to do. Customising your bike’s setup is easily done with a few touches of a screen, although it could be irritating if you’re trying to focus on the trail and don’t want to keep opening your phone.

The titanium crank in the new Race motor helps to keep the weight down by err…100g. Ceramic bearings reduce friction and extend bearing life.

And while I’m thinking about this particular aspect of the Bosch offering, I did begin to feel a little bit disconnected from the ride. When I ride bikes it’s generally about escaping real life, I like to be deep into nature and put my phone on ‘do not disturb’ so I get a bit of headspace. But the constant opening the phone and changing things in the app got me feeling a bit disjointed.

I suspect when you get to know your bike you won’t need to change things quite so frequently, and I also suspect most of us won’t really dive that deep into customising modes and torque settings. But I digress.

You can see the little ‘A’ in the bottom of the screen – this denotes ‘Automatic shifting’

Like spending money on chains? Automatic shifting is here to help

Another new aspect of this particular bike and drive system I got to test was the automatic shifting. Bosch is no stranger to a bit of eShift action, but this time you can quickly adjust between auto, manual+ and manual gear shifting via a tiny button on your shifter lever.

I think it certainly has its place, but during undulating trails it actually irritated me a bit. It adjusts when your cadence reaches a certain point, which makes sense – you’re pedalling slower so the gear you’re in is too hard, let’s change that. But in reality, this leads to a lot of shifting under load which isn’t always predictable when you’re speeding along.

The Orbea Wild had eShift enabled, with a mixed response.

The other way it works, in manual+ mode, is by adjusting your gears automatically when you’re freewheeling. So if you’re stopping to get a cool shot for your Instagram account, and want to hop back on, it’ll recognise if you stopped in too high of a gear and change it for you. It’s a bit like the hub gear offerings you get from Rohloff or Enviolo on urban e-bikes.

But in reality, at least, in my reality, I’ve been riding so long that changing gears when necessary is like second nature. It’s just like driving a manual car – I know automatics have their place, but for me and how I drive or ride, it’s not something I’m looking for.

The new Bosch Kiox 400C display offers USB-C charging so you can charge your phone on the go

Kiox 400C integrated screen is the display mountain bikers have been waiting for

The Kiox is by far my favourite of the Bosch display units, and now the brand has taken it to the top tube. I’ll admit I was a little sceptical and thought, well, there’s another thing that will rattle…but on my test ride at least, it didn’t.

It offers a high quality display with automatic brightness adjustment – and one big change to the handlebar mounted option: it isn’t touchscreen. Bosch says this is because it is too complicated for riders to look down at their top tube while riding and cycle through screens that way. And, I’m inclined to agree – to be honest, I barely look at screens anyway on my MTB, unless they’re in my face (looking at you, Wahoo Ace).

I knew I put the Kiox 400C display down somewhere…

The way you control it is via the handlebar buttons or through the buttons on the Kiox display itself if you want to run a cleaner cockpit. Although, I’d question why you wouldn’t use the handlebar remote if concentration on the top tube is an issue.

It also offers dynamic cycling of the screen, too. This essentially means the various Bosch Smart System gremlins will detect what you’re riding (like, a climb) and then display a screen that’s most relevant to that. I wouldn’t personally use that if I had a unit myself, but I can see where others might appreciate it.

I just used the handlebar remote to switch screens, mainly to check how many times I’d activated the ABS – a record 46 on my second ride of the day.

Proof Rebecca actually rode the bike. What you don’t see is the tree she clattered into straight after this slab…

The Kiox 400C is backwards compatible with CX motor-equipped bikes with the top tube recess. We haven’t got a price just yet, but will update when we do.

And thus concludes my ramblings from a warm and inviting Italy. A quick shout out to Bosch, too. I wasn’t the MBR staff member initially invited, but, the Bosch ride guides made me feel comfortable and not at all discriminated because of my lack of ability compared to Danny MacAskill and his mates. I even got a pretty sweet guided ride through the local trails by the chap who had built them, I don’t think there would have been anyone better placed to really help experience the new Bosch products in this location.