Under 19kg with a 2kg motor promising over 600W peak power, the carbon Instinctiv Ocelot has very mis-matched travel and aims to keep the SL e-bike alive.
Instinctiv is hoping to keep the SL e-bike flame alive with its svelte new Ocelot, powered by the Maxon Bikedrive Air motor. Neither are household names in the mountain bike community, but Instinctiv made the pages of MBR in 2021 with its gearbox-equipped Kodiak models, and we stumbled across Maxon’s lightweight and compact drive unit last year at Eurobike, mounted to a Steppenwolf frame. Married together, Instinctiv hopes its carbon Ocelot and Maxon’s minimal but punchy Bikedrive Air motor can keep SL e-bikes relevant in the face of DJI and its Avinox motor, found in the Amflow PL Carbon.
Instinctiv Ocelot e-bike with Maxon Bikedrive Air motor
Instinctiv Ocelot need to know
- Carbon e-bike powered by the Maxon Bikedrive Air S motor
- Mismatched travel on all options: 125mm with 160mm fork; 135mm with 160mm fork; 145mm with 170mm fork
- 29in wheels front and rear
- Maxon motor gives up to 620W power, 90Nm torque, 400% support, and weighs 2kg, matched with 400Wh battery
- Weight from as little as 16.4kg, with stock builds at 18.7kg, 18.8kg, and 19.2kg depending on the travel
Maxon’s Bikedrive Air S motor might have flown under the radar up until now, but with a low weight and ample power, it certainly deserves a place under the spotlight. Packaged a lot like a Fazua Ride 60, with the electric motor sitting perpendicular to the BB and a worm drive transferring the torque to the the output shaft. As such the visible element of the motor is very small – not much larger than a regular BB shell – with the motor itself tucked inside the base of the down tube. At just 2kg, it’s a very lightweight unit, comparable to the TQ HPR 60 but with much more power and torque. Maxon claims 90Nm of torque and up to 620W of peak power out of its unit, which is basically full-fat e-bike numbers from a couple of years ago. Of course there are more powerful systems on offer now, with 1,000w of power and 120Nm torque, but the Maxon still boasts an impressive power-to-weight ratio.
Instinctiv Ocelot e-bike with Maxon Bikedrive Air motor
Latest battery tech with worthwhile range extender option
Feeding the motor is a 400Wh battery inside the down tube. The Swiss company also offers a 600Wh unit (not compatible with the Instinctiv) and – unlike Fazua – a generous 250Wh range extender. At 1.8kg, the smaller power pack enjoys a healthy 222Wh/kg energy density, higher than many of the latest systems on the market. The 600Wh battery is also light at just 2.8kg.
Maxon also has an integrated top tube screen with three customisable modes and a compact ring control for switching between Cruise, Sport, and Blast.
Instinctiv Ocelot e-bike with Maxon Bikedrive Air motor
Three models to choose from
Instinctiv has integrated the Maxon Bikedrive Air S into its full carbon Ocelot, a bike it says is the ‘ultimate trail all-rounder’. In a break from the norm, the Amsterdam-based brand purposely leaves a yawning gap between front and rear travel displacement. At one end of the scale, the Ocelot 125mm is matched with a 160mm fork, and at the more enduro end of the spectrum, the Ocelot 145mm is paired with a 170mm fork. Instinctiv says its PUMA suspension design ‘feels you have much more travel than it actually is’.
Instinctiv Ocelot e-bike with Maxon Bikedrive Air motor
Effectively a four-bar design with a complex linkage driving the shock, the Instinctiv uses the same stroke for all three Ocelot options, employing different links to alter the travel. All the linkage bearings are supplied by Enduro bearings. Cable routing is internal with full guides and no headset integration, while there are rubber chainstay and seatstay protectors along with a sump guard for the motor. The battery is not removable without dropping the motor.
Instinctiv Ocelot e-bike with Maxon Bikedrive Air motor
Sizing and geometry
Instinctiv offers the Ocelot in three frame sizes from Small to XL. Corresponding reach measurements are 460mm, 480mm, and 500mm. The head angle is quoted as 64.5º with a 77º effective seat angle, 445mm chainstays on all sizes, and a 346mm BB height on the Ocelot 145. All three bikes have short seat tubes for potential upsizing.
Prices start at €9,692 for the 125 and go up to €9,958 for the 145, but there are multiple options to tweak the spec during the ordering process. Instinctiv says the Ocelot will be available from October 2025 with pre-orders open now.