The first e-gravel bike to feature DJI’s new Avinox drive system would normally be plenty enough to grab attention. How does that land when it’s also the first time you’re hearing about a bike brand called Paprika 53?
In the week following Sea Otter Classic, there’s no shortage of product news competing for the attention of trade and public alike. Ironically, the thing that grabbed plenty of media attention, inside and outside of our industry, is from a brand you’ve likely not have heard of before, pairing a motor you definitely have heard of with a gravel bike.
Paprika Model 25 GT (you said what?)
At this point, all we have is details the brand has provided – no test ride, no YouTube review, no bikes yet available (Pre-orders Open: May 3, 2025) – yet there’s no denying the tease has generated more than a little interest in a business that calls itself “a deliberate outlier”.
So, what of the bike known as Model 25 GT? Why would it gain and hold interest before a pedal stroke has even been turned? Well, let’s do the bullet point feature thing first and then explore some of the uniqueness in some detail.
- RockShox Rudy Ultimate XPLR A2 suspension fork
- RockShox Reverb AXS XPLR dropper
- Fizik Terra Argo saddle
- Custom Parabola carbon bar with 25° of outsweep optimised for comfort and control.
- Dropline Dip in the top tube – said to offer “extra saddle height adjustability and subtle frame flex to take the edge off the chatter before it gets to you”.
The Model 25 GT is the first e-gravel bike to feature DJI’s new Avinox drive system – and you know by now that means up to 120Nm torque and 1000w peak power, with a touted triple-digit range (varying experiences here, based on all the usual variables).
Packing that performance into a full-carbon gravel-focused frame, paired with a suspension fork and dropper post, delivers a bike reportedly weighing under 40 lbs (18.14 Kg). That weight may seem a little on the chunky side, so it will be interesting to see how that turns out once production bikes are out in the wild.
Can a motor define a bike?
Paprika 53 is keen to emphasise that they see their debut model as “less like an outlier — and more like a preview of where gravel could be headed next.” This will land differently in different markets, that’s for sure. One thing that is definitely on trend: 50mm tyres and what looks to be decent clearance.
Just as some markets have lapped up gravel bikes with suspension forks, and others have hardly given them a second glance, so e-gravel bikes are likely to find a home (or not).
Important to emphasise here – the UK isn’t setting any e-bike sales records, whilst our European neighbours are clearly very fond of a bike with motor, irrespective of bike class – transport, cargo, commute, leisure, road, mountain bike: All sell in very hefty numbers across the water.
Getting back to the Model 25 GT, the team behind the bike are not going to have much pushback on the claimed “New design language for off-road bikes.” Here, the Model 25 GT seeks to merge approaching “mountain-level capability with a minimal profile that takes cues from high-end consumer tech, courtesy of the founders’ background”. The language used to describe the bike makes sense when you meet the founders.
Founders in focus
Paprika 53 was started by former tech builders – Matt Chen and Susie Liu – who spent their downtime riding gravel—not to train, but to disconnect. This experience saw rides get longer and the terrain more unpredictable, and with this came questions about the gear they used.
What followed “wasn’t a brand idea, but a product problem: how do you build for a riding that doesn’t care for categories, and a lifestyle that doesn’t fit into boxes?”
As the launch material states: “Not Racers. Not Pros. Tech Heads Who Ride.”
Chen is a former Vice President of OnePlus “with nearly 20 years of experience in global product strategy and operations, which includes “launching hardware at scale, as well as advising leading tech firms on growth and execution”.
Liu is a Cambridge-educated brand builder with experience across finance, luxury, and consumer tech. She led international marketing at OnePlus and spearheaded Roblox’s expansion into Asia. Liu’s career spans industries, with a common focus on shaping companies that defy category norms.
How is a DJI-powered gravel bike received in the marketplace?
Now, there will be some in the industry who’ll take shots at the idea of a high-powered e-gravel bike. And others who’ll simply say ‘take my money.’
One thing is certain: Different has a power and value.
Making yourself visible in a crowded marketplace takes something different.
And then you have that DJI Avinox system.
Enough to win customers? Only time will tell.
Given the challenging times we’re working in, a new entrant is cause for celebration (maybe indirectly if you now have a new competitor). That people with significant global tech business experience look at cycling and see an opportunity, an attractive market to be part of, is encouraging.
One thing’s for certain: Rarely has a new brand launched a new bike which has gotten so many people talking before a pedal is turned. Only time will tell if that’s a good thing.
