Bosch Performance Line CX vs PX: Which Motor Do You Need?

I hear a version of the same question most weeks in the showroom: why is this Charger5 more than a thousand pounds cheaper than that one? The spec sheets look similar, the frames look identical, and the answer is one word on the price list: CORE. The main thing behind that word is the motor, and it is the difference between Bosch's Performance Line CX and Performance Line PX.

The Bosch Performance Line CX and Performance Line PX are the two motors that power almost every Riese & Müller we sell. Both are mid-drive motors on the Bosch smart system, both are rated at 250 watts continuous, and both stop assisting at 25 km/h, so they are equally road-legal in the UK. The difference is how hard they can push. The CX is Bosch's flagship, now capable of up to 120 Nm of torque on approved variants. The PX is the newer motor Bosch launched in July 2025 for trekking and touring, with a 90 Nm ceiling and a quieter character. On an R&M price list, the CX powers the standard variants and the PX powers the CORE variants.

What is the real difference between the CX and the PX?

The headline numbers are torque: up to 120 Nm from the CX after Bosch's Performance Upgrade 2.0, against a 90 Nm ceiling for the PX. Torque is what gets a heavy bike moving on a steep gradient, so that 30 Nm is important when the road points up.

The number I would point you at first is one most people skip. Bosch publishes maximum power at 70 crank revolutions per minute, which is an ordinary pedalling rhythm rather than a sprint. The CX delivers up to 730 watts there. The PX delivers 550. That is the gap you notice on a long Devon climb with luggage: the CX keeps pulling hard at the cadence you settle into, while the PX asks a little more of your legs.

Both motors offer up to 600% support, meaning the motor can add up to six times whatever power you put through the pedals. The small print is the same for both: 600% applies up to 15 km/h, in the riding modes Bosch has enabled for it, and the maximum values are unlocked through the eBike Flow app. Bikes ship with gentler defaults (the PX leaves the factory at 85 Nm and 340% support), and the bike manufacturer decides the ceiling you can reach with the slider. Bosch is open that running the maximum settings costs you range and increases drivetrain wear, which is why the choice sits with the rider rather than the factory.

The PX has its own arguments beyond price. Bosch designed it around a quieter gearbox; it pedals with very little resistance above the assistance limit, and the housing uses roughly 40% recycled aluminium. It is not a cut-down CX; it is a newer design introduced in summer 2025 with trekking riders in mind.

What does CORE mean on a Riese & Müller?

CORE is R&M's way of getting the same frames and the same engineering to a lower price. My read is that it is their answer to the price-conscious end of the market: a handful of variants, built in volume, with few options, which is how the cost stays down. A CORE variant pairs the PX motor with a 600 Wh PowerTube battery and a simpler component package. The standard variants pair the CX with an 800 Wh battery (or a 1,200 Wh DualBattery on the Superdelite5) and the fuller specification.

In current UK pricing, the Charger5 Touring CORE, Charger5 Mixte Touring CORE and Nevo5 Touring CORE are each £4,539, with the Vario CORE versions at £4,719. The equivalent Charger5 Touring with the CX motor is £5,649. To be clear about what that gap buys: it is not only the motor. You are also moving from 600 to 800 watt-hours of battery, from a 10-speed to an 11-speed drivetrain on the Touring. The motor is the biggest difference, but it is not the whole difference.

One battery note for the tourers: R&M does not offer the PowerMore 250 range extender as a factory option on CORE bikes. The PX supports it, and we can fit one in the workshop afterwards. But if you already know you need the range, the sums usually point at buying the CX bike with the 800 Wh battery in the first place. For most day riding, 600 Wh is plenty.

And one trap to avoid: the Nevo5 Silent CORE (£3,699) is not a PX bike. It runs a third motor, Bosch's standard Performance Line, with a 540 Wh battery and a 5-speed hub. It is the cheapest way into an R&M and we covered it properly in our Nevo5 vs Gazelle Avignon comparison.

Where Performance Upgrade 2.0 fits

Bosch's free May 2026 update is what pushed the CX to 120 Nm and 600% support, and it is approved variant by variant, not model by model: Touring and Rohloff variants get the full upgrade, while Vario and Automatic variants are excluded because the Enviolo hub is not rated for the extra torque. CORE bikes get the 600% support boost through the same update, but the PX torque ceiling does not move. The full compatibility table, install steps and the reasons behind the exclusions are in our Performance Upgrade 2.0 guide, and the background to the CX's rise is in our Gen 5 motor update post.

Which motor should you choose?

Most of our customers choose the CX, and for good reason. It is the motor with all the versatility: every R&M drivetrain including Rohloff and Automatic, the 800 Wh battery (or 1,200 Wh DualBattery on the Superdelite5) with the option of the PowerMore extender (Not on the Superdelite), and the full 120 Nm of headroom for whatever hills are put in front of you. It climbs loaded, it tours, it commutes, and you will never find its limit on a UK road. If the budget reaches the standard variants, the CX is the bike we will usually point you at, because it does everything and keeps doing it as your riding grows.

The PX is the right call when the budget will not stretch or motor noise levels are a concern. A Touring CORE at £4,539 gets you the same frame, the same engineering and a motor that still out-pulls most of the market, with the same 600% support for the pulls out of junctions. What you give up is climbing headroom, battery capacity and drivetrain choice. If your riding is commuting, day rides and rolling lanes rather than loaded touring, you may never miss any of it.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Bosch PX as good as the CX?

It is the same Bosch smart system quality and the same UK road legality; what differs is output and headroom. The CX reaches 120 Nm and 730 W at normal cadence on approved variants, the PX reaches 90 Nm and 550 W. Most of our customers choose the CX for its versatility; the PX is the route into an R&M when the budget is fixed, and it is a very good motor on those terms.

What does CORE mean on a Riese & Müller?

CORE variants pair the Performance Line PX motor with a 600 Wh battery and a simpler component package to reach a lower price, currently from £4,539. Standard variants pair the Performance Line CX with 800 Wh or more. The frame and the engineering are the same.

Can the PX be upgraded to 120 Nm?

No. Performance Upgrade 2.0 gives PX-equipped bikes the 600% support boost, but the torque ceiling stays at 90 Nm. The 120 Nm figure applies to the Performance Line CX on approved Touring and Rohloff variants.

Is the PX quieter than the CX?

Yes, noticeably. Bosch designed the PX around an optimised, quiet-running gearbox, and in the showroom, the contrast is simple: the PX is quiet and refined, the CX is punchy and louder. Come and listen to both back-to-back.

Try both on a real hill

We are ebikeist, the Riese & Müller and Moustache dealer in Dartmouth, Devon, and the hills around our showroom at Little Dartmouth will tell you more about these two motors in twenty minutes than any spec sheet. Call us on 03330 151 979 and tell us how you ride. If you are still mapping the range, our interactive guide covers motors, batteries and gearing in plain English.

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