Magnum Classic 48 Review

To run the forums, host the website, and travel, I charge a universal service fee for my reviews. This in-depth review was sponsored by Magnum Bikes. My goal is to be transparent and unbiased with you, this video and writeup are not meant to be an endorsement of Magnum products. I welcome your corrections, additions, and feedback in the comments below and the Magnum electric bike forums.

Pros:

• A value priced electric folding bike from Magnum that is also feature rich with fenders, rear rack, lights in the front and rear, front suspension fork, suspension seat post, also has a powerful, capable, and reliable electric system with a 25mph top speed and a high capacity 48v battery system
• The price point is a big win for the bike, most bikes don’t offer this many features as well as a powerful 500-700 watt hub motor with throttle, the bike comes in at just $1,599 and is supported by a dealer network, Magnum has been around the ebike world for years and has tons of experience supporting their bikes
• Folding the bike is quick and easy, make sure to check out the review video for a folding demonstration, this makes the bike easy to transport in a vehicle or even good for storage, this is especially useful for those that live in a apartment of condominium since it stows away nice and compact
• Features a low step-through frame, with this lower stand-over height, this makes the bike far more approachable to many riders, perfect if you want to take it easy getting on and off, or even if you have some physical considerations or recent surgery that prevents you from getting up and over a regular bicycle, great for quick hops to the store, etc
• Magnum has made two color options available, there is a black with neon blue accents, or a white with neon blue accents, I personally prefer the white since it is a high visibility color and is easier to spot in traffic making you more visible, but I do appreciate that the handsome black color has blue accents too to help with this
• The bike is comes in at 57.2lbs and that weight includes the battery, motor, and everything on the bike ready to ride, if you wanted to shed some weight for carrying it around or loading it on and off a rack, you could always remove the battery and stow it somewhere else
• There are some nice aluminum alloy fenders included here with these rubberized mud flaps, not only do these add an additional element to keep you clean, but it can help alleviate toe strikes to the fender if you are making a tight turn
• Included is a front suspension fork, this is nice for soaking up bumps and cracks in the road, this is a ZOOM branded fork with 50mm of travel, it may be a little on the basic side and lack some adjustment options, but I still think it is nice to have here and fits the bikes purpose well
• For tires, you get a nice set of 20” x 2.125” wider tires, this wider tread gives great balance and the rubber is a little thicker too, I love that being a smaller wheel gives you a mechanical advantage for the electric system moving the wheels, the break power, and the pedaling power all benefit from having a smaller diameter, it give the bike a much more zippy feel altogether
• Also, the tires have both puncture protection and reflective sidewalls, as a big fan of safety and convince, having both means visibility for riding at dusk or dawn as well as peace of mind against potential threats to your tires
• Ramping up the utility aspect is this integrated rear rack, this has not only bungie latch, but also a spring latch on the top, something I think is really cool about this rack is that it is rated for 27kg (which is about 59.5lbs), this goes above and beyond since standard rear racks are rated for 55lbs, which is a little bit less, so it’s nice to see something more sturdy
• I love the included independent 2x AA battery operated lights here, they have them both in the front and the rear, safety has always been a priority for myself and other cyclists, so it’s nice to see that more and more companies are including these on ebikes
• Powering the bike is a high capacity 48v 13ah lithium ion battery, this is secured via lock and key and also has a battery charge level LED indicator readout that is shown at the press of a button, my favorite part of the battery is the USB charging port on the side, this lets you run accessories off the main battery power, or you can even bring the battery around with you camping or on a picnic to use it as a portable power bank, I am told Magnum also offers a couple of upgrades, you can get a 48v 14ah or a 48v 16ah if you wanted to bump up the range capabilities
• Charging is done with a 1.5lb 2amp charger so that slower charge will help the battery life, to really care for this and other lithium-ion packs, I have heard that storing in a cool dry location vs. extreme heat or cold will extend the life and try to keep it about 50% full when not using for long periods so you won’t stress the cells, try not to let it run down to zero, because that’s really hard on the cell chemistry
• Probably my most favorite point of comfort by far is the suspension seat post with preload adjust, this is an accessory I always recommend people purchase for their bike because it makes a world of difference, it is rare that I ever see these included, so it is really a nice touch to the bike and you don’t have to go out and spend extra money!
• Other features of the bike include an integrated bell, telescoping stem for adjustability, and these nice ergonomic grips for comfort
• Driven by a powerful and reliable Bafang rear hub-drive motor that is rated at a 500 watt nominal and 700 watt peak rating, this has about 90nm of torque and can be engaged either by the cadence sensor for cadence based pedal assist or trigger throttle, is capable of speeds up to 25mph for the pedal assist and 20mph throttle only
• With that 25mph rating on the pedal assist, this makes the bike a speed pedelec which is great for zipping round town and getting to your destination faster than others, you can even adjust the top speed in the display menus and bring it down for those that are new to ebikes or perhaps a bit intimidated, you can also remove the throttle, this is also great for those that want to change it from a Class 3 ebike to a Class 2 ebike to go on more trails
• The 12 magnet cadence sensor on the bike is sealed, older ebikes (and even some current ones!) would have the magnets out in the open allowing them to get gunked up with debris and grime which would hinder the operation, I am glad more companies are doing this, even Magnum here and it is a nice to see they didn’t skimp on a value priced ebike
• Mechanically, the bike is operated by a 7 speed Shimano Tourney derailleur, 14-28 tooth cassette in the rear, 52 tooth chain ring in the front, and 165mm crank arms, the grip shift on the handlebars is intuitive and easy to use, especially friendly for newer riders
• Way down by the derailleur, you will notice a metal derailleur guard, this is an accessory that not all bikes have, but it is here and important to highlight, this keeps the derailleur from getting bashed around if the bike is ever shipped, but more importantly, this will protect that derailleur should the bike ever take a spill and fall down, defiantly a great addition
• Stopping the bike is a set of 160mm mechanical disc brake rotors, mechanical disc brakes are easy to adjust and maintain, in addition, this bike includes motor inhibitors, a motor cut off switch built into the brakes making stopping easier
• The Das-Kit centrally mounted display is nice and large, very easy to read, and is backlit as well, I love that you can adjust the top speeds with this thing as mentioned earlier, but it also has a walk mode, great for if you have a flat tire or need to lug the bike up a hill or have a heavy load to escort

Cons:

• As a fan of safety, it is hard to knock on items like included lights in the front and rear, however, many manufacturers are having them integrated into the main battery power while letting you turn them on and off at the display controls, for this bike, they have independent buttons and are powered by disposable AA batteries, this means you could forget to turn them off a lot easier, as well as drain those batteries making it so you have to buy them more frequently
• Mechanical disc brakes are easy to maintain as well as adjust, however, they lack the immediate stopping power that hydraulic brakes offer, mechanical brakes are still quite capable, but they take a little bit more hand actuation compared to hydraulic brakes, these were probably chosen to keep that cost down
• Charging the battery is done via the included 2amp charger, not the fastest especially given that 48v 13ah rating, it could take you a while to charge it from dead to full, but I am told charging it at lower amps can reduce wear on the charging cycles over time
• One of the draw backs to this electrical system is that to operate the bike, the keys must stay in to maintain ignition, this means you could have the keys bounce around if on a key chain and not only make a lot of annoying noise while you ride, but even worse, they could potentially scratch up the frame, this is something to keep in mind for your operation
• While I appreciate the ZOOM front suspension fork, it is a more basic fork, it lacks a lot of in-depth adjustments and has a smaller 50mm of travel, again, it is nice that it is here, but it matches the $1,599 MSRP as one of the more basic components so keep that in mind
• Kind of unique to folding bikes is a occurrence I call cable stretch, basically, it means if you were to have the telescoping stem raised high to its maximum, the cables for the breaks, display, and other electrical wires could be stretched to a point of stress when hard turning the bike in a riding situation, this may not happen for everyone and some companies try to eliminate this, but unfortunately, I do see this happening here, especially if you are a very tall rider
• Here at Electric Bike Review, we are big fans of bottle cage bosses, unfortunately, they are not present on this bike, they normally make a great addition for a lot of reasons, you can fit a number of accessories on them, not just water bottles, there are aftermarket add-ons like a GPS tracker, a folding lock, mounting points for racks, and many others that can get your bike setup just the way you want, so it is a shame none are here
• The display is nice and large and easy to ready, however, it is not color, nor does it have a more accurate battery percentage readout, newer bikes are ditching the battery infographic that only shows how much battery you have in chunks to go with a percentage readout so you know exactly how much you have left
• The display cannot be removed, this is a shame in certain situations, such as parking at a bike rack, not only will it advertise to would-be thieves that it is an electric bike by having a display on it, but it is also now subject to outside elements like rain or snow, I have seen many people park their bike with a similar display and they will sometimes put their helmet over it when leaving to alleviate both of these considerations
• Some folding bikes are really clever by adding a rubber clasp here and there, a magnetic binding system, or other methods to keep the bike tightly compact when folded, unfortunately, this bike has no such feature, so you may want to bring around a bungie strap or something similar to keep it balled up when you are finished folding it and carting it around
• The smaller wheels here do mean a higher attack angle, basically, a larger tire would have more travel and float over an obstacle such as a rock or bump, so you would feel less of a jarring effect when riding on it, with the smaller wheels here, that high attack angle means you will feel a little more of these things

Useful Resources:

• Official Magnum Electric Bikes Website