Got my Magnum Ui6 - includes periodic updates

Figs

Active Member
Since my request for input from Ui6 owners went unanswered (Magnum thread pretty much dead) I thought I would give my impressions for anyone looking for info on the Ui6 in the future.

About me. 65 years old, live in Granbury Texas. Rode road bikes off and on most of my life. In 2009 I had an accident that put even more pain in the normal road bike position. Finally I could not take the back, neck and hand pain, in in late 2012 got a recumbent trike. Got a Catrike Trail (non foldable) and love it. But, I used to average 15 mph on a road bike, and on the recumbent trike only averaged 10 and sometimes 11 mph. I have been visually impaired all my life, and this year I have reached the point that I can no longer drive a car. My wife drives where we need to go, but I am a very independent person, and want a way to run basic errands on my own. The trike would work, but requires mega effort and in Texas heat makes me a sweaty mess after just a mile. Plus, I wanted to get on two wheels again :)

Picked mine up from a LBS (60 miles away but the closest to me) on Sunday. Had it now a full 7 days, and put 106 miles on it. The experience has been perfect, zero issues. I mainly ride in assist levels 2 and 3 (90% for the time) and some in 1,4,5,6 (maybe 10% of the time). Took a little ride Sunday and Monday on the charge that it came with. Charged it to full Monday night. Tuesday and Wednesday rode a total of 45 miles, and still had 4 bars on the battery. Impressive to me.

I use the throttle only when starting from a stop. I like how it gets me moving quickly and gets me out of the way of any cars behind me. The adjustable bars are fantastic! On ocassion I like to change my position, so I just stop, flip the locking lever up and adjust. Simple, and I like simple. The 7 speed shifts easy, and I like the double triggers. Brakes seem a bit weak to me and I get the feeling I will be replacing the pads soon. Hope to upgrade to better pads. You really do use the breaks more on an eBike. I like the tires, and unlike another bike I was looking at, I feel no need to replace them until worn. I am on pavement and run them at about 48lbs. When we do rail trails I intend to drop them 5lbs or so.

In reading about eBikes I was concerned about weight. At 52lbs it feels surprisingly light to me. After a week I am completely comfortable with it, and it just feels like a bike. The Ui6 feels sturdy and put together well. No rattle from the fenders, and in general quiet. Since the assist is provided on demand from a cadence sensor, there is a little "jerk" when it kicks in. But I quickly adapted to it and it does no bother me.

I'm sure its clear that I am very pleased with the Magnum Ui6. I would not hesitate to recommend it to someone, as well as Adventure Electric Bicycles in Arlington Texas. And yes, my wife tried it, and now she wants one :)
 
Congratulations. I love it when I hear how someone who thought their riding days were over finds new life in an ebike (that would be me also). I have the metro plus and also LOVE the quick release adjustable handle bars as I have a bad wrist that doesn't like certain positions.

As regarding the kick you might try programming the controller to Eco mode instead of normal. That will cause the motor to ramp up to speed a little slow and to me it feels much more natural. You certainly can still feel it kick in but it is not as abrupt. I tried it out and wound up just leaving it on Eco mode.
 
Update: Still very happy with the Ui6, has performed flawlessly, zero issues . A few miles away from 300, and about 3 weeks. I usually ride 350-500 miles a month, and hope to give updates in the months ahead. Great ebike!
 
Since my request for input from Ui6 owners went unanswered (Magnum thread pretty much dead) I thought I would give my impressions for anyone looking for info on the Ui6 in the future.

About me. 65 years old, live in Granbury Texas. Rode road bikes off and on most of my life. In 2009 I had an accident that put even more pain in the normal road bike position. Finally I could not take the back, neck and hand pain, in in late 2012 got a recumbent trike. Got a Catrike Trail (non foldable) and love it. But, I used to average 15 mph on a road bike, and on the recumbent trike only averaged 10 and sometimes 11 mph. I have been visually impaired all my life, and this year I have reached the point that I can no longer drive a car. My wife drives where we need to go, but I am a very independent person, and want a way to run basic errands on my own. The trike would work, but requires mega effort and in Texas heat makes me a sweaty mess after just a mile. Plus, I wanted to get on two wheels again :)

Picked mine up from a LBS (60 miles away but the closest to me) on Sunday. Had it now a full 7 days, and put 106 miles on it. The experience has been perfect, zero issues. I mainly ride in assist levels 2 and 3 (90% for the time) and some in 1,4,5,6 (maybe 10% of the time). Took a little ride Sunday and Monday on the charge that it came with. Charged it to full Monday night. Tuesday and Wednesday rode a total of 45 miles, and still had 4 bars on the battery. Impressive to me.

I use the throttle only when starting from a stop. I like how it gets me moving quickly and gets me out of the way of any cars behind me. The adjustable bars are fantastic! On ocassion I like to change my position, so I just stop, flip the locking lever up and adjust. Simple, and I like simple. The 7 speed shifts easy, and I like the double triggers. Brakes seem a bit weak to me and I get the feeling I will be replacing the pads soon. Hope to upgrade to better pads. You really do use the breaks more on an eBike. I like the tires, and unlike another bike I was looking at, I feel no need to replace them until worn. I am on pavement and run them at about 48lbs. When we do rail trails I intend to drop them 5lbs or so.

In reading about eBikes I was concerned about weight. At 52lbs it feels surprisingly light to me. After a week I am completely comfortable with it, and it just feels like a bike. The Ui6 feels sturdy and put together well. No rattle from the fenders, and in general quiet. Since the assist is provided on demand from a cadence sensor, there is a little "jerk" when it kicks in. But I quickly adapted to it and it does no bother me.

I'm sure its clear that I am very pleased with the Magnum Ui6. I would not hesitate to recommend it to someone, as well as Adventure Electric Bicycles in Arlington Texas. And yes, my wife tried it, and now she wants one :)

Figs: Great post, good info.
 
@Figs, do you still have that Catrike? If so, you may want to consider converting it to electric. We've done that on 2 Catrikes, one foldable, one not and they rode beautifully. Kinda the best of 2 worlds. Know all about that Texas heat too; that's were I am :)
 
@Ann M. - I plan to electrify my Trail next spring ;)

I would prefer a rear hub motor, and purchasing a complete kit. Any ideas?
 
Quick update - a few days away from 7 weeks, and hit 700 miles. Bike has been perfect. Normal new bike cable stretch on brakes and shifter. Did the brakes myself, as it’s easy to do. Have free “tune ups” at shop I bought it from, but that’s 60 miles away. I do not at this point have a good way to transport it.

Took it to the tiny bike shop we have here in Granbury to have the derailleur adjusted. He knows little about eBikes but for $10 did an excellent job. Bike shifts perfect.

Zero issues with the Ui6 and will update again at 1000 miles hopefully around the end of the month.
 
Quick update - a few days away from 7 weeks, and hit 700 miles. Bike has been perfect. Normal new bike cable stretch on brakes and shifter. Did the brakes myself, as it’s easy to do. Have free “tune ups” at shop I bought it from, but that’s 60 miles away. I do not at this point have a good way to transport it.

Took it to the tiny bike shop we have here in Granbury to have the derailleur adjusted. He knows little about eBikes but for $10 did an excellent job. Bike shifts perfect.

Zero issues with the Ui6 and will update again at 1000 miles hopefully around the end of the month.
So glad all is well with your Ui6.I am also well pleased wth mine and loving the rides. About the brakes, were they pretty worn? Did they give you warning of replacement need? Where did you get the pads? Mine will come up to your point before too long . Thanks for your posts?
 
1000 mile update:

Now have over 1000 miles, and running great. I know it’s boring, but no problems or issues. Still 60+ miles on a charge using PAS 2 and 3.

I will update again at 2000 or if something significant happens. Still very satisfied with this eBike!
 
1000 mile update:

Now have over 1000 miles, and running great. I know it’s boring, but no problems or issues. Still 60+ miles on a charge using PAS 2 and 3.

I will update again at 2000 or if something significant happens. Still very satisfied with this eBike!
So glad things are going well..gives me comfort for the future. I dropped my chain cruising in pas2 and 6th gear...I was going over a train track... had to tweak the adjuster on the way home,kept wanting to skip 6th. Did some cleaning/lube and all seems well. These bikes are great ?
 
2000 mile update:

2000 miles and all is good. If you have followed me on this journey, you know a couple of times I have spoke of the brakes. I seemed to have to adjust them often, too often. From day one they stopped me fine, but never felt right and I had to pull too hard to make them work. They would also make scraping noises from time to time. Finally I got tired of messing with it and thought I would just replace the pads. I got 2 sets of the OEM pads https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005OME320/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 yes they come with the springs, and put them on. Easy to put on, and wow. Got on the bike and it was just right. Worked perfect, quiet, and felt just right. I think the ones that came with the bike were simply defective.

After 2000 miles no chain drops, tires are still in great shape, chain is in great shape, battery life is as good as ever (excellent), motor is strong as ever, and the bottom line is it is holding up very well. I would still recommend the UI6 to anyone looking for a good value for their money. I have not added anything to mine, still running the stock seat, handlebars…..etc. She still looks good as well.

With the weather change I will be riding less in the months ahead. But, I will still be riding every chance I get. I plan to update this again at 3000.
 
2000 mile update:

2000 miles and all is good. If you have followed me on this journey, you know a couple of times I have spoke of the brakes. I seemed to have to adjust them often, too often. From day one they stopped me fine, but never felt right and I had to pull too hard to make them work. They would also make scraping noises from time to time. Finally I got tired of messing with it and thought I would just replace the pads. I got 2 sets of the OEM pads https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005OME320/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 yes they come with the springs, and put them on. Easy to put on, and wow. Got on the bike and it was just right. Worked perfect, quiet, and felt just right. I think the ones that came with the bike were simply defective.

After 2000 miles no chain drops, tires are still in great shape, chain is in great shape, battery life is as good as ever (excellent), motor is strong as ever, and the bottom line is it is holding up very well. I would still recommend the UI6 to anyone looking for a good value for their money. I have not added anything to mine, still running the stock seat, handlebars…..etc. She still looks good as well.

With the weather change I will be riding less in the months ahead. But, I will still be riding every chance I get. I plan to update this again at 3000.
So glad it's going great for you. Haven't been able to have all the saddle time I wanted this year but my Ui6 is super and loving every ride. Stay safe and ride long ?
 
3000 mile update

As you can tell from the date of the last update, it took a while to get the last 1000 miles. there are two reasons for that.... 1) Winter was wet here, and so many days were just not good to ride being too cold, wet, or both.. 2) I've been riding my recumbent trike some, and that cuts into the use of the Magnum.

This is another boring report, which to me is a good thing. the Ui6 is still perfect, no issues at all. Still all stock including original tires. I now more that ever highly recommend Magnum and the Ui6 as an excellent value. I would not hesitate to buy Magnum again.
 
3000 mile update

As you can tell from the date of the last update, it took a while to get the last 1000 miles. there are two reasons for that.... 1) Winter was wet here, and so many days were just not good to ride being too cold, wet, or both.. 2) I've been riding my recumbent trike some, and that cuts into the use of the Magnum.

This is another boring report, which to me is a good thing. the Ui6 is still perfect, no issues at all. Still all stock including original tires. I now more that ever highly recommend Magnum and the Ui6 as an excellent value. I would not hesitate to buy Magnum again.
I am so happy for your continued success. It gives me great hope for my Ui6. We had a rotten wet winter and now "sprinter" that is pretty wet. Did get in 18 miles the other morning. Didn't break 1k yet, but I have that goal soon. Thanks for the updates, much appreciated ?
 
4000 mile update

All good. Going to replace the brake pads as soon as they arrive, and probably the rear tire in the next 1000 miles or so. Did a long ride a few weeks ago and still get 60+ miles on a charge (PAS 2/3).

Still all original, and no issues. Still very happy with my purchase:)
 
Wow Figs that's amazing. 4k miles! Thank you so much for this info--I have a mid drive bike that I built and that I love very much, but I've been looking for a bike for my wife, and it's come down to the UI6 or a Spark Bikes City. Both are excellent values but I'm leaning towards the UI6. Your review has been very helpful, and I think has pushed me towards the UI6. Thanks for keeping the updates coming.

Can you tell me, how are the lights on the UI6? Is the front light bright enough to realistically ride in the dark?

Thanks

Mark
 
Sad to say I just sold my Magnum Ui6. My vision has continued to degrade and I can no longer ride safely. Hated to do it, but it was for the best. Going back to my slow recumbent trike.
 
Sad to say I just sold my Magnum Ui6. My vision has continued to degrade and I can no longer ride safely. Hated to do it, but it was for the best. Going back to my slow recumbent trike.

Aw, man, sorry to hear that Figs. Gotta stay safe out there, though, so I totally understand. Best of luck, and thanks for the posts--I got my Magnum based on your information, and it's been fantastic.
 
Back