Magnum Premium Folding Bike 500w

Poincare

New Member
Hello,

I have tried to search the forum and I did not find anyone with experience with this folding e-bike. I am considering this e-bike but would like to do some research on it first.

I have read the review from early 2017 here on EBR of the bike and I'd also like to hear from any actual users about how they like the bike, what works well, what doesn't, things they wish they knew before buying the bike, etc.

Thank you in advance.
 
I had the Magnum Premium. I highly recommend test riding this bike before purchasing. Also, purchase from a local shop instead of the manufacturer if at all possible.
 
I had the Magnum Premium. I highly recommend test riding this bike before purchasing. Also, purchase from a local shop instead of the manufacturer if at all possible.
I also encourage supporting your LBS whenever possible (or there won't be any) but ultimately, we're still the customer of that manufacturer regardless of whether purchased direct or through a dealer.

In the case of a manufacturer who distributes via both channels this is especially true because they are choosing to "capture " customers of the same product through their own direct marketing and through a dealer network, their responsibility to end users of their products are essentially the same.
 
I had the Magnum Premium. I highly recommend test riding this bike before purchasing. Also, purchase from a local shop instead of the manufacturer if at all possible.

Michael Mitchell, what did you like and what didn't you like about the Magnum Premium? Did it end up being too heavy day-to-day? Would you have purchased something different if you could do it over again?
 
Michael Mitchell, what did you like and what didn't you like about the Magnum Premium? Did it end up being too heavy day-to-day? Would you have purchased something different if you could do it over again?
I am a new owner of one. And so is my wife (yes, we have a pair of them) what type of input are you looking for?
 
I am a new owner of one. And so is my wife (yes, we have a pair of them) what type of input are you looking for?
I'm debating (a ton) over the Premium vs the Epik SE and maybe even the VoltBike Urban. Court obvious has done a wonderful job reviewing all of them, but sometimes full appreciation or a quirk doesn't arise until after you've lived with it long enough. I'd just like to hear your thoughts on being a new owner of a Premium. :)
 
I had issues with the bike that was sent to me direct from Magnum. It arrived, and was labeled as 250 watts (the sticker on the controller compartment), and it performed as such. It was slower than my 350 watt folder. I also had to file an A to Z claim to get my refund. This is why I suggested buying from a local dealer. Your experience may be better than mine.
 
I had issues with the bike that was sent to me direct from Magnum. It arrived, and was labeled as 250 watts (the sticker on the controller compartment), and it performed as such. It was slower than my 350 watt folder. I also had to file an A to Z claim to get my refund. This is why I suggested buying from a local dealer. Your experience may be better than mine.
This reply is intended as a reply for both danimal's , and yours Michael Mitchell.

My experience was indeed better than yours Michael Mitchell.

We had a pre-disposed notion that we would buy 2 e-bikes from a well-known online retailer but without being able to test ride, I was reluctant to do as potentially unwinding (returning) 2 mail-order ebikes at best seemed like a possible giant PITA and who needs more of those in their lives?

So, we attended a semi-local (70-ish miles each way) open house which was being hosted by an e-bike centric shop, and even attended by the one and only Court (I learned about the event itself on this forum in-fact) and we were graciously allowed to test ride any number bikes, which we indeed did.

We tried a number of them of all types, but concentrated on the folders since thats what we'd be buying. Besides the Tern eLink which was slightly out of our price range (X 2 bikes) and lacked a requisite throttle, the Magnum Premium 48 we tested performed the best, and felt the most solid to us. Thats the benefit of the test ride....there's is usually an "X" factor which cannot be experienced on paper, through just published specifications (or even through video reviews alone for that matter). We decided to buy them, the Missus selecting the "lo-step" version and me the "manlier" (I kid) hi-step.
One of the two had to be ordered, our lbs didnt have them both in stock.

When we DID get the bikes a week or so later, and began riding them together, and comparing notes we discovered that I required nearly double the ped-assist level as my wife to enjoy the same performance (and the same we both agreed we tested). She rode mine, and I rode hers and also agreed they performed quite differently.

We drilled-down into the computers of them in attempt to equalize them, and were unsuccesful. We called Magnum's office (not our lbs, as he wasnt open yet, and Magnum was being 2 hours ahead timewise. We did let our lbs know what was going on and he seemed grateful for the input) and told Cory the technician there what we were trying to do and he suggested that our bikes might have different manufacture dates and probably different controller firmware. He had us open the controller compartments and verified this to be the case.

Here's where I believe Magnum and their staff really shined customer servicewise:
Cory put Jesse on the phone who mentioned that they had NO controllers in stock, and a several week wait was in order. I groused. He THEN volunteered to provide one from a showroom unit, shipped it nearly overnight, I installed it myself, it completely solved the issue and I returned the original to them by mail. (Please note...it didnt perform "badly" just not as well as the other. Without a second to compare to I would not know the difference)

So....my experience with them going the extra mile, seriously to provide great customer service was 110% positive and I am both grateful to them for doing so, and now very pleased with BOTH of our Magnum Premium 48 bicycles.

YMMV
 
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This reply is intended as a reply for both danimal's , and yours Michael Mitchell.

My experience was indeed better than yours Michael Mitchell.

We had a pre-disposed notion that we would buy 2 e-bikes from a well-known online retailer but without being able to test ride, I was reluctant to do as potentially unwinding (returning) 2 mail-order ebikes at best seemed like a possible giant PITA and who needs more of those in their lives?

So, we attended a semi-local (70-ish miles each way) open house which was being hosted by an e-bike centric shop, and even attended by the one and only Court (I learned about the event itself on this forum in-fact) and we were graciously allowed to test ride any number bikes, which we indeed did.

We tried a number of them of all types, but concentrated on the folders since thats what we'd be buying. Besides the Tern eLink which was slightly out of our price range (X 2 bikes) and lacked a requisite throttle, the Magnum Premium 48 we tested performed the best, and felt the most solid to us. Thats the benefit of the test ride....there's is usually an "X" factor which cannot be experienced on paper, through just published specifications (or even through video reviews alone for that matter). We decided to buy them, the Missus selecting the "lo-step" version and me the "manlier" (I kid) hi-step.
One of the two had to be ordered, our lbs didnt have them both in stock.

When we DID get the bikes a week or so later, and began riding them together, and comparing notes we discovered that I required nearly double the ped-assist level as my wife to enjoy the same performance (and the same we both agreed we tested). She rode mine, and I rode hers and also agreed they performed quite differently.

We drilled-down into the computers of them in attempt to equalize them, and were unsuccesful. We called Magnum's office (not our lbs, as he wasnt open yet, and Magnum was being 2 hours ahead timewise. We did let our lbs know what was going on and he seemed grateful for the input) and told Cory the technician there what we were trying to do and he suggested that our bikes might have different manufacture dates and probably different controller firmware. He had us open the controller compartments and verified this to be the case.

Here's where I believe Magnum and their staff really shined customer servicewise:
Cory put Jesse on the phone who mentioned that they had NO controllers in stock, and a several week wait was in order. I groused. He THEN volunteered to provide one from a showroom unit, shipped it nearly overnight, I installed it myself, it completely solved the issue and I returned the original to them by mail. (Please note...it didnt perform "badly" just not as well as the other. Without a second to compare to I would not know the difference)

So....my experience with them going the extra mile, seriously to provide great customer service was 110% positive and I am both grateful to them for doing so, and now very pleased with BOTH of our Magnum Premium 48 bicycles.

YMMV

Woah, I really appreciate your input a ton! I might need to test-drive another Premium again. It wasn't as zippy as I thought a 500 watt motor on 20" wheels would feel. It felt similar to a 26" wheel 350watt ebike I had rented earlier.
 
Woah, I really appreciate your input a ton! I might need to test-drive another Premium again. It wasn't as zippy as I thought a 500 watt motor on 20" wheels would feel. It felt similar to a 26" wheel 350watt ebike I had rented earlier.

The zippiness was one of the reasons we selected them! ("performed the best" as referred to my prior post)

I weigh 218, my wife more than slightly less. The throttle gets these up and rolling near instantly....we both come from a long motorcycling/motorscootering background so that was a big deal for us.

We just returned from a ride....77 miles on these now and Im charging them for just the second time.
 
Gotcha! Maybe the first one at my LBS has an outdate controller as well. I might demo the other Premium and see if there's a difference.
 
We've been in psssesion of our Magnum Premiums for 3 weeks to the day, and today we broke the "century mark" on them both. Aside from the replacement of 1 controller to achieve a more current firmware and equal-to-the-other performance, we've had zero problems with these save for 3 flats those caused at the same time by thorns for us choosing to eride on a deserted and thorn-rich road nearby. Oh, and a little fender "finessing" for some alignment and to cure a little mild tire rubbing.

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Those are wonderful photos!!

Also a question: Did you test drive any new 500 watt e-Joe Epik SE's when you were taking a look at bikes, Gogogordy?
 
Those are wonderful photos!!

Also a question: Did you test drive any new 500 watt e-Joe Epik SE's when you were taking a look at bikes, Gogogordy?
Yes, I did. Same day in fact. It was a fine bike, but the cast wheels and larger battery capacity of the Magnum were attractive features the e-Joe doesnt have, and I'm not crazy about the more proprietary in-frame battery of the e-Joe (although that might be an unfounded worry....I've never let that stop me from worrying before!)

Also I find the styling and color scheme of the high-step premium more "masculine"! I know...it's hard to look macho on a 20" folder but the matte black and mag wheels help!
 
Those mag wheels are indeed amazing. I got a great deal on the Epik SE 500 watt 2017 model, so I ordered one of those for $1,300. And I actually liked the curved handlebars that the new Epik SE has more than I realized. The eBike that I rented from Pedegogo has those curved handlebars and it makes cruising ever more comfortable.
 
Those mag wheels are indeed amazing. I got a great deal on the Epik SE 500 watt 2017 model, so I ordered one of those for $1,300. And I actually liked the curved handlebars that the new Epik SE has more than I realized. The eBike that I rented from Pedegogo has those curved handlebars and it makes cruising ever more comfortable.
Im certain you can have a great time on any of them. Congrats!
 
Just broke 50 miles on a single charge...I use PAS 2-4 virtually all the time, and the throttle frequently.
Super pleased with the range so far....approaching 200 miles on the bike.
 
Update....6 months in at 500+ miles.
We’ve surpassed 500 on both of our Magnum Premium 48’s. Relatively trouble free, the Low-Step bike developed a noise in the 8Fun hubmotor which I was convinced was the sound of impending doom. Dealer agreed and replaced without drama. The main niggle has been the fenders....they’ve required lots of tweaking and ajusting to keep them from rubbing on the not-so-round Schwalbe look-alike tires. Come to find out both plastic fender-stay brackets had broken. Replaced with metal ones and the fenders stay where they are meant to....off of the tires. Otherwise, I cant criticize the bikes or our LBS’ support.
 
I love this bag you have on the rear rack. Where did you get it?



We've been in psssesion of our Magnum Premiums for 3 weeks to the day, and today we broke the "century mark" on them both. Aside from the replacement of 1 controller to achieve a more current firmware and equal-to-the-other performance, we've had zero problems with these save for 3 flats those caused at the same time by thorns for us choosing to eride on a deserted and thorn-rich road nearby. Oh, and a little fender "finessing" for some alignment and to cure a little mild tire rubbing.

View attachment 18386 .View attachment 18385
 
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