Purchased new Magnum Mi5

[Cory Mull]

I recently purchased a new Magnum Mi5 from a local dealer in San Diego. I needed a commuter bike to get me the 3.5-ish miles to work. My main concern was hills, as my route goes from basically sea level to 350 feet above within that short distance. For the sake brevity, and since I've only had the bike 1 week, I'll skip a fully detailed review and skip directly to the takeaway's.

1. The company
   • As I mentioned, I purchased from a local dealer (https://sdebike.com) and they were great. The owner is enthusiastic and provides a great experience. Shortly after purchase I lost the key to remove the battery and they worked with me to contact Magnum to see what options I had. Communication was fast between Magnum, SD E-Bike and myself and they did everything they could. Unfortunately since the keys are unique to each bike there was little they could do. I ended up getting a locksmith to create keys for me (huge thanks to O'Brien Lock & Key) for $40.
2. The bike
   • The video review posted by Court sums up the details quite accurately and thoroughly. The only 2 cents I have to add are that, operating in pedal assist mode, the bike performs quite admirably on hills which is exactly what I needed. Attached are 2 screen grabs from 2 different routes I've tried.
   • I can easily maintain 11MPH on the steepest portions of the ride, and I'm only using power level 4-5. The large dips in speed are stop lights.
   • As far as battery, I haven't done a drain test. I got the battery down to roughly 30% and got in about 22 miles

All-in-all, I'm quite satisfied with the purchase at$1699. The customer service was great, and despite the key issues up front (which were entirely my fault) its been as smooth as can be and provides me exactly what I need.

 

[Nirmala]

I have the Ui5 which I believe has the same battery, and I can share that the first two bars out of six on the display last much longer than the last two bars. My guesstimate is that when I first hit four bars that I have about 50% of the charge left. When I hit two bars, I am almost out and when I hit one bar, I better be within a few blocks of home as there is not really any usable charge left. The few times I have run the battery all of the way down I got about 35 miles and I weigh 180 pounds and it is pretty hilly around here.

 

[ebikefla]

I recently purchased a Mi5. Its a great bike, has great weight distribution, and a pretty smooth ride for a mountain bike.

I find it lacking in tops speed and gears. It could use at least two more assist levels and at least one more gear.

Even still it is a great bike and it is very attractive. I have moved things around and changed the bars.

 

[Ann M.]

@ebikefla , you could change the size of the chain rings in the front or back set; this shouldn't impact your warranty and may give you a little more speed. Are you doing primarily flat land riding or do you have some hills in your commute. What's a typical commute like for you?

 

[ebikefla]

14 miles mostly flat land. I live in Florida, so my main enemy is wind. I live on the east coast, and get a lot of gusts from the ocean on my commute. I contacted Magnum and they were excellent in their response.

I will be getting a bigger freewheel soon and that should help out a lot.

I have only had it for a week and already have 230 miles on it. Its a blast to ride downtown. The quick acceleration in the proper gears makes it feel like a rocket sometimes.

 

[Lynda]

@ebikefla - would you share which rack you added. Thanks.