Thanks for the review Mr. T. Turtle! As someone who's had a large insect collide with an eyeball at 20 mph, I want to encourage you & your followers to always wear eye protection when riding your e-bike. Typically I'll now wear my sunglasses or a pair of clear wrap-around safety glasses. I also have a pair of yellow lensed safety glasses that make the world a more sunny cheerful place when I wear them.
Hi Ross, I agree. Sometimes I’m a little lazy when filming as I have to be able to see the screen. Sometimes darker sunglasses get in the way. But when I am just out riding I always wear eye protection. I will try to be better about wearing protection when filming. I reviewed Photo chromatic sunglasses in this video, and I have been wearing them ever since. They darken just enough to reduce the glare to tolerable levels and they lighten up in darker sections. They work Great! th-cam.com/video/HBLxyHyVt7M/w-d-xo.html
Watching all your vids on this. GREAT information on this new "somewhat" big investment for me and my wife. Our 2 Magicycle bikes are on their way! Cant wait. I will be taking my time to assemble and properly break them in thanks to your posts!! Safe riding!
Right on! Our original bikes were a “somewhat” large investment for us to, so I know where you are coming from. I hope the guidance I offer in those videos get you going quickly and efficiently!
Great video on the Magicycle Tinkering Turtle!!!! I am having a problem with my magicycle cruiser. I got the bike today I charged it while assembling it. It was fully charged I then rode it 10.2 miles during the ride the display got down to 55% after the ride I checked the display again it was reading 77% I attempted to charge it but the charger light is staying green it will not show red for charging. The battery light bar on the battery shows all bars lit but I don t understand why it won t charge????
Having it jump from 55% to 70% is relatively normal. When the battery is under load, it can get warm reducing the efficiency. As it cools that efficiency returns and the charge comes back. (please note I am not an expert and the term “efficiency “ is probably not an accurate way to describe it) As far as the battery not charging, it’s possible that one of the internal fuses in the battery popped or that the charger is defective. Either way support should be your first stop. Sorry I can’t be more definitive. Troubleshooting sight unseen isn’t an easy task. I hope this helps!
Now that we have been riding our bikes a few times - noticing the battery % seems to be inconsistent? First turning on and then riding, of course it drops. Turn off, go back later to ride again - its back up higher than what it was when I turned it off. I was at 88% - then when I put my bike away - down to 48%. Went back a few hours later and back up to 79%. I did NOT take it out to see if it dropped quickly to my lower reading. Same issue with my wife's bike. Any thoughts or an issue to ask Magi CS? Not a huge deal but this should be a bit more accurate in my opinion. Thanks! Oh - BTW - I went with the Hafny R&L handlebar clamp on mirrors. Work great and now a safer ride.
The battery monitoring is much more variable than on my Himiway for sure. I don’t know if that is due to it being 52v or if there is a deficiency in the BMS chip. It might be worth asking Magicycle about it.
I am 6’ 3” tall and I weigh more than you. It is an 18” frame so it should work well for you. The video is a little deceiving because I am using an insta360 camera and your getting a bit of a fish eye effect that I have yet to figure out how to eliminate. I hope this helps!
also, I too reached out to Magic CS about the mechanical brake issue(many bad reviews from other reviews)They did mention what you said about going with a better Mech brake. I'm also seeing you can upgrade to a hydraulic caliper. Maybe later for that? Stock brakes may be all I need.
I have already seen a post on the Magicycle Facebook groups where someone has received their bike with the new calipers. I hope to do a set of videos next week showing how to adjust the original Nutt brand calipers, then how to change the calipers to the new Tektro Aries brand calipers and finally how to adjust the Tektro brakes.
Do you have the specific riser you used for this bike? I mean the handlebar riser. Thanks. I saw you used a smaller riser in one of your videos but cant find it for the Magicycle cruiser.
Tim, Which do you prefer, the Himiway or Magicycle? I own bought both but have not received the Magicycle as yet. Thanks for the great reviews. Is the battery interchangeable?
Both! The Magicycle seems to have better build quality. And more power. But the battery is only 15ah and the brakes they chose are pretty poor. (They said they were going to Tektro Aries in future runs) I don’t know how it will hold up over time. The Himiway has great power, just a bit less than the Magicycle. I like the brakes and it has held up very well over 2600 miles. The bigger battery (17.5 ah) lets my wife and I ride longer than my butt can handle. It’s a tough call, but Magicycle is offering very good pricing. That may be the difference.
Ordered mine today $200 off for September $100 coupon code No sales tax which would have been about $100 So I saved $400 They did hit my card instantly even though it is not shipping yet
At the end of the day it’s a stock seat. I much prefer a softer seat. Over the coming months I will be raising the handle bars so I can sit more upright. This puts more pressure on the bum, so I will switch to a Cloud9 or something more comparable to that. Hope this helps!
That’s a bit of a loaded question. The short answer is yes. But be aware the there are different attachment methods for seats. Some attach to the bars, others have an adapter…etc. You may have to tinker a little to get the seat attachment to work out depending on what you purchase. If you want a truly comfortable ride, I would strongly recommend a suspension seat post. it is the number one upgrade I did for comfort!
Hey Tim - what’s your thoughts on the mirrors Magi sells? Good price for the set. One thing I noticed on their site is location of right mirror. Not sure what bike that is but with ours that clamp would need to be on left side of the shifter. Moving the shifter or brake clamp to accommodate the mirror clamp seems to create pushing those away from comfort zone. Not real keen on helmet or wrist mirrors. Cannot use end plug either - Magi has a different hole system. After our first ride yesterday- we definitely need these. Turning our heads to look back and all the idiot drivers proved unsafe! The bikes were a BLAST!!
I have never been a fan of the handle bar mirrors. I tend to use bar end mirrors. What do you mean by “a different hole system”? Now that you mention it I don’t think I have installed mine yet…(and I probably won’t until spring)
I just got home and pulled the cap and measured the inside of the handlebars. It came out 0.705” or 18mm. I’m going to use this Hafny bar end mirror on mine. amzn.to/3e7pmZl
Mine measure 1" dia at the cap and 3/8" at the pin portion. My leather grips are covering the ends with this smaller plug or cap inserted. Probably another change on their bikes. Maybe you could " enlarge" the hole in the leather but I'm not messing with that.
After owning both I can tell you that the Himiway is far better than the Magicycle. Yes both have problems but the Magicycle has more problems with the brakes and when I received it the brakes squealed so much that was unacceptable. I changed them out and changed out the caliper as well because it was bent. Never had problems with the Himiway! I am selling my Magicycle.
Interesting perspective, did you get your Magicycle before or after they switched to the Tektro Aries mechanical brakes? Also, I’m curious, how you feel about Magicycle’s battery power running outside the rear axle instead of thru it like the Himiway has? Thanks for the comment!
@@TinkeringTurtle I got my Magicycle before they switched to Tektro Aries. I put on hydraulic and now trying to sell it on Craigs. I do not know what you are talking about the power running outside the axle? Please explain. Thanks for your TH-cam reviews Tim.
Himiway carves out the center of the axle and run the power cable thru the center. While Magicycle does not do that, they run the power cable into the hub motor thru a spot below the axle. I am wondering about your thoughts on that…do you think the Magicycle axle could have less flex being solid? or do you think there is no real world affect? Good luck with your sale!
With any bike, you may or will need to make adjustments to fit the rider. At 6’ 3” I will likely add an adjustable stem, but I won’t have to add the riser like I did on my Himiway. I will also change out the seat post and seat to improve comfort. These are upgrades that most people make when the get their bike so they fit them better.
@@TinkeringTurtle thanks. He's 6'1" and has a bad rotator cuff. He said he would have bought this one but b we just saw it after we got the himiway. Not sure I want to spend money on another bike but it does like a deal to not pass up.
Price for a performance it is an excellent deal. He can adjust his Himiway to get a more upright seating position. I did a video on adding a stem and riser. It may be helpful. th-cam.com/video/lJzmAja-APk/w-d-xo.html
The Himiway uses a 30.4mm seat post. And the Magicycle uses a 30.8mm. So I doubt one will work in the other. My suspension seat post is 27.2mm, so I just purchased a new shim so I can put it in either bike.
@Eric E Chipman I don’t have enough info to determine that yet. I have only put about 25 miles on so far. And honestly I have been hot rod’n it around using the battery up pretty quickly. I will say, at these power levels the battery goes down about the same amount on both bikes. But that is purely subjective. I hope in the next few weeks I can do a longer ride at lower PAS levels to get a reasonable comparison between the two bikes.
During the part where you aren't saying anything and you are pedaling at a steady pace, how much is your pedaling adding? Are you just keeping the motor running?. I know from another review you can set a zero pedal assist mode. And how easy is it to ride as a regular bike? I know they are typically heavy bikes, all of them. And thanks for the good review. I have been watching a bunch of them.
For the video I basically just keep the pedals moving as I am also minding the path ahead while filming. When I stop filming I do put more effort into the pedals and my heart rate will increase. These bikes can be pedaled manually (zero PAS), but they are heavy bikes and it will take extra effort. Not so much on flats, but up hills for sure. The short fall of the ebikes in general is that you will typically start “ghost” pedaling around 20mph. To combat that you would need to put a higher tooth chain ring on the front sprocket. So instead of a 46t (which the bike comes with), use a 50t or 52t. This is typically a simple and inexpensive upgrade. I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
When u did your top speed test did u unlock the limiter on it? Me and u have a similar build and I was hoping to get a lil more speed on throttle only. I can’t wait til next week when I get mine
@@TinkeringTurtle Asking if You can change the settings like the Himiway ? So much flexability with the Himiway. Most others don't have that. Looks like a smaller battery too - - 15Ah.
I haven’t played with it yet. But it appears you can make virtually all the same adjustments that you can on the Himiway. Plus it has a more user friendly interface. Yes the battery is higher voltage, lower amp hours. They claim a similar range. According to them it’s because the controller, motor and battery work more efficiently together. But there are a few videos out there questioning what the actual range is. We will have to see.
A little of both. I am 6’ 3” and the better part of 300lbs. in this video I am using a 360 degree camera which gives a bit of a “fish eye” affect making me look really big on the bike.
I have both bikes and I have to say my hemingway is much faster over 30 mph and more torque I will just have to show it in my future videos. Good job on the videos
Thanks for the review Mr. T. Turtle! As someone who's had a large insect collide with an eyeball at 20 mph, I want to encourage you & your followers to always wear eye protection when riding your e-bike. Typically I'll now wear my sunglasses or a pair of clear wrap-around safety glasses. I also have a pair of yellow lensed safety glasses that make the world a more sunny cheerful place when I wear them.
Hi Ross, I agree. Sometimes I’m a little lazy when filming as I have to be able to see the screen. Sometimes darker sunglasses get in the way. But when I am just out riding I always wear eye protection. I will try to be better about wearing protection when filming.
I reviewed Photo chromatic sunglasses in this video, and I have been wearing them ever since. They darken just enough to reduce the glare to tolerable levels and they lighten up in darker sections. They work Great!
th-cam.com/video/HBLxyHyVt7M/w-d-xo.html
Great tips and tricks. Love your helpful and honest content.
Thanks so much, I try!
Watching all your vids on this. GREAT information on this new "somewhat" big investment for me and my wife. Our 2 Magicycle bikes are on their way! Cant wait. I will be taking my time to assemble and properly break them in thanks to your posts!! Safe riding!
Right on! Our original bikes were a “somewhat” large investment for us to, so I know where you are coming from. I hope the guidance I offer in those videos get you going quickly and efficiently!
Brilliant tip on marking the chain! Lol. So simple. I could never remember or watch closely enough to know where I started.
Thanks, glad it was helpful!
Great video. Thx. Mine arrives Friday!
Very nice, thx for watching!
Your videos are the best 👍👍
Thank you so much 😀
Great video on the Magicycle Tinkering Turtle!!!! I am having a problem with my magicycle cruiser. I got the bike today I charged it while assembling it. It was fully charged I then rode it 10.2 miles during the ride the display got down to 55% after the ride I checked the display again it was reading 77% I attempted to charge it but the charger light is staying green it will not show red for charging. The battery light bar on the battery shows all bars lit but I don t understand why it won t charge????
Having it jump from 55% to 70% is relatively normal. When the battery is under load, it can get warm reducing the efficiency. As it cools that efficiency returns and the charge comes back. (please note I am not an expert and the term “efficiency “ is probably not an accurate way to describe it)
As far as the battery not charging, it’s possible that one of the internal fuses in the battery popped or that the charger is defective. Either way support should be your first stop. Sorry I can’t be more definitive. Troubleshooting sight unseen isn’t an easy task. I hope this helps!
Nice video your right on about bedding the brakes in i am new sub to your channel.
Thanks for the sub!
Now that we have been riding our bikes a few times - noticing the battery % seems to be inconsistent? First turning on and then riding, of course it drops. Turn off, go back later to ride again - its back up higher than what it was when I turned it off. I was at 88% - then when I put my bike away - down to 48%. Went back a few hours later and back up to 79%. I did NOT take it out to see if it dropped quickly to my lower reading. Same issue with my wife's bike. Any thoughts or an issue to ask Magi CS? Not a huge deal but this should be a bit more accurate in my opinion. Thanks! Oh - BTW - I went with the Hafny R&L handlebar clamp on mirrors. Work great and now a safer ride.
The battery monitoring is much more variable than on my Himiway for sure. I don’t know if that is due to it being 52v or if there is a deficiency in the BMS chip. It might be worth asking Magicycle about it.
How does the magicycle compare to the Juiced Rip CurrentS besides price?
Sorry Gene, I have never ridden Juiced Rip CurrentS. I won’t be able to compare them for you.
I just ordered that bike, I am a 6' 2" 250 pound male rider. Will it be a good fit for me?
I am 6’ 3” tall and I weigh more than you. It is an 18” frame so it should work well for you. The video is a little deceiving because I am using an insta360 camera and your getting a bit of a fish eye effect that I have yet to figure out how to eliminate.
I hope this helps!
also, I too reached out to Magic CS about the mechanical brake issue(many bad reviews from other reviews)They did mention what you said about going with a better Mech brake. I'm also seeing you can upgrade to a hydraulic caliper. Maybe later for that? Stock brakes may be all I need.
I have already seen a post on the Magicycle Facebook groups where someone has received their bike with the new calipers. I hope to do a set of videos next week showing how to adjust the original Nutt brand calipers, then how to change the calipers to the new Tektro Aries brand calipers and finally how to adjust the Tektro brakes.
Do you have the specific riser you used for this bike? I mean the handlebar riser. Thanks. I saw you used a smaller riser in one of your videos but cant find it for the Magicycle cruiser.
Yes I do!
I used this one… FOMTOR 31.8 Adjustable Stem
amzn.to/3Srka5F
Tim, Which do you prefer, the Himiway or Magicycle? I own bought both but have not received the Magicycle as yet. Thanks for the great reviews. Is the battery interchangeable?
Both!
The Magicycle seems to have better build quality. And more power. But the battery is only 15ah and the brakes they chose are pretty poor. (They said they were going to Tektro Aries in future runs) I don’t know how it will hold up over time.
The Himiway has great power, just a bit less than the Magicycle. I like the brakes and it has held up very well over 2600 miles. The bigger battery (17.5 ah) lets my wife and I ride longer than my butt can handle.
It’s a tough call, but Magicycle is offering very good pricing. That may be the difference.
I like the Himiway! Such a gorgeous bike! And it rides so smooth.
Ordered mine today
$200 off for September
$100 coupon code
No sales tax which would have been about $100
So I saved $400
They did hit my card instantly even though it is not shipping yet
congrats!
@@TinkeringTurtle Thx, now I gotta go watch your unboxing and setup to get a head start.
How comfortable is the seat? My wife likes a wide seat with a little give for her delicate toushy :)
At the end of the day it’s a stock seat. I much prefer a softer seat. Over the coming months I will be raising the handle bars so I can sit more upright. This puts more pressure on the bum, so I will switch to a Cloud9 or something more comparable to that.
Hope this helps!
Do regular bike seats interchange with ebikes?
That’s a bit of a loaded question. The short answer is yes. But be aware the there are different attachment methods for seats. Some attach to the bars, others have an adapter…etc.
You may have to tinker a little to get the seat attachment to work out depending on what you purchase.
If you want a truly comfortable ride, I would strongly recommend a suspension seat post. it is the number one upgrade I did for comfort!
If you put a justable stem Riser on it do you know if it would be a 30.8
I don’t know the sizes yet. You would need to measure the steerer tube and the handle bars first.
Looks like a Himiway step through Clone - - >> Same Kendas- ->> What technically makes it stronger ? Is the motor bigger ??
Same motor, 52v 15ah battery.
Hey Tim - what’s your thoughts on the mirrors Magi sells? Good price for the set. One thing I noticed on their site is location of right mirror. Not sure what bike that is but with ours that clamp would need to be on left side of the shifter. Moving the shifter or brake clamp to accommodate the mirror clamp seems to create pushing those away from comfort zone. Not real keen on helmet or wrist mirrors. Cannot use end plug either - Magi has a different hole system. After our first ride yesterday- we definitely need these. Turning our heads to look back and all the idiot drivers proved unsafe! The bikes were a BLAST!!
I have never been a fan of the handle bar mirrors. I tend to use bar end mirrors. What do you mean by “a different hole system”?
Now that you mention it I don’t think I have installed mine yet…(and I probably won’t until spring)
I started to pull the end cap off and noticed the whole size is smaller not the typical half inch diameter round pipe.
I just got home and pulled the cap and measured the inside of the handlebars. It came out 0.705” or 18mm. I’m going to use this Hafny bar end mirror on mine.
amzn.to/3e7pmZl
Mine measure 1" dia at the cap and 3/8" at the pin portion. My leather grips are covering the ends with this smaller plug or cap inserted. Probably another change on their bikes. Maybe you could " enlarge" the hole in the leather but I'm not messing with that.
After owning both I can tell you that the Himiway is far better than the Magicycle. Yes both have problems but the Magicycle has more problems with the brakes and when I received it the brakes squealed so much that was unacceptable. I changed them out and changed out the caliper as well because it was bent. Never had problems with the Himiway! I am selling my Magicycle.
Interesting perspective, did you get your Magicycle before or after they switched to the Tektro Aries mechanical brakes?
Also, I’m curious, how you feel about Magicycle’s battery power running outside the rear axle instead of thru it like the Himiway has?
Thanks for the comment!
@@TinkeringTurtle I got my Magicycle before they switched to Tektro Aries. I put on hydraulic and now trying to sell it on Craigs. I do not know what you are talking about the power running outside the axle? Please explain. Thanks for your TH-cam reviews Tim.
Himiway carves out the center of the axle and run the power cable thru the center. While Magicycle does not do that, they run the power cable into the hub motor thru a spot below the axle. I am wondering about your thoughts on that…do you think the Magicycle axle could have less flex being solid? or do you think there is no real world affect?
Good luck with your sale!
How does it compare in comfort to himiway? My husband has a bad shoulder. Are the majicycle handlebars more comfortable?
With any bike, you may or will need to make adjustments to fit the rider. At 6’ 3” I will likely add an adjustable stem, but I won’t have to add the riser like I did on my Himiway. I will also change out the seat post and seat to improve comfort. These are upgrades that most people make when the get their bike so they fit them better.
@@TinkeringTurtle thanks. He's 6'1" and has a bad rotator cuff. He said he would have bought this one but b we just saw it after we got the himiway. Not sure I want to spend money on another bike but it does like a deal to not pass up.
Price for a performance it is an excellent deal.
He can adjust his Himiway to get a more upright seating position. I did a video on adding a stem and riser. It may be helpful.
th-cam.com/video/lJzmAja-APk/w-d-xo.html
What is the name of the oil and source? Great post!
Here is the information that is available in the description of the video.
Finish line dry lubricant:
amzn.to/2TxK62b
Will the Himingway seatpost fit in this bike?
The Himiway uses a 30.4mm seat post. And the Magicycle uses a 30.8mm. So I doubt one will work in the other. My suspension seat post is 27.2mm, so I just purchased a new shim so I can put it in either bike.
@@TinkeringTurtle thanks for getting back with me. I have a magic cycle on the way, how much range do you think it has compared to the Hemi way
@Eric E Chipman I don’t have enough info to determine that yet. I have only put about 25 miles on so far. And honestly I have been hot rod’n it around using the battery up pretty quickly. I will say, at these power levels the battery goes down about the same amount on both bikes. But that is purely subjective. I hope in the next few weeks I can do a longer ride at lower PAS levels to get a reasonable comparison between the two bikes.
@@TinkeringTurtle Lets see how many miles you get out of it.
During the part where you aren't saying anything and you are pedaling at a steady pace, how much is your pedaling adding? Are you just keeping the motor running?. I know from another review you can set a zero pedal assist mode. And how easy is it to ride as a regular bike? I know they are typically heavy bikes, all of them. And thanks for the good review. I have been watching a bunch of them.
For the video I basically just keep the pedals moving as I am also minding the path ahead while filming. When I stop filming I do put more effort into the pedals and my heart rate will increase.
These bikes can be pedaled manually (zero PAS), but they are heavy bikes and it will take extra effort. Not so much on flats, but up hills for sure.
The short fall of the ebikes in general is that you will typically start “ghost” pedaling around 20mph. To combat that you would need to put a higher tooth chain ring on the front sprocket. So instead of a 46t (which the bike comes with), use a 50t or 52t. This is typically a simple and inexpensive upgrade.
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
When u did your top speed test did u unlock the limiter on it? Me and u have a similar build and I was hoping to get a lil more speed on throttle only. I can’t wait til next week when I get mine
No, I haven’t messed with any settings yet. That was as it came out of the box. Enjoy your bike!
Is the bike right for your weight ?
Complete 275 lbs? The bike alone 75 lbs.
I believe it is 275lbs of payload, the bike weight is not included in that number. I personally max out the suggested weight limit for this bike.
How many adjustment can You make on the LCD levels ??
PAS levels? Same as Himiway.
@@TinkeringTurtle Asking if You can change the settings like the Himiway ? So much flexability with the Himiway. Most others don't have that. Looks like a smaller battery too - - 15Ah.
I haven’t played with it yet. But it appears you can make virtually all the same adjustments that you can on the Himiway. Plus it has a more user friendly interface.
Yes the battery is higher voltage, lower amp hours. They claim a similar range. According to them it’s because the controller, motor and battery work more efficiently together. But there are a few videos out there questioning what the actual range is. We will have to see.
@@TinkeringTurtle Would enjoy seeing Your video of You demonstrating the settings like Your other videos. 👍
Definitely on the list to do. But I am very busy right now…got to pay the bills too!
How big are you? That bike looks tiny under you. Or is it just camera effects?
A little of both. I am 6’ 3” and the better part of 300lbs. in this video I am using a 360 degree camera which gives a bit of a “fish eye” affect making me look really big on the bike.
Thank you! I am 6’1” 220lbs. I was afraid I was too big for this bike!
I have both bikes and I have to say my hemingway is much faster over 30 mph and more torque I will just have to show it in my future videos. Good job on the videos
I look forward to it. By the way, the Himiway has 80nm of torque compared to Magicycle‘s 86nm. At least in the specs anyway.
Newer Himiway will only go 25mph FYI. And yes that's with the settings changed