In my experience, the overall ride quality of the Magnum Vertex was excellent across the board. The bike is designed to place the rider at a moderate forward lean, and overall it felt comfortable, handled well, and responded appropriately in its intended environment.
In terms of contact points, I appreciated the wide 720 mm handlebars; with ergonomic grips, these were comfortable to hold and provided a high degree of control when maneuvering on dirt trails. The saddle was well-shaped, and while it felt somewhat on the firm side after longer trips on paved paths, I didn’t spend much time sitting on it when riding off-road.
The 27.5” x 2.8” CST Patrol tires performed well on asphalt, and with such an aggressive off-road tread, they tore easily through dirt while offering plenty of grip. Additionally, I appreciated their width; they proved significantly more maneuverable than the 4” fat tires that many off-road-capable e-bikes tend to be equipped with, while still offering a wide platform that felt solid and stable.
Another factor that influenced the bike’s comfortable ride was its Suntour XCM34 Boost suspension fork. With 130 mm of travel, this is on the higher end of the compression range I’ve seen on an e-bike, and the difference was noticeable. Even on rougher trails, the fork cushioned the ride effectively. Without a rear suspension, this is about as good as it gets in this price range!
According to Magnum’s advertisements, the Vertex fits riders who are between 5’-5” and 6’-2” with its single frame size. Additionally, they said it had a maximum capacity of 350 lbs. At 5’-11” and around 200 lbs, the bike’s geometry accommodated me nicely, though it was somewhat limiting for our riders on the extreme ends of the bike’s range of accommodation. The standover height was slightly too tall for those on the bottom end of the height spectrum, and the relatively short reach distance made the bike feel somewhat cramped for those above 6 feet.
When comparing the Vertex to some other dedicated eMTBs, these things became more clear; the dimensions of the Vertex lined up with what was often a small frame size. To offer a better fit for taller and shorter riders, we’d like to see Magnum offer a few more frame sizes.
