First Impressions…Magicycle Ocelot Pro Fat Tire Cruiser

Unboxing and First Ride of the Ocelot Pro

I am the happy owner of two 26″ X 4″ Magicycle Fat Tire Cruisers, and have been riding them almost daily since November of 2021. One has a conventional step-over frame, and the other has a mid-step frame. I am very pleased with both styles, but my short-in-stature wife is not comfortable riding any bike with 26″ wheels. I was excited when magicyclebike.com posted an announcement that the Magicycle Design Team was working on a fat tire e-bike with 20″ wheels, the Magicycle Ocelot Pro Step-Thru . I knew this would be a good size for my wife. I was delighted to purchase an Ocelot Pro, and I’m very glad i did–my wife loves it!

Shipping, Unboxing, and Assembly

Shipping

Customer service from Magicycle is excellent, and this has been true for all three of my Magicycle e-bikes. The Ocelot Pro shipped two days after ordering it, and in two more days it arrived at my doorstep. That’s a total of four days from purchase to delivery…very nice!

Immediately when the shipment arrived, I inspected the shipping box. It was in good, but not perfect, condition. The box had one obvious crushed spot, along with a small hole. I feared that I would find some damage to the e-bike. Of course, Magicycle cannot control what happens in shipment after the product leaves the Magicycle warehouse.

Unboxing

The box is thoroughly sealed to enhance the odds of safe shipping. A strong adhesive is used in addition to the usual heavy-duty staples. Just pry the staples loose with a flathead screwdriver and pull firmly on the box flap to overcome the adhesive.

I was a bit surprised when I opened the box and could not see even one scratch. Magicycle does a superior job of packing a lot of protective material around the e-bike, and I could not see any damage. As you can see in the photo below, the Ocelot Pro is very nicely protected during shipment.

Pro Tip — the easiest unboxing is to open the bottom of the box as you see above, and then carefully turn the box upside down with the box flaps open. This puts the rear wheel and the front fork stand on the ground, and you can easily slide the box up and off. Now the bike is upright and ready to assemble.

Assembly

After unboxing the Ocelot Pro, I quickly discovered that it had arrived 90% assembled. It’s great to have so little work to do in preparing a new e-bike for the first ride. Before beginning the assembly, I located the Accessories Box, opened the Magicycle 3 amp Fast Charger, and plugged in the battery. It makes good sense to let the battery start charging while you complete the e-bike assembly.

The first task is to remove all the protective foam from the Ocelot Pro. There’s a lot of it, all held in place with zip ties. With the help of a pair of snips, it only takes a few minutes, and you will realize the care Magicycle has taken to ensure your e-bike arrives undamaged.

Full assembly is a simple matter of attaching the handlebars, front wheel (rear wheel is already assembled), and seat post. Just follow the instructions in the User Manual and it all happens easily within 30- minutes. I selected the new Space Gray color, and this e-bike is also available in Pearl White or Army Green. Here you see my fully assembled Space Gray Ocelot Pro surrounded by its “big brothers” — the 26″ Fat Tire Cruisers.

Beauty is More than Skin Deep

Once you get past the great looks of this new machine, there’s even more to admire. Let’s do a little digging and see what’s different about this MAGiCYCLE beyond the new 20″ tire size.

  • Power to Spare

          This beautiful new MAGiCYCLE Cruiser is definitely smaller in size, but not in power! The 1100 watt (peak) motor is a bit different than its predecessor. It is still the same reliable brand name motor, but it has been tweaked just enough to increase the torque by about 12 percent. Now rated at 96 nm (Neuton Meters), its torque is equal to that of an average 800 cc motorcycle. You’ll never have to worry about moving quickly across a crowded intersection. With this kind of torque, you’ll conquer even the steep hills.

  • Convenient Comfort

          Most riders will find this e-bike very comfortable to mount and ride. The Ocelot Pro accommodates riders from 4’10” to 6’2″ easily. The frame is based on the Comfort Triangle design from the MAGiCycle Design Team. Best of all for ease and convenience, the step-thru point is only 15″ above the ground. Also, the 20″ fat tires and adjustable front fork will absorb the bumps to add to your riding comfort.

  • Upgraded Long-Range Battery

          You might think the MAGiCYCLE Design Team would simply carry over the fabulous 52-volt battery from the original cruisers. No–they have opted for a freshly designed battery to give riders even more range. Even after upping the amp hours from 15 to 20, the new battery is beautifully integrated into the frame. The 25% boost in amps means you can look forward to a range of 75-80 miles. Of course, if you tip the scales at 275 pounds and ride mostly in hilly terrain, that will reduce your range. Range will also vary according to wind speed, tire pressure, and your pedaling habits.

  •  Confidence-Inspiring Quality

           Magicycle is not a normal e-bike company. Magicycle is one of the very few elite e-bike companies that own the factory where their e-bikes are manufactured. The MAGiCYCLE factory has been producing quality e-bikes for more than 16 years. Every Magicycle begins with the award-winning Magicycle Design Team. That’s the same team that, originated the amazing Magicycle frame design. This design makes their e-bikes both visually appealing and reliably strong.

You will never find any cheap steel in a Magicycle frame. Magicycle has chosen to use 6061 aluminum alloy. This top quality alloy provides exceptional strength, corrosion resistance, light weight, durability, and a defect-free highly pleasing appearance. All this is made possible by employing technology borrowed from the aviation industry.

  • World-Class Technology

          The Magicycle factory uses experts in hydroforming and cataphracted weld joints…regarded as the best welding technique in the world. This means that Magicycle customers receive a high-tech frame that is strong, safe, and beautiful for unequaled riding stability and comfort.

To summarize, Magicycle has exemplary quality control over the entire bike-building process, from design to manufacture to shipping. When a Magicycle is delivered to a new owner, the box contains an e-bike that will last a very long time, giving reliable service and a safe riding experience. Quality matters — don’t buy your e-bike from a brand that does not own the factory.

  • E -bike Components

          Because they control every aspect of design and manufacturing, Magicycle gets to very carefully select the components. Only well-known brand names are invited to supply motors, batteries, LCD displays, brakes, etc. For example, an unusually powerful 52 volt battery comes on every Magicycle. Only high-quality components go onto a Magicycle! That’s a big factor in the confidence Magicycle owners have in their e-bike.

Of course, the motor is a major component on any e-bike. Again, Magicycle selects a name brand manufacturer with a reputation for quality motors…long-lasting powerful motors with CE, ISO9000, ROHS and 3C certification. In fact, the Ocelot Pro’s motor yields more torque than any other e-bike brand competing with Magicycle. That’s why Magicycle riders get faster starts for added safety in city traffic conditions. That’s also why the Magicycle Cruiser has such amazing hill-climbing strength.

Another important component is the LCD display, providing all the information you need to safely enjoy your ride. Many brands like to “go cheap” with their display, but not Magicycle. The Magicycle display is in easy-to-read full color (not grayscale), has a very bright screen, and many features that are customizable to the individual rider. That same quality is consistent throughout the entire list of e-bike components. 

The Ocelot Pro Ride

The first thing you notice when riding the Ocelot Pro is the ease and convenience of mounting the bike. This is a true step-thru design! With a step-thru clearance of only 15 inches from the ground, this is a very easy on and off e-bike. Another bonus of this closer-to-the-ground ride is the confidence that comes from easily placing both feet on the ground at any time. I like that a lot, and shorter riders will definitely love it.

The next thing you notice is the fast getaway. The hi-torque 1100 peak watt motor moves the bike very quickly. First-time ebike riders might want to take advantage of the fully customizable pedal assist (PAS) settings. Each of the seven levels —  yes, I said seven — can be adjusted to your preference. For example, as a beginner, you could set Level 1 at 10% so that the bike begins your ride more slowly. You can also adjust how quickly the motor responds as you begin pedaling, and allow yourself a few seconds of unassisted pedaling.

Comfort, Confidence, and Stability

You’ll also notice the superb handling characteristics of the Ocelot Pro. This is a very nimble e-bike, responding quickly to your steering, and yet you feel stable and very much in control. The 4″ wide fat tires really hug the road, and also provide a lot of cushioning for the bumps. Add to that the responsive suspension built into the front forks, and you have a very comfortable ride.

Then, as you come to your first hill, you’ll again admire the ample power and torque of the Magicycle motor. I found that I could very easily climb hills, whether long or steep…or both! Indeed, this bike is very powerful and fast, but it also stops very quickly. I found the hydraulic brakes on the Ocelot Pro to be absolutely outstanding. Just a very small amount of squeeze from a couple of fingers brings the bike to a quick controlled stop.

The Overall Picture

Before I hit the Buy button, I had a very good idea that I would like the Ocelot Pro. That’s partly because i had the advantage of already owning two Magicycle Cruisers. After unboxing, assembly, and actually riding the bike, I don’t just like it — I love it! The Ocelot Pro is beautiful eye candy, has a strong high-quality build, great components, and a comfortable stable ride. The icing on the cake is that my 5′ wife feels comfortable on this bike. All this for less than $2000…now that’s a deal!