BIGGEST Smart Trainer Factory IN THE WORLD: Magene HQ Tour
China Cycling
November 06, 2024
🔗 https://woto.ink/eY36ni - Magene's Website
🔗 https://www.pandapodium.cc/brand/magene/ - Magene products on Panda Podium.
📝 Thanks to Magene for inviting me and @gplama around their fancy new headquarters. We had the opportunity to check out the entire facility, from raw material processing through to testing and R&D. There was far too much to cover, so we focused on Smart Trainer Production, Power Meter Production and their Electronic Groupset. We also sat down for a chat with Magene co-founder and CTO; Frank.
🎤 Interview with co-founder & CTO; Frank: https://youtu.be/3ucGb6OqzgY
⏰ Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:15 Smart Trainer Production
09:54 Impromptu Race
12:15 Interview with Co-Founder Frank
14:59 Power Meter Production
20:15 Research & Testing Labs
26:30 Magene's Electronic Groupset
30:28 Solar Energy Plant
31:16 Outro
⚠️ Disclaimer: This is sponsored content. Magene compensated me for my time and effort in making this video. I also sell Magene products on my website, Panda Podium, so of course I have some bias. However, this video is a real peak behind the curtain and you can judge what you see for yourselves. Thanks for watching, and thanks once again to Magene for this behind the scenes tour!
#Magene #MadeinChina #Ad #ChinaCycling
Magene
This video is a sponsored factory tour of Magene's new headquarters in Qingdao, China, showing their extensive production facilities for smart trainers, power meters, and electronic groupsets. It reveals Magene's significant manufacturing scale, with over 80% market share in China's smart trainer market and claims to be the largest cycling power equipment supplier globally. The tour highlights their automated production processes, rigorous testing standards, and in-house R&D capabilities.
Key Facts
- Factory location: Qingdao, China
- Chinese smart trainer market share: over 80%
- Smart trainer models released: 8 total from 2016 to present
- Production capacity: Hundreds of tons of raw materials on factory floor, with new CNC machines being added regularly
- Testing standards: 5 times ISO 4210 standards for fatigue testing (500,000 cycles vs. 100,000 ISO standard)
- Solar energy: Over 8,000 square meters of solar panels on factory roof generating more electricity than the factory uses
- Precision measurement: Equipment with 1.3 micron accuracy (1/16 of a human hair)
- Environmental testing: Temperature testing at 70°C for 24 hours, IPX7 waterproof testing (1 meter depth for 30 minutes), xenon lamp testing equivalent to 5 years of sun exposure
- Clean room: Separate area for electronics assembly requiring special clothing
- Development advantage: Design, testing and production all done in same building for faster development
Interview Summary
The video includes an interview with Frank, Magene's co-founder and CTO. He stated the smart trainer is his favorite product as it was their first product and he was the chief engineer. He mentioned the pedal power meter took three years to develop due to algorithm challenges related to spindle hardness and waterproofing. When asked about firmware complexity, he estimated nearly a million lines of code in their head unit firmware. The full interview is available in a separate video.
Brand Highlights
- +Only cycling brand in the world with a strain gauge bonding machine for applying curved strain gauges
- +Second brand in the world to implement road surface simulation in smart trainers
- +Full range of power meter types: stick-on strain gauges, crank-based, spider-based, and pedal-based
- +Self-developed permanent magnet synchronous motor for smart trainers that allows self-powering from rider's pedaling energy
- +In-house development of electronic groupset with wireless shifting and ecosystem integration
- +Automated powder coating machine worth approximately $1 million built by Magene themselves
- +Over 1,000 strict testing procedures with self-developed testing equipment
Products Mentioned
Features die-cast case reducing 46 parts to one, 6.5cm wide, 8% stiffer than previous models, waterfall cooling channels, dual-cycle negative pressure cooling system reducing temperatures by over 20°C
Spider-based power meter compatible with Shimano 24mm spindle and 110 BCD, popular for Shimano crankset upgrades
Pedal-based power meters currently available in China, coming to Western markets next year
Wireless electronic shifting system with front derailleur shifting in 300ms, rear in 90ms, supports rim and disc brakes, up to 2,500km battery life, auxiliary buttons for ecosystem control
Part of Magene's ecosystem, integrates with other Magene products including electronic groupset
Part of Magene's ecosystem, can be controlled via electronic groupset auxiliary buttons
Original single-sided power meter with strain gauge on Shimano crank
Dual-sided version of The Ridge power meter
Magene's own crank arms with integrated power meter, symmetrical design for accuracy