Magene was at Eurobike this year as usual, except with not one booth – but two different booths in two different halls. Their larger main booth was in the same hall as most other tech companies (e.g., Garmin, Elite, etc…), while their secondary booth was sorta nestled in between the heavy-duty ebike companies, and the smaller startup scene that shared one in a different hall.
In any case, I visited both booths during my time there, mostly just to see if different products were shown in each booth (spoiler: yup). However, that ultimately led to some interesting answers on why Magene is pulling products out of their US & European markets. And actually more specifically, pulling products out of all markets except their home turf market of China.
In any case, Magene was essentially showing off three sets of new products:
– New smart trainers (T600 Eco/T600E)
– New bike computers (C706, albeit introduced a month or so ago)
– New power meters (TEO P515 spider-based power meter)
Notably though, the Magene P715K & P715S power meter pedals, and we’ll get into why in just a second.
Now, first up was the T600 Eco/T600E. I say ‘slash’ with both, because the same trainer is literally called by two different names. In fact, one leg has one name, whereas the other side has the other name. Untangling this confusion in my brain took multiple conversations as to which name it actually was. They ultimately noted that you can use either name.
In any event, from a specs standpoint, this is the same T600 trainer that came out a year ago (+/1% accuracy, downhill drive simulation, Race Mode, Sensor Bridging, Maximum 20% uphill gradient simulation), but now with a USB-C port on the back to power random accessories.
In one booth, they showed it with an LED light that went around your trainer mat:
And then in the other booth they showed it with a very carefully cabled USB power cord to the front of your bike for a phone/etc…
Look, I think having a USB-C port can be handy, but I’m not sure it’s really super practical at the back of a trainer. Meanwhile, I do think it’d be great if companies switched to using USB-C for the trainer power itself (akin to what Peloton does on their Peloton Bike+). Though there’s concern amongst trainer brands of people using cables/connectors that might not be water/sweat resistant, as well as the wrong cable specs (USB-C cables can be a nightmare of spec failures).
Nonetheless, there’s also the C706, which is essentially a bigger screen display than the C606, but also with an LED light around the edge of it (not a headlight, more of a visibility light, sorta like Raveman light, except just a tiny strip).
And then there was their electronic shifting groupset (announced more than a year ago), which was honestly like most other electronic shifting groupsets, though it did have some neat integration into DJI Action Camera controls, which you could demo in the booth.
Ok, now, you’ll notice I’m going through these relatively quick, with relatively low levels of details. And that’s for one core reason: You can’t buy this stuff, nor will you be able to.
That’s because, with the exception of the new TEO P515 spider-based power meter, nothing else will be available outside of China (and this site isn’t accessible within China). That spider-based power meter has a claimed battery life of 330 hours, with magnetic charging, plus the usual +/- 1% accuracy, and comes in crank lengths of 160/165/170/172.5/175mm
In fact, it was while I was looking at the P515 power meter (which seems pretty much run of the mill for spider power meters in 2025), that I was still trying to find their P715K & P715S power meter pedals (seen below on their website).
Turns out, they weren’t at the show at all.
Why not? Well, despite being on the US & European websites, Magene says they’ve decided to focus on the Chinese market instead, and won’t actually be selling them going forward in the US & Europe (and seemingly by extension, the rest of the world). These were priced at 499EUR/$499USD, so they would have undercut the Favero Assioma pedals a bit. Additionally, they looked a heck of a lot like the Favero pedals, and sounds like there might have been some infringement issues there too.
Ok, so, that brings me to the next thing, the T600 Eco. That has an availability date of September, but again, when I asked about pricing and such, the Magene staff (in both booths) quickly pivoted, noting that it won’t be available in the US or Europe. In fact, if you look at the Magene site now, there are no Magene trainers available on their European sites (though, they are still as of this moment listed on their US site).
(Above: The T600 in a clear case, which is admittedly super cool)
Curious about why they weren’t going to sell into the US and European markets, I started to get more answers. They noted initially that they wanted to “test the market” in China first.
However, when I asked at the other booth, I got the real answer: They are “not selling trainers outside China due to existing clients”.
Immediately, I asked for clarification on what they meant by “existing clients”, and asked if they meant ‘clients like the consumers’, or ‘clients like Wahoo, Decathlon, etc…’, and they confirmed “manufacturing clients” including Wahoo, Decathlon, etc…
And now, the puzzle pieces started to make a bit more sense.
(More cool close-up shots inside the T600, because I have lots of these shots and might as well use them)
You see, Magene is well-known for making smart trainers for quite a bit of the industry. They manufacture the Wahoo KICKR CORE for Wahoo. They make the Decathlon Van Rysel D100 for Decathlon. And they make trainers for countless other smaller retailers & brands, simply rebranded to your name. Magene has been doing this for a long time, all based in China. And of course, that’s largely because they’re really good at it. Meaning, Magene is really good at making good trainers – both for themselves, and others.
However, the challenge here is that Magene undercuts the pricing, especially in the US, for their customer companies like Wahoo. Meaning, something like the Magene T500 smart trainer has specs relatively similar to the full-blown Wahoo KICKR V6. Except, the T500 is priced at $699, and the Wahoo KICKR V6 at $1,049. Obviously, that’s undercutting Wahoo’s US sales (as well as other Wahoo markets).
But the other fun wrinkle here is that Wahoo has long been a minority stakeholder in Magene.
Thus, not only is Wahoo a customer of Magene, but also a shareholder, therefore completing the circle of life here.
As for not selling the C706 bike computer into other markets? Well, who knows? Perhaps they really do want to just focus on the Chinese market, or perhaps not. I don’t actually think there’s a huge amount of overlap between buyers of Wahoo’s bike computers and the Magene C706, at least not in Western markets. Though I suspect in Asia, certainly.
In any case, it’s interesting to see where things go. Setting aside the clear pullback from Magene on their Western markets, I don’t think that’s actually a substantial loss for them. Specifically, in that certainly they’ve had consumer sales in the US & Europe historically, but I never got the impression it was a substantial portion of their business. Further, we won’t really know how exactly this will play out over the coming months – both in terms of what Magene ends up listing (or pulling) from their US & European storefronts, as well as how things like tariffs might change offerings as well.
Nonetheless, thanks for reading!
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So do we think the likes of the pedals will be something available to by via AliExpress and/or similar?
Probably, but whether or not they are accurate is a different question (hearing mixed results from some that have tested it).
Pedals are currently on pre order on AliExpress
Honestly, given my past track record with Ali Express (a Garmin HRM-Tri that leaked, causing massive corrosion around the battery), I wouldn’t trust anything from there unless it’s directly from the manufacturer in their own store (eg: I’ve bought some Anker stuff from the Anker store, and it was fine.) Far too much risk of getting faulty seconds, or knock-offs, IMO.
It’s fine for cheap gifts (like the brain specimen coasters I bought for a doctor friend), but anything electronic, I’d suggest steering clear.
You can order them in Australia.
link to crooze.com.au
It would be great if Trainers would eventually be self-sufficient and not requiring power – since riders create power themselves. And then use that power to charge your devices.
We’ve actually had a few of those over the years, the most famous being the Tacx NEO series.
But there are others as well, such as the TrueKinetix Trainer. Though, TrueKinetix recently went under.
The core problem is the cost for that is really high, and then the value tends to be fairly debatable since most people have power outlets directly next to their trainers anyway.
Don’t forget Cycplus T2 and T3, that also have a self-powered mode
Bummer about TruKinetix. Did they run out of customers in Belgium (or wherever they were based). Seems they limited their market a bit.
I rode my Neo 2 recently at my usual time when the power was out due to a tree taking out some power lines nearby. The one big loss is that there’s no downhill simulation; you can’t stop pedaling. Otherwise it was a normal ride.
Thanks for the quick reply. Didn’t know the NEO series was that of a kind. Agree, 200 watts per hour doesn’t generate a lot. But 200 watt is what my house uses on “standby”. So I could basically run my house while riding ;)
Are these cost that high? Concept2 uses a 12 pole magnet, a coil and a full bridge rectifier to power its monitor (and provide it with position data). I admit magnets aren’t that cheap, but it isn’t that expensive in the grand scheme of things. The benefit is you don’t need a power outlet, giving a lot of flexibility.
Really like the idea of a ‘visibility light’ integrated in the bike computer. Just a little security add-on that can be useful. Of course it depends on the impact on the battery, although for my early morning ride, wouldn’t really mind.
The Polar V650 (RIP) had something like this, it was super useful if you got caught out without lights.
“Except, the T500 is priced at $699, and the Wahoo KICKR V6 at $1,049. Obviously, that’s undercutting Wahoo’s US sales (as well as other Wahoo markets).”
Is it really undercutting tho, or just exposing how much these companies mark up their brand names? 🤔
The thing is though, it’s not just brand names, but the support infrastructure behind it (in fact, a huge part of it).
If a Magene trainer breaks in the US…ummm…good luck (seriously, you can try emailing them and hope for a response, but it’s on you to get it back to China, etc…). If a Wahoo trainer breaks in the US, Europe, etc…, they have a support infrastructure designed to take care of that. That infrastructure is a core part of what you’re paying for (with any company).
Fair point. I had assumed these prices were apples-and-apples support-wise. Thanks for clarifying.
Tho I think if we could get almost 2 Magenes for the price of 1 branded trainer, and it’s basically the same hardware, I’d be very tempted to take the savings. A 50% premium for the off chance I’d need service (repeated across all the products I purchase) feels over-insured.
But moot ofc since we’re not offered the choice anyway.
I bought the T300 Plus, and found it better then the Wahoo/others…
One thing was the obvious lower € point.
But what won me ower was the noticably lower noise level.
Yes, I’m a bit hysterical with noise, but then it was nice to find a trainer I could use also on late nights.
Its been flawless.
Using it daylie as part of recovery in/after chemotherapy.
I also bought the Magen L508 radar light. I find it to be better than the Garmin Varia and Wahoo Trackr on my roadbike, integrated with iGPSPORT BiNavi.
Sad to see Magene leave.
It probably more or less kills support on existing products…
That P515 sounds like a cheap way to finally try out shorter cranks… and try out riding with a power meter at the same time!
But I would need detailed step by step guidance on how I would go about installing such a thing…
The manual (of the predecessor) is actually pretty detailed and installing it is far from rocket science…
FWIW: Magene also makes the pods for the Wahoo power pedals, so no reason why it should be less accurate than the current Wahoo power pedals.
The pods is the electronics piece, but the actual strain gauge portion is within the spindle.
My understanding is there are only a few ways to accomplish that without running afoul of various patents that already exist from other players.
I’ve been looking at some shorter cranks and might as well get a new power meter to replace my busted Vector 2s. That 515 is at the top of the list.
The article name and body content seem to conflict, US and EU market withdraw but then global withdrawal and focus on China market only?
Perhaps a little confusion as there plenty of other global markets this products could be supplied into, Asia, Australasia, Russia, South America, Africa etc.
You can only withdraw from a market that you are / have been present at. Not perfectly sure, but might it be the case that Magene was only selling in China, Europe and the US?
Definitely not, good presence in the rest of the world, specially throughout Asia (not just China) and many other developing markets.
The reason I put US/Europe in the title is simple: It’s where the overwhelming vast majority of my readers are (roughly 80%). Simple math around these parts is 40% North America, 40% Europe, and 20% rest of world, skewed towards English-speaking countries (e.g. higher in SA, AUS, NZ).
However, I use Western within the article as well, because in some cases Magene themselves isn’t super clear or consistent. For example, the power meter pedals show as orderable in US currently (whether on purpose or on accident), while they don’t show in most as Europe as actually orderable (listed as out of stock perpetually, and have been for months).
Point being, they’re consolidating to China, except in certain products where they aren’t, and so I tried to outline that the best Magene was able to outline that at the show (which…was fuzzy).
I don’t disagree it’s not a perfect match, but I’m also keenly aware that for whatever reason, most US folks want to see the word ‘US’ in title before they bother caring to read it. Is what it is…
Magene has been oscillating between European & US markets and OEM cash business, resulting in a lot of missed good times
Interview on Slowtwitch… Congrats, Ray! ,-)!
For me, this article begs the question of why they’d come to Eurobike. Presumably it’s an expensive way to access Western buyers, and if you’re not seeking them, why go to the expense?
Eurobike is as much a show for retailers/distributors, as it is for OEM’s. In fact, there are entire halls dedicated purely to manufacturing and component type companies.
Exactly. If they aren’t distributing outside of China, why pay to engage with non-Chinese retailers/distributors? What am I missing?
I bet decathlon has claimed them for europe for rebranding as van rysel power meter pedals.
I got the P515 alu crank set / power meter spider from Magene direct via Ali Express. Easy to install, great software, reliable, accurate compared to my Kickr and Vector 3’s and pairs both via BT and ANT+. Wouldn’t have any issue ordering Magene products again (and tbh Ali Express service is pretty good).
FYI
FYI?
Hi Ray, big fan! :)
I’ve been a Magene retailer in the EU for quite a few years now, so the article title definitely caught my attention.
I reached out to Magene today to verify your information.
They confirmed that the C706 and the Pedal Power Meter will be available on the EU market. (I didn’t ask about the US.)
However, the trainers won’t be available here – apparently due to OEM deals with the “big guys.”
By the way, it’s always been like this to some extent – high-end trainers were typically restricted, while lower-end models weren’t.
Maybe that’s what changed: now the limitations apply to the entire trainer lineup.
Cheers!
Thanks Kamil – always good to get extra data points!
That said, very different responses than their Eurobike people gave, especially on the C706 where it was a hard ‘no plans for Europe’ slant, and with the power meter pedals, we’ve seen them pull it from all their EU stores in the past few days (after showing no stock for nearly a month), and their UK store no longer shows stock.
Either way, time will tell!
i guess that explains why the power pods on the Magene pedals look remarkably like the Wahoo power pods. disappointed that the C706 won’t make it to the US. I have been clamoring for a computer that has a built in emergency light akin the flashlight on the newer Garmin watches. perhaps Garmin will come through with that on their 550 and 850 Edge models whenever they drop?
Has anyone found somewhere to source a C706 computer from yet? It hasn’t popped up on AliExpress so far…