Magnum Bikes is a cycling brand headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was founded in Israel, Utah, in 2010.
The friendship behind Magnum Bikes was tested on Masada. Jesse Lapin badly hurt his leg hiking there, and during his recovery his friend Yoni Kayman wheeled him through the streets of Jerusalem. "That experience solidified our trust in each other," Lapin told Utah Stories. The two met at a nonprofit in New York City, and today they run an e-bike company from Salt Lake City.
Kayman came across e-bikes in Israel around 2010, the year KSL says Magnum started there. He handled production with manufacturers overseas. In 2014 Lapin, a Utah native, was hired to start the American branch. Kayman had never been to Salt Lake City, and Utah Stories says the landscape won him over immediately. Within three years, Lapin told KSL, Magnum had 200 shops and dealer bases in 30 states.
Magnum designs its own frames and molds, and the company says its bikes are tested in Salt Lake City or at partner factories overseas. In 2020 the University of Utah's campus store began offering Magnums at 10 percent off, pitched as a way from lower campus to upper campus without breaking a sweat. Anyone who has made that walk in August understands the pitch.
When Electric Bike Journal went behind the scenes at Magnum, the Salt Lake City headquarters was in an old Boys and Girls Club building.
New from Magnum Bikes
Pathfinder 2.0, an early release of the 2027 fat tire e-bike
The Pathfinder 2.0 is a low-step e-bike on 20 inch fat tires, and Magnum rates its 691 watt hour battery for up to 55 miles. It lists at $1,849 against $1,999 as launch pricing, and it was sold out online on October 21.
