Macfox Bike
Macfox is a relatively unknown brand with only 2 bikes to their current lineup: the Macfox X1S Electric Commuter Bike and the Macfox-M20X. Both are moped-style ebikes. The X1S is a more basic version with single-speed gearing whereas the M20X offers a 7-speed Shimano shifter. Both use a similar steel frame with a 500Wh (48V 10.4Ah) battery mounted just under the seat.
You may notice that this style of ebike is the same as the SUPER73 and inspired by vintage motorcycles.
Macfox’s social following appears to be in its infancy with only 12k Facebook followers, and there isn’t much more information online about the company. As with many ODM brands, it’s likely that Macfox is based in and managed directly out of China.
Review Summary
If you want the run down, here are the main highlights based on our testing and review of the X1S:
- The Macfox X1S is a moped-style ebike powered by a 500w rear hub motor and 48V 10.4Ah battery. Charging time is roughly 5-6 hours and will yield anywhere between 38-50 miles of range.
- Power is delivered via twist throttle and 3 PAS levels (ECO-MID-HIGH) with single speed gearing, making this an even simpler ebike to ride compared to those with your typical 7-speed Shimano shifter.
- The 24” moto-style seat is very comfortable to sit on when paired with the 20” CST air tires. However, a lack of additional suspension components means that it’s best for paved roads and light dirt paths.
- Priced at $999, it’s an affordable no-frills ebike compared to other moped-style ebike brands such as SUPER73. Macfox is a relatively unknown brand and the durability and longevity of the components has not been time tested.
Macfox X1S Specifications
- Manufacturer website: Macfox Bike
- MSRP: $999 USD / $1399 CAD
- Style: Hardtail Moped
- Motor: 500W (750W peak)
- Torque: 65 Nm peak
- Battery: 500Wh (48V 10.4Ah)
- Range: Up to 76mi (advertised)
- Pedal Sensor: Cadence, 3 PAS levels
- Top Speed: 25mph
- Derailleur: Single speed gearing
- Brakes: Mechanical disc brake
- Tires: 20” x 4.0” CST Tires
- Weight: 29kg / 65lb
- Available colours: Black, Brown
The Assembly
I’ve assembled over a dozen ebikes at this point. Nearly every single one comes preassembled 90% of the way, so you literally only need to mount the handlebars to the stem, slap your front wheel, and tighten up all your nuts and bolts before you’re ready to roll.
The Macfox took just a little bit more time as the kickstand was not attached to the bike. Surprisingly, the owner’s manual also didn’t have great instructions and the diagram doesn’t match the actual bike itself.
There are 4 holes where the 2 bolts for the kickstand can attach and it wasn’t clear which two were used to mount the kickstand.
Other than that, assembly took less than 20 minutes and was relatively easy even for one person.
Macfox X1S Performance
Power and Components
The Macfox X1S is powered by a 500w rear hub motor that peaks at 750w. It’s a standard motor that puts out 50Nm (65 Nm peak) of torque which is plenty enough to to make it up large hills. During our test ride, there were no issues with traversing over various terrain such as grass, gravel, and light dirt paths.
It’s a full-twist throttle with generic rubber grips. The display on the right handlebar shows all the usual stats: speed, mileage, PAS level, and battery level. On the left side of the handlebar, there’s a button to toggle the front headlights. However, during the assembly process, I was unable to connect the wires to the headlight. I’ve reached out to Macfox via their Facebook page and have yet to receive a reply.
The throttle response on this bike lags for a second or two, but getting up to speed was no problem. It has 3 PAS levels: ECO, MID, and HIGH. The X1S tops out at 25mph as a Class 2 ebike and I have no qualms about that in a city commute environment. During our test ride, I was only able to get it up to 18mph. It also has a single-gearing system which means absolutely no shifting, another first for me in the ebike segment. This took the effortless activity of riding ebikes and made it even simpler when all you need to control is the PAS.
The X1S is marketed as a commuter ebike and the performance reflects it as such. There are even disclaimers on the front forks advising riders that this is not meant for freeriding and ironically, the spelling errors and branding further suggest that this is a Chinese-made product.
Design, Build Quality, and Style
The X1S bears a minimalistic no-frills design which is appealing. The more buttons there are, the more there is to manage it all as a rider which is not an experience that I am looking for as a rider. The cockpit is open with tons of room to mount any other accessories such as a camera and phone mount.
The steel frame is sturdy and the e-moto design is a good look. One of my favorite things about this style of ebike is the cushy long seat which is very comfortable to ride on. There’s enough space for you to shift around compared to your traditional saddle seat.
The rear tail light is a reflector but there is a rear wire under the seat that goes nowhere. The Macfox-M20X does have light-up taillights so it looks to be a potential manufacturing error, seeing as how the frames between the two models are actually different.
A sticker on the bike boasts that it was designed in the USA with “global sources”, but I think we all know what that means.
Suspension and Braking
With a no-frills design, it’s not surprising that the X1S doesn’t offer much in the way of suspension. The dual front fork is more of an aesthetic choice to complement the e-moto design, but it lacks lockout adjustments to give it any meaningful functionality.
However, the ride quality is still decent due to the beefy 20” CST tires that the X1S employs. These knobby all-terrain tires are air-filled and do a good job of evening out the bumps as long as you’re not expecting to go over extremely rocky terrain.
As mentioned in the assembly section, the front wheel is removable and braking power is supplied via mechanical discs for both front and back.
The benefit of mechanical brake discs is that servicing them is much easier. There’s no rebleeding involved but you do lose out on extra braking power. For a commuter ebike like this one, it’s not necessary and is part of the reason why this bike achieves a sub-$1000 price point.
Braking power is sufficient for everyday riding although I did experience vibration when braking with the front. This could potentially be alleviated by adjusting the front brake pads.
Quality-wise, I think there’s an improvement to be made here. Both the left and right brake levers have more play than I would like. For a critical component like the braking system, I am not sure I have long-term confidence that these parts will hold up.
Battery and Range
The Macfox X1S uses a 48V 10.4Ah battery and charging time took roughly 5-6 hours, exactly what is advertised by the company. The product page boasts range of anywhere between 38-76+miles, which I think is on the high end of estimates.
A more conservative estimate of maxing out with 50 miles of range is more likely unless you intend on riding this without any PAS levels. The bike itself is 65lb and with fat tires, there’s more drag resistance which makes it a difficult task to sustain.
The battery is removable by lock and key and there’s a switch on the side to turn the battery on and off. The battery itself also has a USB port which can be handy if you want to use it to charge any accessories like a cellphone.
A benefit to the X1S is that you can also opt for the dual battery version which means you can ride twice as long. It’s possible to get 38 miles out of a single charge and for most riders, that’s more than enough.
How’s The Value For Money?
Overall, the Macfox X1S is decent value proposition. At just under $1000 USD, it’s an affordable ebike that takes a “less is more” approach.
What I particularly like about it is that it’s pretty cheap for an ebike, comfortable as heck, has enough power to get around the city, and the moped style design is awesome.
My only reservation is that the quality control remains yet to be seen. As a relatively unknown brand with generic ODM parts, the longevity of this bike may be limited. Many ebikes share ubiquitous components such as Bafang motors and Shimano shifters, such as the one on their M20X, which can make servicing easier when replacement parts are required, but my experience with this bike is that the quality is not time-tested. Customer service is huge and for a company based internationally, buyers may face communication barriers.
For instance, I sent an email to Macfox regarding the headlight wiring connection:
“Hello team, I am doing a review on the Macfox X1S ebike and I was unable to connect the headlight wiring.
I’ve lined up the 3 prongs but no matter how much I push, I am not able to connect them together.
Can you help?”
Their response was:
“Hello, is it that the light cannot be turned on or the connection cannot be connected?”
Time will tell if their customer service team is able to resolve this issue. I’ve assembled over a dozen ebikes and have never had any issues with something as simple as connecting wiring, which further calls into question the overall quality control of the X1S.
Regarding durability, Macfox’s social media also frequently tells consumers that this is a “wheelie bike”, as if it’s got the performance capabilities for someone to treat it like a BMX bike. I don’t agree with this sentiment as the bike is clearly labelled as a commuter ebike. It also lacks the high-end components required for harsh use so I would not use this for anything more than every day riding. The strong steel frame may handle some tough use but freeride and mountain bikes are specially designed with those activities in mind.
If you’re in the market for a commuter ebike under $1000 and you’re not against any potential issues with a relatively low market-tested brand, this might be the option for you. SUPER73’s more affordable ebike comes in at roughly $2000 USD, but they’ve got way more market share and are a better-known brand with a USA-based customer service team.
October 2024 UPDATE:
Having gotten in touch with Macfox’s near non-existent customer service, I can safely say that it’s probably the poorest amongst the companies I’ve experienced so far. The Macfox CS team spoke with broken english and passed my concerns off, eventually not even bothering to respond.
I did manage to eventually connect the headlight wiring by using a screwdriver to manipulate the plastic and create extra room for a super snug connection.
I also went back and amended my scoring for Build Quality, lowering it from 3.5 to 3. I also lowered the Value for Money from 4 to 3.5, as I think between the two, this bike is not likely to be durable long-term.