With its Magic Bike, Decathlon unveils an exciting concept for a futuristic urban bike. The bike is labeled under BTWIN, an in-house brand for bicycles from the French direct marketer of sports and outdoor products.

The aim of this project was to offer as many commuters as possible an alternative to the car for their route to or from work — after all, a study showed that in France 60% of even short distances of less than 5 km are covered by car! The result is an e-bike that is intended to score points in particular for its high utility value and also offers many clever details.

The frame shape chosen for the Magic Bike is a low-step comfort frame, which offers the option of attaching modular racks at the front and rear. So you can decide individually when and whether which rack system is needed. The respective rack is then simply docked onto the frame with a single click.

Thanks to smartphone connectivity, the bike automatically detects when the owner approaches and then automatically unlocks the electric drive system. If, on the other hand, the bike is parked again after the ride, the lock is reactivated by unfolding the kickstand.

Information about the ride is shown on a display, which is integrated flush into the stem. And in addition to an integrated lighting system with a wide front headlight and a rear light, the Magic Bike even comes up with turn signals in the handlebar ends!

The electric drive is designed for maximum comfort and low maintenance. Although there is no exact information about the motor and the gearshift, Decathlon itself only mentions the use of an automatic transmission and a toothed belt. Judging by the photos, it is probably a mid-motor. The entire drivetrain is also well protected from dirt from the outside thanks to a closed casing.

Another comfort feature is supposed to be a single brake lever that controls the front and rear brakes together. However, this feature would hardly be feasible, at least for the German market, where two independently functioning brakes are mandatory.

The Magic Bike also breaks new ground when it comes to the battery: although it is integrated quite conventionally in the down tube and can also be removed from it, it still offers two special features. First, the battery charger is integrated. So if you want to charge the Magic Bike’s battery on the road, you don’t have to take an additional charger with you. In addition, the battery has a modular design and consists of three individual modules. Each module is supposed to provide 30 km of range, which should take one up to 120 km when fully loaded. If you need less range, you can use fewer modules and save money and weight!

All in all, this is a very exciting concept that Decathlon shows us with the Magic Bike. The study seems so well thought-out and mature that it is probably only a matter of time until the bike will be available as a regular product!