Brose Drive S Mag

Mag stands for magnesium, which is what the housing of Brose’s newest drive is constructed from. This makes the motor relatively light and compact, especially considering the power it delivers. But what is the magnesium version of Brose popular drive capable of? By the way, the new Drive S Mag is the motor fitted to our “2019 high-end eMTB” test winner!

On the trail, even the most powerful version of the popular “Made in Berlin” motor convinced us with a remarkably natural ride feeling. The Brose Drive S Mag works smoothly both from a standstill and at the 25 km/h threshold, where the motor gradually reduces its power. Despite its refined character, it delivers sufficient power even on startups with low support levels. Even on challenging terrain, the rear wheel won’t spin out of control. In the highest support level – Flexpower mode – the motor offers 410 % support and leaves behind all other motors on climbs – except for TQ’s HPR 120S drive. Depending on the specific firmware configuration of each manufacturer, Flexpower mode can deliver its full power naturally or unleash it abruptly with a sudden burst of power — where the second option feels rather unnatural. With the Brose Drive S Mag, we didn’t notice any pedalling resistance. These characteristics combined with a very low noise level make for the most natural riding experience in the entire test field.

Brose’s very own take: “It’s about the bike and not the motor”

Alongside the motor Brose offers three displays that bike manufacturers can choose from. The displays are optional but not essential to the functioning of the motor. Manufacturers can also choose to implement their own in-house designs or use other third-party displays and are given the freedom to tune the motor according to their bike’s characteristics. On top of that, the compact dimensions of the motor and two different mounting options give engineers plenty of flexibility to create individual frame designs.

Conclusion

The Brose Drive S Mag is the second most powerful motor in our test but still provides the most natural riding experience in the entire field. With a superb overall package, the Brose Drive S Mag offers minimal pedalling resistance, low weight, compact dimensions, excellent ride-feeling and top performance, easy to integrate into bike designs? All these characteristics make it the best eMTB motor of 2019 and our well-deserved test winner!


Torque 90 Nm
Motor weight 2.98 kg
Riding modes 4

App management yes (depending on bike-manufacturer)
Walk-assist yes
System open

Tops

  • compact and light
  • very natural ride-feeling
  • lots of power and torque
  • easy to integrate

Flops

  • No automatic mode

More information at brose-ebike.com