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My love for electric means of transportation started in the summer of 2019 when I started renting those cute electric scooters in Paris. Seeing how fast I was getting around and how convenient they were, I was determined to buy one.

But along came the pandemic together with a lockdown… 2 months later, the government decided to ease the restrictions and we were able to get out of the house again. I needed to get around, but I wasn’t going to take the subway and I wasn’t comfortable enough with getting an Uber just yet. So the only solution was to rent an electric bike. That’s when I realized it was a step up from the cute little electric scooter.

After renting and riding these bikes for a few weeks, I decided I HAD TO get an electric bike of my own. I started researching and found dozens of brands. Most of them (99%) had only pedal assisted bikes, which is what I thought I wanted since all I had ever experienced was the pedal assisted electric rental bike. But, lucky me, I found Mate Bike!

Mate Bike was obviously NEXT LEVEL. This bike is the ultimate electric bike. And it’s ELECTRIC, not just pedal assisted. The thumb throttle comes in handy when you need to be quick at a green light with dozens of cars behind you or when you need to make a U-turn. It is a bit heavier than your regular or pedal assisted bike so it’s easier to start the bike by using the thumb throttle than by pedaling. But only up to 3.7mph/6kmph! The law says you can only use the throttle for up to 3.7mph.

One other super important aspect for me was the fact that it’s foldable. It’s so useful when you live in an apartment or just don’t have enough space to store the bike as it is. It folds from the middle, the handle folds down and the pedals fold as well.

And the final aspect that convinced me this was the bike for me was the fact that is has an adjustable seat. All the other fully electric bikes I found had a fixed seat which for me would’ve been a nightmare.

Mate X comes in 2 variants of power: 250W and 750W, 14 colors and a more lightweight version called Mate City. It has a range of up to 100km/60 miles, 8-speed shifting, 20” wheels with ultra-wide rims and a maximum speed of up to 20 miles/h.

Sometimes the range varies depending on the speed, if you use eco-mode or not, but I rode it for 10 miles on eco mode and got back home with 96% charge. I gotta tell you, I was beyond impressed. I was honestly not expecting the battery to last that long.

Needless to say my Mate Bike is now my main means of transportation.