The Mate X has power, fat tires, works and is a lot of fun. We drove it and in the test show the differences to the much cheaper Fiido M1.
Of all the e-folding bikes (theme page) that we tested this summer, the Fiido M1 (test report) was the most spectacular. It offers martial 20-inch tires with a width of four inches, front and rear wheel suspension, a large 450-watt-hour battery and an astonishingly high quality of workmanship at a reasonable price from 850 euros. The Fiido M1 quickly sold out. For example, currently writes Geekmaxi (purchase link) from 08/14/2020 as availability date.
The Mate X is basically the template for the Fiido M1 and goes one step further in all respects. If 250 watts are not enough for you, you can order it with a 750 watt motor. The battery has a capacity of up to 840 watt hours. From the brakes to the light to the computer and electronics, the Mate X relies on significantly higher quality components. His starting price of 1700 euros is fair for his performance.
The Mate X has one thing ahead of the Fiido M1: there is a legal variant that is suitable for German roads. We are cruising for this test on a non-approved Mate-X variant with a 250-watt motor and a thick 816-watt-hour battery.
optics
There are two types of people. Some hate oversized tires on bicycles. The others love her. Accordingly, the looks that meet us while driving are either curious-admired or skeptical-negative. There is only one thing that everyone agrees on: No matter who the Mate X is.
The Fiido M1 on the left is slightly smaller than the Mate X on the right.
The Mate X is a corner more noticeable than the Fiido M1. This is simply due to its somewhat more massive processing. This is reflected in the weight. If the Fiido M1 weighs just under 25 kilograms, the Mate X already has a good 29 kilograms.
While the Fiido M1 comes in an ordinary black with unspectacular Fiido lettering, manufacturer Mate.Bike offers colors with eye-catching potential for its bikes. We drive the Mate X in military green. It is also available in neon orange, sand yellow, white and black, among other things. The unicorn paint scheme (English for unicorn), which offers a color gradient from pink to green, is particularly striking.
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processing
When folded, the Mate X is considered a piece of luggage in the train and S-Bahn and does not require a bicycle card.
The folding mechanism works in three steps in an equivalent way: retract the seat post using the quick-release fastener, fold down the handlebar and unlock the central locking lever. The dimensions are reduced from 178 × 118 × 62 centimeters to 102 × 75 × 57 centimeters. That should fit for luggage compartments from Golf class. The pedals can also be put on. These are largely made of metal and, unlike the folding pedals of the Fiido M1, give the impression that they can take a lot.
Unfortunately, similar to the Fiido M1, the Mate X has no mechanism that holds the bike together when folded. The Blaupunkt Fiene 500 (test report) solves this with a magnet. With the high weight of the Mate X, carrying it together, as well as unfolded, is very little fun. When folded, the Mate X sits on a small aluminum stand. There is no one or more castors to push it together when folded.
The Mate X also fits in the small trunk of a 2019 Hyundai i20.
In the center of the handlebar is the large, backlit color display with a diagonal of 8.3 centimeters (3.3 inches). Among other things, it shows the current speed, the kilometers traveled and the selected support level. This changes its color from green in level 0 to dark red in level 10. With the red tones, the contrast to the background is unfortunately no longer strong enough to be readable even in direct sunlight. The large white numbers on the speed display are easy to read at all times. Based on Tesla’s performance mode Ludicrous Mate.Bike calls its highest level Ludacris. A USB-A port for charging smartphones etc. is hidden below the display.
The slide switch triggers the turn signal.
The computer control panel is on the left. With on / off, plus and minus, however, the range of functions is very limited. There is a small slide switch under the control panel for the turn signal integrated in the rear light and a button for a loud horn. As sensible as both may be, this is not allowed in Germany. On the right side, the Mate X has a soft and easy-to-use throttle to accelerate the bike completely without pedaling. This is also not allowed in Germany.
The driver operates the eight-speed Shimano gearbox on the right using a rotating ring. The handles are rubberized and have a surface for the palm. The handlebar itself can be adjusted from 115 to 130 centimeters using a quick release. The handlebar height of the Fiido M1 is fixed at 103 centimeters. From the handlebar, eight cables are bundled on the front side in a cable harness to under the frame. This disturbs the otherwise tidy look of the Mate X.
The rear light, which is attached to the normal circuit of the Mate X, sits directly under the very comfortable and optically matching saddle. Unfortunately, the cuff of light secured by a Phillips screw prevents the saddle bar from extending without complications. Only after you have loosened it, the seat post extends to its maximum height of just under 120 centimeters using a quick-release fastener. The Mate X is also suitable for drivers beyond the two-meter mark. If you had attached the cuff with the light to the lower, fixed part of the seat post, the entry and exit would not have been hindered.
Drive
Fatter tires can hardly be imagined on a folding bike.
Driving the Mate X is a dream. The tires on the 20-inch rims are extremely wide with a good four inches and reliably swallow bumps and bumps. Curbs completely lose their terror, and the tires can also be ironed easily over tram rails. Cyclists also cannot get in because of the width of the tires. The suspension fork at the front and the rear wheel suspension make the already smooth ride feel even softer. In fact, the overall higher quality workmanship compared to the Fiido M1 leads to a more controlled driving experience.
However, every buyer of a Mate X should be aware that it attracts the attention of passers-by. His martial look is not hidden from anyone. You can find that well or not.
Ludacris! Level 10 gets full power from the powerful motor when pedaling.
The 250-watt motor with 48 volts accelerates the Mate X so strongly that we initially assumed that we had caught the variant with the 750-watt motor. The driver can use 11 levels to determine very precisely up to which speed the motor supports; at level ten up to 40 kilometers an hour. The electronics work well. The engine starts quickly after pedaling and stops just as quickly. This works much better than the Fiido M1, which runs well and gladly for a full second.
The throttle lever sits in the right place and is pleasantly soft, so that it doesn’t cause thumb cramps even when pressed for a long time. It accelerates to 40 kilometers per hour regardless of the selected support level. Once again: As convenient as this lever is, it is also prohibited in German road traffic. The mechanical disc brakes from Tekro grip great. In combination with the wide tires and the resulting increased surface, experienced drivers have very short braking distances.
If you are interested in a purchase, you should also invest in the right mudguards. Because the wide tires reliably grip wet dirt and throw it high against the driver’s back.
battery pack
We would have liked the charging port to be a bit more stable.
The battery of the Mate X offers either a capacity of 672 or 816 watt hours. This means that the smaller version is larger than most adult pedelecs. A maximum of 500 watt-hour batteries are usually used there. We test the variant with a thick 816 watt-hour battery. According to Mate.Bike, this transports the rider up to 120 kilometers. This may be almost true if the driver is not very heavy, only uses the support mode and limits it to 25 kilometers per hour.
In the test, we chase the Mate X in moped mode at 40 kilometers per hour on our test course, which is almost 50 kilometers before the battery is empty and requires charging. At 48 volts and two amps, the power supply takes a good ten hours to pump up the large battery. With the smaller battery variant, the time should be reduced to eight hours. We find the charging plug too small and fragile. It could break if used frequently.
price
The Mate X can currently only be purchased via the Manufacturer’s website Respectively. However, there are (as of 08/2020) just two variants in stock. The Fiido M1 is currently difficult to get. Some dealers still have models in stock, but want them well and gladly over 1000 euros. If you have a little patience, you can count on quick availability Geekmaxi (purchase link) hope it is said to be there from 14.8. be available again and then cost 850 euros.
E-folding bikes are popular and most models are sold out. The Fiido D2S is currently available and very cheap at 600 euros. Before buying, we recommend reading the Fiido D2S review.
Conclusion
The Mate X is a beast! It not only looks fat, it also drives like this – in an absolutely positive sense. Across the board, Mate.Bike uses higher quality components than the half-expensive Fiido M1 (test report). You can tell that from the better driving experience and the more precise electronics. Even if the throttle grip is tempting, after all, driving with it is even more relaxed, we advise buyers to use the 250-watt version without throttle grip, which is reduced to 25 kilometers per hour. Then the Mate X stands out. Not only passers-by, but also the police.
If you prefer a legal and less noticeable e-folding bike, we recommend our test report of the Blaupunkt Fiene 500. Why we recommend an e-folding bike rather than an e-scooter is explained in the following comparison: e-folding bike or e-scooter ? And the winner is …
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