I now have 50 miles on my MateX 750 with every option including the 17.5Ah battery and color screen. Here’s what I love:
It went together very easy with all preassembled items done well. Everything was assembled, adjusted, and tightened down right out of the box. Final assembly was easy. I LOVE the welds. They are beautiful, even on the rack. The Desert Storm color is awesome. I won’t be fretting over scratches. They will not show with this color. If they do, it will make it look even tougher.
I could not fit my 20 pound mountain bike in my compact SUV even with the seats down. The MateX fits in the cargo area with rear seats up.
The bike is built like a freight train at 60+ pounds, yet in street clothes, I fly past bikers on light weight carbon fiber frames in their aerodynamic clothing. It is a symbol of excess that actually seems to piss off the environmentalists. We took their green peace, commuter bike and electrify everything mantra and turned it into a ground crushing, military looking, monster truck of a bike.
The controls, layout, and display. The grips are great. The hydraulic brakes haul this beast down fast. I already ordered a new set of pads because the weight of this thing might need bigger pads for longevity. Taking 250 pounds from 30mph to 0 has got to scrub off a lot more material than a regular bike.
The range. Considering the weight of the bike, my 185 pounds, the 20# bike chain I carry, plus my backpack, I’m running the knobby tires on pavement, and that I’m going 20-30 mph, the range is excellent.
Here’s what I want to improve:
The fenders are noisy when you hit bumps. Yes, they look good. I also had a small dent on the rear fender upon delivery, but it hammered out easily. It is not a show bike, so why sweat it? Maybe they prevent sand and stones from kicking up. I’m not going to ride in the rain, so I think I’ll take them off and test that. The nice thing about the noise though is that people hear you coming and get out of the way.
The seat. It’s not terrible and I can live with it, but I wouldn’t use the word “comfortable” in describing it. It is nice looking, well built, and gets the job done. It’s not like you’re sitting on nails, so get some meat or callouses on your ass or buy a new seat.
The tires. Yes, they are thin. I don’t trust them. I’m not going to run over any thorns or go off road soon, so I’m not too worried. It is an easy fix with new tires and tubes with a couple of spares and a patch kit. For now, they are holding up fine.
The rack. It is sturdy. Very well made. Good options for tying down. Large upper surface area. It was a tight fit mounting it to the bike, but as such I believe it increases the strength and rigidity of the rear swing arm.
The shocks. The front shocks with the fat tire at 20 psi make a smooth ride, but not so soft that you lose efficiency with pistoning while pedaling. The rear shock doesn’t seem to compress much when I mount up. With some of the complaints I was expecting that I might need to replace it. That’s not true for mine. It works as it should. I’d even argue it is a little hard.
That’s all I have for now. I’m very satisfied.
Here is what I hate:
I’m so worried it is going to get stolen because it attracts a lot of attention. Everybody wants it. I have to be super careful not to leave it in one spot too long. Even in my own garage, I have it alarmed, locked with a massive chain, covered, and blocked in by the car. I have to carry that 20 pound chain everywhere I go and spend 5 minutes securing it.
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