Ride Mango, the all-electric urban two-wheeler

This story first appeared in the November issue of EVtalk – CLICK HERE to download the magazine FREE

What is it – a bike?”

Well, not a pushbike but a zippy little foldup electric ride-on scooter actually.

The Mango certainly brought plenty of positive comment from cyclists and pedestrians during a few days of trialling it in Auckland.

Perhaps the mainly orange and yellow clothing EVtalk editor Geoff Dobson wore while riding it added to the intrigue.

The Mango’s distinctive appearance attracted curious glances and questions from many on the city’s cycleways and at intersection crossing lights.

Passers-by wanted to know how it went (very well really), how much it weighed (about 18kg so easily carried), whether you could take it on public transport (yes) and how far I’d come (23km one way).

It doesn’t have pedals (other than footrests) so it’s not power-assisted, more a low-powered electric scooter like a Yike bike.
A right-hand throttle controls the speed. One thing I learned quickly is not to hold the throttle down without keeping the brakes on when getting off the bike or it will rear up.

Both handlebar brakes negate the nearly 300 watts of power and 6.6Nm of torque from the long lithium battery which powers the brushless gear motor.

The battery slots easily into the frame and is lifted out for recharging.

I found it needed recharging after about 25km riding into a head-wind but a return trip over 23km with a tail-wind left plenty of battery power still available.

The disc brakes on both wheels bring it to a stop quickly. Like my road bike, I use the rear brake to slow or stop, with some assistance from the front brake when necessary. If you just use the front brake, especially going downhill, you risk pitching forwards.

A big LCD screen on the back of the front light provides all the information you need such as speed, power consumption, temperature, mileage and more.
And there’s Bluetooth connectivity. When you use the remote key to unlock the scooter, an English voice asks about connecting.

The key also alarms the Mango to prevent theft and can even help you locate it.
The scooter has a bright front-light but I found it handy to wear my road cycle reflective gear and a smart Livall helmet with lights (even indicators) in the helmet rear.
A rear reflector is fitted but a red rear light can easily be attached.

The Mango is very quiet so you need to warn people in front before you overtake.
The horn is loud. I quickly discovered it’s better to sound it some distance behind another road or pathway user rather than scare the wits out of people when too close behind.
You don’t need registration or a driver’s licence to ride it but you must wear an approved cycle helmet.

Like the Yike, the Mango can be used on the roadway – so long as you keep as close to the left as practicable – and on the footpath and shared cycleways.

You need to give way to pedestrians and mobility vehicles, and you can’t ride at speeds that could put other pathway users at risk.

No real problem there as the 23km one-way ride between downtown Auckland and Swanson in West Auckland (mainly along the north-western cycleway) saw difficulty exceeding much more than 22kmh.

Going downhill with a tail-wind could produce more than 30kmh but steeper uphill slopes (like the Nelson St cycleway heading south) reduced the speed to around 10 to 12kmh.

Still, it had the power to get up the steepest sections, especially one where I’m normally in the lowest gearing on my road bike and working hard to make the top.

All-in-all it’s a great form of personal transport around the city or suburban areas, especially if you’re doing no more than about 20km.
The Mango is priced at $2485, including GST, and comes in black, red wine or army green.
Visit ridemango.co.nz

, contact Paul Eva on 021501659, 09 479 7990 or email
shop@ridemango.co.nz for more information.