When it comes to portability, the Mycle Cruiser Pro and its sleek frame are hard to beat. It’s much narrower than most alternatives we’ve seen at Tech Advisor, making it easier to carry and store in the boot of a car or a hallway cupboard – but there are trade-offs to be had. The question is, are the trade-offs worth the portable design? Keep on reading to find out. It’s at this point we want to note that electric scooters are currently illegal to use on public roads and pavements in the UK, and can only be driven on private land. We cover the current UK electric scooter laws in more detail separately for those that want to find out more.
Design and build
Much more portable than most alternativesNarrow footboard can make it hard to stand onRelatively lightweight at 15kg
The Mycle Cruiser Pro sports a fairly standard electric scooter design, complete with handlebars, a nicely embedded LED display, a grippy footboard and the ability to fold down from its 1200mm height down to just 480mm, making it a doddle to fit in the boot of a car or carry onto public transport.
It’s one of the easier electric scooters to fold down too, with a quick-release mechanism on the stem allowing the bike to fold and clip into the rear mudguard in around 10 seconds. Reassembly is just as fast too; you simply press the mudguard release, lift the stem into place and secure it with the quick-release mechanism. But where the Cruiser Pro really differentiates itself from the competition is its width. It’s easily one of the narrowest, most streamlined scooters I’ve tested, and it makes all the difference when it comes to carrying and storing the scooter. It doesn’t take up anywhere near as large a footprint as the Ninebot Max G30, that’s for sure. There is a downside to this design choice though; the footboard is narrower than some might like at just 155mm wide, and depending on how big your feet are, they can hang off the sides – my size 11s (UK) certainly did during testing.
The same is also true of the handlebars, which are narrower than expected at just 485mm, but it didn’t really have a negative effect on the overall experience on offer. It still has plenty of room for the throttle, a brake, a bell and a large, bright centrally embedded LED display that gives you a heads up on key info like speed, battery life and light status for the built-in headlight. It’s worth noting that this is your only source of riding data, with no accompanying app or smart connectivity available on the Cruiser Pro. Two buttons beneath the display allow you to quickly access key functions of the bike, including the ability to switch riding modes. Unlike some rivals, you only need very light pressure to activate the buttons, which makes all the difference when adjusting the riding mode mid-ride.
Complementing the Cruiser Pro’s relatively compact form factor is its weight, coming in at a fairly streamlined 15kg. It’s still hefty to carry around for long periods, but it’s much easier to move from one spot to another compared to the 18kg Ninebot Max G30 and 28kg Innokim Ox Super.
Performance
300W motor isn’t as powerful as the similarly-priced competitionLacklustre accelerationSolid wheels mean you feel every bump in the road
Striking a balance between form factor and performance, the Mycle Cruiser Pro doesn’t have the most powerful motor around at 300W. That comes in slightly lower than cheaper electric scooters like the 350W Carrera Impel is-1, but it’s still more than enough for short-term journeys, offering a nippy experience that’ll get you from A-B. There are three speed levels to choose from, allowing you to customise just how much power you get when you push the throttle, which makes it easier to navigate uneven terrain or remain safe when used in populated areas.
In its fastest mode, it’s fun to ride with a top speed of 15.5mph and great manoeuvrability, helped in part by its relatively slim dimensions. The 300W motor means it’s not quite as quick off the mark as competing scooters, and it is noticeable at times with the constant stop-start of city life, but you’ll hit top speed eventually. There’s also built-in cruise control, activated after riding at a constant speed for a few seconds, that allows you to take your thumb off the throttle when on longer journeys. To deactivate it, simply press the brake, as you would in a car. It’s not a system unique to Mycle, but it’s nice to see regardless. The 9in wheels are large enough to skirt over cracks and bumps in the road, and the solid nature of the wheels means you won’t get any punctures when riding either – both very convenient factors for quick trips.
However, the flipside to this is that the solid tyres mean you feel every bump, crack and dip in the road, lacking any type of suspension or pneumatic tyres to soften the blow. It’s certainly not the smoothest ride ever, though the upgraded Cruiser Pro X with front and rear suspension may fare better. The Cruiser Pro is suitable for riding in the wet with waterproofing claims on the Mycle website, but it’s not IP certified, so it’s unclear just how waterproof it is. It has survived a ride on a wet road in testing, but due to the increased risk of skidding in rain, I wouldn’t advise riding it in a downpour. The good news is that when you do need to brake, the Cruiser Pro stops on a dime. That’s largely down to a combination of a front drum brake and a rear electronic ABS brake, though with a single combined brake on the handlebars. It makes it easier to use, but the trade-off is independent control when emergency braking.
Battery life
Decent 25-mile range (though can vary)Relatively fast 3/4-hour charge time
Despite the comparatively slim and lightweight nature of the Cruiser Pro, it still boasts a decent range and quick charging times. At its heart you’ll find a 36V 10.4Ah (374.4Wh) battery that Mycle claims can achieve up to 40km (around 25 miles) on a single charge – although you likely won’t get that while hitting the 15.5mph top speeds. Instead, that range is likely linked to usage in the slowest gear, also known as the eco mode. But with that said, I’ve managed to ride around 5-6 miles at fairly high speeds with only a slight dent in overall battery life, indicated by the centrally mounted LED display. Of course, e-scooter battery life can depend on all kinds of factors including rider weight, speed, incline and even temperature, so performance may vary.
There are certainly scooters that’ll last longer – the Innokim Ox Super has a 60V 21Ah battery that can last up to 54 miles – but that comes at the trade-off of not only cost, but overall weight too. Innokim’s option weighs double the Cruiser Pro at 28kg. When it does need a top-up, the provided charger slots into a hidden port on the front-right of the scooter and provides 0-100% charge in around 3 to 4 hours.
Price
The price tag puts it in line with the Carerra Impel IS-1, complete with a bigger 350W motor and built-in security features, but it’s much heavier and doesn’t go quite as far as the Mycle. It all depends on what’s most important, performance or lightweight design. Unfortunately, the Mycle Cruiser Pro isn’t available in the US at the time of writing, but thankfully many of the scooters mentioned in our selection of the best electric scooters are.
Verdict
The Mycle Cruiser Pro is one of the most portable electric scooters we’ve seen at Tech Advisor, with narrow 485mm handlebars and a 155mm-wide footboard that make it easy to carry one-handed, and at 15kg, it’s among the lighter scooters available in 2022 too. There are downsides to its portable nature, with limited room on the footboard when riding, but it’s a trade-off that some will happily make. The 300W motor isn’t quite as powerful as similarly priced rivals either, but it still hits top speeds of 15.5mph and it lasts longer than 350W rivals with a quoted 25-mile range. If you value portability above power, the Mycle Cruiser Pro is a solid option, but there are performance trade-offs to be had. Lewis Painter is a Senior Staff Writer at Tech Advisor. Our resident Apple expert, Lewis covers everything from iPhone to AirPods, plus a range of smartphones, tablets, laptops and gaming hardware. You’ll also find him on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.
