The Scooter I Didn't Buy

I make no bones about the fact that I want a scooter. Scooters are just plain FUN to ride.

So I really thought I was going to buy one Saturday but it didn't happen. Very disappointing.

I would really like an electric scooter. They're quiet, they don't pump out poisonous gas, and the ongoing cost of operation is just about nil. So I was really pleased when I saw on craigslist an electric scooter for sale down in Castle Rock. The guy didn't list an asking price, saying simply that he wanted it out of his garage because he needed the space.

I contacted him and arranged to come down and check it out. I also asked what ballpark price he was looking for because, as I told him, if he didn't want to let it go for, say, less than $1,000 I would save both of us the trouble because I'm not looking to pay anything close to that. He was a bit cagey–a good negotiator–and did not cite a number but asked me what my range was. I said $400 to $800 and he said he might be willing to come down to $800.

OK, I wasn't excited how that played out but when I checked to see what these scoots–an EVT America R30–sold for new I saw that it was around $2,000. This one had only 500 miles on it so I figured that if I paid $800 for it that would still be a bargain, even if I could have paid even less.

I went down and checked it out and took it for a test ride. All in all it seemed like a decent little scoot, perhaps a bit inexpensively put together, but you do get what you pay for. But the test ride showed issues right from the start.

I pulled out of his driveway, which has a Hollywood curb. A Hollywood curb, in case you're unfamiliar with the term, is when instead of putting in a curb cut for your driveway, the entire curb is sloped so you have an bit of a bump going in or out. I went over the edge of this curb and hit the street hard. Whatever front shock this thing had was clearly trash. Fine, you can replace shock absorbers.

Taking off down the street the thing showed plenty of pep. I went zooming around and–as I keep saying–it was a heck of a lot of fun. But I did some esses back and forth and made some turns and the front end was raising some concerns. It didn't seem very stable and gave what I took to be warning of steering head issues. I had no idea what it might cost to do work on the steering head.

Back at his place, pulling back into the driveway over the Hollywood curb, it was another severe thunk of the sort that could easily send you flying if you were going very fast. I told him about the front shock and the steering. He held the front wheel steady while I pushed the handlebars left and right and there was a noticeable click and shift that they made while the wheel didn't move. No wonder the steering felt unstable.

I was torn. I clearly was not prepared to pay $800 for something with these problems, but you don't see many electric scooters for sale so I was asking myself if there was a price at which I would be willing to buy it even with these issues. And I told him plainly what was going on in my head. He acknowledged the issues and said he would be willing to take just $500.

Finally I concluded that no, I wouldn't be interested in this scoot at any price. I told him it wasn't the shock; shocks can be replaced. It was the steering. I thanked him and left.

I got home to find that he had called saying he found the problem with the steering, it was just a nut that was loose, would I like to reconsider? I was interested but figured before I answered him I would check out what it would cost to replace the front shocks. I had to do some searching but finally found a website focused on electric vehicles and a page for this particular scoot. Here I found something very interesting. In the listing of features it mentioned "rear shock absorbers" but not a word about front shocks. I also found an owner's manual and in the diagram where it points out the different features of the product it pointed to the rear shocks but not to the front end where something that seemed to be shocks were clearly visible.

My conclusion was that although there is something up front, some sort of piston, there apparently is only the weakest possible spring and it is perhaps not something that can be replaced.

So with no actual front suspension and no way to do anything about that, I was losing interest rapidly. Then the idea that a single nut was the only thing holding the steering in place didn't inspire confidence either. I sent him an email saying no thanks.

Very disappointing. I still want a scooter, and I'd especially like an electric one. But I guess I'm going to have to keep looking.

Selecting an Adult Kick Scooter for Sightseeing

Pick your kick scooter for sightseeing by taking into account your weight, height, and shoe size.

All scooters are rated for body weight. While you can usually stretch their specifications a bit, a 275 pound person should not scoot on a scooter rated for 220 pounds. The lower weight rating on scooters often indicates that they are better suited for short people.

Your height, not your weight, determines whether you can properly stand on a scooter. Ideally, a  kicks scooter's fully extended handlebar should at least reach your waist. If, when you stand upright on its floorboard, you bend slightly to touch its handlebar, the kick scooter is too small. If you must "make do," you can usually have a longer handlebar/poll crafted at a bike shop, but the new length might alter some other feature that the kick scooter provides,then you need an electric scooter for adults.

While children often scoot on smooth asphalt playgrounds, sightseers cannot pre-select uniform scooting surfaces. More likely, you'll find yourself traveling from smooth to rough surfaces, such as those found in San Antonio's glorious Riverwalk. If your push scooter doesn't fit your body type, rough areas will be very uncomfortable, cause imbalance, and possibly be dangerous due to poor shock absorption that's stressed by your weight.

Scooting techniques: Take the time to learn your scooter's navigational behavior. Speed control, for example, is exceptionally important. Keep in mind that it is very easy to travel at speeds far faster than walking. Dragging your kick foot along the ground for speed control is not enough to suddenly stop it (especially when rolling downhill) without pitching forward.

I prefer an alternate-leg pushing technique because it equalizes the pressure on my hips and can greatly extend the time spent traveling. To execute this maneuver, however, the floorboard must be long enough to rest two feet. The picture below shows that I can execute the alternate-leg push on my beloved Original Kickboard (a 3-wheel scooter), but just barely when wearing size 9 woman's athletic shoes. Small feet on this kick scooter rule.

No matter which pushing technique you use, you need enough room on the floorboard to position a foot near the back fender brake without continuously resting it on the brake itself. Overall, when rolling (or "cruising") having the ability to place both feet on your scooter's foot-board makes sightseeing and the distances covered during it more pleasurable.

Carrying and packing a scooter: An adult kick scooter takes up less floor space than a bike, about the same space as a portable shopping cart, and less space than a baby stroller. This means that unfolded scooters can be pulled in areas used by carts, strollers, and bike-accessible areas.

When folded, my preference is to roll my kick scooter like a shopping cart. Not all scooters allow this, although adjustments can be made. No matter what, minimize your need to haul a folded scooter.After all, the object of this portable transportation device is to scoot. Click for a quality selection of adult kick scooters.

Renting a mobility electric scooter

Electric mobility scooters enable people whose mobility impairment cause it hard for them to carry out activities in their daily lives that they can't otherwise do—for example: getting from home to their mailbox,  visiting their neighborhood shopping mall or shopping at a grocery store.

Electric scooters help these individuals living with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), arthritis, severe osteoporosis, heart disease and angina pectoris among other conditions. As well, they can significantly aid in the mobility of elderly individuals. Severely obese people, whether young or elderly, can also find comfort and mobility by purchasing or renting an electric mobility scooter.

Scooters come in three-wheeled or four-wheeled configurations and are available for both outdoor and indoor use. Heavy duty scooters are ideal for heavier people and light weight, portable scooter models are easy to travel with and to fit in a car or van. Brand new scooter models usually run between $790 and $1000 in price, whereas deluxe models can be priced in the range of $3000-$5000. The costly nature of electric scooters means that some might difficult to afford them. For these individuals, renting electric scooters instead of choosing to purchase them, could be a convenient solution.

Scooters can be rented by the day or by the week and the cost per week is considerably lower than the cost of purchasing a scooter. In many cases, scooter rentals are partially or entirely covered by medical insurance. Some of the accessories that are available for use with electric scooters are cup holders, cane holders, scooter batteries and baskets to carry items like groceries or personal belongings.

Electric scooter manufacturers also offer add-ons like seat belts, flags and rear view mirrors to increase the safety of the user. Cover canopies can also be installed to protect he user from the rain or the sun. Individuals who want to transport their electric scooters on cars or vans might decide to adapt their vehicles to better fit them if necessary.

Beyond making electric scooters available to individuals, most mobility scooter dealers also offer additional equipment to facilitate the lives of the patient and caregiver. Patients can rent or buy lift chairs, manual wheelchairs, rollators and hospital beds among other products. While many mobility device suppliers can be found in the state of Florida, the staff at Mediplus Mobility hopes you will choose our company as a reputable medical equipment retailer.

Our mission is to improve the daily life of patients who need home health care. Comfort and increased mobility are within reach for anyone who needs it with our option to rent instead of purchasing equipment. To learn more about electric mobility scooters, please visit: http://www.escooterchina.com/about-us.html

The all Electric Hovering self balance scooter

Segway is fun, more and more people choosed a segway for their daily life. A new site can be seen in towns and cities all over the world at the moment in the form of small electric scooters being used as personal transportation devices. People are finding that a balance scooter in the perfect way to get around quickly and easily.

The new electric scooters have a unique, new and small design which means they can 'hover' a person along a pavement, down a road or path and work both indoors and outdoors.

The electric scooter fad has become apparent after a number of celebrities and online bloggers and youtube stars began using the escooters to get around. Unlike other scooters they do not have handlebars and rely on the balance and ingenuity of the person riding the escooter.

An electronic gyroscope inside the scooter means it will balance automatically whenever a person places two feet on it. Unlike previous similar transportation devices like the Segway, Unicycles, Push scooters an electronic self balancing scooter only requires you to tilt your feet and body in the direction you wish to travel. The pivoting self balancing electric scooter

can then work out which direction you wish to go and send you in that direction using built in motors connected to each wheel.

The battery life of an self balancing electric scooter is outstanding allow somebody to travel around 22KM without needing a recharge. The electronic scooter we tested was certified for use in wet weather. Every 2 wheel self balancing scooter is strongly deisigned and constructed meaning in can withstand the bumps and knocks of travelling around a busy town or city.

If you don't want to spend each day on a self balancing unicycle then battery powered motorized scooters look like the perfect way to get around.

 

Fun With Segway!!

I've always thought Segways were really cool, and really wanted to play with one. I even begged to ride the one at the Macromedia offices on a few of my visits, but it was always in another building, or otherwise unavailable (I think they just didn't trust me with their expensive toy).

So, when Segway called me up and invited gskinner.com to design and build a mini-site for their brand new product line, I jumped at the chance. Work with a super cool, progressive client, building a site for an unreleased techno-gadget? Count me in.


As part of the project, they flew me in to New Hampshire to meet the team, and play with the new toys. There's a lot of really smart, personable folk at Segway, working on some really neat projects. Some of the work is targeted at consumers, like the newly announced i2 and x2 human transports and a lot of it is experimental, like Project Centaur and the Robotics Mobility Platform.

I had a really fun visit. The new product is awesome. In particular, the lean steering is incredibly intuitive, unlike the old handle-twist steering. The new machines also look a lot sleeker, have better security, and the wireless keyfob is pretty neat. I also got to ride the Centaur, which is basically a 4 wheeled, high-speed Segway – it's a little tricky to operate in it's current (experimental) state, but it's a really neat idea with a lot of potential – it's pretty sweet to be able to tear around in an ATV, then pop a wheelie to drive around balanced on two wheels. And people can buy cheap Segway online, it's convenience.

Segway's corporate culture was also really fun and creative. Every few weeks they have experimental Fridays (they had a good name for this, but I forget it), where the engineers run to the hardware store, buy some cheap parts, and whip something together in one day. I would have loved to have witnessed one of these, as they sound like a ton of fun. I've got to try to figure out how to squeeze out the time to do something like this in the office once a month with Flash. Teams of two or three building an experimental piece with the latest Flash features for a day.

Anyway, if you haven't already, head over to Segway.com and check out the new line.