This page describes my experience commuting by push scooter.
My wife surprised me maybe 8 years ago on Christmas with a gift of a Razor A5 Lux scooter. I had not thought of this before, but I immediately thought it was a great idea. I started scootering as part of my commute, and haven't stopped.
I use scooters for commuting, so I rate them for:
Until recently, I scootered rain or shine as part of my commute, wearing rain gear as needed.
My commute consists of one of the following (reversing the journey on the way home):
I always ride outside on the ferry, rain or shine, cold or hot, unless I can't get a weather-friendly seat outside.
Here's my car/ferry commute:
More recently, with the SMART train now running, I've been substituting the other commutes with the following (again reversing the journey on the way home):
I find that leaning back while I am scootering, putting my weight behind the center axis of my body, helps me in case the scooter stops suddenly in case its front wheel gets stuck. Once I saved myself from wiping out after a front-wheel lockup. Putting my center of gravity behind the center vertical axis of my body gave me enough extra time so that I could crouch down and take a couple of steps while I stopped myself. This kept me from falling.
While scootering, I take a quick step to switch the foot that I am using to support myself on the scooter. First, I step off the scooter, then I step on the scooter with my other foot. I like spending equal time with my feet so that I get roughly equal exercise from both feet, unlike how skateboarders do.
The Razor A5 Lux is the first scooter I owned. It doesn't really fit my height, but is close enough to have given me an idea about how it would be to push scooter.
220 pound / 100 kg weight limit.
NyceWheels didn't offer it for a while; here's a link to a similar scooter that they offer, the Know-Ped. Recently (May 18, 2019), this link shows the KickPed, the model that I've had two of.
NyceWheels gets these from GoPed.
Weight limit not stated on either GoPed or NyceWheels web sites. I believe it is at least 250 pounds, from my recollection.
The one hazard I found with the GoPed/Know-Ped models involves keeping the label side of the handlebar stem facing forward and the strap on the handlebar stem facing backward. There is a little bit of rake in the fork that tilts the wheel forward when in position. If reversed, it wil tilt the wheel backward. This reduces the space between the frame and the wheel, and I believe that a rock could get stuck there and lock the front wheel.
The Sidewalker Atom is a scooter with air-filled tires, unlike the other scooters I have. This is a pretty comfortable scooter to ride, although it is bigger and heavier than the other scooters. Repairing a flat would be a challenge; those small diameter tires are difficult to remove and replace.
375 pound weight limit.
The Micro Suspension scooter .
250 pound weight limit.
The Kleefer Pure-180.
NyceWheels appears to be the exclusive retailer of Kleefer scooters in the United States, although they recently (May, 2019) had a clearance sale on these scooters, so they may not be retailing them anymore.
220 pound / 100 kg weight limit.
Other than rust on the GoPed/KnowPeds, which seems to be avoidable by not riding in the rain and/or carrying the scooter in a waterproof bag, the thing that has failed me first on some scooters and caused me to look for a different scooter is the adjustable handlebar support on the Razor A5 Lux and Micro Suspension scooters. As a result, I'm no longer willing to buy any scooters with adjustable handlebar supports. I asked one or two Xootr owners what their experience is with the adjustable handlebar supports the Xootr models have, and they said they had problems.
Since:
I decided to try keeping my scooter in a bag while on the ferry.
The bag I do/could use for GoPed/KnowPed, Razor, and Micro Suspension is the Grundens 105 liter Shackelton Duffel Bag. West Marine sells it. It's also available at the manufacturer's web site. It's not the most abrasion-resistant bag.
The bag I use for the Kleefer Pure-180, because it is a little longer than the other scooters, is the REI Co-op RoadTripper XXX-Large Duffel. This bag was on clearance at day of check (February 25, 2018) and is no longer available. I found another bag that fits them as well, the Outdoor Products 18x42 inch (colossal) Utility Duffle. It's not as durable as some of their other duffle bag series, but the more durable series doesn't include a long enough bag.
I also have a Northstar SD 1842 DLX Jumbo Gear Bag 18" tall 42" long 175 liter capacity.
I have not found a bag big enough for the Sidewalker Atom.
The wide resilient wheels of the GoPed/KnowPed:
The narrow hard wheels of the Razor and Kleefer:
The narrow hard wheels of the Micro Suspension:
Here's my experience with scooters on rough pavement:
Originally, if I could choose only one of these scooters, I would choose the GoPed/KnowPed due to my ratings according to my criteria:
I would bring along a bag to protect it from salt-water spray on the ferry.
I recycled my GoPeds/KnowPeds because they got too rusty (not durable in that way). I bought two more Kleefer Pure-180 scooters because NyceWheels offered a substantial discount. I have been using my first Kleefer scooter for about 18 months. The scooter has been durable and has not broken down. The spring-loaded hinge at the base continues to work well. I'm now using my second Kleefer scooter for commuting. The bearings on it are a lot smoother than the first one that I've been using. I keep my Kleefer scooter in a bag when I travel on the ferry. I am not riding the Kleefer scooters in the rain.
Even though I also like the GoPeds, the Kleefer scooters are not rusting and they are reliable. The most prominent deficiency I see for the Kleefers is the weak braking, and that is not as much of a problem since I am no longer scootering in wet weather. The other deficiency is the relatively harsh ride, and I don't mind that as much because this scooter model has been relatively durable for me.
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