Anybody know about escooters?

[The duke]

I've been trying to use my ebike as a car commuting replacement, but I find myself getting fatigue when trying to do 4 days in a row. It's also tough on rainy days (only patchy rain here in SoCal, never inundating rain).

I've been looking into a standup escooter to use 1 to 2 times per week. It would need battery capacity and rider comfort to go 20 miles per day and be able to keep my ebike speeds of 20-25mph.

On rainy days. I'm planning on throwing on a poncho, then use a scooter for a 1 mile ride to my nearest bus stop and just carry it on. Hopefully I'll stay relatively dry.

There are bunch of capable scooters in the $1,000-1,500 price range. My questions are:

Do scooters, with their small wheels and high rider position, feel stable at bicycle speeds of 20-25mph? Will I be tempting fate on each ride, or will I feel as comfortable and safe as I do on an ebike?

20 miles on a bicycle is a piece of cake. With max assist, I arrive at work comfortable and ready for my day. Will riding 20 miles on a scooter leave me similarly refreshed? No peddling is a plus, but how is that standing position for almost an hour?

Do escooter parts (tires, brakes) wear out about as quickly as bicycle parts? Do they get flats about as often? Trying to figure out what to expect by way of maintenance costs and find out if there are any I haven't thought of.

Do police view 20mph scooters in the same neutral, non caring way they view 20mph ebikes? Or will I be getting pulled over?

Scooters have a smaller and lower profile. Are they harder for cars to see? More dangerous in any other ways?

Bikes work fine in the rain, except for splash up, but aren't portable to get into a bus or Uber with. Is it safe to ride a scooter a mile or so in rainy weather at slow speed or do the wheels lack traction? I think scooters are properly fendered to keep wheel water off my clothes?

On downhills, I'll sometimes pick up speed in excess of 30mph, and feel totally comfortable with this on a bicycle. I dont think scooter motors force them to stay within their speed range. Is 35mph on a standup scooter with 8" or 10" wheels insanity?

Thanks in advance to any scooter riders on people knowledgeable about scooters. Excited to maybe pull the trigger on this.

 

[rich c]

20mph for 20 miles on something with 10" wheels? And you think fatigue is an issue now, just wait! I guess I'm confused. You say at first that the commute is fatiguing to you, but latter you say you arrive comfortable and ready for your day. Maybe I'm missing something.

 

[The duke]

20mph for 20 miles on something with 10" wheels? And you think fatigue is an issue now, just wait! I guess I'm confused. You say at first that the commute is fatiguing to you, but latter you say you arrive comfortable and ready for your day. Maybe I'm missing something.

No need to be hostile. I must be explaining it poorly. My leg muscles get tired after about 3 days...I feel like I'm not recovering...when I get on to my bike on thursday morning, I have muscle ache and feel like I just got off from a ride. As I'm a little older, I'm feeling like I need a break from peddling around mid week. I'm wondering if standing for 20 miles a day is a piece of cake or exhausting in itself.

 

[FlatSix911]

This should help narrow your search...

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[Johnny]

Is it 20 miles roundtrip? What kind of bike are you riding and which assist level are you using?

If you are not having discomfort from seating or other ergonomics related stuff then just take it easy and ride slower. If you are riding a mid drive depending on what assist you use 20mph average can be taxing. 10 miles one way at 15 mph should be very comfortable and it will add only 10 minutes to your trip.

For rainy days, fenders + simple raincoat will make your ride comfortable.

In terms of those scooters I have seen people using them for 5-10 mile commutes(they even use electric skateboards), they should work but I don't think using them them on the road is safe.

Again imo you should try going slower ans see if it works.

 

[The duke]

Is it 20 miles roundtrip? What kind of bike are you riding and which assist level are you using?

If you are not having discomfort from seating or other ergonomics related stuff then just take it easy and ride slower. If you are riding a mid drive depending on what assist you use 20mph average can be taxing. 10 miles one way at 15 mph should be very comfortable and it will add only 10 minutes to your trip.

For rainy days, fenders + simple raincoat will make your ride comfortable.

In terms of those scooters I have seen people using them for 5-10 mile commutes(they even use electric skateboards), they should work but I don't think using them them on the road is safe.

Again imo you should try going slower ans see if it works.

Thanks for the feedback. It's a 20 mile round trip, but it's hilly, so my legs burn. I'm on an emtb (BH) with a Brose mid drive, and for commuting, I'm using max assist so I don't get sweaty.

I'm not saying it's a hard workout, but I'm using my legs, and after 6 months of doing it daily, I'm starting to feel a cumulative effect. Taking a couple of days off this holiday season has been eye opening. I look forward to the next day's ride and my legs feel refreshed.

I know the ebike can be done 5 days a week, but I'm trying to keep it enjoyable. If I were to scooter on Wednesdays, I know I'd enjoy the rest of the week....and just being out there on the bike, so much more..

If I were to scooter 2x in a week, I think I'd be out exploring trails on the weekend, which is something I've stopped doing.

Interesting that you say scooters aren't road safe. I see so many limes and Birds here in SoCal...even rode around on a few myself and had a blast. Granted, that's joy riding in Venice Beach and Santa Monica, but it didnt seem like 7 or 8 miles would be a huge chore. And I'm assuming a nicer, full suspension escooter with a big engine and pneumatic tires would be even more plush?

 

[The duke]

This should help narrow your search...

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Searching and spending is the easy part. The harder question is, should I? I wanna know the drawbacks to commuting 1 to 2 times per week on an escooter. And if a 20 mile roundtrip is really beyond the comfort and safety parameters of a 'last mile' machine

 

[fooferdoggie]

Well lI have one stand up and one sit down scooter a urb-e. the standup sucks for more then a few miles it hard to stand for 10 miles. Plus they suck for traction and I don't like riding them in the rain. you can only brake so fast so speed can be an issue. a sit down scooter is better but it still has its limits. plus you can get cold on one since your not working at all. myself I would not go 25 on most of them its not stability but control if you have to stop fast or swerve it could be an issue. I would at least look at this guy. https://cycleboard.com/. I finally got a e bike because of the limits. the busses were an issue sometimes though my glion scooter folds small and its s great to take to the movies.

 

[tomjasz]

Not sure how the local LEO will respond but mine is configured like this. Same frame, smaller battery, and taller handlebars. 36V 10T MAC.

 

[The duke]

Not sure how the local LEO will respond but mine is configured like this. Same frame, smaller battery, and taller handlebars. 36V 10T MAC.

Ok, you've stated that you have one. Care to fill in on what it's like to ride? Doesn't sound like it would be capable of a 20 mile round trip, but comfort wise, could you see yourself doing it?

How stable and safe does it feel at higher speeds? Is it something you'd ride in the rain for a mile or two? Doesn't look like it can be folded down to get into a bus or trunk?

 

[tomjasz]

Ok, you've stated that you have one. Care to fill in on what it's like to ride? Doesn't sound like it would be capable of a 20 mile round trip, but comfort wise, could you see yourself doing it?

No! It's a toy, not transportation and it may well be illegal in most places. No pedals.

How stable and safe does it feel at higher speeds?

Not great.

Is it something you'd ride in the rain for a mile or two?

No

Doesn't look like it can be folded down to get into a bus or trunk?

And NO!

It's a toy. just a fun add on to eBike ownership and a fun project.

 

[John from Connecticut]

I've been trying to use my ebike as a car commuting replacement, but I find myself getting fatigue when trying to do 4 days in a row. It's also tough on rainy days (only patchy rain here in SoCal, never inundating rain).

I've been looking into a standup escooter to use 1 to 2 times per week. It would need battery capacity and rider comfort to go 20 miles per day and be able to keep my ebike speeds of 20-25mph.

On rainy days. I'm planning on throwing on a poncho, then use a scooter for a 1 mile ride to my nearest bus stop and just carry it on. Hopefully I'll stay relatively dry.

There are bunch of capable scooters in the $1,000-1,500 price range. My questions are:

Do scooters, with their small wheels and high rider position, feel stable at bicycle speeds of 20-25mph? Will I be tempting fate on each ride, or will I feel as comfortable and safe as I do on an ebike?

20 miles on a bicycle is a piece of cake. With max assist, I arrive at work comfortable and ready for my day. Will riding 20 miles on a scooter leave me similarly refreshed? No peddling is a plus, but how is that standing position for almost an hour?

Do escooter parts (tires, brakes) wear out about as quickly as bicycle parts? Do they get flats about as often? Trying to figure out what to expect by way of maintenance costs and find out if there are any I haven't thought of.

Do police view 20mph scooters in the same neutral, non caring way they view 20mph ebikes? Or will I be getting pulled over?

Scooters have a smaller and lower profile. Are they harder for cars to see? More dangerous in any other ways?

Bikes work fine in the rain, except for splash up, but aren't portable to get into a bus or Uber with. Is it safe to ride a scooter a mile or so in rainy weather at slow speed or do the wheels lack traction? I think scooters are properly fendered to keep wheel water off my clothes?

On downhills, I'll sometimes pick up speed in excess of 30mph, and feel totally comfortable with this on a bicycle. I dont think scooter motors force them to stay within their speed range. Is 35mph on a standup scooter with 8" or 10" wheels insanity?

Thanks in advance to any scooter riders on people knowledgeable about scooters. Excited to maybe pull the trigger on this.


Hello,

My 2 cents and this is not meant to be personal whatsoever. I have never been on an eScooter, but based on the your expectations,
20 - 25 mph, down hill riding etc, an escooter seems like a a serious accident waiting to happen. I would be scared to death
( poor choice of a words, maybe not ) riding a scooter at 20-25 mph. It seems the laws of physics are such that just a little too much
hard front wheel braking and it's over the handle grips air bourne.

As for the auto sight line, again an accident waiting to happen. From a distance, a driver most likely would have no idea what someone is
doing riding a scooter because they can't see the scooter, and even if they could ??? Some drivers have no idea how to react to a bike rider
even when the bike/rider is in plain view. A scooter ?

When riding a scooter at 20-25 + mph there is no reaction time, period. I cannot imagine maintaining any amount of operator stability.
I'm guessing remaining vertical and stable depends a great deal on ones inert balance and ability and a fair amount of luck.

We won't even discuss hitting a very modest hole in the pavement with 10" tires : (

No way, no how does a scooter get my vote !

Since you seem to enjoy your ebike, but for whatever reason your legs don't want to cooperate, I'd look into what's going
on with that, meaning a visit to Sports Medicine Dr or time with a Physical Therapist ?

Perhaps you could benefit from the services of a professional bike fitter. Someone at your LBS who really know what
they are doing.

A 10 mile one way commute on a properly setup ebike should usually be very doable with no residual pain. We're all different.
I'm 73, After a long winter it takes a couple of times out for me to get 'in shape', but then it's clear sailing : ) or riding,
knocking out 20-30 mile daily rides 5-6 days a week. Good luck.








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[bob armani]

I concur with most of the posters. It is just too dangerous with laws of physics not to mention other drivers plainly will not see you in traffic congestion etc. As a toy tooling around safer areas seems okay to me. Why put yourself at risk? Better to be proactive and see the higher possibilities of failure first, before moving forward. If they outweigh the probability of a bad crash, the risk vs reward just is not worth it IMO. Good Luck and ride safe!

 

[The duke]

I concur with most of the posters. It is just too dangerous with laws of physics not to mention other drivers plainly will not see you in traffic congestion etc. As a toy tooling around safer areas seems okay to me. Why put yourself at risk? Better to be proactive and see the higher possibilities of failure first, before moving forward. If they outweigh the probability of a bad crash, the risk vs reward just is not worth it IMO. Good Luck and ride safe!

You sound almost exactly like a lot of people who say it's dangerous to ride a bicycle on the streets. A lot of friends and family said I was crazy and had a death wish when I started ebike commuting. Said a texting driver would kill me and it wasn't worth it. A LOT of people see a bicycle as a toy, meant for tooling around safer areas

 

[tomjasz]

You sound almost exactly like a lot of people who say it's dangerous to ride a bicycle on the streets. A lot of friends and family said I was crazy and had a death wish when I started ebike commuting. Said a texting driver would kill me and it wasn't worth it. A LOT of people see a bicycle as a toy, meant for tooling around safer areas

But we're not talking about an eBike are we? In my opinion, after having had 3 and building one more, scooters will stay toys.

 

[fooferdoggie]

well since it seems I am the only one that owns and rides e scooters they are not toys. but they are not longer distance commuters either. braking is too limited for higher speeds. I have had to use the Fred fintstone method of stopping when the brake is not enough. a standup scooter is hard on your legs for longer rides the ride is harsh too because of the small wheels. traction in rain is bad too. Just are great for some jobs bad at long rides. then there are exeptions of course I know one guy who has hopped his urb-e so it goes 28 and with knobbies rides in the snow.

I forgot most e scooers are slow up hills,. both of mine maybe get to 7 or 8 mph up a 10 degree slope. of course there are more powerful scooters but then weight and size start getting in the way.

 

[Solom01]

Not really a direct answer, but you say you have a mid-drive non-throttle ebike. That's not hardly ideal for what you're looking for here. How about just buying a class three, throttle rear-hub ebike? It's going to be a lot safer in traffic, and with the right battery a 20 mile commute is no big deal. You can be sitting and not working at all if you want which is what you want to do sometimes, and on days when you want a workout you just don't use the throttle and use PAS.

 

[PDXzap]

@The duke , I've owned five or six electric scooters but they were Currie/Schwinn or Razor, had about the same size tire but used heavy SLA batteries. I bought them or they were given to me used but only got them to cannibalize the parts but I rode most of them. The furthest ride probably wasn't more than a mile but unless your route is going to be ultra smooth for the entire distance, I'd say forget about it.

I think I saw you're in SoCal? Aren't there a ton of scooter rentals there? Rent one and find out?

 

[tomjasz]

I've owned five or six electric scooters but they were Currie/Schwinn or Razor

That's where I started with e-transport and started building batteries for them, recycling NOS computer battery packs. I improved brakes as well as bumping up power to the motor. I soon discovered they were a threat to my well being. To easy to crash and not very controllable at higher speeds. I admit I'm still fascinated by them, but the scooters I like are ridiculously expensive, for a toy that is...

No disrespect to the posters that are comfortable using them as transportation. I have no bones to pick. Enjoy the ride!

 

[The duke]

well since it seems I am the only one that owns and rides e scooters they are not toys. but they are not longer distance commuters either. braking is too limited for higher speeds. I have had to use the Fred fintstone method of stopping when the brake is not enough. a standup scooter is hard on your legs for longer rides the ride is harsh too because of the small wheels. traction in rain is bad too. Just are great for some jobs bad at long rides. then there are exeptions of course I know one guy who has hopped his urb-e so it goes 28 and with knobbies rides in the snow.

I forgot most e scooers are slow up hills,. both of mine maybe get to 7 or 8 mph up a 10 degree slope. of course there are more powerful scooters but then weight and size start getting in the way.

Not really a direct answer, but you say you have a mid-drive non-throttle ebike. That's not hardly ideal for what you're looking for here. How about just buying a class three, throttle rear-hub ebike? It's going to be a lot safer in traffic, and with the right battery a 20 mile commute is no big deal. You can be sitting and not working at all if you want which is what you want to do sometimes, and on days when you want a workout you just don't use the throttle and use PAS.

I thought about that. Now I haven't done any real research, so dont slam me too hard, but if I bought an escooter, I'd spend about $1,200. For that, I'd get a pretty 'top-of-the-line'. If I spent a similar amount on a hub drive ebike with battery range to get me over 20 hilly miles, I dont think the build or components would be very good?

Plus it wouldn't be a solution to my rainy day rides (which are few here in SoCal). With a scooter, I could hopefully ride standing up in a waterproof poncho for a mile to my nearest bus stop, then just carry the scooter onboard.