Does anyone use one of those electric scooters?

Hey duders,

I need to find a new job in the UK soon, and I'm looking for school jobs nearby me. Now, yes, I can drive, but it's far too expensive to afford a car on a Teaching Assistants salary, when I already have rent and bills to pay.

I'm considering buying one of those really new electric scooter things that I'm seeing everyone bang about on lately. Does anyone here have one? Would you recommend it? It looks very useful for covering small distances, which would be perfect!

I've only ever ridden one of those rentable ones as a curiosity and from that experience I would say that if do plan on getting one make sure it has big wheels. Those things can go pretty fast and the one I was riding had these tiny plastic wheels and I was constantly worried that it would get stuck in a crack and send me flying at 30 km/h into the pavement.

I've only used one that you can rent via an app, but my advice is to use a helmet while riding it, and ride it like you would a bicycle. I had an accident on one of them and ended up breaking my elbow, so they can be kinda dangerous!

Our town has had contracts with two different companies, Bird and now Spin, to leave them lying all over the city for people to use. In that context, bleh - those rental ones get abused and abandoned and I feel like they’re an eyesore. It’s a college town with a downtown area with a substantial drinking culture so you can imagine where those thing end up.

In terms of owning one, from a day-to-day usability perspective and as people have mentioned, a safety perspective, I’d probably look harder at a bike; especially an e-bike if part of the appeal is not showing up to work sweaty. Something about the riding position on those scooters seems like it makes falls more dangerous. Also, to drivers you register more as a pedestrian and when you suddenly launch into a crosswalk at high speeds they aren’t ready.

That’s my $0.02. One of my co-workers makes his daily commute on an e-bike that wasn’t horribly expensive and he loves it. It’s about four miles each way for him and it’s been rock solid so far.

They'll get you there, but they are sketchy. For daily commuting, in terms of comfort and safety, it's almost certainly worth it to upgrade to an electric bicycle.

Get a onewheel

onewheel.com

Don't get a onewheel unless you actually want to get good at using those. They are really for fun, not for travel. They do travel just fine, but they're mostly made the way they are for fun, not to be practical or easy to use.

truth

They're fast, but (as you know) they're not technically road legal. It just depends who you bump into.. I've seen police just watch idly and I've also seen them actively confiscate them. If you're just using it for the commute I can't imagine them reallllly stopping you, but it's something to be aware of either way.

Also, replacing punctures is a nightmare on them. They will puncture quite regularly and the tires don't tend to last a long time. Until recently Xiaomi always used to give you an extra set of tires and tubes.. but I think they may have stopped that now.

They're classified as motor vehicles in the UK (unlike electric bikes) which means they have to be registered, taxed, insured etc. It's basically impossible to register and insure a privately owned e-scooter at the moment, effectively meaning the only legal e-scooters are the rental ones. A normal beat officer might not stop you if you're lucky but a road traffic officer probably would stop you.

I would get a bike. Cycling is fun and you can get a decent bike for the same price as an e-scooter, or even less. Obviously an e-bike would set you back a bit more, but you might not need an e-bike. Cycling a traditional bike isn't as hard work as you might think.

And the lorry driver shortage means you're less likely to be killed.

What kind of commutable distance are we talking here?

I ride app-rental scooters every now and then and they can be quite a convenient alternative for public transit for certain short distances. Some of my friends have bought their own scooters and seem to be happy with them.

However I'd really consider an upgrade to an electric bicycle like @psygnosis911 said. Definitely consider the storage options for a bicycle and scooter. The scooter you have to lug around with you everywhere during your day, where as an electric bike can be left parked outside or in a bike park quite easily. Electric bikes are also more stable and thus at least feel safer to me. And with an electric bike you'll get at least some exercise.

@isomeri: The storage thing is true! My friend I mentioned with the e-bike lives on the second floor. No elevators, and he has to walk something like 80 lbs up the stairs when he gets home. That’s a good point to consider.

We rent them when we vacation. They are pretty cool. I've been looking into getting a set for me & the wife. However where I live is not an urban setting and there are a few roads with no sidewalks that have 45MPH speed limits between our house and the quaint downtown area they'd be perfect for.

I'd say be careful with them when navigating a curb. You hold the handlebars and that keeps the front wheel steady but the deck of the thing will swing around and bash your ankles. That's caused a few minor (painful) injuries the few times we rented them.. Also I second the helmet recommendation..

I've been looking at the segway ninebot kickscooter max that has "10-inch pneumatic tires can withstand multiple punctures without tire deflation." Although the rider weight limit is 220lbs and I'm....(ahem) somewhat over that limit... I didn't have any problem riding the rental versions with less battery and motor power.

These look cool (and have a higher weight limit) Unagi Model 1 & here's an article on their indigogo Unagi Model 11 on the Verge.

My understanding is electric scooters are currently illegal in the UK, so keep that in mind. Some are able to get away with it, others get caught and have their scooter confiscated.

I don't own one (I bike for the stuff you're talking about) but I've ridden them a few times before and they're great, with some caveats. They're pretty bad on bumpier roads, the wheels are small, the wheelbase is short, and your weight is pretty close to the front meaning they can feel pretty unstable (you should absolutely wear a helmet!) I'd also be a little concerned about replacing the tires (either due to punctures or just wear)

Ebikes are definitely more versatile but are not always the best choice (ie if you don't have a protected space to store it, you live on a higher floor with no elevator, etc)

Scooters are great for commuting, but keep in mind that they are not to be used in rain or snow. Bikes are better in those conditions. You should pay around $400 to $500 USD for a scooter. Choose one with a known brand as getting spare parts for it will be easy. Never leave your scooter outside. Scooters tend not to break down a lot, especially if you get one with honeycombed solid wheels and Lithium batteries. Practice checking that screws are not lose regularly, and avoid charging the battery right after riding or discharging your battery to the maximum. Do not store your scooter fully charged for long periods of time. Also Make sure you have rear suspension in your scooter especially if you have solid tires.

A scooter that is looked after well will last a long time. You will probably one day want a faster scooter with a longer range...