Tag Archives: scooter

KickPed versus Xootr, a scooter review

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By Jeffrey the Barak

The KickPed is a custom Know-Ped, manufactured in the same factory in California, Patmont Motor Werks, but made to a lean and mean customized set of specifications, exclusively for one retail store, NYCeWheels in New York City. In some ways it is less of a scooter than the Know-Ped but the customizers, the people at NYCeWheels,  think that what has been taken away from it, improve it.

The four differences between a Know-Ped and a KickPed are:

  1. The deck is shaved down to a narrow width, making it easier to scoot without having to trace a wide arc around the side of the board, or steer in a wavy line to get the board out of the way of the pushing foot.
  2. The entire front brake assembly has been omitted, leaving only the rear fender “spoon brake”.
  3. The simplified folding handlebars come in a choice of two fixed heights, 36 inches and 42 inches, the longer of which allows riders taller than about five and a half feet to ride comfortably upright without having to hunch over the bars and subject their palms to the forces of the road.
  4. Instead of the choice of four exceptionally attractive colors of the original Know-Ped, the KickPed’s frame comes in clear lacquer coat only, so you can see the steel and the welds.

Now despite these changes representing things that have been taken away, the KickPed costs (at time of writing) $229 plus $34 shipping, a total of $263, whereas a new Know-Ped in any of the four colors can be had for $199 including free shipping if you know how to do a good web-search. But you won’t be spending an extra $64 for nothing. The sellers are very clever people when it comes to knowing what works in an urban scooter, and of course they ride in New York City, meaning we should take note of what they advise.

The original Know-Ped

The deck is narrow because the original deck was designed for a pair of side by side feet. The original wide Know-Ped deck is from the motorized Go-Ped, and therefore it makes scooting inefficient because to get the ankle of your propelling foot around the footboard. or to swerve the vehicle around your propelling foot, you really have to bend your supporting leg too much, and that is the most tiring physical action in a kick. I’m sure you have noticed that if you scoot a while and don’t switch feet, it is the supporting leg up on the deck that gets tired, not the one you were scooting with.

The original wide Know-Ped deck is beautiful, especially with the bright powder-coated frame protruding at each end, but it’s extra width very much reduces the efficiency of the ride in terms of simple physics.

The front brake is gone from the KickPed because it was the one thing that frequently needed adjustment on the Know-Ped, and it was too aggressive when those metal calipers grabbed the grooved tire-walls, Remember, the Know-Ped is a Go-Ped without the engine, and it’s brakes can stop you from a high speed with a heavy load. The rear brake that spoons around the top of that fat back tire is simply good enough on it’s own, for a human-powered scooter and much less likely to lead to a sudden unintended dismount (accident).

The handlebars are not quite the same either, and in the case of the custom taller bar option, it allows taller riders to stand upright and watch where they are going, which is less uncomfortable than bending forward to face the road like a road racer, and then bending your neck back so you can see the road ahead through your eyebrows. Remember, an urban kick scooter is not for breaking speed records at the velodrome, it’s from getting to A to B efficiently, comfortably and safely.

And the clear lacquer coat looks okay also. Very industrial and strong looking.

 

Since I currently own one of each, I will compare the KickPed to the Xootr Mg. (I had a Know-Ped once but it was stolen before I had a chance to ride it much)

Xootr Mg on left, KickPed on right

Rolling resistance on smooth concrete, hardwood, vinyl.

If you are able to ride your scooter on a smooth surface, then the Xootr will live up to it’s reputation as the smoothest, most energy-efficient, fastest, easiest scooter in the world. It is second to none. On a perfectly smooth level surface, one kick will take a Xootr an unbelievably long way, whereas a KickPed may require an extra kick or two to make it quite as far. But the difference is not as great as other reviewers have written. It’s practically negligible based on my own comparison, switching back and forth from one scooter to the other. However…..

Rolling resistance in the real world.

In my normal scootering environment, there are uneven, un-repaired sidewalks, with large gaps and ridges caused by tree roots, lack of maintenance and general disrepair. The roadways, where the cars go, are often almost as bad, and the alleys are extremely degraded and have no hope of being repaired any time soon due to city finances.

In this environment, the slightly superior rolling resistance of the Xootr is completely lost to energy-robbing vibration and necessary slowing and stoppages, and the rubber-tired KickPed rolls just as far, even further when surfaces get really bad. I am assuming that most people who use a scooter for errands and commuting, as opposed to taking it to a specific place for a pre-planned pleasure ride, will find the same rough surfaces to some degree. The KickPed can often be ridden when the Xootr needs to be walked.

Decks from behind

Deck height.

The KickPed’s deck is half an inch higher (3.5 inches) off the ground than the deck of the Xootr Mg (3 inches). If you ride all day, this makes a difference to how tired your supporting leg gets, as you have to flex that standing leg to put your other foot down to scoot. But it’s only half an inch and most riders will never notice, nor will they ride for hours at a time. Some of the large European-style kick bikes have very high decks that really cause this fatigue, but the KickPed deck is low enough, narrow enough and the grip tape will keep you secure.

Ground clearance and wheelbase.

The Xootr Mg has 1.5 inches ground clearance and the KickPed has 1.75 inches. Of course it’s impossible to have both a low deck and high ground clearance, but the extra quarter inch under the KickPed will come in handy on the streets. Also, the bottom of the KickPed is a steel tube.  The Xootr’s magnesium rail can behave like a brake pad on concrete and unexpectedly stop you dead if the front wheel drops down onto lower pavement. The KickPed’s wheelbase is about an inch shorter, measured from axle to axle but it does not seem to negatively affect anything.

Tires, grip dry and wet.

Well this is the big one. If the pavement is wet or even slightly damp, the Xootr can skid and cause an accident. No such issue with the rubber tire of the KickPed. In dry conditions, the polyurethane tires on the Xootr will not let you down, but dampness is all it takes to ruin your day. Polyurethane and water add up to falling down painfully.

Noise.

Not all Xootrs are as noisy as the Mg, but the Mg with a rear fender brake makes one heck of a racket. Noise comes from the rear brake rattling and also from the area of the “Ergo” quick-release push button ball pin at the front. The loud clatter that the Xootr Mg makes on the street is well beyond reasonable.

Other Xootrs, like the old ones with the wooden decks, no rear brake and no Ergo pin are quieter but not as quiet as the KickPed. Even in a smooth concrete garage, the Xootr creates this other sound, hard to describe, but most likely from the polyurethane rolling on the concrete. Not a bad noise by any means, but in a comparison test with a super-quiet KickPed, it’s definitely there.

The KickPed will rattle a little bit if you deliberately pull and push on the folding handlebar, but for the most part it softly and quietly rolls along without disturbing the wildlife. Be ready to have to warn pedestrians that you are behind them and approaching because they will probably not hear you coming.

Vibration

Riding the Xootr on a rough surface is exhausting. Your teeth rattle and your vision can even blur. This makes it extra hard to avoid a mishap and it’s no fun. The ride on the KickPed is many times smoother. Let’s not get carried away though, the KickPed’s tires are solid rubber and there is no suspension, so it’s hardly ice skating, but compared to the Xootr, the KickPed’s ride does not suffer from undue vibration.

Portability

My KickPed Tall model has a nylon strap that hooks around the rear fender. Once folded the scooter is small and easy to carry and can be stowed in any car’s trunk etc.  The scooter can also be slung over one shoulder and carried hands-free

The folded Mg weighs a tiny bit less, (hardly noticeable) and is easy to carry in one hand.

Standability

The folded Xootr Mg can be stood on one end if the handlebar is adjusted to the right height. This allows it to be stored with a small footprint. The folded KickPed cannot stand up on it’s own.

Ease of folding

Both are easy to fold, but the KickPed is much easier. You just slide the tube that sleeves around the handlebar hinge, fold or unfold and allow the sleeve to spring back down . With the Xootr, the pin is depressed, removed and replaced after the fold, and the handlebars adjusted. It can be hard to line up the pin with the hole if you are holding the Xootr in one hand. But it is not difficult, just less simple than the KickPed, which can be deployed and ridden within one or two seconds of being carried folded up!

Durability

Both are super durable. Eventually after hundreds of miles, the brakes, tires, bearings etc. may need replacing or at least servicing, but the KickPed is designed to be maintenance-free for life and only very heavy use will require service of any kind. In fact the omission of the Know-Ped front brake is the main improvement here as that was something that required adjustment from time to time.

Safety

I really think highly of my Xootr but I have to be honest, it is potentially dangerous. Almost every ride includes a scary moment or two where I almost fall or crash or I come to a sudden unexpected stop due to a twig or pebble or bump in the sidewalk. It can also skid sideways on damp pavement and it really is a constant worry that spoils the enjoyment of the ride. Furthermore even on a smooth surface, high speed cornering on the Xootr’s skinny polyurethane tires does not inspire confidence, but they will keep you onboard if it’s dry.

In each of these situations, the KickPed just plows through without a moment’s hesitation, without a wobble, and without causing a scare. Any extra input effort required to cover the same distance is well worth it for the peaceful bliss of a smooth and uneventful ride. And on a speedy downhill in a parking garage, the KickPed feels very stable in banked turns. Not so the Xootr.

It should be noted here that I generally ride scooters with care from point A to point B, and never attempt tricks besides the occasional cautious downhill speed run.

Conclusion

The KickPed wins on safety and on quietness, so these factors alone make it a clear winner for me. Having fallen off my Xootr at low speed due to practically invisible cracks, uneven slabs and debris such as twigs, I am always worried about what might happen on my next Xootr ride. At 54 I cannot recover from an accident like a twenty year old would, and accident avoidance is very high on my list of criteria. And the considerable noise generated by the rattling Xootr only has one advantage, it signals pedestrians ahead to step aside, otherwise the rattling negates all of the brilliant design that went into the most widely acclaimed scooters ever made. The KickPed is quiet and rolls right over most objects that would upset the Xootr.

The original Know-Ped

So what if you own a shiny new Know-Ped and you wish you had found a KickPed first? Simply find a woodworker and shave down the sides of the plywood deck, and then consider removing the entire front brake assembly from caliper to handle, and then you basically have a KickPed in a fabulous frame color, but with the stock 36 inch handlebars. If you are five foot seven or below, you’ll be just fine, and the vehicle’s efficiency will get a big kick.

Jeffrey the Barak has owned many types of human-powered and electric scooters. These are the two smallest he has owned, and two of his favorites also. Search for scooter to see other reviews on the-vu.com

 

 

You can’t keep me away from MyPoP

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By Louis the Scooterer

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You can’t keep me away from MyPoP, coz I wont allow a beautiful place..on the beach, to just go away..even if some smokers spoils it.

Only in reality I havent been able to go for a couple of weeks as I had a tiny fall-off from my scooter and have been stuck indoors for quite a few days..the scooter is unscratched ..but I grazed my knee which is real painful, and I guess I will need to do little walking until that smaller than 2inch diameter scrape heals somewhat. I even cancelled my free birthday breakfast at MyPoP..will have to wait another year.

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There are times when smokers are minimal and the wind in my favour as was the other day..a beaut of a day the beginning of summer type day..lots of people on the beach.. which is always kept clean and lots of people in the open air restaurant.. already quite a few bikini clad bodies looking for the sun..

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and the service from pretty waitresses remains good so I was able to sit n stare at the Med Sea.. and think back a bit… about earlier days as well.. when I was a young fellow in Johannesburg..

A specific series of thoughts came into my mind about some of the buildings in the “downtown Jhb” where I had visited many entertainment venues as well as having done glass replacements and fitted mirrors in many of the buildings..and some of these places had discos and lounges and had parties every night for unattached people looking for company..and some of these places also in popular Hillbrow and Berea adjoining downtown Jhb on north side… were magic..great views from some of the balconies..

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you saw down the main street at the traffic and everyone coming or going was in my vision… many great hours and many great meals and coffee and cake as well..Benny often played the piano in lounge of popular Cafe Zurich.

The spotlessly clean General Hospital was a few corners away in most beautifully kept gardens.

Recently I was sent pictures of what some of these building look like now..depressing the way things turned out and so many buildings turned into squatter camps ??

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so I wont dwell on that, while surely is lovely to watch the waves and the sea in front of me.

I remembered having owned beautiful cars and some were convertibles,< flavia1xxjpg >< paris4667jpg > and in mid 1950′s and 1960′s I could park my convertible anyplace, as well as my scooter and I knew it would not be interfered with…even parked my convertible one evening outside the City Hall in Johannesburg, and went to watch a concert..and the traffic officer in charge said he would keep an eye on it.. turned out to be Gerhardt who was in the citizen-force with me (several years earlier)..and I never recognised him with his new full thick mustache and his smart uniform.

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Unfortunately that easy going lifestyle changed over the years and currently I wouldn’t attempt to own any smart looking car..even the drab looking cars have a short life in Johburg.. as for the radio thieves..they are everywhere. Always plenty to write about those “olden days”..

The bus to town was one corner up from where I lived..and the tram to town was 2 corners down the road. After starting to work at an early age..”taken from school” by an uncle who gave me a good job in a timber yard / hardware store business, and after a short while I bought a bicycle and cycled to work..didnt matter if it was raining..my best route was on flat roads and was a pleasant 20 minute ride.
Never was a great deal of traffic and every ride was okay..until the day a guy in his Jeep station wagon, rode into me from the back..virtually destroying the bike..lucky I was not really hurt..he apologised and loaded the bike into his jeep and took it to the local bicycle shop close to where I worked, and he told the man to repair it..and he promptly vanished..

At the end of the second day the bike guy called me and said the frame is too badly damaged and not worth repairing and I should get a new bicycle ..but the guy with the jeep refused to pay…anything.

SO, a few days later, my father..a not big guy, and one of his poker playing friends ..a not small guy..paid the Jeep guy a quick visit.. and the jeep guy paid the full amount for the new bike which even had a few gears..but I knew that my “cycling to work” days were almost over..so back to the tram to go to work and back to the bus to come home…

until the day I walked past the used car dealer that recently opened a few blocks “up the road” and saw that re-built 2 seater car on an MG chassis, which after a short while became mine…and funny enough even a whole bunch of new girls became my passenger..suddenly I was a lot more popular than before ??..and memories came flooding back.. and all the waitresses of today, are exactly like the girls of those way back times…

so right now i sit and patiently wait for the scrape to heal.. so I can get-going again.

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please email me louisdrinkingt@013.net

Scooterer Stories, Part Sixteen – Around the Sea of Galilee

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“Round and around the Sea of Galilee we go”!

Good morning all. Don’t leave anything behind. We ain’t comin’ back to Kare Deshe.

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Route decided… lets go.. early start..have packed breakfast..lets go watch sunrise from Syrian plateau ?? On the way I will let you walk for a few minutes on the newly made pavement, passed the pink Greek Church

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and I’ll pick you up at Capernaum gate

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Gamla will not be open so early but from a high view we watch the sunrise in the east.. and in the west we see the colors sunrays on the cliffs inside . Gamla, and if we are lucky we may see some eagles flying..

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We will make a quick visit to a special friend at his home on a moshav..I’ll tell you a little about that.

Way back on one of my first trips staying at KD I heard about a “mountain-bike event”, and tried to get some info.. I didn’t manage to get any start-times, routes, finish line and places the bikes would be at. By chance the next morning, on my very early morning scoot, looking for sunrise I saw a small bright green cardboard sign on a pole with a sketch of a bicycle ..that sign slightly reopened my interest in the event.

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I learned the event begins and ends at a venue ON one of many beaches on west side at Kinerret..so I followed the sign and soon found a man with a van with a trailer-full of mountain bikes that he rents on the beaches…he was not connected to any event, but did point me to where he thought the cyclists would be.

After some time n scootin’ around and asking several people I still could not get proper information, so I decided I will simply ride around and maybe by fluke I would get to see some of the bikes.

WHAT a weird coincidence ..as I scooted slowly, on the main road, I noticed on my right, several bikes heading down the track and close to me at the side of the road ..behind a fence, they were waiting permission to “cross the road”…

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and I noticed a man had stopped the traffic to let the cyclists get to the other side. Not a busy road at that time, so I pulled up next to this fellow and asked him “is this the mountainbike event”? ..he looked at me on my scooter, and his reply was “I know you” !…

what ! you know me ? huh !

We spoke a while and he told me where the event ends with a ride on the water edge

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to a beach..some kms. down the road..there was no problem, and I was allowed to follow the cycles, exept there were some big water pipes and concrete drains that I could not cross..easy for the cyclists

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..they simply lifted their bike and walked across the pipe. My scooter couldnt get across these pipes so I began the ride back to the road (about 15 minutes) then back to find the end of the event ??..but there are several beaches, and at each beach there were some mountain-bike happenings with barbeques and picnics, and many people, and I could not find him.

A relative of Albert’s, (known to me) had told him casually some years earlier that “one day” Lou will relocate to Israel..and who knows..maybe we will meet.

Another mutual friend visited Albert once and I would say everyone forgot about ..until he stopped me to allow the cycles to cross the road. A couple of his teenage sons were riding bikes and Albert’s job was to see they cross the road safely.

Albert had also seen a picture of me on my scooter in an insert magazine (more than a year earlier).. that is in every Friday Jerusalem Post..and he kept the article which included my fone number.

Eventually we connected and I visited at his home on Givat Yoav..a lovely moshav dealing mainly in dairy, and also has entertainment for visitors

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and his taking me around to every interesting spot on the moshav with full explanations.. and nearby places as well.

I have visited several times with scooter, and in rain season in rented car..and when Albert has reason to be in Netanya..we meet..and always talk about that incredible meeting.

So now we have to leave after our quickvisit and head on beautiful scenic road towards the Kinerret, where many places on the beach entice us. Some are simple beaches with trees and benches and tables where people will always be picnicking..and also luxury Kibbutz Hotels that draw visitors from everywhere in the world.

We will take a short walk along the waters edge a while at

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and take a cold drink from the kiosk. We will also drink a coffee in luxury, at HA’ON Kibbuts and walk about in the gardens..maybe we will be able to see their ostrich farm.

Then make a quick visit to the date factory/shop at Kinerret kibbuts..to buy dates and honey and other delicacies..(you remember we visited the baptism site the other day?)..this factory shop is just up the road.)

We will take a ride into Tiberias and see some ancient sites at the waterfront and see the movie about “Galilee Experience”, and take a bite at one of the restaurants  in the center of Tiberias.

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Then another quick visit, this time to Dona Gracia Hotel but only a quick walk-about coz you aleady know all about that place…(earlier chapter). We will drive past Mayouhas Youth Hostel where I have stayed a few times…no easy parking so we wont visit.

I”ll show you 3 hotel buildings that were abandoned

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and other sites as well.. and stop a while at ADI viewpoint to take pics

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We then head to Tiberias Illit (upper Tiberias) and find our way into to Switzerland Forest,

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a beautiful drive with breathtaking views

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and many lovely spots to sit around and picnic..

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( no kiosks or stalls here).. and then at south end of this drive, we will find our hostel at Poriya…for a one night stay.

Please feel free to email me louisdrinkingt@013.net

Scooterer Stories, Part Fourteen – Furthest point North

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By Louis the Scooterer

Well we had another good night sleep at Kare Deshe… okay so after watching sunrise and eat breakfast,
we make a quick getaway..quick stop to take pics at ruins close by and head directly for the snow

Another quick stop at Arik Bridge over the River Jordan (old wooden bridge).. and a fairly long drive for a quick stop at Saar Falls to take pics. We won’t have coffee here but I just wanna pop in to say hi to Benny..he is the young fellow who served me a coffee way back on the day the restaurant opened, and he suggested I look into TKR. Benny thanks for that advice. I have had a (total knee replacement) for some time now, and sure walk better than on the day we met..when I could hardly walk the few meters from the car to the door.

From here .. only one major stop on the way. At Newe Ativ.. a tiny village (moshav) that could be in Switzerland..many chalet style buildings and everything geared towards skiing . ( Neve Ativ actually controls the ski site as well). Then while there, we’ll find somewhere to drink coffee and ask about the place..(and I can tell you quickly about my previous visits).

Almost every home is geared for bed n breakfast accomodation, and a few (family) hotels are also operating, ( and looks and feels as if we are in Switzerland or Austria !..) We take the coffee in the dining lounge at a small hotel while the manager, a young Druze fellow gave many explanations about Druze people and customs..elaborating on his sister’s upcoming wedding.

Freezing cold and bright sunshine…Lets move ..and we join a long line of traffic including many buses to the ski site..winding scenic road with much snow all around. We get in at the main entrance and leave our car in the giant parking lot,

and board a shuttle bus to the ski site..excitement mounts as we get closer…then a walk of a few hundred meters to the main area where coffeeshops, eateries and ski and equipment hire, and all sorts of action that happens at a ski site.

As Louis the scooterer, I wrote a story, telling about my first visit to Mt Hermon ski site..and later visits too, and what a contrast of visits they have been.

(That story)

My first visit to the ski site was on a HOT summer day, and I didn’t know what to expect.

I scootered through the village Majdal e Shams way up north (close to border with Syria), then to the ski site, up the scenic road, and far below in the valley I saw cattle “drinking” from a dry-looking, round, muddy “water” place, and the whole area was dry and similar to the desert.

I rode through the deserted entrance and passed the empty very large car-park, and after a short scenic ride, arrived at the ski-site. I was the only person there, besides some maintenance workers who are there every day, doing a whole lot of different work. I was very happy when the ski chairs started and I was allowed to go up to the highest point.(Note..I never had a camera at that visit) I was the only person on the system that has 175 chairs all 2 seaters, and I saw only stones and BIG rocks and shrubs and uneven mountainside beneath me (all dry).

At the top, a few engineers were doing some electrical installations and invited me to eat lunch with them. They explained a whole lot of interesting facts to me. I walked around, and as all the facilities were shut, after a while, I took the chairlift down. A few people were going up, so we shouted “helloooo.. and where are you from?” “Germany… and have a nice day.” Then they were gone, and I was at the bottom. A quick coffee and thank you to some office staff and I was on my way, knowing that I’d be back.

So my next visit was when there was plenty of snow on Mt Hermon and in a rented car. I saw the full water hole, far down in the valley, now many meters wide and full of water, and the nearby hills had some snow (certainly no “desert look” this time). Hundreds of vehicles and buses were arriving, and after paying at the entrance, I was guided to park the car in the giant car-park nearby, then to go in shuttle-buses to the ski-site; a quick and very neat operation, I must admit.

This time there were thousands of people hustling and bustling and slipping and sliding everywhere and queuing in long lines for the many things to do at a ski place. It was marvelous to watch many people enjoying themselves, and I was lucky to find a short queue at one cafeteria to get coffee (and I wasn’t so clever by leaving my camera in the car).

I had a few casual chats and a few laughs with total strangers, and I was told this snow was the best in a long time, but the queue at chairlift was too long. Long lines were everywhere, so I left, having decided to return again the following week.

One week later… while on my way to the ski site on a lovely rainy day, I was told at the petrol-station near Tiberias, that the roads to the ski-site were closed, and at this time the heavy rain had also set in. So, another visit, another time.

So now comes the most recent, highly successful visit in perfect weather, nice and early, blue and white sky, and not many cars in the giant car park. This time (with camera in hand), I walked to all the favorite spots where many visitors with many cameras take many pictures. I also spoke to many “professional-looking” skiers, who unashamedly told me that they were there for the first time in borrowed ski-outfits, and that were waiting for their first ski-lesson.

All the amenities were rapidly getting long lines waiting to hire boots and skis and ski clothes and all very exciting. I had done some skiing years earlier, but a problem knee this day prevented me from that. I took a lovely fresh ride up on the two-seater chair lift, and after a few minutes was at the highest point, mainly for the more experienced skiers.

There are breathtaking views. Still, the coffee shop and restaurant were inviting and I had great satisfaction watching people of all sizes and shapes, even many men with full beards also giving skiing a go, then I took the chair lift down.

The queues were getting longer and the place buzzed with excitement. An assortment of big vehicles that move the snow were around, as well as many tough looking fellows who wear skiing outfits and know what they are doing.

After some more visits to several coffee places and a lovely snack served by a pretty girl, then sitting relaxing in the sun on the sundeck and taking a few more pictures, I guess that successful visit was worthwhile.

When you decide to visit, don’t forget to ask for some excellent colorful brochures, and in the large cafeteria ask for a “paper place-mat” that has cartoon drawings of the full scene.

When I left, and the snow got thinner on the hills and the air warmed up as I traveled away, I again had the feeling that I would return.

OKAY all of you , go and do your thing and we will meet at the snowman in 4 hours.. Oh, so you all have sore bums..from skiing ! oh well, next time it will be easier. Get comfortable while we take the shuttle to the parking and find our car.

A short drive back into Majdal e shams and a quick coffee at coffeeshop next to the filling station, where the owner told us about the difference between a village and town status..sure was interesting.

We will take the back road out for a longish drive..and I think this short-cut will get us to the main road..Hey whats that sign ? did anybody see it ..Naah !..lemme reverse.. the sign says ” Witch and milkmaid” pointing up..lets take a look.. we follow the few signs and drive into a small fenced area and see what looks like a restaurant..lets go look..when we found the back parking lot we see it is a restaurant…lets go see..okay..WOW what a surprise,

A lovely warm place, and looking thru picture windows at the fantastic views down in front of us…I suggested we have a hot home-made vegetable soup with brown bread..and that warms us quickly.

We learn there are 18 homes on this small moshav http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimrod_(Israel) and many of the wooden houses are for rent for holiday..take a look at www.witch.co.il (although only Hebrew) still play around on all the words to see some pictures and the incredible views.

Then we need to move to get to Kuneitra before sunset to be able to see something of that mysterious place..an entire village stands empty and no movement within. A large United Nations complex below us does not permit casual visitors.

The chap inside the small food kiosk spoke no English so I suggest google to Kuneitra and choose a story to read also see a quick explanation at http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/kuneitra.html

The sun sets quickly and early, and on the drive to Kare Deshe we can discuss the next trip..perhaps find a number of bridges that the Jordan River flows under, and at least one that the river runs over the bridge..and to find the “Aunties Bridge”.. where a few older ladies who did charitable volunteering were drowned in a flood,(they were known as “the aunties”) and the bridge was washed away and never rebuilt.

Soon the roads will be very busy, many vehicles heading home or for entertainment places..and we arrive back at our hostel..NO running around this night..all our backsides need a rest.

Feel free to email louisdrinkingt@013.net

FootBikeUSA

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By Jeffrey the Barak

Racing scooters are still an extremely rare sight in the United States, and most lifelong cycling enthusiasts who see a Footbike or Kickbike on the road are seeing one for the first time.

But in Europe, it is not too unusual to see dozens of scooters competing in a road race. Footbike USA is trying to introduce Americans to the same healthy pleasures.

They are not the first to bring the world’s fastest human powered scooters to the USA, and we reviewed a Kickbike on the-vu years ago in the article “Human Powered Scooters”, but Footbike have the energy and drive to have a real shot at changing America’s choice on the bike paths around the country.

The Footbike website at http://www.footbikeusa.com contains all the information you need to know about life without saddles and chains and pedals.

But the Footbike is also being noticed by physical therapists such as Andrea Avruskin PT, DPT, ATC, LAT, (www.avruskinpt.com), who has written an extensive paper on the physical benefits of scootering.

In her study she points out some of the adverse health effects of bicycle riding. Yes, bikes can be ridden safely and they are a more efficient mode of conveyance, but you can also hurt yourself by cycling the wrong way. Not to say you cannot hurt yourself on a Footbike. In fact I have experienced that myself after a careless and ill-planned ride in 2008.

But the good therapist has some good points to make about the Footbike. She says “The Footbike™ is an excellent tool for rehabilitation, training and conditioning. It challenges lower body strength, power, endurance and balance, as well as trunk and upper body stability and endurance. It is suitable for non-athletic people and athletes who are healthy, recovering from injuries, or preventing injuries”.

Ms Avruskin’s paper shows the results of studies on joint impact stress, range of joint motion, posture, and analysis of the standing and propelling legs. Personally I think that If I had learned of her study last year, I would not have sidelined myself last fall.

But back to the Footbike. If you enjoy cycling, skating, skateboarding but feel like you have not really found what you are looking for, then take a clue from the Europeans and check out the world of scooters (http://FootBikeUSA.com). You won’t be sorry, and a Footbike will be an addition to your propulsion collection that will hook you for life.

Time to get off the seat and stand up!

Visiting, coffeeing, chatting and seeing at MyPoP

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By Louis the Scooterer

As I said in my previous post, I go to MyPoP (almost) every morning and spend a couple of hours, and have found my favourite spot, where I place a chair under a big umbrella together with the bright orange color low settees and a low table…(I prefer a higher chair becoz when my knee stiffens a little, I am able to stand up easily and take a stretch !)

Without turning my head much..I can see the sea and beach, the full length of the terrace restaurant, which has many different types of tables n chairs n lounging chairs n stools and can seat more than 120 bums, and shaded by large umbrellas. I can see the bar n kitchen, and the round building which is undergoing renovations. Behind me is also the beach n sea n fairly big carpark and of course…cliffs, and the drive leading up to the main carpark and the road.

So my short stories are not gonna be as a diary, and not in chronological order.. I will tell some things that may have happened a few hours ago..or some observations from a while back…and even some reminiscing about wayback.

When I make the effort to find conversation, I simply approach a person, a couple, or a group..I casually ask “do you speak English?”..and the answer is usually “YES” or “a leetle”, and usually when I say “I speak Hebrew a leetle”..then there are many smiles, and we are already “friends”, and conversation flows.

The current owners are a group of mainly young men in their thirties, all constantly on the go and with little time to sit around talking to this scooterer, but they often give a few seconds chat, and amazing what info comes to me from just a few seconds chat.

“Event makers” large and small are often bustling around preparing for “a reception” to take place..mostly in the carpark, which is transformed to become a beautiful setting, with many tables covered with tablecloths and wineglasses and whatever goes onto a dinner table. Most of these events will begin before the sun goes down and the sunsets are magnificent. They always arrive in their big trucks and offload a great variety of “things” and set about their planning.These fellows and even some young women will carry furniture, and push loads of flowers and move bar-counters and clean-up..also will settle down to fold napkins (serviettes) and place them in glasses. Certainly never a dull moment.

I do not often travel around on scooter after dark, especially on roads that are not lit up..as is the last few hundred meters leading to MyPoP, so I cannot describe any actual event..(yet..I plan to do just that !)..what I can say is that “after the event” everything is taken down..and an empty carpark is what I find when I arrive, in the morning.

Okay enough descriptions for this writing….see you at MyPoP.
Comments welcome and also you are welcome to email me at louisdrinkingt@013.net

This day at MyPoP (My Piece of Paradise)

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By Louis the Scooterer

Dear Readers,

Maybe you already know that I live in Netanya, Israel, a coastal city on the Mediterranean, and that my transport is a scooter (usually 50cc).

Since I arrived on 1 Nov 1999, I have found and visited many coffeeshops at the square and in the city, and coffeeshops in all areas of Netanya, for my “daily” cup o coffee, and perhaps find a person to chat with.

Over the years, many places have changed as I have changed, and for whatever time I patronised a place, that was always rewarding, until it was time for me to move along to another.

I always spoke favourably about all the different venues I coffeed at, even those that eventually chased me away.. by allowing smokers to stink-the-place-out.. Even the outdoor venues smell continously of smoke and tobacco, and my intelligence also tells me thats why many flies are also around all those places!

Since I re-found my current PoP, I will share with you some of what I and my camera see, and experience at this magic place.

The neighborhood is called Tsuky Yam (Cliff Sea), on north end of Netanya and is a few minutes scoot, and I breath fresh air and smell the sea, and although smokers do come there, mostly that does not bother me as the fresh breeze always blows the smoke away, and flies are rare.

I will gladly answer any questions you would care to leave in “comments”, or feel free to email me louisdrinkingt@013.net

So for now, enjoy the pictures and I will continue with short stories. Almost every morning I scoot to MyPoP, and stay for a couple of hours, which always fly away. And never a dull moment at MyPoP!

So..watch this space!
Lou at MyPoP

Scooterer Stories, Part Ten – Route 6 to Elvis

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Scooterer Stories
By Louis the Scooterer

The travels of Louis the Scooterer, a retired former South African who has found an unusual way of getting to know Israel.

Part Ten – Not Route 66, just Route 6, but at least there’s an Elvis.

Driving thru major cities and heavily populated areas do have some interesting places, but I reckon boredom could set in…so a quick discussion with myself, it is decided we will bypass those places and head toward Jerusalem and bypass to road 90 at the north end of The Dead Sea…and then will head NORTH ON 90. Then to much more exciting places. So now, I take the shortest route and get to Highway 6 (Kvish 6) to experience a short portion of that excellent highway.

I wrote a story elsewhere about that experience and its worth repeating here while we stop for a while at Herzl Forest and a quick visit to Engineering Forces Monument ( the highway story is told to you now while we take a coffee break…on the lawns at the monument.

Kvish 6 = Highway 6

Once, way back in the past – when I was still new to scootering – I remember vaguely having read something about an “Across Israel” (Highway 6) that was being built to be called Kvish 6. Then sometime later I read a sentence somewhere that the first 18 kilometers were ready and would be opened on some date or other. So, one day while scootering around, I came upon a road that was freshly tarred and was newly painted with pure white lines (being a new onramp >>> onto a new road).

So I asked a man in a van, “what is happening here?” He told me that Road 6 would be opening — in about 10 minutes, and IF I hung around I would be the first person to drive on it! About 10 minutes later, he told me to go!

The FIRST motor vehicle on the new highway was “me on my scooter”, going south…. no fanfare, no fuss, no cutting ribbons (this onramp was near Eyal Kibbutz. I rode those 18 kms on this beautiful, clean, smooth, well-built road with absolutely NO TRAFFIC. Later, one car went past me, and also an official “Road 6” patrol van.

So, all too soon I rode that 18 kms and went off at the new off ramp pointing to Rosh Ha’ayin, and rode to a coffee shop at a petrol station to drink a cup of coffee.

Then, about 30 minutes later, I decided to do the 18 kms going north….

NOW, this gets interesting… coz the new onramp is at the Head Offices of Kvish 6, and here was a big media event, TV people with cameras, newspaper people with cameras, many people with cameras… (except me, I never had a camera). There was a big party going on at the offices.

Many important dignitaries attended the “official opening”, and the “first drive,” which is from the office block going north — to the Eyal off ramp ~~> 18 kms.

I scooted in to the parking area and a woman ran up to me telling me “to get on the bus quickly, it’s waiting for me” (she thought I was a reporter from a newspaper). I soon sorted that out. So, I went into the lobby at the offices, a very posh affair with many people wearing suits.

I was given an orange juice and a cookie and a couple of maps, then someone told me I must leave… So a few minutes later I scootered on to the new 6 going ~~> north.

I noticed a few buses, many cars and vans and other vehicles were following me… as though I was the escort. After a short distance, all those vehicles overtook me and I guess I was at “the right-place at the right moment.”

I have since traveled several times on this beautiful, well planned, well built, well looked after, Kvish 6 highway, and also recently completed, now has two new twin filling-station-rest-rooms-shopping-complex on BOTH sides of the highway…. one way down south and the other up north. IT IS A DRIVING PLEASURE.

So I say…”Well done” and keep on adding new sections, and every time a new section was completed, I took a scoot to ride on it. The costs for a scooter are very little and I always feel safe riding on clean, litter-free roads. And all my trips have been in daylight hours.

A couple of times there were queries about the account that I received, but they were always solved by very pleasant personnel. I learned that much of the processes are automatically done to completion by computers, and the bill is clear and straightforward.

We need to squeeze a couple of hours visit to MINI ISRAEL…worth every minute and much more…all the model buildings and buses and trucks and soccer stadium and ports and cable-cars…and everything in Israel that is major importance is there in miniature….no problem with parking at the entrance, and obtaining a small electric golf cart to travel around in…Mini Israel is open on Saturdays, and is usually crowded so if you can manage during the week…better still.

Another couple of hours minimum is a must visit to the Armoured Brigade Military Museum at LATRUN where all sorts of armoured vehicles and tanks and many assorted vehicles of war that were captured from the enemies..during several wars. Pay an entrance fee and get some brochures, a movie in English explains and knowledgeable guides take you around and explain many things. (CLOSED ON SATURDAYS)… altho many captured vehicles can be seen if you drive a few hundred meters on the side road to the end of the fence. As usual, walking shoes and cameras always.

A short visit to the Monastery close by and a visit inside if you like climbing many steps…some days there are open air markets and food kiosks in the carpark.

Of course plan your day to visit NEWE SHALOM, close to Latrun, a neighbourhood where Israeli and Arab live side by side. A quick stop at the hotel lobby for some good brochures and then take a slow drive (or even a walk) through the streets and see what can be achieved.

Then we kadimah (move forward) coz our new journey has only just begun.

We pick-up route #1 and head toward Jerusalem..and at junction at Abu Ghosh we make a detour and head for ELVIS INN…this delightful restaurant that remains furnished in Elvis Presley times and hundreds of photos on the walls are a reminder as we sit at a table with Elvis Presley, and his music is always in the background. Excellent service from a small snack to a full meal, and if you drink a coffee, you get to take the mug as a souvenir.

I must mention the incredible toilets that cater for many tour buses that stop there. Outside in the carpark are many Elvis reminders including a magnificent “gold” statue of “The King Of Rock n Roll)..this is a “must” visit.

As we may start our day very early and finish very late, I’m not suggesting sleeping time but for the record I have slept over several times at Yitzchak Rabin Youth hostel…which is nicely placed for restaurants and for leaving the city without being snarled in traffic.

So, after Elvis Inn we stay on #1 and travel east til we get to #90…with a few short stops on the way to take pictures. 6 stops for 5 minutes each should be enough….you will decide what pics you want,
and at the end of #1 we coffeesnack at the same place we were at on an earlier time. We look at our mapatlas and plan our trip north on #90.

(Very much more exciting than driving thru built-up areas surrounded by highrise buildings and shopping malls).

Louis the Scooterer is 69 years old and it sounds like he’s just getting started.

Exion Scooters

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Exion Scooters – Cees Bakker’s amazing home-built speedsters
By Jeffrey the Barak


Just one look at the carbon fiber creations above tells you, now those are some fast looking scooters! And fast they are. Designed for the racing circuit which exists in Europe, but not in the USA, these home built human-powered scooters make everything else (except the gorgeous Kickbike) look mundane. The name is Exion, remember it.

Netherlands racer Cees Bakker is simply an individual with talent. He does not own a scooter factory or an airplane factory or a racing car factory or a boatyard. But somehow his desire to get something better to race with was all it took for the emergence of these amazing carbon fiber contraptions.

Light weight and aerodynamics are the key to going faster and longer in the scooter world. Its the same for both racers and cruisers. Lower the weight and cut through the air, and your muscles will get you further and faster. While scooters do not have the mechanical advantage of the gears and pedals, found on the more familiar bicycle, the considerable weight savings can almost make up for it in the long run. Cees’ Exion Scooters are so light and strong that you can easily walk around holding one in one hand for a while. Try that with a bicycle!

Aside from low weight and good aerodynamics, designer Cees has introduced a low footboard, essential for efficient kicking, a stiff frame and good steering, as well as a custom front wheel braking system more in tune with the needs of a scooter. Even the fork is carbon fiber.

As his subsequent models evolved, the footboards got lower and narrower and the side views continued to surprise with new eye-popping looks. About the only disadvantage of the higher frame on this scooter is the loss of the ability to quickly dismount to one side for an uphill run without swinging your leg over the top. But with a rear wheel and fender just a couple of feet high, its no big deal. If you really care about that one little thing, well there’s always the Kickbike (see the article “Human-Powered Scooters” elsewhere in this magazine).

Even the prototype model was pretty stunning:

And the variations keep on coming as Cees Bakker keeps on Scooting:

The red scooter shown racing above even has a carbon fiber curved nose handlebar cover to cut through the air. I’d like to see that in a velodrome or on a downhill.

Cees is not a world champion, but he did take second place behind scooter king Hannu Vierikko in a race in Wales.

So if you are a scooter rider with a desire to have the latest and fastest in your stable, why not contact Cees Bakker and commission him to build you an Exion? His email address is: exionman @ wanadoo .nl (spaces inserted to foil the Spambots)

Jeffrey the Barak is the publisher of the-vu and a human powered scooter fan.

Scooterer Stories – Part Two – Eilat

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Scooterer Stories
By Louis the Scooterer
Published January 2005

The travels of Louis the Scooterer, a retired former South African who has found an unusual way of getting to know Israel.

Part Two – Eilat

Everywhere, everyplace, many hundreds of times, I’ve approached a stranger with the opening words “Do you speak English?”

“Most times the answer is ”A leetle “.The most times when I tell them that I speak Hebrew ”A leetle” comes this great smile! And then I ask my questions. And always I get welcome replies with some suggestions and info.

These short chats are of great value to me.

The City of Eilat

Eilat, on the Red Sea with a fantastic climate is a draw card for holidaymakers from all over the world. There are many beaches, some camping sites with all types of sea water activities and facilities, and eating places and coffee places with some modern smart hotels, and “shady places” as well. There are also shady places to sit on promenades and during holiday times the buses from the North bring holidaymakers, and the airplanes land at the airport which is in the centre of Eilat and is next to the main road.

Like any Port city, there are characters of all descriptions; long haired weirdoes, bald head ordinaries, lots of bikini clad mermaids, and some mothers and children as well, and there are open markets and many benches to sit on.

I suppose some must-sees would be the Oceanarium -Yellow Submarine, the Dolphin Beach & Diving site, the Eilat Lagoon and marinas, and new Lagoon Park. Also the shopping malls, the parks, maybe the floating casinos, and bird sanctuary, and when you have a map, available from most hotels, you can pick and choose the places of your desires. If you feel like a camel ride or a jeep tour, those are also available.

Also, I suggest a drive around the city to see the old neighborhoods, and the new smart high-rise apartment buildings, and again the fancy hotels, and everything and anything.
Let Google find Eilat, and see for yourself!

So for whatever length of time you choose to stay in Eilat, we can start right now on our tour !

Let us first take some time, perhaps, one hour, to ride on Route 12, maybe as far as Red Canyon for a look and a little walk, then back to Route 90 and north, and a short look-in at Kibbutz Elot on the left to look at the little zoo which the kids will love.

One very beautiful morning (early) I was riding in the mountains on route 12 just outside Eilat, and I stopped to look at sea view through binoculars, and I noticed 2 men at the “bottom of the road” with telescopes and other equipment. I rode down to them and after the usual “Do you speak English” opening, I asked if they were involved in “road-building” They politely told me “No” and that they were counting birds, and pointed up and “Sshhh”

Then when I looked up I saw these hundreds of birds flying in the thermal and coming in close to the cliff and they continued to come into view (hundreds of these magnificent birds)!

Then as soon as the shops opened I went to buy a “bird-book” and I went straight to the bird sanctuary to discover other amazing “things” And I now have some new “interest” in birds, thanks to the 2 bird counters, who gave me a few seconds of their time to give me a quick explanation and tell me the birds are Honeybuzzards.

Later I met them again at the bird sanctuary and again they were busy, but gave me coffee from their flasks. So, just another small, great, happening at the right moment in time.

At the entrance to Eilat on Route 90 is the Arava Border Crossing into Jordan, which I rode past a couple of times always wondering “what?” So I rode to the kiosk which had an opening facing the car-park, and bought a cool-drink and had a tiny chat through the opening with the occupant. He invited me into his kiosk and I received a special visitors card allowing me to go through the gates to get to the kiosk door.

He invited me to join him for breakfast that he was preparing for himself, and he told me many stories and happenings in his life, and about his family. Because of a drop in tourism, almost no people were coming to cross into Jordan, so his plans for expansion and renovation were ended.

While chatting, I told him that day was my birthday, so he went to a shelf and opened a bottle of wine to celebrate my birthday, and our meeting. Then he told me about a few places I should visit in and around Eilat.

Regrettably, on my following visit, the kiosk was closed. Right place at the right time?

Louis the Scooterer is 69 years old and it sounds like he’s just getting started.

Dog-Powered Scooters

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By Mark Schuett

How many ways have you seen people being pulled by their dogs? There are dogs out in front of bicycles, skateboards, Rollerblades, scooters, skis, etc. And don’t they look like a great deal of skill is required and potentially dangerous for the dog as well as the “rider”? Have you heard of the personal stories of crashes and injury? But who can blame us, we have an innate urge to tap into the power of the dog, our favorite domesticated animal friend who has an overflowing enthusiasm and energy.

Now, a new way to utilize dog power is available, that solves many of the “danger” issues. It’s called the “dog powered scooter” and its awesome fun. It essentially puts the one with the big brain, the rider, in control of the speed and direction of travel. The key design element that accomplishes this is by placing the dog, not out in front, but actually behind the steering mechanism. This has been accomplished by coupling the dog to our most basic, simple, stable form of the wheel- the scooter. We’ve seen the popularity of the small micro-scooters with the very young to attest to their ease of use and stability.

Up scaled scooters for adults have been available but have not grown in popularity due to greater efficiency and practicality of the bicycle. But now enter “dog power” and the equation has shifted.

The scooter is the perfect vehicle to motivate with dog power. The center of gravity (with you standing on the footboard) is so low on scooters that its very easy to keep it upright- and if instability is introduced terra firma is only inches away and its easy to step off.

But now where to put the dog as an engine? As discussed earlier the dog needs to be subject to the steering forces of the scooter therefore they need to be behind the front steering wheel. For safety and confidence the dog needs to see any obstacles coming along into his path. And through trial and error placing the dog at the side had the least negative effect on the scooter handling- and in fact added width to the system, which aids in stability. (For those with poor balance like very young children or the elderly a third wheel can be added to the “outrigger”) Through continued experimentation a rigid bar and harness configuration was developed to keep the dog in position- limiting side-to-side movement while allowing forward motion. Then it was a simple matter to make the rigid connection to the standard (large wheels, good brakes) scooter.

Another great advantage of giving the rider the power of steering is that there is virtually no “training” necessary for the dog. The animal’s only choice is to go forward, no dog needs training to do that!

Time does need to be spent getting the dog to overcome the “claustrophobia” of restricted side-to-side motion and the “spookiness” of being next to a wheel. (Wheel/spoke cover provided)

Most confident dogs need just a few minutes in position to acclimatize to the system. And with time learn to actually use the side-to-side restriction as an aid to balance. They also quickly key into the front wheel for turning direction. But mainly they are so “hardwired” into the unit that they “feel” the tug on the harness as soon as the rider begins any directional change and or speed change! Surprisingly the scooter maneuverability is almost unaffected by the dog (they can side step easily) and 90 degree turns are not a problem.

Verbal commands are not a necessity and have been relegated to a courtesy! To speed up, the rider “kicks” and tugs forward on the harness. Conversely the dog “feels” the reverse tug on the harness indicating braking. Dogs can easily out brake any scooter and usually are happy and cooperative in braking thus the scooter generally only needs to stop itself. Yet rider judgment is always needed to keep speed down in areas of congestion. Most dogs also quickly give up “fighting” the system and expending unproductive energy in trying to get to other dogs, cats, squirrels, etc. If anything you get a shot of forward energy! Yet the scooter has such great slow speed stability that you can still stand on it and ride even at a dogs walking pace!

Yet I don’t want to convey this system is just a toy for human entertainment. It involves a larger body of knowledge about dog care, limitations and teamwork therefore can offer more satisfying rewards. The dog must see this as beneficial to him in some way- namely chance to get exercise, a way to get to a dog park to play, a way to get more rewards in terms of treats and or love & attention. Just like work is to us this should become a source of “pride” for the animal.

There are some ways to mitigate the systems impact on the dog in order to keep it fun and safe. First of all you’ll be part of a team and need to help the dog a lot- particularly on the up hills. This is essentially a dog-assisted scooter. The dog will perform better if he gets your participation. I don’t recommend more than a 100 lb. weight difference between the rider and dog. (this is where the lighter women and children have an advantage) Don’t leave your dog in the system for more than 2 miles and or 20 minutes before letting him out for a play break with water available. Cut the activity back dramatically during hot weather. Minimize the time spent on hard pavement.

The “outrigger” is recommended attached on the right side so that on a typical sidewalk the dog can run on the grass while you keep the wheels on the pavement. (This also minimizes conflicts or collisions with head on passing of bicycles, dogs, other people) For intensive use (more than 3 outings- 6 miles each per week) on pavement, use the new dog booties with the thick rubber soles. Keep your dog’s claws cut short, allow the dog to set the pace. There will be times when the dog will breakout into a gallop for the thrills you desire, but most of the time he will pace himself at a trot and slow to a walk when needing to recharge. Again stop and rest often and enjoy this great way to spend time traveling with your dog.

With a responsible rider and a strong dog this new dog-powered scooter system offers solutions to many of the challenges we face in exercising our dogs in this ever more congested world. It offers lots of exercise in short period of time, lets the dog go full blast and or walk offering its owner the thrill of dog mushing and an opportunity to participate, maneuverability and control appropriate for the urban environment, all the while keeping the dog completely under control required in our litigious society.

If you’re looking for a new sport and a practical tool for transportation for yourself and your furry friend this is it; dog mushing for the common dog and the common owner, during any season.

Prices start at $450 without shipping. To order contact the writer: Mark Schuette (541)383-3845 mschue5938@aol.com

For more information and pictures: http://dogpoweredscooter.com

Human Powered Scooters

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Human Powered Scooters – The Undiscovered Transportation Solution
By Jeffrey the Barak

Energy Efficient or Exhausting?

Apart from the in-line scooter craze of 1999, the use of scooters in our society has been almost totally non-existent. Many would-be scooter riders have observed that it can be much less tiring to ride a bike for mile than to ride a scooter for the same mile. While this is true, it is also false! How can something be both true and false? Well, if you ride that mile at 12 MPH, the bike may be less tiring, and you will finish the ride in 5 minutes. But if you ride that same mile at 6MPH, it will take 10 minutes and you will find it less tiring on a scooter.

With the scooter, you don’t need that uncomfortable bicycle seat, the oily chain, the mounting and dismounting, and the extra weight of the bicycle. The scooter is simple. Even if you think you are not going very fast, the walking pedestrians you passed a few seconds ago will be way behind the next time you glance back at them. The key to energy-efficient scootering is to resist the temptation of going full speed and instead just letting the vehicle glide along. Using fewer, longer strokes and changing your body position and switching feet, you are not stuck in one position, as you would be sitting on a bike with pedals. At low speeds, it can sometimes seem as if you are getting an effortless free ride, compared to the hapless pedestrian.

This brings up the other reason that scooters never took their share of our transportation needs. We remember the toy scooters that we had as children. They often had hard solid tires on loose wheels that had primitive pin axles and the rolling resistance of an upside-down sheep. (Don’t ask me how I know that). The old scooters just coasted to a virtual halt and all your energy was wasted in restarting the momentum with each push of the leg. There was a glimmer of hope in the 1980′s when the BMX scooter almost became a good seller, but then the scooter vanished again.

And then suddenly there were the folding inline scooters of the late 1990′s. The skate bearings had a low rolling resistance, but the wheels were so tiny that you lost energy to the bumps, and the vibrations of the ride were subtly exhausting to the rider. Just like inline skates, the Razors and their many imitators were superbly portable and great fun on shiny smooth concrete, but a hard and potentially catastrophic ride on bumpy asphalt and uneven pavement. Even the high-end small-wheelers, the “Xootr” and the “Know-Ped” were bumpy, tiring, small-wheeled challenges to ride for any distance.

The Obvious Solution: Big Wheels!

Enter the scooter with bicycle wheels. Looking like a bicycle with no seat or pedals or gears, this bare bones vehicle has a lot in common with the ancient bone-rumbling ancestor of the bike, but with a reasonably light weight and a reasonably low rolling resistance, these bike/scooter hybrids are at last the perfect answer to efficient low speed travel.

The large wheeled scooters have been quite popular in Europe for some time but have found the American market to be a tough nut to crack. So where did they come from? Scandinavia is a snowy place, and about a century ago, Kicksleds became popular. Basically a scooter with parallel runners instead of wheels, the Kicksled remained almost uniquely Scandinavian until Finn Hannu Vierikko refined the design in the 1980′s and the modern Kicksled was born. Hannu then developed the Kickbike so he could train for his Kicksled when there was no snow on the ground.

Soon the Kickbike inspired other makers such as Sidewalker and Diggler to market large wheeled scooters and their use began to spread from Finland, to Europe, to Australia and to other small pockets around the world. The original Kickbikes inspired organized sports and riders now compete in international competition just like cyclists. Americans, still recovering from spending a huge sum of money on unused inline scooters, have yet to realize how fantastic the large wheeled scooters can be, but it’s only a matter of time until more scooters hit the streets of the US. If you ever rode an inline scooter or skated in the street, the difference on a large-wheeled scooter will astound you. Obviously it’s a much larger item, but there is no comparison between the experience of riding a Sidewalker or a Kickbike versus riding on a Razor or Rollerblades.

Unlimited Range.

Electric scooters have enjoyed very limited success because they run out of charge in well under an hour and that simply is not enough for an afternoon out and about. Plus, the wheels are still much too small on most designs. No, if you want to enjoy a whole day of low speed outdoor fun, you can teeter around getting your tender butt kicked by a hard bicycle saddle, or you can buy yourself a good push scooter with big wheels. Kickbike athletes have ridden mind-boggling distances on their twenty-pound mounts and many enthusiastic owners have pushed their range to dozens of miles in one day. Once again, there are two approaches to this. Fast and tiring, or slow and easy.

The KickbikeUSA website has published details of the first ever US coast-to-coast human powered scooter run. In Summer 2001, Jim Deltzer followed a 3,100-mile Northerly route over bad roads and mountains, and through snow and headwinds. It took him five weeks to travel from the Pacific to the Atlantic, and a diary of this record setting run is on the Kickbike.com site.

In late 2001, Dan Nielsen rode from the beach on the Pacific coast to the beach on the Atlantic coast, following a much shorter 2,378-mile Southerly route, he made the trip in just three weeks and a diary of this record breaking run is on the KickbikeUSA site.

vu-test: Kickbike vs. Sidewalker.


To illustrate the reasoning behind this discourse, which at first may sound unconvincing or indeed downright crazy, the-vu decided once again to put it to the test. Purchasing a Sidewalker City from SidewalkerUSA.com, and also a Millennium Kickbike from KickBikeUSA.com the road tests began in August 2003, in and around the former “roller-skating capital of the world”, Venice Beach, California.

Price

The Sidewalker City was $299 including free shipping. The Kickbike Millennium is the same price, but does not include shipping, which makes it $45 more.

Shipping time

The Sidewalker was shipped from Canada on a Saturday and delivered in Los Angeles, CA, USA on Wednesday. Not counting Sunday, that’s three days. At the time of writing, SidewalkerUSA do not charge beyond the $299 price for shipping, but you could say it’s built in. The Kickbike was shipped on a Tuesday and arrived three days later on the Friday

Packing

On the side of the Sidewalker box is the first indication of where the scooter was made, Taiwan. I was originally wondering if it might have been born in an Austrian factory, since Blauwerk, the maker of Sidewalkers, is ostensibly Austrian, but I suppose Austrian labor does not come cheap, and who’d buy a $900 scooter? The scooter was alarmingly free within its thin and torn cardboard box, but arrived in perfect condition. Seemingly missing was the rear reflector, and the longest included bolt at 1″ was not long enough to go through the fork to attach the front lightweight plastic fender. The Kickbike’s box was no more substantial, but arrived undamaged and the contents were wedged in tight to prevent movement.

Assembly, tools, accessories and documentation

With the Sidewalker, there were no instructions, and there was no booklet, no video, no invoice and no tools. Eying a bag of bolts, I decided immediately to take the scooter to a mechanic and pay to have it assembled, which turned out to be very simple. It was just a matter of knowing how to turn a wrench and how to adjust brake cables. If you don’t mind the occasional spray of dirty water on your legs, It may be worth omitting the fenders from your Sidewalker assembly. They are so light and flexible that they are constantly moving themselves towards the sidewalls of the tires and catching your swinging foot.

The Kickbike shipped with a small pile of accessories including a VHS videotape, a spare front tube, a wrench, a double hex key, a double screwdriver, a mini pump with bracket, a simple manual, a “letter” from the inventor and 2 promotional stickers. Before you even receive your Kickbike, their website has a simple photographed step-by-step assembly guide, but KickbikeUSA also recommends professional assembly. The Kickbike’s brake cables are already connected so you basically just insert the handlebars into the fork, adjust the brakes and you’re done. The very solid, chromed, rear fender is preinstalled and there was no front fender in the box. Was it missing or is the front fender an optional extra? I emailed Kickbike USA and Herb Seres explained that they no longer include the front fender because the Kickbike is almost universally preferred without the front fender installed. The frame keeps the ground water off the rider anyway. In all the Kickbike photos you see online, there are almost none with the front fenders installed. Also missing: a front reflector. Without the front fender, a bike mechanic can assemble the Kickbike in about five minutes.

Weight

The Sidewalker City weighs 26lbs (11.8 kg) and the Kickbike Millennium weighs 19.84lbs (9 kg). Each vehicle is considerably lighter than any normal bicycle. There are some rare bicycles that utilize expensive and rare metals, carbon fiber and plastics and end up weighing less than a Kickbike, but we’re unlikely to find them in a normal bike shop. Pedals, gears, chains, crossbars, seat posts and saddles add a lot of weight, which has to be pedaled around by a seated bicycle rider. Both of our full size adult scooters can be considered very low in weight compared to any normal bicycle. And weight is very important. Just as the extra weight of that big off-road SUV you use as a station wagon means you burn more gasoline per mile, a heavier scooter means your body has to output more energy per mile. In use, the Kickbike feels much lighter than the Sidewalker, and it also has a lower rolling resistance, but that’s a high standard and the Sidewalker is also light and easy rolling.

Portability

The Sidewalker’s 26lbs is easy to lift and carry with two hands, but a bit heavy for a one handed hold, and with just the front wheel removed it slips nicely into a mid-sized sedan’s trunk with the back seat folded down (a Dodge Stratus). With both wheels off you can use the trunk alone. Fully assembled the Sidewalker City seems like a giant. I am 5′ 7″ but I feel small beside this scooter. At 19lbs without the front fender, the Kickbike is much easier to lift or carry and the smaller rear wheel just seems to keep out of the way. The huge 700 front wheel is ultra light and the thin tall tire makes it so easy to pop on and off without unhooking the brakes.

Comfort and ride position

Scooting slowly at a leisurely pace is the key to enjoying the Sidewalker. The upright riding position is relaxed and the footboard is just low enough for an easy kick, but high enough to clear the obstacles of an average sidewalk. It takes a few minutes of practice to steer a straight line during the kicks and to keep the scooting leg away from the rear fender, but once your technique develops, the only sound you’ll hear is the occasional rattle from the plastic fenders/mudguards as they flex on the bumpier pavement. As with any scooter, smooth concrete is heaven, but the large wheels and built in flexibility of the Sidewalker’s frame iron out all vibrations from rough asphalt quite nicely. The Sidewalker’s lightly treaded 26-inch road tires are quiet and smooth at 65psi.

On the Venice Beach road test on a sunny but not too hot August weekday, the Sidewalker sped along the bike path with little effort, keeping abreast with or passing the beach cruiser bikes and attracting plenty of attention. The temptation to go very fast everywhere had to be controlled in order to extend my range, but once I slowed down a little, tiredness and fatigue did not become an issue during my ninety-minute scoot.

The very next day I took the Kickbike on the same run. Compared to the Sidewalker, the Kickbike just wants to go and go and go. With very little effort the feather light Kickbike cut through the air like a silent glider in a dive. On a slight downhill with a tailwind, the Kickbike reached racing speeds with absolutely no input. It was as if an invisible helping hand was pushing me along for an hour.

As with any unfamiliar exercise, it will be advisable to slowly build your endurance. I have to admit that my enjoyment of the test rides overrode my common sense and I woke up stiff and tired after a few days of self-inflicted punishment. But with a gradual start, anyone can become a strong and enduring scooter rider. In no time at all you’ll be easily covering distances that will add to your pleasure as they continue to increase in distance.

High Speed Riding

The Sidewalker’s upright riding position is not designed for the 100-yard dash. With the high bars and the proximity of the frame to the supporting knee, flat out sprinting is possible and fast, but it just doesn’t feel right. The Sidewalker’s ample deck makes it easy to pause between kicks and coast with both feet 5.5″ above ground, and even though it’s a heavier scooter than the Kickbike, it is still fine for a long hard fast ride. In the 1980′s I used to ride a 12″ kick scooter at high speed along the very same Venice Beach bike path and I naturally and independently developed many of the same techniques that you can see in the streaming videos on the Kickbike.com website. Back then I also fantasized about a large wheeled scooter that didn’t yet exist, and also about adding a battery and motor to a scooter. Of course other people went ahead and developed these things for me, so all I have to do is buy them! Anyway, the point is, by utilizing the standard Kickbike methods which are illustrated nicely on the somewhat grainy free video cassette, you use gravity and your whole body to transfer energy into your forward motion. While the seated cyclist can only use his or her legs, we scooter riders can use everything from our heads to our toes.

Day two on the Kickbike blew the doors off the previous day’s speeds achieved with the Sidewalker, but remember the full title of this vehicle is the Kickbike Millennium Pro Racer, and a racer it is! Going this fast in silence with your foot 4 inches off the concrete is just amazing. A racing bike may be faster, but the Kickbike high-speed experience is truly worth every cent.

Cruising

This is the strong point of the Sidewalker City. With the comfortable upright riding position, slow speed cruising for several hours on city streets and bike paths is an invitation that beckons from your Sidewalker. As long as you resist the temptation to triple-kick and Hop-Switch and tire yourself out, you can go slowly for hours on this thing. During the Venice Beach test, I took a couple of slow passes on the boardwalk instead of on the bike path. With just the occasional casual scoot I glided from the Santa Monica city line to the Washington Street pier at a very pleasant rate of about three or four times walking speed. The amount of foot traffic on a weekday afternoon made this safe and easy. The Sidewalker was stable and upright, even at speeds barely above zero, and the people seemed to react very positively to the giant blue scooter gliding silently through their midst.

The next day on the Kickbike, I found the lighter weight made cruising effortless also. But it has to be said that at such low speeds on the Kickbike, the bent forward riding position soon gets a little tiring for the neck, shoulders and hands. Instead of cruising upright and relaxed with bent elbows as on the Sidewalker, the low bars of the Kickbike force you to point your arms down and stoop. The Kickbike is still okay for cruising at 5MPH, but the Sidewalker is the king in this department.

Stopping

The bicycle style brakes on the front and rear wheels of either scooter make stopping under any conditions very safe and efficient. The low weight of the vehicle means there is very little inertia to have to pull to a stop.
Comparison of specifications.

Sidewalker City

Weight: 26 lbs or 11.8 kg
Length: 72 inches
Handlebar Height: Adjustable up to 44 inches
Deck Height: 5.5 inches
Deck Size: 14″ X 5″
Tires: Both the same: 1.5″ wide, 26″ nylon-belted street tires
Kickstand: Center Stand

Kickbike Millennium Pro Racer

Weight: 19.84 lbs or 9 kg
Length: 66 inches
Handlebar Height: 33 to 35 inches
Deck Height: 4 inches
Deck Size: 13″ X 4″
Tires Front: 700-25c Maxxis Kevlar-belted road-racing high-pressure tire. Rear: 16″ X 1 3/8″ Primo Comet high-pressure tire.
Kickstand: Side Stand

Maintenance

With fewer parts than a bike, it has to be easier to maintain a scooter. As long as you check your tires, brakes, and nuts and bolts, you should never have any significant problems with either scooter.

Attention grabbing

As a scooter rider approaches an onlooker, the scooter looks just like a bike, it’s the movement of the rider’s body that gives it away. Everyone looks to see what on earth you are riding and how you are making it go. Parking a Sidewalker and a Kickbike together attracts attention, and people go over and check each one out approximately equally. Because there are no others around, I found that all kids noticed me immediately and most skateboarders, skaters and cyclists at the beach gave me at least a quick glance as I scooted along.

But it is the Kickbike, not the Sidewalker, that really gets people going. Everyone looks at it and many comments and questions flood towards the rider. “Look Mommy a scooter bike”. “How much do those cost?” That’s different!” Cool bike, er, scooter?” “Wow, that thing really moves!” “Whoa, I didn’t hear you coming”. “That thing is beautiful”. “Where’s the motor?” “What’s making it go?” “I want one”.

Which one to keep, which one to sell?

Having purchased one of each to test and play with, I am faced with the choice of which one I should keep for myself and which one I should consider selling. Different people would of course have different criteria for picking their favorite from these two great devices. But my extensive testing leaves me with little doubt as to which is the ultimate vehicle; it’s the Kickbike.

There is an exception though. For the older or less athletic rider who wants to cruise on the sidewalk and go at lower speeds in a comfortable, relaxed, upright manner, the Sidewalker City would be a much better choice than the Kickbike. For the speedster, or for someone who just wants to look cool, get a Kickbike Millennium Pro Racer, ride it daily, and don’t let it out of your sight!

Buy one

The bike shops in your town are unlikely to have jumped onto the scooter wagon, so direct-sales rule here. If you are reading this in the United States, Order from the following two websites.

Kickbike.com
SidewalkerUSA.com

Writer Jeffrey the Barak is the publisher of the-vu and has had a thing for kick scooters for a very long time. In the late 1980′s and early 90′s he was seen every day on the Venice Beach boardwalk as the sole scooter rider, except for the occasional child. He took the same lousy 12 inch toy scooter to Hawaii and was the only scooter rider there also. A decade and a half later he is in a unique position to appreciate just how wonderful the vehicles discussed in this article truly are.


Malaguti USA

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Breaking into the Market: The New School Entrepreneurs
By Vert James


In a time when gas prices are driving the masses back to the days of carpooling and public transit, a name like Vespa is reforming itself to mean more of a transportation alternative than a piece of nostalgia. Scooters are just beginning to receive major attention right now in the US and for more reasons than our tradition of stealing anything that is cool and European. With gas prices and traffic through the roof, the scooter market is set to explode.

Many Americans have already heard about Vespa coming back into the market with a new corporate feel and slick boutiques featuring classic models and cappuccino machines at every location. However, the hot topic in the scooter scene is the name Malaguti. Unless you are a fan of elite motor engine and body models, or a connoisseur of sought after Italian quality, you are probably unfamiliar with this brand of scooters. This will soon change.

Malaguti is Italy’s third largest scooter brand and was recently introduced into the US market by a group of young, energetic college grads from the University of Florida. Apparently, college got boring after the first two years and it only seemed logical to these real-world newborns to start a business. Today, their communal attitude and youthful spirit continue to drive Malaguti USA forward at a mind-blowing rate. The company’s focus is to stick to the young, growing scooter crowd and offer Italian Scooters at American prices. While Vespa’s new US models start at $3,000, the Malaguti’s average $2700. They have also embraced the traditional scooter crowd, ensuring an incredible amount of street credibility, something the young executives noticed that Vespa lost when it sued small Vespa shop owners last year for name infringement. “Sure we want to make a buck,” said Ian Kirby, a Malaguti USA marketing executive, “but we’ve seen not only the scooter market, but most all of America, turn into a pathetic corporate wasteland.

At Malaguti USA we’ve embraced the extremely simple idea that if everyone is happy, from my coworkers to our customers, then we can’t go wrong.” This philosophy seems to be carrying Kirby and the rest of Malaguti USA to the top of their game faster than they realize.

How Malaguti Arrived In the States

Growing up in Miami, Joel Martin recognized scooters, a vehicle analogous with a European lifestyle, as part of his everyday being. Helping father Froilan and grandfather Manuel run a small scooter outlet in Miami, Martin became a natural expert in motor scooters and the related business. In college, he was approached by Malaguti and was asked to do American market research for the Italian firm. His college career was already highlighted by marketing internships at companies like Coke and Sony and so it came naturally to him to try to find a market for the Italian scooters. After consideration and the following realization of the huge potential for an American scooter market, Martin asked his friends Chris Esposito and Ian Kirby for help in looking for marketing opportunities for scooters in the US. Immediately, Esposito, Kirby and Martin turned their small DJ entertainment company that they ran for extra cash into a PR firm for the Malaguti scooter empire. In January they launched the Malaguti USA brand and have been hard under pressure to keep up with demand since they started.

When questioned about the birth and development Malaguti USA, Esposito said, “Most of our friends left college regretting the fact that they didn’t drink enough beer. I left regretting that I didn’t turn my DJ business into a PR firm that handles international accounts earlier. I couldn’t have asked for a better situation—my hobby has turned into my career.” Kirby added, “Everyday, we wake up and know that we are making our living doing exactly what we want to do. California is whining about the energy crisis but we’re loving it. It’s funny, people didn’t think scooters would sell, but now that gas prices are up everyone wants an Italian scooter.”

Since Graduation they have been turning down jobs left and right. The trio has omitted positions at marketing firms and youth-oriented websites. “The temptation’s always there—job security, company cars—that sort of thing, but that’s submitting to the rat race. Where’s the adventure?” Joel Martin, president of Malaguti USA asked. He continued, “We’re actually pretty lucky that we haven’t hopped on any of the corporate opportunities that have been offered to us. All my friends who left for the dot com field are now looking for jobs; we followed our hearts and were doing okay. It’s not about money.”

While the classically trained businessman would most likely frown upon the Malaguti USA marketing and promotional strategy, many established marketing experts are highly impressed by the innovative approach the young firm uses to promote itself. Their first event was the Indiana Motorcycle show at the RCA dome in February. While companies like Yamaha and Harley Davidson had expensive and flashy setups, the Malaguti team knew they would need something more if they were to attract the attention they were looking for. Using industry connections, their booth included a light show and a constant live performance by DJ Factor E who recently went on the road with the MTV Campus Invasion Tour. The Malaguti booth received national rave reviews and was voted one of the best booths at the event.

Their second event soon followed in March with Playboy Magazine’s Spring Break on South Padre Island, Texas. Playboy Playmates paraded around the island for the entire week on the hottest new scooter brand around. Esposito, Kirby and Martin personally escorted the Playboy limousine wherever the Playmates went on the island. The event received international headlines in the motorcycle and scooter press, on top of being featured on Playboy.com.

Malaguti USA opened its US headquarters in Miami, Florida where Martin’s family scooter shop was located. Malaguti SpA has been so impressed by Martin’s work, it extended Martin’s contract and asked him to set up all of North America to receive the giant scooter brand. His first mission was to send out Kirby and Esposito to open up the West Coast offices. Before this could happen, the Malaguti events reached the ear of Playboy’s president Cindy Rakowitz who offered to take on the Malaguti cause. She hired Chris Esposito as her Event and Program Coordinator for a new Marketing, PR company called RakNRoll (www.RakNRoll.com) Thanks to the new PR firm Malaguti is now making a name for itself outside of the scooter crowd. “With RakNRoll’s help we will be able to develop the brand to the point where it’s at in Europe in a shorter time. People know that Italian scooters are the best there is in style and quality, and it’s up to us to show them there’s more out there than just Vespa,” commented Esposito.

The next large event featuring Malaguti will be the Ducati World Weekend in Nevada this October. Hundreds of thousands of motorcycle fans will flock to the Vegas racetrack from all over the world to participate in the event. Malaguti USA just reached an exclusive licensing deal and promotional agreement with Ducati North America to be its official scooter. Malaguti will also be launching a line of limited edition US Ducati replica scooters for collectors this fall, all of which will have high exposure at the World Weekend.

In the meantime, Esposito, Kirby and Martin continue to run Malaguti USA in their own particular manner. Said Kirby, “It’s not an issue of Malaguti adjusting to the business and consumer here; it’s an issue of us retraining the American market to embrace the product we have and the way we do business. And it couldn’t be going better.” With that Kirby had to excuse himself. He said that he was on his way to the beach to meet Esposito—in the middle of the business day. “That’s what we do. We run our business on the precept that if we’re happy ourselves then everyone else will be happy with us.” Martin emphasized this in a separate interview saying, “At Malaguti we like to think that if it’s not getting better, you’re not doing it right.” After a laugh he said, “Well, it’s getting better.”

Not bad for a few kids who three months ago were looking for change to order a pizza.

All pictures courtesy of Malaguti USA

A novelist and scooter enthusiast, Vert James’ one goal in life is to be credited with inventing the bumper sticker slogan: I’d Rather Be…