One thing on the horizon in the eScooter world right now concerns New York City as the local government is taking a big look at whether they'd like to change the laws to allow eScooters to be legal on Manhattan. Living in New York City myself, I got to thinking about what types of scooters are going to be the best investment for rolling around town (if the laws change, obviously), but I wanted to share some of my thoughts on here to help other people who may be a similar city.
Particularly in New York City, it seems that we always have any number of road construction projects to fix the potholes that are everywhere, there are manholes to dodge, work trucks and delivery trucks in bike lanes and just a lot of obstacles in general.
Tire Size
The first thing that I'm looking for for a folding electric scooter for city life is 10" tires, or larger. Don't get me wrong- 8" tires are not bad, but they're a bit more suited for places where you may have an easier ride with less obstacles to worry about on the road. The 10" tires also lend themselves to a more comfortable ride, as they have a much easier time rolling over little rocks, branches or the like. Some companies like Nanrobot even make an 11" tire.
Durability
The last thing that you want when you're cruising at 15mph (or faster- wear a helmet!) is to be riding on something that isn't well-made, and gives you concern that it may break when you hit the next pothole or speed bump. It's worthwhile to invest in a company with a well-made product and one with safety in mind when they designed it. Also, it doesn't hurt to buy a product from a company that is available to provide parts if and when you may need them. You don't necessarily want to blow $500 on a badly made scooter with no parts available when it breaks, and then you have to spend another $500+ on another new scooter to replace your old one.
The lesson here: Buy quality!
Consider the Weight
One typical drawback of buying a scooter with bigger tires and more power is that you usually end up with more weight in the process. Sometimes that's fine. Adding a little bit of weight changes how the eScooter rides, and can actually help with a better center of gravity, and also it may not respond so harshly (when coupled with good suspension) when you hit bumps in the road.
Make some consideration for how you want to use your scooter in the city. Is this for going to work where it may need to be carried up a lot of stairs each day? Maybe the heaviest folding electric scooter may not be the best option. Just riding around town, or going to a cafe on the weekend to meet up with friends? A heavier scooter won't be so bad, considering you might not have to carry it often. Do you live in a walk-up apartment? You get the point.
Power
Do you need to keep up with traffic or are there dedicated bike lanes in your area so that you can ride safely away from the cars and trucks? If you're dealing with traffic, you may want to consider a higher powered eScooter. Do you live in an area that has a lot of hills or maybe some uneven terrain? You may need a little extra power to make it over those hills.
Which ones made the Top 5?
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The scooters below are what I feel are a good mix of power, comfort, durability and all of them have a decent tire size for ensuring that you have an easy ride.
It's 52lbs. It has 10" pneumatic tires. It has a 1,600 watt motor capable of reaching 41mph, and has a range of 62 miles.
Although EMOVE is a bit new to the eScooter game, the Cruiser has performed remarkably well, judging by its presence on social media.
The Cruiser is remarkably well-built and also has one of the highest top speeds and one of the highest ranges of the scooters on this list. Being 52lbs, it's also a little heavier than most on this list but it's no slouch on the road.
Check out the latest prices for the EMOVE Cruiser on directly from the manufacturer.
Although it's a fairly simple design, the Meelz Commuter eScooter far surpasses the M365 and the Segway ES models to be the King in its' category.
The Meelz Commuter is a very simple and solidly-built eScooter with great specs and some features that puts it at the top of its' category.
With a 350 watt motor and an interchangeable battery system, the Meelz Commuter is capable of going up to 16 miles with a top cruise speed of just over 15 mph. Being a very lightweight scooter at only 27lbs, it can still easily support a 220lb rider.
Made with aircraft-grade aluminum, the Commuter is incredibly sturdy. Part of that is because the whole footboard section of the eScooter is one piece of aluminum. This gives maximum sturdiness during your ride. Also, this eScooter features pneumatic tires make for a comfier ride than any of its' competitors. Included on the rear wheel is a mechanical disc brake system that comes setup from the factor very well. On top of the mechanical disc brake, you can step on the rear fender for an additional brake.
The LCD screen is very easy to read and provides great ride information and accurate statistics about your ride.
For the money, we don't think that you can beat the Meelz Commuter. It's a fantastic ride for a very small amount of money. Want to learn more? Watch through our very thorough video above and see for yourself what happened when we put it through all of our tests.
You can get the Meelz Commuter for just $398 directly from the manufacturer.
You're not going to find another eScooter quite like this one. It has some of the sleekest design lines on an eScooter that you're going to find. It's an absolute joy to ride. It has a gorgeous, easy-to-use user interface that rivals the best eScooters on the market in any class.
The One Mile Halo City is an absolute steal when you put features against price. For $1500, you get a refined eScooter that handles a lot of different terrain types and by design is more safe for riders than many other models, due to its much lower center of gravity. Want an eScooter that you can grow with? Want a dependable eScooter that has excellent product support? Want something that will catch everyone's eye? This is the one.
We recently did a video review of this one that you can find down below, and the associated article about this beautiful piece of machinery is available right here.
Want your own One Mile Halo City? You can buy it directly from Urban Machina, who always has Halo City in stock.
Sure, it's a little bit more expensive than any other eScooter on this list......but look at this monster!!!! It can handle everything that you throw at it and then some. You're getting 3000 watts of power, ridiculously cool (and useful) suspension, an awesome lighting package so that the cars and riders around you will see you coming, and MiniMotor's well-known product support.
You can even take advantage of Dualtron's cartridge system to change everything about how your suspension feels as you're riding it. This is probably best described as a nice long-range commuter eScooter that has the ability to be a proper off-roading scoot in the same breath. It's made out of super high quality aviation grade 6082-T6 aluminum and SCM440 steel and can handle anything you can throw at it.
Want your own? Take a visit to MiniMotor's page for the Dualtron Spider for current pricing and a full list of features.
It's 39lbs. It has 9" pneumatic tires. It has a 600 watt motor, capable of speeds of 25mph, and it sees 30 miles on a charge.
Known as one of Falcon PEV's best selling scooters, this model is for every commuter.
This model has become so successful because of its match of price and features; it puts it in a class that creates the perfect middle ground for the thing that most riders look for. It can handle the bumps with its great suspension and 9" tires. It has a wider footboard for more comfortable riding. It rides in a comfortable speed range, and the battery gives it good distance before you need to recharge- and all for under $1000. How can you beat that?
It's also very easy to get parts for if you need them. RevRides.com makes it quick and easy to get parts.
If you're anything like me, my biggest concern is always safety. It's apparent to me that when I'm riding this, I'm going to be seen by everyone around me and I'll feel more safe on the road because of that. This model also features great brake lights too that flash when you're decelerating.
Also, have you seen the lighting package on this thing?
Find out how to get your own the Falcon PEV Zero 9 at RevRides.com. Use the coupon code "ESCOOTNEWS" for 10% off.
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