I work three blocks from where I live. It's a quick walk, a nice walk, and it really is a distance that is effectively too short to bike. It's not worth the hassle and time of locking and unlocking my bike at both ends of the commute. In fact, as much as we enjoy biking, Christine and I walk quite a bit around Issaquah. We're often not in that much of hurry and walking is even more convivial than biking.
But I have to confess that I like to roll. I like zipping around under my own power and I like gadgets that roll. I've seen the kids with their skateboards but I don't think I have the coordination and balance to ride one of those. But I've long been fascinated with kick scooters and I began researching them years ago. Finally I found the scooter that looked like it would be well worth a try and I hatched a plan.
The machine is a KickPed and it is sold by NYCeWheels in New York City. They are an excellent shop selling folding bikes and scooters and I wrote them explaining who I was and what my blog was about. I also told them about the 30 Days of Biking Challenge. In both 2011 and 2012 I rode my bike and blogged about it every day. While that was fun, I wanted to do something a bit different for 2013. So my proposal to NYCeWheels went like this: Would they be interested in giving me a discount on a KickPed if this April I scooted and blogged a 30 Days of Scooting Challenge? They're nice folks (maybe they're NYCe folks!) and they gave me a deal. So each day next month you'll see a post from me about my scooter adventures in Issaquah and other places around here. I'll do some guest posts on the NYCeWheels blog as well. Stay tuned!
In the next few weeks I'll post scooter stuff as I discover it. I'm already learning a lot. The scooter is nowhere near as efficient as a bike, but I think it has a definite niche. I've been scooting back and forth to work for the past few days now. Mike (my boss) asked me "Is it really any better than walking?" My quick answer is that it's about twice as fast and twice as fun. My son Eric seems convinced I've taken up scooting just to embarrass him.
More detailed posts to come.
Keep 'em rolling,
Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah, WA USA
17 comments:
Readers waiting for the first edit to drop from the local skate park. Expecting baggy pants and nipple ring. I've heard the local skate park also serves as a bit of a "dispensary" too, for what it's worth.
Have fun Kent. My kids have been heard moaning, "Dad, give me back my scooter!" from time to time.
does it have brakes?
how hard is it to carry up the long hill you just scooted down to get to the corner store?
Bryan,
The rear fender is a brake but the classic foot drag works as well. The scooter weighs about 12 pounds and on climbs that are too steep for scooting I pretty much walk with it beside me or I fold it and carry it. It only takes 2 seconds to fold or unfold it.
I use a simple razor scooter too when my son is biking on the sidewalk. It's pretty fun and easier to keep up with him than trying to ride slowly on the road. Technically it's his scooter.. but hey.
Cool! I never feel safe riding my kids' Razors; I've adjusted the loose headsets just from their own riding and don't want to wear it out any faster than they do. This thing looks sturdy.
The funny thing is that your google ad on the right is now selling me Vespa-type motorized scooters. Not exactly what you're going for with this post...
Cheers!
Matt in Tacoma
I'm curious to see what one of these will look like with coroplast fenders.
Hey, I used to commute 2 miles on a Xootr kick-scooter. Even scooted home for lunch, so 8 miles a day. The Xootr rolled great on smooth pavement, but was a problem if there was gravel or rough stuff. Worked really well for hybrid trips using the bus, and the fun factor was off the charts. But it was a bit slippery and dangerous on wet pavement. And here in Portland it's illegal to ride on the sidewalks downtown, which is a bit of a bummer. But since I live and work in a suburb, it wasn't a big issue for me. Have fun!
Looking forward to your experience with your scooter and pix.
I was curious why I saw Issaquah's most famous cyclist on a scooter! I was shocked. Now I know.....
As long as your pants are hanging half way down to your knees, it should be cool ;)
Awesome! I wanted to scoot to work with my scooter, but my girlfriend questioned my dignity. Jokes on her, since I don't have any. Keep scootin'!
Looking forward to reading all about it,Kent,should be interesting!
On the skateboard thing,I skated lots as a kid/teen,but now a few months shy of 40,let me tell you,my friend...at our age it isn' just about balance or coordination,we don't bounce as high as we once did :p
The DC
I went from feeling awkward riding a kick scooter to thoroughly enjoying it. The scooter type I'm talking about are the ones with the larger 12" wheels. For me it was a Yedoo with 12" wheels and front and rear brakes. This is my preferred mode of transportation when camping with my family or taking a ride down a nearby bike trail.
I'm glad they are not socially acceptable for adult
I'd be scooting on the downtown sidewalks constantly, just to piss off the filth. British slang for pigs.
As long as scooting is socially unacceptable, I'll keep riding my scooter. Anything society is against, I'm all for.
Oh please, scooters are about fun not being some rule obsessed robot. Ride where you choose to just don't let the filth catch you!
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