Today was a typical spring day in Issaquah with a good bit of rain and a few bits of sun. Between going early to deposit a check at the credit union, getting a cup of tea and muffin at Panera and scooting back and forth to work and home for lunch I logged about three miles of scooting, most of it on damp streets. I've noticed that I get very good feedback as to how slick the streets are by the feeling I get each time I kick. If my foot slides a bit on the kick stroke, I know to back off on my scooting speed. Caution is key in wet weather but the KickPed's rubber tires do quite well at gripping the road. This doesn't make the KickPed the fastest scooter on the market, but the wide rubber tires add a measure of comfort and safety that make it a very good commuter scooter. I wouldn't dare use any scooter with urethane tires in this damp climate. I tend to be a cautious fellow and I'm doubly cautious in wet conditions.
My friend Mike Kearsley stopped by the shop today and asked "what's new" so of course I had to rave about the scooter. I didn't have any great pictures for today's blog post, so Mike snapped today's scooter photo with his phone. Thanks, Mike!
I get so darn many smiles from people when they see me scooting about. Maybe the sight of a 54 year old man on a scooter is amusing or maybe my own smile is infectious. All I know is that I'm having fun scooting about. Even on the damp days.
Keep 'em rolling,
Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah WA USA
3 comments:
It sounds like the scooter does very well in a 2-3 mile radius from home. At what point would you switch to a bike?
My Kickped arrived Friday afternoon (via FedEx), nine days after ordering and paying for it. My only quibble.
One end end of the shipping box looked like it had been punched in, for whatever reason. Anyway, the tires weren't at all stinky and I did let the scooter outside on the patio for afternoon and evening just to make sure.
Saturday I did some experimental short scoots to learn the thing. That went well; the only conclusion I can offer is that a serious, long-time cyclist has to learn some new moves, wire in some new brain-mind-body connections to scoot safely and efficiently over short distances (a mile or two). It's no big deal, doable.
This morning a friend who rides (and busses) a Strida (yes, they're out there) tried my Kickped and came back exclaiming, "And you only paid what for this?" Indeed. It might even be a Dahon Speed Uno killer...But you'll never get my Cannondale Hooligan 8 out of my hands.
Just be extra careful of the potholes with small wheel bikes and scooters especially. Potholes can swallow, flip and kill you.
Billk,
The bike wins for distances over 5 miles or if I have to haul a bunch of stuff. Or if I really have to go faster than about 7 or 8 miles per hour. But for in town stuff and a lot of quick errands, the scooter wins. Both modes of travel are fun & good exercise.
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