9 ms·

I rode a non-electric kick scooter (Xootr) for three years working in downtown SF. It is by far the best form of transitional transport there is and superior to

I rode a non-electric kick scooter (Xootr) for three years working in downtown SF. It is by far the best form of transitional transport there is and superior to bikes for 99% of actual real world travel. It was easily 4-5 times faster than walking and more importantly suddenly made the entire city open due to how insanely efficient it was for "glueing" together various forms of public transport. I could hop from transport hub to transport hub insanely quickly and the entire system suddenly worked in a way that did not happen with walking or biking. Some people say walk, but it's too slow and a 1/2 mile "walk" section on a complicated transport route would be impractical on foot. Biking is fast enough for long trips but massively inconvenient for quick trips to a store or park or restaurant. A scooter on the other hand could be with me all day, I can take it into the store with me, I can take it on the bus. Transition cost from arrival to getting on the bus or walking into a store was seconds instead of minutes with a bike. The scooter had tons of upsides and the only downside was, at the time, that it was kind of embarrassing to be seen on. People talk to much about the "last-mile" as if the only travel people do is on massive transport corridors to and from work. The scooter solves the transport mesh, the hops and transitions of actual day-to-day living.

shafyy 7y ago
I've been biking for 2 years in SF and disagree that it's impractical for short trips. Why do you think that?
- tick_tock_tick 7y ago
  You have the deal with the bike afterwords. Go for brunch in the mission and your friends are going back to the outer sunset with a scooter just fold it up and put it in the car with a bike either hope it's there when you get back, bike all the way, or go home then head over alone.
  - eldenbishop 7y ago
    This exactly: bikes require planning and strategy and are not good for improvisational day-to-day things like you described. Bikes make walking easier but all other forms of travel like bus, train or taxi/uber/cars more difficult or impossible.
    - jdavis703 7y ago
      > bikes require planning and strategy What? I don't plan or strategize any more or less than someone getting in a car might think about the optimal rush hour route.
      - notJim 7y ago
        Exactly. I think the point is that a scooter allows you to plan far less.
      - dredmorbius 7y ago
        A car can be parked on the street (at least in theory, I'm aware SF's parking may be less amenable), and has a high likelihood of being there and intact when you return. Without bike-parking infrastructure -- ubiquitous racks -- bikes are far less likely to be found where left, and far more likely to be damaged, vandalised, and/or have components nicked. I've lived where cycling was well-supported and routes and racks reasonable. And where not. For SF, hills, parking, and traffic all work against cycling.
        jdavis703 7y ago
        > bikes are far less likely to be found where left, and far more likely to be damaged, vandalised, and/or have components nicked. I don't own a car anymore, but when I did I had countless break ins. Most times nothing was taken. Petty theft & vandalism is a problem here regardless of vehicle type.
    - maccam94 7y ago
      Dockless and docked bikeshare programs both mitigate this issue, with trade-offs on the inconvenience of finding bikes/parking them.
      - coredog64 7y ago
        Citibike in NYC is a dumpster fire. Same price as subway ride for a 30 minute ride. Each ride segment has to be 30 minutes or less or they start charging you by the minute. You can’t check out more than one bike on a single account. The full docks don’t correctly report in, meaning even though the dock is full, you can’t get a time extension while you go out of your way to return the bike.
  - crimsonalucard 7y ago
    Get a brompton.
    - frabbit 7y ago
      Or a Bike Friday Pakit https://www.bikefriday.com/folding-bikes/product/bike-friday-pakit-compact-folding-bike https://www.bikefriday.com/folding-bikes/product/bike-friday...
      - jdietrich 7y ago
        The Brompton is really the only game in town for urban folding bikes. Uniquely, the Brompton locks into a compact and balanced package that can be comfortably carried in one hand. If you opt for a model with a pannier rack (or buy an EazyWheels kit) the folded bike can be pulled around like a wheeled suitcase. There are lots of good folding bikes, but only one good folded bike. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cepoV17TH-A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cepoV17TH-A
        frabbit 7y ago
        Depends on what you're looking for. I found the wheel size a bit too small. I think this is a fair comparison and gives the advantage to the Brompton in small folded size, although its weight is not something to be taken lightly (!) http://anatolyivanov.com/prose/en/AI.7.00109/ http://anatolyivanov.com/prose/en/AI.7.00109/ I love the Pakit, however I like the looks of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mkzRF3trJM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mkzRF3trJM https://youtu.be/xscDjAmD2MM?t=251 https://youtu.be/xscDjAmD2MM?t=251
    - fragmede 7y ago
      While the folding bike concept is cool, and it's actually really handy to be able to take them on trains where a non-folding would be disallowed, and while they are also more convenient than a full size bike, they're still big and cumbersome when folded up. I can take mine on the bus, but that wouldn't be my first choice. I can take a regular Lyft, but not a Lyft Line with it. (I mean I could, but that's a dick move.) You're "that guy" at the bar after work. Like I said, I own one (well, a Dahon), and it's definitely useful, more convenient than a full size, non-folding bike, but it doesn't actually solve the issue, merely alleviates it somewhat.
  - walshemj 7y ago
    The answer is a Brompton or other folders you can even get an electric Brompton now.
    - dTal 7y ago
      They're horribly expensive. Cheap, properly portable, properly rideable: choose two.
  - reneherse 7y ago
    For people who are REALLY into bikes, a "rinko bike" helps with this. For general use however, I'm convinced about using a scooter as described above by the GGP.
    - chdhchd 7y ago
      Have you done much travel with a rinko-style dismantled bike in the US? I'm curious how trains and buses feel about the (still big and unwieldy) bag.
      - reneherse 7y ago
        I haven't personally, but there was recently a discussion of that very topic on the i-bob list. [1] https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/internet-bob/bWwsR-J2LMY https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/internet-bob/bWwsR-J...
    - ACow_Adonis 7y ago
      I've just bought the xootr, will see how it goes. But part of the rationale for trying it (as opposed to my bike) is that I wouldn't feel too self- conscious about taking the scooter onto public transport during rush hour. It's all marginal, but when it's standing room only, the extra space taken up by the folding bikes is just eeking that little bit more into the "socially unacceptable dick- move" category. Might not be applicable if you're not in place where public transport gets that busy, but definitely a consideration here. Plus my hope is the ability to carry it easily one handed, and store it under (or leaving it standing vertically) my desks at both work and at home (as opposed to my bike, which resides underground in the garage), and that i can conceivably ride it in a suit. Plus, I can access both sidewalks and paths and roads (which is a legal consideration here) As I said, we'll see how it goes...but it seems to make sense on paper...
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - shafyy 7y ago
    Or just, and here me out here, bike to the outer sunset. Sounds crazy. Depending on your fitness level, you might arrive a couple of minutes later than your friends, but so what.
- modo_ 7y ago
  I use a bike to get around SF the majority of the time as well. But lately I've been switching it up and using a skateboard for short trips. Riding the bike definitely isn't 'impractical', but the skateboard is so much less of a hassle. You don't have to bother carrying a lock (or walk to the corner to find the nearest pole to lock it to for that matter). And, don't tell my Mom, but not fiddling with a helmet and lights is huge too.
  - abakker 7y ago
    rejoinder to the helmet point: if the speed is the same, and the places traveled are the same, the need for the helmet is the same.
    - mikepurvis 7y ago
      I commute on a Boosted Board and after three summers of doing so, I'm a very confident rider of it. But I wouldn't ever dream of going without a helmet, even for short trips around the neighbourhood.
      - eldenbishop 7y ago
        I rode a skateboard every day for 8 years, from high school through college and thought helmets where stupid. I got a Boosted board last year and after one ride bought my first helmet. Would never use it without one now.
    - TylerE 7y ago
      Crash motion is different.
    - lkbm 7y ago
      If the speed is the same, and the places traveled are the same, and the likelihood of an accident is the same... Can you imagine going to a car dealership, and coming across a car with 10x the stopping distance and a center of mass twice as high as a Civic and the salesman telling you "it's just as safe so long as you're traveling the same speed and same places"? Would you buy that claim for a second? I've avoided numerous accidents by being able to stop quickly on my bike, or by making a sharp turn. This varies greatly just between different bicycles -- a mountain bike has much better stopping distance than a road bike. There's obviously also a big difference between a skateboard and a bicycle. There's also, I think, a steeper learning curve between skateboard and bike, though that may be because learning to bike as a child is more common. There's at least a difference in skill levels. I mostly know the limits of my bike. (e.g., how hard can I turn without skidding out?) and while a skilled skateboarder may be on par with me on that, I'm not. I can bike tens of thousands of miles without falling. I'm nowhere near the skill level of being able to do that on a skateboard. Being able to eject yourself is also valuable. I suspect a skateboarder would have better "eject and run" options than a cyclist, so that's a point in their favor. (I've had my back tire run over twice, and both times I was able to simply run forward over the handlebars, and my hands (and head) didn't touch the grounds, but it's not always going to be that easy.)
rtomayko 7y ago
I’ve been thinking about bike vs scooter a lot lately too. Austin is overrun with scooters and I used them for a little while before finding the electric Uber Jump bikes. They seem superior to scooters in every way in Austin, which makes the 20:1 ratio of scooters to bikes a bit baffling. But I can see your point in SF where I use to walk 5 blocks from my apartment to the muni train and then another five blocks from the train to the office. Scooters would have been ideal there. The e-bikes have one massive advantage in Austin - you can take them on the Butler Trail that runs the width of the Austin along the river. You can get almost anywhere of interest very quickly on one of the jump bikes. There’s also no useful bus or train transport in Austin (I thought SF was bad) so you’re not using the small transport to move small distances between larger transport as often.
- samsolomon 7y ago
  We have the Jump e-bikes here in Atlanta, and I also prefer them to scooters. There are a lot of old roads and sidewalks with cracks that make riding a scooter can be dangerous. With the small wheels, you really have to pay attention to the road ahead of you. Unfortunately, I received an email earlier this month that Jump is pulling all the e-bikes from the city. I wonder if operating costs or cost fo replacement make them unrealistic?
  - monksy 7y ago
    Get off the sidewalk. https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta/starting-today-you-could-be-fined-up-to-10k-for-riding-an-e-scooter-on-a-sidewalk/957603217 https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta/starting-today-you-...
    - burmer 7y ago
      That pronouncement (in the article) seems a little harsh on people in wheelchairs...
    - wool_gather 7y ago
      Ugh. Build dedicated lanes, then, Atlanta. A scooter-pedestrian collision isn't pleasant, but it has a far, far better outcome for the pedestrian than a car-scooter collision does for the scooter. I speak as someone who bikes and walks, and is as annoyed as everyone else by scooters -- they still have a right to personal safety.
afterburner 7y ago
> Some people say walk, but it's too slow and a 1/2 mile "walk" section on a complicated transport route would be impractical on foot. Wait, are you being serious? That's less than a 10 minute walk, and you probably need the exercise anyways... And SF has fantastic walking weather compared to most of the world.
- ProfessorLayton 7y ago
  Right, but that .5mi "10 minute walk" tuns into 20 minutes both ways, adding tons of time (as a % of commute) to the door-to-door travel times.
  - DanBC 7y ago
    That's not wasted time though, is it? It's a chance for a bit of exercise, a bit of shopping, to see your local communities.
    - derefr 7y ago
      I live in a nice part of town; I work in a nice part of town; but the straight-line walking connection I have to make in the middle is in the bad part of town. I'd rather not.
    - chestervonwinch 7y ago
      > a bit of shopping, to see your local communities It's possible that's exactly what you're doing on the scooter. Maybe your destination is a local establishment to meet up with friends and you don't want to be a sweaty mess upon arrival.
    - adrianN 7y ago
      Riding a kick scooter is pretty good exercise too.
  - rhizome 7y ago
    If you need to shave 20 specific minutes off your daily activities, I suggest finding a new job.
umvi 7y ago
> It was easily 4-5 times faster than walking I can walk a mile in 20 minutes which is 3 mph. This implies these scooters can maintain 12-15 mph? Am I just underestimating how fast you can get going on these things? That seems kind of fast unless you are going downhill both ways.
- dougmany 7y ago
  I averaged about half the time vs walking when I used my kick scooter regularly. Reading the next though, I think they are gaining time by linking transit hubs.
- aveni 7y ago
  I ride an electric scooter approx. 4 mi each way Caltrain <-> work everyday. I regularly maintain 15mph+ trip average.
  - umvi 7y ago
    Right, and the guy I was replying to was claiming that speed on a non-electric "Xootr".
- higginsc 7y ago
  They top out at 15 mph in SF. I wish they went faster. I am a cyclist and usually maintain close to 20 mph (not counting lights). It's kind of maddening not to be able to go 20 or 25 on them.
- eldenbishop 7y ago
  Your right. Electrics can do that kind of speed but I was on a kick scooter and probably in more of a 3-4 x range and probably averaged 9mph after lights, pedestrians and the like are taken into account.
- chestervonwinch 7y ago
  Yea, they can get up to 15-20 mph. Some areas are throttled in Austin, though, e.g., in and around UT campus.
- 7y ago
k__ 7y ago
Sure thing. But e-scooters? We have one in our city now, you can rent. I have the feeling people use it for the same distances I use a bike for (<10km).
strifey 7y ago
I've basically had the same experience but picking up skateboarding again. I spent a lot of time skateboarding as a kid, and it turns out it's also a really efficient, compact way of getting around a city too! I now feel a lot more comfortable moving further away from BART while maintaining a consistent commute time.
- edpichler 7y ago
  I am thinking of buying a skateboard instead of a scooter, to have more fun.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
edpichler 7y ago
Electric skateboards are even better and funnier. But you need to pay the price of the learning curve.
carlmr 7y ago
This comment is what ad copy should look like.

shafyy 7y ago

I've been biking for 2 years in SF and disagree that it's impractical for short trips. Why do you think that?

tick_tock_tick 7y ago
You have the deal with the bike afterwords. Go for brunch in the mission and your friends are going back to the outer sunset with a scooter just fold it up and put it in the car with a bike either hope it's there when you get back, bike all the way, or go home then head over alone.
- eldenbishop 7y ago
  This exactly: bikes require planning and strategy and are not good for improvisational day-to-day things like you described. Bikes make walking easier but all other forms of travel like bus, train or taxi/uber/cars more difficult or impossible.
  - jdavis703 7y ago
    > bikes require planning and strategy What? I don't plan or strategize any more or less than someone getting in a car might think about the optimal rush hour route.
    - notJim 7y ago
      Exactly. I think the point is that a scooter allows you to plan far less.
    - dredmorbius 7y ago
      A car can be parked on the street (at least in theory, I'm aware SF's parking may be less amenable), and has a high likelihood of being there and intact when you return. Without bike-parking infrastructure -- ubiquitous racks -- bikes are far less likely to be found where left, and far more likely to be damaged, vandalised, and/or have components nicked. I've lived where cycling was well-supported and routes and racks reasonable. And where not. For SF, hills, parking, and traffic all work against cycling.
      - jdavis703 7y ago
        > bikes are far less likely to be found where left, and far more likely to be damaged, vandalised, and/or have components nicked. I don't own a car anymore, but when I did I had countless break ins. Most times nothing was taken. Petty theft & vandalism is a problem here regardless of vehicle type.
  - maccam94 7y ago
    Dockless and docked bikeshare programs both mitigate this issue, with trade-offs on the inconvenience of finding bikes/parking them.
    - coredog64 7y ago
      Citibike in NYC is a dumpster fire. Same price as subway ride for a 30 minute ride. Each ride segment has to be 30 minutes or less or they start charging you by the minute. You can’t check out more than one bike on a single account. The full docks don’t correctly report in, meaning even though the dock is full, you can’t get a time extension while you go out of your way to return the bike.
- crimsonalucard 7y ago
  Get a brompton.
  - frabbit 7y ago
    Or a Bike Friday Pakit https://www.bikefriday.com/folding-bikes/product/bike-friday-pakit-compact-folding-bike https://www.bikefriday.com/folding-bikes/product/bike-friday...
    - jdietrich 7y ago
      The Brompton is really the only game in town for urban folding bikes. Uniquely, the Brompton locks into a compact and balanced package that can be comfortably carried in one hand. If you opt for a model with a pannier rack (or buy an EazyWheels kit) the folded bike can be pulled around like a wheeled suitcase. There are lots of good folding bikes, but only one good folded bike. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cepoV17TH-A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cepoV17TH-A
      - frabbit 7y ago
        Depends on what you're looking for. I found the wheel size a bit too small. I think this is a fair comparison and gives the advantage to the Brompton in small folded size, although its weight is not something to be taken lightly (!) http://anatolyivanov.com/prose/en/AI.7.00109/ http://anatolyivanov.com/prose/en/AI.7.00109/ I love the Pakit, however I like the looks of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mkzRF3trJM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mkzRF3trJM https://youtu.be/xscDjAmD2MM?t=251 https://youtu.be/xscDjAmD2MM?t=251
  - fragmede 7y ago
    While the folding bike concept is cool, and it's actually really handy to be able to take them on trains where a non-folding would be disallowed, and while they are also more convenient than a full size bike, they're still big and cumbersome when folded up. I can take mine on the bus, but that wouldn't be my first choice. I can take a regular Lyft, but not a Lyft Line with it. (I mean I could, but that's a dick move.) You're "that guy" at the bar after work. Like I said, I own one (well, a Dahon), and it's definitely useful, more convenient than a full size, non-folding bike, but it doesn't actually solve the issue, merely alleviates it somewhat.
- walshemj 7y ago
  The answer is a Brompton or other folders you can even get an electric Brompton now.
  - dTal 7y ago
    They're horribly expensive. Cheap, properly portable, properly rideable: choose two.
- reneherse 7y ago
  For people who are REALLY into bikes, a "rinko bike" helps with this. For general use however, I'm convinced about using a scooter as described above by the GGP.
  - chdhchd 7y ago
    Have you done much travel with a rinko-style dismantled bike in the US? I'm curious how trains and buses feel about the (still big and unwieldy) bag.
    - reneherse 7y ago
      I haven't personally, but there was recently a discussion of that very topic on the i-bob list. [1] https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/internet-bob/bWwsR-J2LMY https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/internet-bob/bWwsR-J...
  - ACow_Adonis 7y ago
    I've just bought the xootr, will see how it goes. But part of the rationale for trying it (as opposed to my bike) is that I wouldn't feel too self- conscious about taking the scooter onto public transport during rush hour. It's all marginal, but when it's standing room only, the extra space taken up by the folding bikes is just eeking that little bit more into the "socially unacceptable dick- move" category. Might not be applicable if you're not in place where public transport gets that busy, but definitely a consideration here. Plus my hope is the ability to carry it easily one handed, and store it under (or leaving it standing vertically) my desks at both work and at home (as opposed to my bike, which resides underground in the garage), and that i can conceivably ride it in a suit. Plus, I can access both sidewalks and paths and roads (which is a legal consideration here) As I said, we'll see how it goes...but it seems to make sense on paper...
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- shafyy 7y ago
  Or just, and here me out here, bike to the outer sunset. Sounds crazy. Depending on your fitness level, you might arrive a couple of minutes later than your friends, but so what.
modo_ 7y ago
I use a bike to get around SF the majority of the time as well. But lately I've been switching it up and using a skateboard for short trips. Riding the bike definitely isn't 'impractical', but the skateboard is so much less of a hassle. You don't have to bother carrying a lock (or walk to the corner to find the nearest pole to lock it to for that matter). And, don't tell my Mom, but not fiddling with a helmet and lights is huge too.
- abakker 7y ago
  rejoinder to the helmet point: if the speed is the same, and the places traveled are the same, the need for the helmet is the same.
  - mikepurvis 7y ago
    I commute on a Boosted Board and after three summers of doing so, I'm a very confident rider of it. But I wouldn't ever dream of going without a helmet, even for short trips around the neighbourhood.
    - eldenbishop 7y ago
      I rode a skateboard every day for 8 years, from high school through college and thought helmets where stupid. I got a Boosted board last year and after one ride bought my first helmet. Would never use it without one now.
  - TylerE 7y ago
    Crash motion is different.
  - lkbm 7y ago
    If the speed is the same, and the places traveled are the same, and the likelihood of an accident is the same... Can you imagine going to a car dealership, and coming across a car with 10x the stopping distance and a center of mass twice as high as a Civic and the salesman telling you "it's just as safe so long as you're traveling the same speed and same places"? Would you buy that claim for a second? I've avoided numerous accidents by being able to stop quickly on my bike, or by making a sharp turn. This varies greatly just between different bicycles -- a mountain bike has much better stopping distance than a road bike. There's obviously also a big difference between a skateboard and a bicycle. There's also, I think, a steeper learning curve between skateboard and bike, though that may be because learning to bike as a child is more common. There's at least a difference in skill levels. I mostly know the limits of my bike. (e.g., how hard can I turn without skidding out?) and while a skilled skateboarder may be on par with me on that, I'm not. I can bike tens of thousands of miles without falling. I'm nowhere near the skill level of being able to do that on a skateboard. Being able to eject yourself is also valuable. I suspect a skateboarder would have better "eject and run" options than a cyclist, so that's a point in their favor. (I've had my back tire run over twice, and both times I was able to simply run forward over the handlebars, and my hands (and head) didn't touch the grounds, but it's not always going to be that easy.)

rtomayko 7y ago

I’ve been thinking about bike vs scooter a lot lately too. Austin is overrun with scooters and I used them for a little while before finding the electric Uber Jump bikes. They seem superior to scooters in every way in Austin, which makes the 20:1 ratio of scooters to bikes a bit baffling. But I can see your point in SF where I use to walk 5 blocks from my apartment to the muni train and then another five blocks from the train to the office. Scooters would have been ideal there. The e-bikes have one massive advantage in Austin - you can take them on the Butler Trail that runs the width of the Austin along the river. You can get almost anywhere of interest very quickly on one of the jump bikes. There’s also no useful bus or train transport in Austin (I thought SF was bad) so you’re not using the small transport to move small distances between larger transport as often.

samsolomon 7y ago
We have the Jump e-bikes here in Atlanta, and I also prefer them to scooters. There are a lot of old roads and sidewalks with cracks that make riding a scooter can be dangerous. With the small wheels, you really have to pay attention to the road ahead of you. Unfortunately, I received an email earlier this month that Jump is pulling all the e-bikes from the city. I wonder if operating costs or cost fo replacement make them unrealistic?
- monksy 7y ago
  Get off the sidewalk. https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta/starting-today-you-could-be-fined-up-to-10k-for-riding-an-e-scooter-on-a-sidewalk/957603217 https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta/starting-today-you-...
  - burmer 7y ago
    That pronouncement (in the article) seems a little harsh on people in wheelchairs...
  - wool_gather 7y ago
    Ugh. Build dedicated lanes, then, Atlanta. A scooter-pedestrian collision isn't pleasant, but it has a far, far better outcome for the pedestrian than a car-scooter collision does for the scooter. I speak as someone who bikes and walks, and is as annoyed as everyone else by scooters -- they still have a right to personal safety.

afterburner 7y ago

> Some people say walk, but it's too slow and a 1/2 mile "walk" section on a complicated transport route would be impractical on foot. Wait, are you being serious? That's less than a 10 minute walk, and you probably need the exercise anyways... And SF has fantastic walking weather compared to most of the world.

ProfessorLayton 7y ago
Right, but that .5mi "10 minute walk" tuns into 20 minutes both ways, adding tons of time (as a % of commute) to the door-to-door travel times.
- DanBC 7y ago
  That's not wasted time though, is it? It's a chance for a bit of exercise, a bit of shopping, to see your local communities.
  - derefr 7y ago
    I live in a nice part of town; I work in a nice part of town; but the straight-line walking connection I have to make in the middle is in the bad part of town. I'd rather not.
  - chestervonwinch 7y ago
    > a bit of shopping, to see your local communities It's possible that's exactly what you're doing on the scooter. Maybe your destination is a local establishment to meet up with friends and you don't want to be a sweaty mess upon arrival.
  - adrianN 7y ago
    Riding a kick scooter is pretty good exercise too.
- rhizome 7y ago
  If you need to shave 20 specific minutes off your daily activities, I suggest finding a new job.

umvi 7y ago

> It was easily 4-5 times faster than walking I can walk a mile in 20 minutes which is 3 mph. This implies these scooters can maintain 12-15 mph? Am I just underestimating how fast you can get going on these things? That seems kind of fast unless you are going downhill both ways.

dougmany 7y ago
I averaged about half the time vs walking when I used my kick scooter regularly. Reading the next though, I think they are gaining time by linking transit hubs.
aveni 7y ago
I ride an electric scooter approx. 4 mi each way Caltrain <-> work everyday. I regularly maintain 15mph+ trip average.
- umvi 7y ago
  Right, and the guy I was replying to was claiming that speed on a non-electric "Xootr".
higginsc 7y ago
They top out at 15 mph in SF. I wish they went faster. I am a cyclist and usually maintain close to 20 mph (not counting lights). It's kind of maddening not to be able to go 20 or 25 on them.
eldenbishop 7y ago
Your right. Electrics can do that kind of speed but I was on a kick scooter and probably in more of a 3-4 x range and probably averaged 9mph after lights, pedestrians and the like are taken into account.
chestervonwinch 7y ago
Yea, they can get up to 15-20 mph. Some areas are throttled in Austin, though, e.g., in and around UT campus.
7y ago

k__ 7y ago

Sure thing. But e-scooters? We have one in our city now, you can rent. I have the feeling people use it for the same distances I use a bike for (<10km).

strifey 7y ago

I've basically had the same experience but picking up skateboarding again. I spent a lot of time skateboarding as a kid, and it turns out it's also a really efficient, compact way of getting around a city too! I now feel a lot more comfortable moving further away from BART while maintaining a consistent commute time.

edpichler 7y ago
I am thinking of buying a skateboard instead of a scooter, to have more fun.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

edpichler 7y ago

Electric skateboards are even better and funnier. But you need to pay the price of the learning curve.

carlmr 7y ago

This comment is what ad copy should look like.