KICK SCOOTER

A 'kick scooter' or 'push scooter' is a small, 2 or more-wheeled platform that is propelled by a rider pushing off the ground. The most common scooters have two hard small wheels, are made primarily of aluminum and for children, and fold for convenience. Some kick scooters have 3 or 4 wheels, or are made of plastic, or are large, or do not fold.

Contents

Models and history

Aluminum scooters

"Adult" folders

Big wheels

Early scooters

Kick Scooter Features

The Advantages of the Kickscooter

External Links

Models and history

Aluminum scooters

In the late 1990s, a sleeker, narrower folding version of the kick scooter by JDBug (commonly known as an aluminum scooter or Razor) became wildly popular in Japan. In 1999 and 2000 the craze spread to the United States, with a wide variety of colors and styles, with the bubble bursting in 2000. Popular brands include Razor and Micro. The two companies continue to produce these types of scooters, which are popular with children and with a niche market of young adult riders who use the scooters to perform stunts.
The average aluminum scooter has a 18-24" long deck (45-60 cm), with collapsible handlebars, a folding / locking mechanism, 10 cm (4") wheels, and a friction brake. Stunt riders often reinforce and replace many parts of a scooter, sometimes to the point where the deck is the only part left of the original scooter.

"Adult" folders

Adult sized folding kick scooters include Xootr with 7" wheels. These scooters generally have more durable parts, and are designed with wider and longer decks, hand brake and larger wheels, for smoother transportation.

Big wheels

Scooters made for racing use bicycle wheels. They do not fold. Some are used in dense urban areas for utility purposes, being faster than a folding scooter and handier than a utility bicycle. Some are made for off-road usage. Popular brands include Sidewalker and Diggler but since the development of the Kickbike in Finland from 1994 this type of push scooter has changed the way scooters are viewed. The kickbike has a large standard size bicycle front wheel and a much smaller rear wheel. This combination generates a much faster ride.
Besides commuting, sports competition and off road use, large wheel scooters are a favorite for Dog_scootering where single or team dogs -- such as Huskies -- pull the scooter and rider in the same way that a sled is pulled across snow. Today variations on the Kicksled with scooter design features are also available -- such as the Kickspark.

Early scooters

Primitive scooters have been hand-made in industrial urban areas for at least 100 years.
One common homemade version is made by attaching roller skate wheel sets to a board with some kind of handle. Steering is provided by leaning, or by a second board connected by a crude pivot. The construction was all-wooden, with 3-4 inch (75-100 mm) wheels with steel ball bearings. An additional advantage of this construction was loud noise, just like from a "real" vehicle. An alternative construction consists of one steel clamp–on roller skate divided into front and rear parts and attached to a wood beam.

Kick Scooter Features

The Advantages of the Kickscooter

Although there are now a wide variety of scooter types available kick scooters offer some advantages over bicycles:
Because there are fewer moving parts,no chain and no gears -- scooters require less maintenance than bicycles.Since the feet are always much lower to the ground it is easier to step on and off scooters when commuting so you can alternate walking and pushing as your energy and route dictate. The large wheel scooters --such as the kickbike -- are a more effective cross training workout than the standard bicycle as it requires the whole body to be engaged in the effort of kicking. Pushing or kicking large wheel scooters places less stress on the knee joint than does peddling a bicycle. Although the bicycle is a very effective long distance machine especially as it is ridden while seated, in 2001 Jim Delzer pushed a kick bike across the United States.

External Links

★ Scooter Resource: Community for kick scooter enthusiasts

★ Razor homepage

★ Kickbike homepage

★ Jim Delzer Kickbike diary