Category: Kickscooter
Traveling With A Mobility Scooter — Hawaii on Wheels!
Have you ever wondered about traveling with a mobility scooter? I did, until I took my scooter to Hawaii. In this video I talk about my experience traveling with a lithium-battery folding Glion SnapnGo. How did I do it? I show you. Also, I rented an ebike and rode along the coast. If you have limited mobility, this video might help with understanding the opportunities you might have. Come along with me to Hawaii! Traveling with a mobility scooter.
The video is quick because I was on a family vacation and I wanted to stay focused on the family and the vacation. But I did grab some shots and video and I put this video together because I think the information is important. You can read all about traveling with scooters on the scotly oter’s promotional pages, they have pictures of perfectly groomed people smiling brightly as they zoom along on their adventure. But that’s marketing, what is it really like?
I was nervous about how things would work with the lithium-powered scooter. I had ridden my kickscooter through lots of airports, but never a mobility scooter. I found all the documentation I could beforehand and printed out my scooter’s manufacture documentation in preparation. But they never checked anything about the battery. I did have to remove it and take it as a carry-on. But they also let me leave it on the scooter other times. I would just say be ready.
I also talk about renting an ebike for a ride along the coastline. That was really nice and really fun. It was $50 for 2 hours and they had the bike set up with a comfort seat and a basket. That was my first time renting an ebike, I would do it again.
In the end, the trip went well and I found it was easier to travel with my mobility scooter than I expected. I think a big part of the reason it went well is I had the right scooter in the Glion SnapnGo. There are options for traveling with a mobility scooter, but if you want to travel by air you will have to meet their requirements, and not every scooter can do that.
Thanks to everyone on my trip who treated me kindly, and there were many. Aloha.
#scootercowboy #mobilityscooter #glion
FAA Regulations: https://www.faa.gov/hazmat/packsafe/wheelchairs-mobility-devices Glion SnapnGo: https://getglion.com/product/new-snapngo/ Southwest Airlines: https://www.southwest.com/ Hawaii: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/best-places-to-visit-in-hawaii 00:00 Introduction 00:40 Checklist 01:12 Ebike Coastline Ride Footage 01:43 Airline Check-In and Procedures 02:21 On the Ground 02:43 Ebike Rental 03:20 Flying With Lithium
Swagtron Swagger Is a Surprisingly Great Mobility Assistive Device
Been a while since I have posted, but here’s a good one for you. The Swagtron Swagger. I added a foldable seat mount, extra long seat post, and a Schwinn seat. Small, light, inexpensive seated scooter for stores, sidewalks and general riding. After more than 6 months of riding this thing everywhere, I can say I LOVE IT!
So you don’t have to read to the end…
CONCLUSION: The Swagtron Swagger with a seat makes for a simple, lightweight, inexpensive, reliable mobility assistive device for stores, smooth roads and fun. I definitely recommend the Swagtron Swagger for people with balance looking for a slick, easy, inexpensive mobility solution.
THE SET-UP
I have been riding this setup for 7 months now and it is a winner. I bought the Swagger refurbished during a holiday sale. Here’s the link to the current Swagtron listing: https://swagtron.com/product/swagtron-electric-scooter-swagger-v1/ about $239 when I am writing this. (I paid much less). The big advantage of this carbon fiber scooter is it is lightweight, only about 17 lbs, and 22 lbs with the seat. I can easily pick it up and carry it onto a train or put it in a trunk.
The Lixada seat is a bolt-on solution (-$65): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076RYCVVM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Review of the seat: Meh. It works fine, it just looks clunky. If anyone or manufacturer has a better solution, I would love to hear about it.
You need an extended post (~$23): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076RYCVVM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Review of the seat post: Great. Love the markings on the back which allow me to quickly adjust centering and height every time.
And I used a Schwinn No Pressure Bicycle Seat (~$19): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000DZGLVY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Review: Great. I put these on every seated scooter I can.
At those prices the full set-up runs ~$346.
THE SCOOTER: SWAGTRON SWAGGER
First of all, this is not a powerful scooter, but if you accept that, what it can do is kind of amazing!
The Swagger has 5 speeds on the LCD display, 3 is perfect for stores.
It has an LED light on the front that is BRIGHT. No horn. The LED is easy to read and simple to use. You hold the main button for 5 seconds and it turns on. When I am done I just put it away and the auto shut-off shuts it down in a few minutes. I put my handicap sticker right below it and covered the front logo with black gaffer’s tape.
It folds quickly and easily, and the folding mechanism seems strong. The battery lasts long enough for a full day of shopping, and a bit more. I keep it in my trunk and charge it every week or so, or after a long ride. There is a battery level indicator on the LCD and it gives a general idea of the state of the battery.
This scooter has small, very flat, wheels. They are great on smooth surfaces, but the flatness of the wheels makes turning somewhat exciting because the edge of the tire is not curved, so when you lean into the wheels while turning at speed… well, I would be very careful. It can slip quickly. I would not recommend going very fast on this scooter if you are inexperienced.
I have ridden this scooter on all sorts of terrain and it has surprised me how useful it has been. It can’t handle too many bumps in the road, but it is light so it is easy to pick up and carry between rough spots.
The brake is an electric brake and it is not very strong. But this scooter is so much like a kick scooter that dragging a foot is an effective enough way to slow down, I hardly ever use the brake. I would like it to be stronger if I went faster more. There is a stomp brake using the back fender, but with the seat added it is not very practical to use.
Speed? I would say 10-12 mph with my 200 lbs. Range? 2 – 4 miles in the real world, but I usually ride it in stores and I can use it several times before I recharge. I do occasionally ride it down to the train, about 1.5 miles. The scooter has a low voltage cutoff, so when it is drained it suddenly stops. You can feel the performance degrade slight right before it shuts down, so there is some warning. The good news is the scooter is so lightweight and small that you can kick it and use it like a kickscooter. There is some drag from the motor, to not enough to make it impractical.
I have done almost no maintenance. My grandkids rode it till it was dead several days in a row. They rode it down the dirt road at our family campout at the KOA. Sprayed it off and wiped it down, oiled the back wheel a little and that has been it.
BTW, my grandkids ride all my scooters and they love this one. It really is a lot more peppy with a youngster on it. Being able to set the speed of the scooter really helps with young kids that want to go too fast.
SEAT MOUNT
I knew I needed a folding mount that stuck up less than the folded height of the scooter. This Lixada one met that requirement, but it is mounted to the scooter with what essentially are two giant hose clamps. It works fine, it doesn’t look good. I didn’t want to drill holes if I could avoid it. Perhaps someone has a better solution, but I think any seat that mounts to common scooters will work for this application. I did not use the seat or the post that came with the mount because they would not go high enough.
The seat mount works well enough, but it is clunky looking. It is held in place with two giant hose clamps. 
They give you a piece of clear plastic to put between the mount and your scooter deck and I cut it to size with tin snips
I drilled two holes were I needed to make a cut for the clamp band and then sliced between them. 
I believe the holes have the added benefit of stopping the slice from continuing to crack.
Tighten up the clamps and you are ready to add the extended seat post. Here is a picture of the provided seat and seat post in the mount
This mount has held up fine and is relatively simple to operate. It would operate better if the manufacture quality were higher, the pin doesn’t move as smoothly as it could.
EXTENDED SEAT POST
To get the seat up high enough I needed a longer seat post. The UPANBIKE 450mm (17.7 in) one I bought works great, and the markings on the back make it super easily to line up perfectly every time. 
SEAT
I put the Schwinn No Pressure Seat on all my seat scooters. Enough said.
BATTERY
The battery is a 24v 3800 mAh Lithium, which gives you 91.2Wh, well within the FAA limit of 100 Wh. I haven’t tried flying with this scooter, but theoretically I might be able to. It recharges pretty quickly, under 2 hours. This is nice is I ever do run it all the way down, I can be back up and running in a short amount of time.
HOW I CAME TO THIS SET-UP
I was looking for a lightweight solution for an electric scooter that I could easily transport and use in public areas like stores. I came upon the Glion Snap ‘N Go : https://www.amazon.com/GLION-SNAPnGO-Travel-Mobility-Scooter/dp/B07CPD2HQ4. Looked great, but it is $1650 and though I contacted the company and tried to make arrangements, I could not find one to ride to evaluate. They did offer to sell me one and let me send it back if I didn’t like it, but I didn’t want to lay out $1650 to find out about a product. I started looking for other solutions.
CONCLUSION: SWAGTRON SWAGGER
The Swagtron Swagger with a seat makes for a simple, lightweight, inexpensive, reliable electric scooter for stores, smooth roads and fun.
Pros:
- Lightweight
- Relatively Inexpensive
- People react favorably to it in the real world
- Easy to maneuver
- Easy to fold
- Recharges in under two hours
- Cool carbon fiber pattern
- Airline compatible
Cons:
- Flat wheels
- Ineffective brake
- Obnoxious branding (I covered it with Gaffer’s tape)
- Seat mount is not the best (not Swagtron’s problem)
Air Travel With GoPed Kickscooter
When I travel by air my GoPed Knowped has become indispensable to me. My first modification was to add a seat. Then I made the seat a folding seat and that is when the scooter really opened the world up to me.
I have been using this configuration for years now and it works great everywhere. The GoPed is super sturdy and can stand up to day-in-day-out full scale abuse. I don’t treat it gently, I push it hard and ride it over every kind of surface imaginable. I have crashed it hard and literally drove over it with my RV and it just keeps on rolling. Quality product all the way.
Here is how I travel with it. When booking my airline ticket I indicated that I am able to walk short distances so they will not be surprised when I show up with a mobility device. Then I fold it up and put it in the car for the ride to the airport. I carry a duffle bag and a blanket to wrap around it in a Schwinn handlebar bag. I take it directly from the car to the shuttle folded.
Once I get off the shuttle I open the scooter up and ride it to the ticket counter to check in and get my duffle bag tagged. Once of the MAJOR benefits of this set-up comes at TSA security where I ride it ride up, fold it up and put it on the conveyor belt for screening. Goes right through the scanner, no problem.
Then I ride it down to the boarding gate. While waiting for the plane to board I fold the scooter up, wrap it up and bag it. My wife and I carry the bag down the walkway together, and I drop it off at the end by the door to the plane with all the scooters and baby carriers.
When we arrive at the destination I wait a few minutes after getting off the plane and they bring it to me at the end of the walkway with all the strollers and baby seats. We usually carry it out to the waiting area so as to not block other passengers and then set it back up. The bag and blanket go back in the handlebar bag and I start making my way to ground transportation. Another GREAT thing about this set-up is I can ride it on and off escalators, NO PROBLEM. I can ride it straight onto shuttle trains and always have a seat.
This scooter REALLY helps me navigate the world and be able to keep up with the people I am traveling with. With it I am mobile, almost the same as everyone else. People always stop me and ask me where I got the scooter and I tell them it is a GoPed, but I customized it. I think a lot of people could benefit from this design, it has been a solid performer for me under every condition imaginable and has changed my life.
I carry this scooter in the trunk of one car and ride it in stores, etc. I carry my CityGlide scooter modified with a folding seat in the other. I always keep one handy.
Eon Scooter Does Not Deliver
Back in October of 2016 I backed the Eon scooter through IndieGogo. Here are the bullet points:
- The scooter is vapor-ware. Not a single scooter has been delivered, or even photographed since October 2016.
- The Eon does not give refunds.
- Eon manipulates its social media so that people cannot make negative comments and so that people will not see them.
- Knowing what I know now, I will not back another crowdfunding product.
This scooter really looked promising with a fold-down seat, low weight and features like water resistance, turn signals and a headlight and taillight. As an idea, it’s a great one. As a scooter, it’s a bad one because it does not exist.
I finally got tired of the games and asked for a refund, which was refused. I then checked with my bank, who after investigating found the could not get my money back because I used PayPal and they did it as an ACH transaction. PayPal won’t give your money back after 180 days, which it has taken longer than to realize Eon is not delivering. That leaves me with no product and no money, and it was no small amount.
Some day Eon may deliver scooters, who knows. But right now it looks like the campaign is starting to implode. If you are interested in finding out more information about Eon you can check out their website, but it points directly at the IndieGogo campaign. If you want to know about the problems that are going on, this website has a thread from Eon’s ardent critics.
The short answer to a long story, Eon does not deliver.
#eonscooter
Traveling
Been a busy time. Work has been extra busy and been traveling. Took my KnowPed folding seat scooter with me and sometimes TSA separates me and gives me the extra going over that people using devices get. But one worker had me fold up the scooter and put it on the conveyor belt to run through the machine. I had never thought about trying that, but it worked! So after that I began folding it and running it through the scanner with my belt, shoes, laptop and 3 oz. liquids in a quart-sized Ziplock bag. Made things quicker.
I also ride my scooter right onto the escalator. As the stairs emerge it pushed the seat up into me, but because I am standing it fits just right and I stabilize with my legs. Then at the bottom I just roll off. Probably looks scary, I had someone tell me they had elevators, but it works great and is super easy.
Another great thing about my scooter is that it rolls just as easily backwards as it does forwards. I can easily go 10′ or more in reverse no problem. This thing is awesome.
GoPed Knowped Kick Scooter Seat Build – DIY
Lacking proper knowledge but never letting that stop me, one of the best ideas I’ve had in a while is putting a seat on my GoPed Know Ped. Originally a friend, and my son and I, welded up a seat for my TRX Personal Transporter Scooter. We cut a seat post from an old bike and welded a foot plate on it. Somehow, without any planning or engineering of any kind, we built it just right. You can check out the ride in this YouTube video here that I made a while ago. It was unreal fun. BTW, the video is a parody of, well… We were just having fun.
Eventually the TRX wore out (sadly) so before I sold it to someone for a build, I pulled off the seat we made. One day I was sitting and looking at the seat and then my GoPed and started thinking about it. Turns out if I turned it around from how I had it on the TRX, it would fit on the board of the GoPed. Not exactly, but close enough. On the back bolt pattern that I realized if I used metal washers I could over-lap the GoPed frame support for the deck. Plus, I used wing-nuts, figuring I could easily take it off for travel. 
(Looking back, if I were making one now, I would try to drill the holes in the seat plate for the bolts to fit through the factory holes on the frame support.)
Anyway, I drilled the holes through my deck board where they already where on my seat post plate. Then I used bolts, large metal washers and large rubber washers to connect the seat plate to the board. I figured the rubber washers would act like a spring and compress the nut, holding it tighter. I prayed it would hold. I was right! I never have to tighten the nuts. It’s been unreal.
One more thing I did…
I wanted to fly with it when we go visit family. I did it once without the seat folding. I just took the seat off and put it back on. But that was kind of a hassle. One day, as I sat and looked at my pile of old scooter parts, something came to me. I had an old Schwinn electric scooter with the fold down handlebars. It hit me to take the handlebars and turn them into the seat post.
Here’s how I did it:
First, I took the handlebars out. Then I cut off the crossbar “handlebar” with an angle grinder. I had another seat piece from another scooter that slid down perfectly over the handlebar insert part that tightens. So basically I flipped the handlebars upside down. I basically mounted the foot plate where the handlebar was.
I took it to a local weld shop. They had an ENORMOUS machine that they used to cut the metal foot plate to size. We also cut braces. The metal with the cutting was $15. I brought the scooter in and showed the guy what I was trying to do and left it with him. A while later I came back and it was ready to go with nice welds. About $35. I took it home, drilled the holes and painted it. 
An extra step I took was to cover the bottom of the metal foot with rubber. I had an old motorcycle tube that I cut to lay flat, then used contact cement to glue pieces to form the solid bottom, then I trimmed it. I think this rubber helps keep things together and keeps it quieter. 
Then I attached it the same way as before, bolts with metal and rubber washers and wing nuts. 
It rides great, and I can quickly fold it down and put it in the trunk or a bag ready to fly. I can check it with the airline for free as my mobility aid and I just drop it off at the end of the skywalk with the strollers.
The folding seat has added a lot of functionality. Luckily, we made it just right so the GoPed handlebars are the last thing to fold and go right on top. When I slip on the web strap it is compact and sturdy. I did end up gluing another piece of rubber on the deck to prevent the sandpaper from rubbing my seat off.
I have been riding my scooter on a regular basis for about 2 years. It has been incredible. There is enough room to stand in front of it and kick. My grandkids like to stand on the deck and go for a ride.
The GoPed itself is super strong and capable. I ride it indoors and out, great for big stores. The front brake is a necessity for seated kickscooting. This scooter is tough. On a trip to a National Wildlife Refuge I put it against the back bumper of the truck to load later. Only I forget and drove right over the scooter with our trailer. Not a problem. I few things got turned or twisted, fixed easily enough and still glides like a champ. The scooter can go forward or back, turns tightly and is very responsive. Very easy to ride around people and in tight spaces. And when I ride it in stores kids stare at me like I am Santa! I would love to get a read one eventually.
GoPed Know Ped makes an excellent scooter, the seat mod makes it even better!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC5HgTroFWY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nE1pIQroyDs
Fuzion Cityglide B200
The EW 36 sold. Picked up a sweet Schwinn vintage tandem bike this past week. That bike is fun to ride, although my first turn at the backseat stoker position I was pretty wobbly. It’s a really different riding sensation.
Somehow I stumbled onto a great deal on a Fuzion Cityglide B200 from Amazon. I had been looking at them after seeing a write-up on letskickscooter.com. I went to bed with the page open and when I woke up the price had dropped substantially so I scooped one up. I haven’t ridden it too much yet, but it is very lightweight and folds up nicely. The wheels are big for a kickscooter, and it rolls nicely. I can feel a lot of the bumps in the road, but I am used to the 12″ and larger tires on my scooters. I plan on trying to put a seat on it and using it as my back-up seated scooter.
I was kind of surprised how handbrake t matched up when I put it next to my GoPed KnowPed. I wouldn’t have guessed that it was as long. The wheels are big but much skinnier than the GoPed wheels. The handbrake activates the back stomp brake where the brake on the GoPed is a front brake.
I took my Schwinn S600 apart and fixed the chain. That was a mess and took a long time. The Currie scooters are hard to work on, I wouldn’t recommend it for first timers. Seems good now. I have ridden it a few miles and it seems good.
BTW, there is an interesting bicycle motor here that has an indiegogo campaign going on for the next few days. It’s called the shareroller. Seems like a good idea to have one motor and battery for every bike rather than a motor and battery on every bike.
Traveling to a Music Festival
I took a trip to another city to attend a 3 day music festival with family and friends. As a person with mobility issues, I have to take into account how I am going to navigate my environment. At home, I have time to figure things out. On the road, I have to be fluid and mobile. I was flying, so that meant cars, shuttles, planes and airports.
The festival featured over 80 bands spread over 3 days. There where 5 stages; one in an indoor arena, and the 4 main stages set far apart in dirt lots. The parking was distant, lots and lots of people, and 10-12 hour days with no re-entry — it was challenging for the able-bodied people, let alone me. I saw lots of my mobility-challenged friends making their way, I respect them for what they take on. The people at the festival were universally sweet and kind to me. And of course, my family and friends are always so beautiful in their care and awareness of me.
Here is what I used on my adventure —
GoPed KnowPed 
GoPed builds such an awesome kick scooter. I have ridden mine for a couple of years, taken it everywhere and it even ran it over with my RV. Still riding like a champ. I modified mine to have a seat, and right before the trip I finished seat-post mod.V2, the folding seat-post. It was perfect.
Now I can fold both the handlebars and the seat, put it in a bag and hand it to special handling people who load the baby scooters and strollers on the plane. Get it back when I get to my destination. Unfold it, put the carry bag in my Schwinn folding basket, and off I go. This scooter is PERFECT for shopping, airports, public spaces. I can push it forward or back, turn very tightly, and pick it up and carry it over curbs.
Folding Cane
My lightweight folding cane is great. I bought it on Amazon. I added a carabiner to the wrist strap and that allowed me to clip my cane to the crowd barriers that I was generally leaning against during the concerts. That way I could keep track of it and easily grab it and use it to lean on for a few minutes when I needed to. I used the rubberized wire tie to keep the cane together when it was folded.
Folding tripod seat
3 legs, light-weight, easy to carry and easy to set up and use, even in tight spaces. Even in a standing crowd, I used this to sit down whenever I needed to. It was really was a lifesaver. 
Backpack
This small backpack has adjustable loops and I was able to carry the folding chair across the pack when I was walking. Held all my concert supplies as well. Worked perfectly.
People Stop Me
People stop me regularly and ask me about whatever scooter I am riding. It has been surprising how many people need something like what I have, and the varied reasons they need it. I got into scooters to help me, but meeting people who use assistive devices has softened my heart. There are a lot of people who suffer but want to keep going and need a little help.
If you are one of the people who has stopped me, hopefully you will find answers to your questions here. You can also contact me if you have a specific question.
A BIG issue for assistive devices is transportabilty; can you take it with you when you are not riding it? The scooter pictured above has a folding handlebar and I put it in the trunk to take shopping. It is super lightweight and easy to pull out and use. It is a GoPed KnowPed that I stuck a seat on. It’s awesome, one of the most powerful tools I have.
The KnowPed has a wide deck and a solid adult-sized frame. The wheels are solid, no flats ever! And most importantly for a sit-down configuration like this, a front hand brake. I will do a detailed post about the seat in the future. I hope to build a folding post in the next week or two, so I will do a post on that.
You may notice that I put big, sprung Schwinn Quilted Wide Cruisers Saddle seats on my rides. They really work for me in giving me an extra bit of suspension that helps my joints. I also use Schwinn Collapsible Handlebar Baskets, very handy.