Anybody have any experience with e-scooters?
 

I've been looking at buying an e-scooter because my commute has changed so that there is a bike path that leads most of way to my place of employment (about 20 mi one-way). Has anyone used any of the scooters on this list? If so, what recommendations would you make? Things to watch out for?

tomsguide.com/best-picks/best-electric-scooters

I have a couple of the Razor scooters, the E200 and E300. They come with lead acid batteries, which are pretty useless as the main source of power, and they’re rather small...toys, really. The 200 is fine for my kid, and the 300 is ok for an adult, now that I put a lithium battery...but I wouldn’t want to commute more than a few miles on one.

The brand of decent ones that people like to use and mod isn’t listed there...can’t remember the name of it...something or other 365? Vortecks on YouTube has one he’s messed around with.

For 20 miles, I’d suggest something bigger that you can sit down on. “Moped” style. Pedals are useless, but much easier on the body for a half hour trip each way. Full suspension. Can carry enough lead that it isn’t a deal breaker to use such batteries. Cheap, if you buy used and put new batteries in.

Most e-bikes can go 20 mph but speeds on a bike path may be less. Look at a vehicle that can go 30 mph for 80+ miles. What are the local dealers like for parts and service? Do the buses in your area have racks for bicycles? What are the local DMV laws? I prefer quiet streets to bike paths to avoid pedestrians. Consider a fairing for when it rains. A combination of a front fairing and a tail box works well.

I'd not settle for for less than 30 MPH for a 20 mile 1-way commute. Spend less of your life commuting and more doing anything else.

Don't have any experience with scooters or e-bikes, so I'm not very helpful. If maneuvering in dense urban environments was a requirement, I'd go with an electric unicycle.

I think I'd go with an ebike and not a scooter.

Get a bit of exercise while you commute if you want. Just get something with an override if you're feeling lazy.

I built mine from a Trek 820 I already had plus a Bafang BBS02 and a 36v lifepo4 pack with top balancing BMS and charger I got from Ping.

Install was very easy, the battery pack build was the most difficult part. If I had to do it over again, I would just buy a pre-made pack since the prices have fallen so much.

I just looked up that number with "electric scooter" and this came up.

xiaomitoday.com/2020/10/12/buy-xiaomi-mi-electric-scooter-pro-2-m365-pro-2-coupon-deal/

(Vortek's channel on the m365) youtu.be/8TlxBnm2u04

That one looks amazing. Tough decision at that price because some electric bikes are starting around there. Thanks for the recommendation on the Vorteks youtube channel. They seems to really be into modding, some of which could make the range quite a bit better.

All good points for me to think about. I was looking at e-scooters because of price but especially the ability to fold up once at work. We don't really have anywhere to put a bike and I'd be worried about it getting stolen while I was working (construction). Also, I would be able to take public transit much easier in my area with a foldable scooter because there is very rarely open bike racks on the busses.

Using quiet streets is a good point and I'll have to research good routing but there is a new bike path that runs along the river and at least in the morning (before 7am) there wouldn't be any problem with pedestrians. However, I will have to check the laws on motorized vehicle usage on the path.

I absolutely agree with you about the bike thing and I may have to start leaning that way (especially with the distance I have to go). The trouble is that there are not very safe places to park it where I work, unfortunately. If you don't mind me asking what is the price range for building your own? That seems like a great option if I can figure out a safe place to secure it.

You could look at folding electric bikes. 20” tires(fat tires, if that’s your preference). Folds in half, so it can be carried and/or fit in a trunk. Quite a bit bigger and heavier than a scooter, though. Definitely want lithium batteries, if you have to lug it around.

My experience with folding bikes was not very good. The geometry of the bike made it feel sketchy when going any faster than ~12mph - I believe it was a relative lack of front caster. Granted, I had a 3000w motor on the back of the last one I built. I was also not a fan of the short pedal throw.

I wouldn't buy another folding bike again blindly; I'd definitely need to sit on a couple of them before I'd trust that I would like one.

That said, I favor bikes over scooters where possible.