When I think of scooters, the first thing that comes to mind is city-workers riding to the office or parents keeping up with the kids on the school run. Micro-scooters have been a huge trend for both children and adults for a least 10 years, but I must admit it’s never appealed to me. They get in the way of other pavement users and it always looks slightly ridiculous to see an adult whizzing around on a kid’s toy. Give me a bike any day.
However, there’s a new breed of scooter on the scene. They’re handmade in the Czech Republic and are unlike any scooter I’ve seen on the streets of the UK. Imagine a mountain bike without pedals or a saddle- kick scooters are robust enough to be ridden across all terrain. Finally, a scooter I can get on board with!
Glen and I borrowed a pair of kick scooters for a few weeks. We opted for the Yedoo Trexx and Morxes Vendeta which were both described being suitable for adventures across all terrain. The disc brakes on the Morxes model look particularly cool!
Heading to the local country park, we put the scooters to the test on hills, gravel tracks, grass and muddy puddles. Kick scooting took me back to being a kid again… flying along the path watching the world rushing past. They’re so simple to ride, simply push the ground away, changing legs every 7-8 kicks. Just as fun as cycling, minus the gear changes and saddle sores!
Going uphill on a kick scooter is quite challenging, we did have to walk pushing the scooters on some of the steeper inclines. Scooting actually really highlighted my muscle imbalances as my right leg felt noticeably stronger than my left when pushing myself along. Riding a kick scooter is actually a great workout- my heart rate got up to 172bpm and I reached a top speed of 14.5pm (yes I did record it on Strava)!
These unique scooters really do attract attention. Almost everyone we passed made a comment, trying to understand where the pedals and saddles are. In fact, the owner of OP Scooters founded his business after being stopped and questioned every time he rode his scooter in London.
I’d never associated scooting with endurance sport until I heard about a team who actually managed to complete both the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia routes on kick scooters. They rode every stage the day before the professional cyclists took over. I struggled with the hills in my local park, so I couldn’t imagine attempting the steep and long Alpine and Dolomite climbs on a scooter.
I’d love to see a new triathlon format which replaces the cycle section with kick scooting. Although, I think I’d need a little more training before attempting to race a scooter! My experience opened my eyes to the world of kick scooting and it’s quite far removed from my view of city suits on commuter scooters.
If you’d like to try kick scooting, check out the full range of models on OP Scooters. They’re offering a £20 discount with promo code ‘Scoot with Lucy’.
Have you ever tried a kick scooter?
