... about kickbikes?

[mac]

Years ago, I remembered I'd seen someone on a kick bike/scooter, it amused me at the time.....as I was a really fit cyclist then.....but years later, having lost all my fitness, & a move into a somewhat hilly area of Surrey, (on the Hants border), my mind went over to thinking about getting an adult scooter. Regain some fitness, & have some fun...

I bought myself a Swifty Zero, end of May, went out on it a couple of times beginning of June, along a gravel fire road nearby where I live, & found it hard work!

Fast forward - I altered the width & height of the handle bars, went for a test ride this morning, & ended up doing about 5 miles, both along the fire road, down some steep unmade roads, (very hairy on those 16" wheels when they hit the loose gravel at speed), then through a local open space/parkland - steep hills, both up & down. Loved it!

I'm hooked!

There's a Kickbike Cross Fix on order now - that will let me enjoy those unmade roads & downhills much more.....

P.S. I just turned 70 last month.

[hercule]

My first scoot ever was just over a year ago. About 6 miles in an hour and I was pretty much floored by the slightest gradient and came away with very wobbly legs but a huge grin

Fast forward to the present and a week ago I did 10 miles in an hour, I came away with very wobbly legs but a huge grin!

[mac]

I think we get 'Smiles per Hour'.....

Really looking forward to getting my Kickbike, & giving it its first outing.

[[XAP]Bob]

How do you go up hills on them?

People who don't ride bikes ask the same question.

Yes, but when it's explained, they understand even if they couldn't do it themselves.

A push scooter is fine on the flat and is brilliant down hills, but absolutely pointless when you come to an uphill.
It is easier to pick it up and walk in the hope there's a downhill coming.

If I had a job in the centre of Plymouth and owned one, I could carry it up Gunnislake Hill to the station, take the train to Plymouth, and it's downhill all the way to the city centre.
On the way home, carry it to the station, take the train back to Gunnislake, and whizz down the hill home.

Sounds like fun ........... except for the carrying it uphill thing.

So don’t carry it. You can either push it or scoot it. Don’t need to scoot fast to be worth scooting, and your hearing is your leg - if you can walk you can scoot.

[hercule]

A year on and I can find I can tackle most on road gradients without needing to push, I’m still quicker kicking than jumping off and running with it. Only the really steep off-road tracks might require a hop off and push, but the transition between pushing and scooting And vice versa is very fluid. Despite it looking very simple, like other activities a little technique can go a long way.

It’s not a bike; it’s a very different form of locomotion and superficial resemblances are, I think, misleading. For that reason I’ve got over the aversion to the word “scooter” that I had, and that’s what I call it.

It also happens to be, for me, hugely fun and satisfying no matter which direction the road points!

[mac]

I 'Boot & Scoot' - I'd been going for a walk/hike every now & again, so naturally I wear my (lightweight) walking boots when scooting/riding mine, which makes it easier when I'm off road having to push up hill.

Cruise down, scoot along, & walk up (the steep ones).

[mac]

My Kickbike Cross Fix arrived mid day, it's already built up, just need to sort the brakes, (they're rubbing a bit - & I think the bars are too wide for me personally), so some adjustments needed before I'll be completely satisfied, then I'll be able to give it a proper test ride.

[Cyril Haearn]

Pictures please

[mac]

No personal pics yet - just the manufacturers/distributers available on their websites.

https://kickbikescooters.co.uk/store-1. ... /cross-fix

https://swiftyscooters.com/collections/ ... tyzero-mk2


These are my two...

[mac]

This is what they look like now.

[hercule]

Nice. They won’t be that clean for long, I’m sure!

Two kick scooters together is a bad combination, they tend to breed

[mac]

Tell me about it........I'm already thinking that I need a road specific version.....

[mac]

Still managed to avoid another purchase, but keep looking....

Maybe I need a 'Safari'....

[mac]

Just got myself a Kickbike G4 City to try out on some country lanes around home, it will be a good town scooter, but I think it will be fine on minor roads.

[hercule]

I’d swap the tyres for something lighter and more supple if it has the original Kenda tyres. That should turn it into a respectable performer.