Xootr kick scooter

[OakLeaf]

I'm soooooooo jealous! If I had remotely anywhere to ride one...

[KnottedYet]

This is what I bought during my lunch break today http://xootr.com/kick-scooter_cruz.html

I'm sure it was a very healthful choice for lunch!

Played around with it when I bought it, and now I just got back from my first "real" ride. Sweaty and happy!

Even though it has front (hand) and rear (stomp fender) brakes, and bars, and a front wheel that steers left and right; I found it works best if I think of it as a skateboard. As soon as I ditched the "scooter" mindset and thought "skateboard" my ol' body said "oh, yeah!" and I was flying.

Mind you, I haven't ridden a skateboard for real in at least 30 years, but it's amazing how you just find yourself doing all the right things! And how quickly you rediscover bad habits. As on my board, I feel like I want to *always* have my left foot on the front and my right foot doing all the pushing. It's so sleek and awesome that way! But I really want to learn good habits on the Xootr, so I forced myself to do some left-foot pushing. After a while it became a fun challenge to swoop as beautifully leading with my right as I did leading with my left. (I've never been able to stand on the back of a board and push with the foot that would rest on the front of the board, and don't expect I ever will.)

It was fairly easy to switch feet on the fly, and to strategically unweight the Xootr at cracks and bumps by doing a push at the right moment. Easier than a board, because you've got that handlebar to help with the whole business.

Once I got into the skateboard mindset with the Xootr and I felt pretty comfortable with it, I started playing with the brakes and the steering. Turns out I was steering all along without realizing it, much the same as I would on a bike (steer with mostly body weight, and just enough front wheel turn to add a bit of spice). I figured I had that one down, and didn't mess with it any further. The brakes, however, were another matter. I'm not sure I really grasp the whole brakes deal on the Xootr yet. I ended up using them as a means to slow the thing down enough that I could put my foot down to decelerate the rest of the way. I'm ok with that.

The deck itself is a dream. Wide and roomy, and on the Cruz it is quite pretty laminated birch. The sandpaper grip is fine with my Keens in dry conditions. (I was a bit put off by the surface texture of the Mg, but if I want to switch to a magnesium deck I can buy one later and change it myself.) I had no issues with hitting the wide deck with my ankle as I pushed. Guess my wide hips came in handly there...

The bars have foam grips, which I actually like. They absorb a lot of road buzz.

The front brake lever is darn near the exact same lever as on one of my bikes. I was thrown a bit by the front brake lever being on the right side of the bar, but I got over it pretty quickly.

The rear stomp brake does a lot more for me than the front brake. Took me a few times before I found the sweet spot on the fender. It's a very effective brake. (at least in the dry conditions I just rode in)

I don't think I'll ride the Xootr for my commute tomorrow. I want to practice a bit more first. I must say, this little Xootr thang has given me a whole new thrill in my middle-aged universe!

(get one! You know you want to!)

ETA: I wore my helmet.

[PamNY]

I must say, this little Xootr thang has given me a whole new thrill in my middle-aged universe!

(get one! You know you want to!)

That's exactly how I felt. Glad you are having fun with it. The Cruz decks are so pretty.

[Trek420]

I'm glad you got the Xootr. We wanna see pictures.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Good for you, Knot.

[Trek420]

I'm going to leave it to Knott to post this .... or not. I dunno if she'll post the "ride report". I'm soooooo glad she got the scooter. She was almost attacked by two large off-leash dogs.

She had to use the scooter in self defense.

[Melalvai]

Gracious! I do want to hear about the dogs.

I am inspired now. My commute is 2 miles one way, and I add extra miles by coming home for lunch. But I could scooter it sometimes, that sounds fun.