Overview:
I am 62 and my wife is 59. We currently live in Downtown Birmingham, AL. We, like most upwardly mobile Americans lived the American Dream in many ways. Beginner home at under 1,000 square feet to the McMansions of 10,000 sf. Eight house or condos over a 40-year period. We began downsizing 10 years ago when we became empty nester.
In my wife and my journey, we had the opportunity to buy a three-level town home in Ohio City, Ohio. This was downtown living at its best. Cleveland and Ohio City is one of the best kept secrets in our fine country. Literally across the street from us was the famous Ohio City Market. Tami my wife, and I loved the location as well as urban life. Our issue back then was the four flights of stairs in our townhouse. At first it was no issue, then it became an issue.
Both Tami and I have grown old gracefully. We have been blessed in so many ways. Our hips and knees are not cooperating with our life style. The downtown life in Ohio was just want we wanted, yet the walking and climbing became a problem. We moved back to our home in Miramar Beach, Florida after about two years in Ohio. The happiness and appreciation of downtown life was not forgotten. We would just approach it differently.
Our two children were raised in an upper middle-class suburb of Birmingham, Alabama. My wife was lonely for her friends in Birmingham and wanted to move back. My daughter also lived there which was an additional motivation. Eight years in the beach seems nice, yet it has many pitfalls. We sold our home with the furniture at the beach and attempted to buy a Loft Downtown Birmingham, AL. We could not find a place for us, instead found a loft for my adult children ages 27 and 32. Tami and I did something we had not done for 40 years, we rented.
The loft we rented was everything you could possibly imagine. Large, rustic, historic and as my wife says with love, “Just shitty enough.” This gave us a long-term feel of living downtown Birmingham. We loved it. We eventually found a new development project of luxury high-end Townhomes a few blocks from where we lived and even closer to where my children live.
The challenge was Townhomes had four floors and lots of steps. The selling point for us was three key items.
- First, it had a personal elevator option. Stairs are now not a problem and resale improvement.
- Second, it had a private two-car garage in the bottom floor. This is impossible to get downtown anywhere. Again, resale.
- Third, it had a private rooftop deck. With bathroom, bar and storage. The elevator even went to the deck. It was designed to have a 360 view of downtown Birmingham. It was also designed to have an outdoor kitchen. The problem was it would take a year to build.
Now you have an overview of our current life and to some of you, you will see many similarities in our life path. The quest now is, mobility and quality of life without getting new stainless-steel joints.
Idea for Electronic Scooters:
At first, we thought living downtown would give us great opportunity to walk everywhere. We would get more physically fit. We would walk instead of drive or Uber. That was our initial thought. Just like with everything new, we did just that. It did not take long to realize the knees and hips were not cooperating. The result was we became couch potatoes. To many food and grocery delivery services. We rarely even needed to leave your couch.
Then came our yearly pilgrimage to the famous Hangout Music Festival. Tami and I really enjoy multiple day music festivals. The Hangout is on the most glorious beach located in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The Hangout is not a camping festival like Bonnaroo. I personally go solo to Bonnaroo every year. With the Hangout, you need to park in the local RV resort or get a Condo. Either way, the walk to the festival is between .4 and .8 miles each way. Our first year we took the RV and walked the .4 miles back and forth. Let just say, it was not ideal to our overall experience.
Year two we again took the RV. In addition, we took our two bikes via the RV added bike rack. Much better but not quite perfect. This past year my wife refused to go unless I got a condo. I agreed, yet it caused a logistic issue. The Condo was .8 miles each way. Neither of our cars could handle a bike rack. This was not going to work unless we used some creativity.
Then my daughter comes back from a business trip and tells us about these companies that rented Electric Kick-Starter Scooters. I love to research stuff especially when I would consider buying something. I went on an all-out dive for as much information about these scooters as I could find. My research started with google and continued to evolve to my favorite place, YouTube.
As you read about Tami and me, you can tell we did OK for ourselves in our lives. Passion, luck, hard work and talents gave us a very nice progression in life. I share this because I did not want to rent a scooter, I wanted to own one (more like two). I thought they were $2,000.00 and up. My research showed me I was way high. I did almost make a huge mistake initially.
It was Christmas 2018. I needed to get my wife a present. With just the minimum of research, I found a scooter I thought would be perfect. It was called the, “Nanrobot D5+” (https://www.nanrobot.com/collections/electric-scooter/products/d5-10-2000w-52v26ah ). It cost $1,380.00 delivered. Looked as good as any of them. Now remember, this was for my wife. She had a hard time a bike. Her habit is to go way to slow and almost crash into to people and things.
For those that don’t know this unit, it is an animal. 40 mph, 40-mile range, disc brakes, front & rear wheel drive, double suspension for off road usage and weighs a ton. I bought it, but my visa card would not let it go through because they thought it was fraud. This company, like most scooter companies was in China. Instead of re-submitting my card, I passed the idea to my wife. She said it was not something she would want or need. I never re-ordered. Instead I took Tami to New York and Philly for shows and dinning for Christmas.
Time passes, and I begin to realize the Hangout Festival is just few months away. My study and research begin again. I come to realize that the Nanrobot D5+ was for folks that like an adrenaline rush thrill. It was way overkill for Tami and my usage. My searches were focused on “Best Kick-Start Electric Scooters”. Five came up almost every time. I choose my favorite of the five and drilled down on those units. Please remember, I love the study and research aspect of buying nice things. I do the same due diligence prior to going VIP to events or concerts. Surprisingly very little data especially for 55+ crowd.
What I Chose Initially and Way:
It became clear my initial choice of the Nanrobot D5+ was a huge mistake. Does the word “overkill” ring a bell? My wife would have hit the accelerator and killed herself. The price point of over $1,000.00 was also way to high for what was available in the market. We could afford it; the market was more like $500.00 range.
The two brand names that kept on coming up was the Glion Dolly and the Segway Ninebot ES2. Same price point at about $500.00 delivered. Side-by-side their stats looked very similar. The Glion, had what I thought at the time was the best option. Two small extra wheels and a handle that pulled out like a piece of luggage. This way you could pull it easily when folded instead of carrying it. That just made sense to me when or if you took a train trip and needed folding mobility. The reviews I read and watched were great. This time, I called the technical support for Glion and asked a bunch of questions. When I was done, I did not ask my wife, I just ordered it. I could have saved $100.00 by buying a factory refurbished, however I like new. It was at my door in just a few days.
My lovely bride was less then thrilled with me. In here own words, “Just another thing to take care of, break down and discard.” I knew, I better put on my selling shoes quick. The Hangout Music Festival was just around the corner. The key was getting my wife to ride this new Glion Dolly scooter and not break her neck.
I took the scooter for several drives. I choose all different surfaces to really know how to handle my future scooter travels. Then when I had a certain level of expertise, I asked my wife to come to our loft parking lot and try it. She was reluctant as normal, but I warmly insisted. When you are married for 40 years, you learn how to be warmly persuasive. I explained the unit especially the engine brake, which took me a few tries to get right. Then she took off.
I would be lying if I told you I was not nervous for her. Tami is kind of afraid of everything at first. Then she is beyond fine. In this case I had nothing to worry about. She was an expert instantly. If you are 55+ this is important for you to know. It is like a “duck to water”. Tami did a couple of circles around the parking lot and said, “Very nice” with little or no enthusiasm.
The very next day, Tami announced to me she was taking the scooter for a ride. Trying to hold back my excitement, I said “enjoy”. She was gone for 90 minutes. Came back and parked the scooter in my office. I asked how was her ride. Her answer, “I saw parts of Birmingham close up that I have never seen before.” Checkmate. Now one scooter for a couple is occasional fun. Two are transportation. Time to buy scooter number two. I was so excited.
My second Scooter:
Now I liked the Glion Dolly, don’t get me wrong. My issues where it was kind of basic. The pull with wheels looked better then they worked. No suspension was kind of hard on some surfaces. Yet is was super well built. I just was looking for another make and model with a little more flair. My strategy with my wife, you always must have a strategy in marriage, was to let her choose which unit she liked best.
Back to my studying and research. It did not take very long. The standout for flair was the Segway Ninebot ES2. It had some serious flair. LED lights all over the place. Much nicer display that was Bluetooth compatible. Easier to fold. Suspension system front and back. Their technical support was also very good on the phone. The ES2 just looked so much nicer a modern to me. When you shop a lot online, you know to look for discounts. I like buying from the actual brand websites, instead of Amazon. I got lucky with a 10% off code and a free Segway Adult Helmet. Three days later, the Segway Ninebot ES2 arrived.
I immediately like the ES2 much better then the Glion Dolly. It just suited me, and it looked so much better. The suspension was a very slight improvement, however that might have had something to do with my weight of 260 on a scooter rated at top weight of 220. Now I had a problem. Would my wife like the Glion Dolly better then the Ninebot ES2? Either way, I had to accept what ever she said.
The next day came the test. Tami drove both. Then she drove both again. To my surprise, she chose the Glion Dolly. It had to do with the accelerator. She hated the thumb accelerator on the ES2. I on the other hand felt exactly the opposite. So, in the final analysis, she got the scooter she liked best and so did I. Time for the real test, the Hangout Music Festival.
The Scooters and the Hangout Music Festival:
We loaded the car with our scooters, chargers and stuff for the Hangout. We had no idea of the roads we would be scootering on. We had no idea where we would lock the scooters when entering the festival. Lots of unknowns. Life is just a risk sometimes. If you plan it out well enough, everything ends up working out.
The scooter gods were looking out for us. If you have ever been to the beach, there is always a road called Beach road. It is closest road to the beach and usually has cars and golf carts on it. That was exactly what we had in front of our condo. To add to a great experience, the road was closed except for those staying in condo on the beach. So, the traffic was an absolute minimum.
I packed my clear backpack and put it on. We took both of our scooter on and off the elevator. We got to the parking lot and off we went. I thought we would get heckled. The exact opposite thing happened. The young folks whom saw us wiz by were super positive. When we stopped for lights, folks wanted to ask us questions about the scooters. I over heard several folks saying, “I did not know you could rent those here.” Little did they know we owned them.
The decision to take these scooters to this festival was a GREAT idea. We had more energy to walk the festival. We did not start the day sweating from the walk. We could go back to the condo any time to swim, shower or have an adult beverage. It was perfect. You need to know also, when you go to the Hangout, you can go Super VIP. If you do so, they will cart your around the festival in golf carts. Now we are not tired getting there. We are utilizing golf carts when at the event. We drive scooters home whenever we want. Good planning.
The only mishap happened to me on one of the nightly drives back to the condo. I weigh 260. My battery was working overtime at accommodate my weight. I also drive in “Sport Mode” using even more battery life. Halfway back to the condo, my battery ran out. My fault completely. I manually scootered the last half a mile. Waiting for me on the 6th floor balcony with a glass of wine was my lovey bride, laughing at me. I realized then and there, battery observation was going to be a priority for me.
As an after story, I took my RV out for a solo trip to Miami. On my trip, I stayed in several RV resorts there and back. I took my scooter, which fit under the bed. Sometimes the walk to the pool or club house can be a bit long in these resorts. With my scooter, it was a pleasure.
My Third Scooter in Four Months:
I made a bit of a mistake. I let my daughter and her partner borrow our two scooters for the day. They are both in their mid-twenties. I knew there was a problem when they had not brought back the scooters for three days. It seemed my daughter and her friend fell in love with the scooters. My daughter Alyssa, asked if I would sell her my scooter. I thought about it and said sure. This gave me the opportunity to get a scooter even more accommodating to my needs.
What I wanted was to improve my battery life. I also wanted rear wheel drive vs. front wheel drive for weight distribution. Add to that, I would have preferred the battery under the deck vs. in the handle leg. A bigger deck for my size 12 feet would be nice. I did not care if the weight went up since I realized you rarely had to pick it up. Finally, a way to walk the scooter with power assist would be nice.
If you are an electric kick-starter scooter enthusiast, you will immediately know what I bought. That is right, a Ninebot MAX made by Segway. The newest Ninebot is just shipping now. I also got quite the deal. It had an early-bird pre-sale price of $599.00, where the retail price would soon be $799.00. The Ninebot MAX solved all my issues. Although it did not have a suspension system, it had tubeless 10-inch tires (the norm is 8 inch). For my weight, that is just what the doctor ordered. In the purchase of this unit, I also learned about a website called, “ www.Indiegogo.com ”. This is where new products can get funded by folks like you and me. Lots of great stuff on this site. Give it a look sometime.
It is my plan to update this blog post and do a video review/overview on YouTube when the MAX comes in. I will write from a 55+ adult perspective. As with all my reviews, I will be completely honest with my evaluation.
I Already Knew What My 4th Scooter Will Be:
Did I tell all of you that I was spoiled? If not, I am completely spoiled. I know me, the forth scooter will be the Boosted REV Electric Scooter. As a matter of fact, I just reserved one this very morning. This scooter is $1,600.00. That is a lot of money. However, it is all about the quality, safety, fit/finish, handling my weight of 260 lbs and most important to me as a luxury buyer, the customer service. No other company comes close to Boosted on these categories. What am I going to do with my Ninebot MAX? Looks like I will be giving an early Christmas present to one of my kids.
You get what you pay for in this world. I am getting to old to compromise any more. This buying process has been fun, entertaining and as always a bit confusing. The Electric Scooter market seems to growing so quick I assume next year the new big thing will be introduced. I most likely will buy it when it comes out. For now, a great American Made Company with a reputation of quality and customer service is just what the doctor ordered.
It is my belief that all the electric scooter companies are missing the boat on my generation. They focus to much on the youth market and being green. All good stuff, however my generation has the spendable cash and more then willing to pull the trigger on a purchase if it will improve our lives.
Conclusion:
There you have it. My quest for quality of life. My mobility solution for city and vacation life. The way I researched it and the decisions I made. If you are 55+, these scooters are awesome. Whether to go to your community pool, drive downtown, ride the paths of your golf course, got to the beach, use in RV resorts or go to the mini-mart. Scooter transportation will save you time, money and pain.
Never hesitate to ask me questions. I only write what I do. My contact email is, gary.tilkin@garytilkin.com . Scooter away and enjoy the best part of your life.
Websites referenced:
- Glion Dolly Electric Scooter: https://glion-scooter.com/dolly/
- Segway Ninebot ES2: https://store.segway.com/segway-ninebot-kickscooter-es2
- Ninebot MAX by Segway: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ninebot-kickscooter-max-the-game-changer#/
- Nanrobot D5+: https://www.nanrobot.com/collections/electric-scooter/products/d5-10-2000w-52v26ah