A 300 pound man on a SmartScoot for 3 days in Rome.

First of all I was told that Rome would not be a good place to use a disability scooter. I rode mine from my hotel to the colosseum. Then through the colosseum threw 2 floors, there is an elevator. From there to the Forum. This was a challenge. You really can’t hold on tight or your body will be too jarred. The next day we did a Vatican tour, with no problems. Well a lot of things were loosened like the set screw of the throttle housing. I had to tighten stuff, and readjust the break.

I really beat the snot out of that poor baby. I brought 2 batteries, which was a good thing! Generally on eack of the tours drained the battery down to 2 leds. I would charge one when using the other.

The good it held up really well. The bad, Rome is mostly cobblestone. They are slicker than snot on a chickens lip! 3 speed settings makes that tolerable. I set it on high to be able to climb hills. The front wheel drive sucks for traction on slippery cobbles. But with out the 3rd speed I would never have climbed them.

Conclusion, I love it. It folds small enough to fit in a Toyota cab. It’s light and strong!

Thank you for your post.

I'm sure glad to hear that someone else has done Rome on their scooter. You have no idea how many times we had been told it could not be done (after we did it). We also did Florence (easier than Rome) on the same trip. I had two sets of completely charged batteries when we started out every day. My son made a rack to set the second pack on. Also, mine are 15ah; Ruth just used one set of 18ah batteries, however, she was only 136 pounds. We also traveled with a tool kit to tighten nuts and bolts. We had some serious concerns about area west below the Colosseum because of the incline and did not attempt it. Our hotel was just a few blocks from the train station so that we could take the train to the port in the morning.

On the trip, we arrived in Milan and planned on doing a morning tour there. However the metro was under construction, so we just wandered around the train station before going onto Florence. Spent that afternoon and the next day in Florence. It was easier to get around in Florence than Rome.

Actually, over the years, Ruth and I did many of the European cities on our own. Together we were able to watch out for each other, plus people everywhere are wonderful. I would guess that Tallin has the worse cobble stones with areas of Rome a close second.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Very encouraging.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I just spent a total of 4 days in Rome, 2 pre, and 2 post cruise. I am 6”4 weigh around 250. I use a travelscoot scooter, and except for a few hills I went all over Rome, we also spent the day in Florence. I use two batteries, on the hills my wife was able to push my back and we made it.

Bottom line just plan ahead, and you should be fine.

b7740,

Iam still on a cruise so apologies getting back to you. I wanted to ask you how you liked the Travelscoot. My decision to get the Smartscoot was that the frame is Stainless Steel, and 3 speeds. I do like the Travelscoot too.

raindropsalways,

What did you use for a scooter?

I really like the Travelscoot, I find it easy to fold up, it’s light enough that my wife can pick it up if needed.

The only downside, the batteries are very expensive. The seat can get a little old if you have to sit for a long period.l usually have a few people come up to me on each cruise and ask me about it. Hope you had a good time in Rome

b7740,

 

Iam still on a cruise so apologies getting back to you. I wanted to ask you how you liked the Travelscoot. My decision to get the Smartscoot was that the frame is Stainless Steel, and 3 speeds. I do like the Travelscoot too.

 

 

raindropsalways,

What did you use for a scooter?

I still had my Buzz Around then. It was the original version Golden Tech offered. I liked it much better than the Go Go I have now. Ruth had a Go Go and I think she had her18ah batteries. Plus she was only 136 lbs

I really like the Travelscoot, I find it easy to fold up, it’s light enough that my wife can pick it up if needed.

The only downside, the batteries are very expensive. The seat can get a little old if you have to sit for a long period.l usually have a few people come up to me on each cruise and ask me about it. Hope you had a good time in Rome

Travelscoot USA used to offer 2 size seats . The option was never shown on its website so don't know if they still do . The larger was said to be more comfortable by those that purchased it. Also there had been posts several years back when the Travelscoot was gaining more attention in the market that some people took the seat to an upholstrerer to replace the standard padding. Rather than putting a vinyl covering back on it some individuals opted to replace it with water resistant awning fabric . Yes it adds cost to an already expensive purchase but might be worth considering depending how much you use it.