Folding travel scooter recommendations

[Mulele]

Finally have to move on up to a folding scooter... but I'm feeling overwhelmed by the massive amount of data out there.  Does anyone have any recommendations to share? I would prefer something that folds, but I'm more concerned about reliability and range. And cobblestones. Thank you. 

[rfkeith10]

27 minutes ago, Mulele said:

Finally have to move on up to a folding scooter... but I'm feeling overwhelmed by the massive amount of data out there.  Does anyone have any recommendations to share? I would prefer something that folds, but I'm more concerned about reliability and range. And cobblestones. Thank you. 

You are 100% correct when you state there is a ton of data and different folding scooters on the market.  I purchased a folding scooter about 3 years ago from a TV shopping network.  It's called an EVRider.  It folds and unfolds in a matter of seconds.  It is about 70 lbs. with the battery and about 56 lbs. without the battery.  The scooter is TSA friendly and I ride it up to the top of the jetway and fold it and the ground crew secures it in the luggage area of the aircraft.  I have used my scooter on several vacations to include cruises.  I don't know what the advertised battery life is but I have used it at Disneyland and Sea World without recharging.  I have used it on cobblestones and other uneven surfaces.  The scooter handles those surfaces adequately but it is a bit bumpy and you have to hold on to the control wheel.  The EVRider is sold at several online stores as well as brick and mortar stores.  I would completely recommend it but you have to research it to see if it meets your needs.

I'm going to TRY and attach a couple pictures of mine...       

[Mulele]

Thank you. That looks like exactly what I've been looking for.

[rfkeith10]

3 hours ago, Mulele said:

Thank you. That looks like exactly what I've been looking for.

So glad I could be of some help.  Remember, do some independent research before making a final decision.  If you have access to YouTube you should be able to find some videos on the scooter.

 

When and where are you headed for your next cruise?  We are coming to an end of our cruising adventures after 21 cruises.  The last one is in October on the NCL Bliss in October.  Getting old sucks!!!

[peterhof]

20 hours ago, Mulele said:

Finally have to move on up to a folding scooter... but I'm feeling overwhelmed by the massive amount of data out there.  Does anyone have any recommendations to share? I would prefer something that folds, but I'm more concerned about reliability and range. And cobblestones. Thank you. 

 

Look no further than the Travelscoot.

https://www.travelscoot.com/

 

In a period spanning five years I purchased and ultimately rejected everything that was on the market, including the folding type as already mentioned to you. The main problem was weight and the ability to make sure that it could be driven right up to an aircrafts door and then stowed in the hold. With the type already shown, no airline would allow me to do that - I could take it to the gate, but it was then taken from me and put in the hold. That meant that I had to struggle to get to the aircraft door without mechanical assistance.

 

Then I discovered that a German guy in America had invented the lightest and most portable travel scooter in the world, after he had been injured in a plane crash. His background was in avionics and he designed aircraft. He like I had gone through all the different scooters on the market and none were what he required - i.e. Lightweight but with long distance use and to be able to folded to a size that would fit in an aircrafts overhead locker.

 

Depending on the airline, and if you travel business class or not - I can now take the Travelscoot on to the aircraft where it is stored in a wardrobe. Overhead lockers have got small and smaller and there is rarely room for it to be stowed there.

 

I purchased my first Travelscoot (Mark 1) and had it shipped to the UK. The Mark 1 was great but it didn't have a reverse gear, so I had to reverse using my feet (pushing on the ground backwards). I took this little baby on all my foreign trips and on cruise ships it was a sensation, after so many passengers asked me for details I contact the inventor and he sent me some of his business cards.

 

You will see from the images on the website that the present version (Mk 2) now has a reverse gear and much better breaks + the motor is hidden inside one of the rear wheels. Weight is around the same as a suitcase - i.e. 20Kg (42lb) and the power supply is a very efficient Lithium battery, that looks like a 200 pack of cigarettes. Made from aircraft quality aluminium it and welded, it is very, very strong. I wont temp fate by saying that I have never had any trouble at all !!

 

In operation it folds down to roughly the size of a babies buggy and the stem folds onto the top of the chasis to form a strong central lifting arm. The quoted maximum driver weight is an amazing 350lb + carry on luggage. Take a look at the YouTube videos for more information.

 

Below is me on board a ship in the casino - my biggest regret was that a lovely croupier loved it so much that she asked me for a ride - what was I thinking of to turn her down - "Stupid is as stupid does" said Forest Gump.

 

 

Edited May 2, 2019 by peterhof

[tommui987]

43 minutes ago, peterhof said:

 

Look no further than the Travelscoot.

https://www.travelscoot.com/

 

In a period spanning five years I purchased and ultimately rejected everything that was on the market, including the folding type as already mentioned to you. The main problem was weight and the ability to make sure that it could be driven right up to an aircrafts door and then stowed in the hold. With the type already shown, no airline would allow me to do that - I could take it to the gate, but it was then taken from me and put in the hold. That meant that I had to struggle to get to the aircraft door without mechanical assistance.

 

Then I discovered that a German guy in America had invented the lightest and most portable travel scooter in the world, after he had been injured in a plane crash. His background was in avionics and he designed aircraft. He like I had gone through all the different scooters on the market and none were what he required - i.e. Lightweight but with long distance use and to be able to folded to a size that would fit in an aircrafts overhead locker.

 

Depending on the airline, and if you travel business class or not - I can now take the Travelscoot on to the aircraft where it is stored in a wardrobe. Overhead lockers have got small and smaller and there is rarely room for it to be stowed there.

 

I purchased my first Travelscoot (Mark 1) and had it shipped to the UK. The Mark 1 was great but it didn't have a reverse gear, so I had to reverse using my feet (pushing on the ground backwards). I took this little baby on all my foreign trips and on cruise ships it was a sensation, after so many passengers asked me for details I contact the inventor and he sent me some of his business cards.

 

You will see from the images on the website that the present version (Mk 2) now has a reverse gear and much better breaks + the motor is hidden inside one of the rear wheels. Weight is around the same as a suitcase - i.e. 20Kg (42lb) and the power supply is a very efficient Lithium battery, that looks like a 200 pack of cigarettes. Made from aircraft quality aluminium it and welded, it is very, very strong. I wont temp fate by saying that I have never had any trouble at all !!

 

In operation it folds down to roughly the size of a babies buggy and the stem folds onto the top of the chasis to form a strong central lifting arm. The quoted maximum driver weight is an amazing 350lb + carry on luggage. Take a look at the YouTube videos for more information.

 

Below is me on board a ship in the casino - my biggest regret was that a lovely croupier loved it so much that she asked me for a ride - what was I thinking of to turn her down - "Stupid is as stupid does" said Forest Gump.

 

 

 

[peterhof]

12 minutes ago, tommui987 said:

 

sorry - can't see your reply

[Mulele]

We're cruising on the Danube next year.  This will be our second cruise. Our first was last year to Alaska. We rented a scooter there and I was delighted to discover how much easier and less painful having wheels was as opposed to hobbling around. 

[peterhof]

2 hours ago, Mulele said:

We're cruising on the Danube next year.  This will be our second cruise. Our first was last year to Alaska. We rented a scooter there and I was delighted to discover how much easier and less painful having wheels was as opposed to hobbling around. 

 

Hi,

 

We took a Danube river cruise a few years ago and I took my Travelcoot. What you have to remember on river cruises, especially Danube ones, is that lots of times you will be moored alongside another boat in cities. To get from boat to boat (up to 3 are moored together), you have to do that from the sun deck and on most cruisers there is no lift to get to the sun deck. Therefore, someone has to physically lug the scooter to the top deck. This is similar to what happens on Nile cruises, especially in Luxor and Aswan.

 

I advise that you check with your Danube river trip organiser to see how easy it will be to take a scooter on board.

[tommui987]

20 hours ago, peterhof said:

sorry - can't see your reply

 

My fault, I fear!

 

I was wondering whether the battery is easily removable to lessen the weight? Of course you would probably have to get a basket and trey for cruise purposes unless someone lugs your stuff/food around.

[peterhof]

Just now, tommui987 said:

 

My fault, I fear!

 

I was wondering whether the battery is easily removable to lessen the weight? Of course you would probably have to get a basket and trey for cruise purposes unless someone lugs your stuff/food around.

Hi,

The battery is the gold bar in the picture, which fixes to the Travelscoot by hook & eye style fasteners, so yes, it is very easy to remove, but as it weighes just 6lb, the weight difference on or off is minimal. The present Travelscoot being sold does not have the pretruding black drum motor (see in picture) as the motor is hidden inside one of the back wheels. The result to a first-time casual spectator is that it is powered by a 200 pack of cigarettes like magic.

 

When first I get on the scooter, after having a coffee in a cafe for instance, fellow drinkers think that it is a pedal tricycle - boy are they surprised when I zoom off at speed !

[dcherry]

On ‎5‎/‎2‎/‎2019 at 4:28 PM, tommui987 said:

 

Does this scooter fit through the doors on non-handicap cabins? Have you used it on grass terrain?

[peterhof]

2 hours ago, dcherry said:

Does this scooter fit through the doors on non-handicap cabins? Have you used it on grass terrain?

Re cabin doors - it all depends on the ship, however, if you want to not collapse it, you can shorten the   Steering arm and turn sideways, or collapse it and lift inside. Not a problem.

yes, unless the grass is wet, it goes ok on grass

[dcherry]

19 minutes ago, peterhof said:

Re cabin doors - it all depends on the ship, however, if you want to not collapse it, you can shorten the   Steering arm and turn sideways, or collapse it and lift inside. Not a problem.

yes, unless the grass is wet, it goes ok on grass

Thank you for the reply. So one would need to physically stand and lift it through some cabin doors? If so, that is not going to be feasible in my husband's situation if I were not with him.

 

[peterhof]

1 hour ago, dcherry said:

Thank you for the reply. So one would need to physically stand and lift it through some cabin doors? If so, that is not going to be feasible in my husband's situation if I were not with him.

 

Put it this way, it's not as wide as a wheelchair and on his own he would not be able to lift a WChair on his own into a non accessible cabin but maybe could lift/negotiate a  Travelscoot into one. We have been on lots of RCI ships and some are wide enough and some are not, even in the same cabin grade. Ships that definitely are too small are, Marco Polo, Magellan and Fred Olsen ships - basically all the older ones, however, those ships don't let you use a scooter around the ship. 

Best to contact the cruise line and ask how wide their doorways are.

[rfkeith10]

8 hours ago, dcherry said:

Does this scooter fit through the doors on non-handicap cabins? Have you used it on grass terrain?

When the EV Rider is collapsed ( two steps), it can be rolled into any standard cabin.  .I have balance issues so I do need some assistance in collapsing the scooter...