Roll Models
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday December 2, 2000
Daniel Fallon hops aboard the collapsible scooter craze.
Gowings World Store - Scooter Shop
www.gowings.com.au
The hippest thing you can find under your Christmas tree this year has two wheels and a set of handlebars. Not just a fad, the scooter phenomenon continues to whip up a storm of consumer interest. And if you have a close look at who's on board, they're not just for kids. Gowings is one of many department stores getting a piece of the action. It offers a range of scooter brands at its Web store, from the lightweight Micro Scooter at $189 to the whiz-bang $1,799 GoPed Big Foot Scooter, which is powered by a two-stroke motor and has front and rear disk brakes. It's probably the coolest way to avoid the petrol price crisis.
Yahoo! Australia & NZ Shopping
http://au.shopping.yahoo.com/Sport_and_Outdoors
More scooters for sale, this time through Yahoo!'s multivender channel. There are models available online from E-Store, Danoz Direct, Cost Department Store and one from HMV, which, on closer inspection, turns out to be the CD Wicked from the band Scooter (I thought $28.45 was a too good to be true). Shop around and you're bound to get a bargain that suits.
Scooter Australia
www.bladeschool.com.au/scooter.html
Becoming the meanest, fastest, most skilful scooter-master is no easy assignment - and falling off is never much fun either. This should help. Scooter Australia offers a variety of protective gear to save your knees, elbows and cranium. Those with especially low thresholds for pain might also consider the 888 Shin Guards and Gopher Wrist Guards. Once suited in the protective layer, scroll down to the tricks section to begin your apprenticeship with the Trickmeister, which begins with the basic ollie jump and progresses to mastery of the pop tail shove-it, a complicated manoeuvre that sends your vehicle into a 360-degree aerial spin.
Hoverboard
http://extremetoys.com.au/hover.htm
Remember when skateboards became wide across the middle? The same has happened to this next-generation design. Although that's the first thing to catch your eye, the Hoverboard also has a 24V motor tucked underneath as well as front and rear wheel suspension. The battery takes 31/2 hours to charge, after which you'll speed along flat ground at up to 26km/h.
ScooterBiz.com
www.scooterbiz.com/scooteracc.htm
But wait, there's more! We recommend the "disco lightning wheel" featured on this accessories page for those who want to stand out from the scooter-happy crowd. The ScooterBiz assortment of the latest add-ons making waves in the US also includes the feather duster-like pom pom streamers (in purple or pink, but where do you attach them?).
Razor USA
www.razorusa.com
Home of the popular Razor brand. Log on here for warranty and model details as well as an invitation to join Team Razor. The safety instructions seem sensible: "Kids under 8 shouldn't ride a scooter without adult supervision; never ride a scooter at dusk or at night; avoid wet or icy conditions."
Tami Scooter Australia
www.tamiscooter.com
The Aussie home page of Tami has a tinny Seinfeld-like theme playing in the background, so you should probably turn your speakers down before logging on. The products range from the push-powered variety to a selection of motor vehicles, including the four-wheeled, heavy-duty Rhino for those riders who are sick of cruising around the mall and want off-road action.
Kick Scooters
www.electric-bikes.com/kickers.htm
This site explains why grown-ups should opt for a scooter over a bicycle. "In most settings, a kick scooter beats a bike door to door for trips of up to 3/4 mile," it says. It also avoids the bother of having to leave it outside and lock it up. Kids might be able to use this argument on their parents.
Oceanfree.net: culture: scooters
www.oceanfree.net/channels/culture/scooters_wk37.html
With "reports from Berlin's Bundestag of members of parliament whizzing down the corridors of power" and commuters buzzing by Buckingham Palace, it's clear the scooter frenzy has taken a firm grip in Europe. But are they as safe as we are led to believe? Check out the quiz that asks visitors whether they wear safety gear and click on the results link on the pop-up window for answers - a clear majority opt not to.
Standards Australia
www.standards.org.au
At home, the same question is being asked of popular scooter brands. Standards Australia has launched an investigation into safety risks, and aims to develop a new scooter standard here. Watch this space.
Razor Scooter Injury Lawyers
www.newyork-injurylawyers.com/pages /razor_scooter_injury.html
The two-wheeled craze taking hold of the US has not been without its consequences, according to this New York lawyers portal. There have been thousands of injuries reported across the country this year as a result of scooters being "aggressively marketed to children often with inadequate warning about their dangers". Naturally this means you might have a case for damages: "If you have been seriously injured by a Razor Scooter contact a lawyer here."
Choose carefully
Buying a scooter for Christmas
www.choice.com.au/articles/a101777p1.htm
Acknowledging the growing popularity of scooters, the Australian Consumers' Association has produced a report on seven widely available models, priced from $90 to $245, including guidance on safety aspects, just in time for Christmas. The report costs $8.25 to download for non-members, but some key buyer tips can be found here for free. Make sure you choose a scooter with "a folding hinge that locks securely in place and is easy to operate; minimal protrusions; smooth edges; welded construction; footboard with a non-slip surface, and handlebars that lock securely in place".
Scootin' talk
A general search of the Web on "scooters" will return a fair proportion of the Web sites on the motorcycle variety. The popular people-powered scooters go by several names, including push, kick, Razor and Micro. Go Ped and Mo Ped models feature the same scooter design but are powered by a small motor. Use these terms for more refined searches.
© 2000 Sydney Morning Herald
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