Kick scooter
A
kick scooter is a platform with wheels typically propelled by pushing against the ground with the feet. Most are two wheeled vehicles with handlebars for steering the front wheel and a narrow platform near the ground. The user stands on the platform with one foot in front of the other and pushes on the ground with one foot to propel the scooter. This kind of scooter is sometimes made with a seat. There are also motorized versions. (See
Motorized scooter.)
Some scooters have four wheels. One common homemade version is made by attaching
roller skate wheel sets to a board with some kind of handle. Steering is provided by leaning. Early commercial versions are made by simply adding a handle to a
skateboard.
Triski is a special kind of kick scooter.
Primitive scooters have been hand-made in industrial urban areas for at least 100 years. The construction was all-wooden (overall shape resembling, e.g., modern
Razor scooters), with 3-4 inch steel
ball bearings for wheels. An additional advantage of this construction was loud noise, just like from a "real" vehicle.
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Child with miniature folding scooter. |
In the early
2000s, a sleeker, narrower folding version of the kick scooter became wildly popular in the US, with a wide variety of colors and styles. Popular brands include
Razor, Kick, and
Xootr. GO-PED brand motorized scooters have been around since 1985 but eventually released 2 non-motorized versions as well; the Grow-Ped (for the small kids) and the Know-Ped (for larger kids and adults).
Full sized scooters that are propelled by pushing off with one foot while the other rests on a footpad. These scooters use full size bike tires (from 16" to 26") along with
mountainbike parts like hand brakes and front shocks.
These scooters are used for activities ranging from Urban Transport to Off-road Racing to
Dog scootering, and there are many different types to fit each type of activity.
;Urban Transport Scooters : headtube is more upright, with larger wheels (26") for a smoother roll and will not generally have any shocks
Off Road Racing Scooter : more angled head tube (to avoid bashing knees), shocks, medium size wheels (16"-20"). Scooter racing is much larger in the UK and Europe at the moment than in the US.;Dog Scooters : varies per person and location that scootering is done, generally the off-road scooters are used, shocks and smaller wheels preferred for manuverability. If the dog scootering is for long distance, an Urban Transport type scooter may be used. While some scooter companies are starting to market to dog scooterers, they are not building specific models for this activity as of yet.
