This sort of thing:
Anyone use 'em? Pros? Cons? Recommendations?
I’m looking to buy, not rent.
No experience and I don’t see the point of them as I find bicycles so much more useful.
But could you rent one for a day to try it out? I didn’t see the point of e-bikes either till I had to rent one while on holiday and I saw how fabulous they can be (if you get a good one). Nothing’s good as hands-on experience…
Due to physical issues, bicycles - which I too would much prefer - are out of the picture, unfortunately.
Sure, e-scooters can be rented where I live. That’s not going to be of much help, though, because I already have a pretty good idea about operation, handling, and the general experience. I even know what I’m looking for, and know which brands I’m leaning toward. Issues with those, though, range among high cost, being out of stock because of brand popularity, or my reluctance to not buy American, which (except for availability, of course) are nevertheless points open to some negotiation. Another reason not to rent is ease of access: I would have to go out of my way to lay hands on the rentals, which for me means driving the car or taking the bus or a cab, and which in turn rather negates the whole point for my purposes.
Even if I could walk out my door and rent one right there, the e-scooter rental industry is completely in its infancy here in the Twin Cities, and it seems to me that it’s geared more toward fun rather than hardcore utility. All of which is fine, but I need dependability for commutes involving appointments, not larking about in my free time, and for now I don’t have that kind of confidence in what’s available for rental.
What it comes down to is that despite general appearances, these scooters are not all alike. They all have different strengths and weaknesses in varying combination, and the differences can be significant if you’re looking for more than just a joyride. I’ve been scouring the Web for info and it’s been helpful, but I was hoping to hear Chiffers’ experiences too, more for nuance and in case I’d missed anything.
I also know full well that at the moment scooters are très uncool. Well, you can’t get any more uncool than me, so why not ironically embrace the contempt, and add insult to injury? Hipsters take note.
Where will you put your harp when you go to the pub? It doesn’t look like it has much instrument storage room.
A recumbent tricycle wouldn’t work for you either? Then I have just one general tip which transfers from e-bikes: I found a model I liked enough to buy in the shop closest to me which is owned and manned by a mechanic who inspires confidence (and the bike was in stock, and the vendor rather eager to get rid of it, so he reduced the price a bit) - it is not the optimum in e-bikes, quality-wise, but it worked almost perfectly for 4000 km. And then it didn’t - and I was very happy that I just had to take it back to this close-by shop and the owner got a replacement part from the factory and changed it for me (for the past 400 km it’s been fine again).
The point I’m trying to make: With electrics and electronics there can always be a faulty part and generally we have neither the skills, tools or spare parts to do repairs on our own (and the parts are not always easily available). So customer service is important, and in the end it might be worth it to pay even a higher price from a decent shop rather then look for the cheapest online offer.
Regarding the “Made in America” thing - my bike is “Made in France” - but all the parts are Chinese. I’m not sure whether assembling them in France changes a lot…
I wasn’t suggesting to rent long-term instead of buying, but just for a day or two for trying out scooters in general or a specific model. Depending on the purchase price of the scooter that might be a worthwhile investment if it helps you make a better decision. Regarding dependability, it might be well worth talking to the places who rent them out, because I’d be surprised if they wanted to spend their time repairing their fleet - a scooter in the workshop doesn’t generate income.
In an ideal world you could rent the model you consider buying from the shop for a period and then buy exactly this scooter, with the rental price deducted from the purchase price (I know a source for spinning wheels that works that way, but in Germany…)
That’s right. The kick-style scooter is best, because all I have to do is step up a little onto it, and stand. If a regular bike is out of the question, how much moreso a recumbent, where one has to go thru even more efforts to get from vertical to recumbent position, and back again? Really, I don’t want to get into it too far, but this isn’t a matter of laziness. I already cited physical issues; they are proving to be insurmountable (at least for now, but they may very well prove long-term), and I’ve examined all the viable and nonviable possibilities. Let’s remember this, take me at my word, and move on, shall we?
It’s something I keep in mind. In my searches it’s become quite evident that in this matter, you definitely get what you pay for. But it doesn’t end there; let me also add that I’m looking at foldable scooters, and this is non-negotiable. Even the most expensive often prove to be unsuitable because they tend to be much heavier than I’ll be able to manage well should I need to carry one - some as heavy as 36 pounds (16.3 kg) - when I can still get some relatively expensive ones that weigh no more than around 16 pounds (7.2 kg). Obviously there are going to be trade-offs, but lightweight is the way to go for me.
Yeah, in this Global Village foreign-made parts are pretty much a given these days, aren’t they. I guess my reluctance is more about buying directly from foreign companies themselves - not so much out of some vague overriding sense of nationalism, but because I have no real experience in doing so and have concerns about reliability and accountability.
As to service, the scooter-using community tend to order replacement parts as needed and do their own repairs, and basically this is easy to do. I’m totally okay with that.
All right, that makes sense. I looked into it and from what I can tell, the two largest rental companies in the US (Bird and Lime) use the Xiaomi brand which has a huge presence and reputation among e-scooters, although to date that corporation’s far better known for other products. I definitely would be interested in talking to rental agents about the products they use.
Worth a look, anyway.
Normally I would jiu-jitsu the question and snark, “In everyone’s way,” but in either case I am no longer a drinker with a sessioning problem, so whether obstacle or burden, the harp question is irrelevant -at least to my knocking one back. The actual question, then, is where I would leave it, and that is at home, where it belongs. Obviously one doesn’t get a mid-size harp for its ease of transport, so that’s what the car is for - should that remotest of days ever even dawn. In the meantime, if I’m ever to play with anyone, I’m afraid the Mountain will have to come to Mohammed.
If anyone’s asking themselves, But why a scooter?, the short answer is less aggravation. It all came about three days ago when I happened to see a woman zipping down my street on an e-scooter. That’s pretty cool, I thought to myself on seeing the novelty, but thought no more of it, nor did I expect to. Later that same day I took a short 2-mile cab ride into the heart of downtown, but on the way back there was a heavily attended sports event (Tottenham Hotspur vs. AC Milan, quite the special occasion for humble wee bucolic Minneapolis), plus it was rush hour - what spectacularly idiotic timing! - and with the massive obstructions of road repair on top of it to compound the gridlock, I wound up paying twice the fare I normally would have. And that’s with my cabbie eventually making an illegal u-turn (which I heartily approved) to take a longer route that got me home faster in the end, otherwise I might well have ended up paying even more, bless his felonious little heart. That does it, I thought, remembering the woman I saw only a couple of hours earlier; A scooter would have made short work of this mess. And as if to drive the point home, still later that very same day what should I see but some acquaintances - you guessed it - on rentals. It’s like I couldn’t get away from it. Struck by the uncanny progression of events, I asked them what they thought, and they were pretty enthusiastic about the contraptions. Talk about a string of coincidences … or were they? 
And there you have it.
One issue to consider is whether your city plans to ban them, as is happening in many California cities right now. I don’t know if they’re going to regulate privately-owned scooters in the same manner that they are dealing with the rental companies (Bird & Lime). Ride a scooter, go to jail. Well, they can impound the rental ones, and are ticketing for helmet, driver’s license & potentially, insurance violations.
Also, why would you have to carry one? Won’t they free-wheel and you drag it around like luggage when not in use? Or do you mean heaving them up stairs and into other vehicles?
It’s a point of discussion these days. The main issue recently is that said rental companies burst onto the local scene without permits (no doubt on the mistaken principle that it’s easier to get forgiveness than permission), but that seems to be the only issue; offenders have been corralled and required to apply for their commercial permits like anyone else, with nothing more punitive than a brief slap-on-the-wrist shutdown until that’s done. There’s been some locking of horns over it, but the climate here seems instead to be one of working out how we can retain the corporate rental model and satisfy city ordinances as well.
At this time, laws specific to individual e-scooter usage don’t really exist other than they’re classed in the same category as electric bikes and Segways, which is to say also in the same legal category as regular bikes and skateboards, so there are few restrictions on them; but I expect this to be tackled pretty darned soon indeed, if for no other outcome than to agree to let sleeping dogs lie. However it pans out, I really don’t foresee an outright ban on their use per se, whether rented or owned; otherwise, might as well ban regular bicycles, kickboards and skateboards in all fairness then, too. And until scooters are reclassified, the odds of that are pretty darned slim. It strikes me as unreasonable to single out scooters just because some ninny in City Hall is having a hissy fit over those who want to make a buck off of them; we can already rent all the other stuff, and that’s no problem, so why would scooters be the villain? I mean, seriously. Even if I weren’t interested in them, this would still be my position.
Yep. For going into buildings where carrying it doesn’t pose a problem, and such. And after all, carrying a folded-up one is a lot more civic-minded than wheeling an upright one around indoors, as I see it, and to me that counts. But for those savages who care little about how they impose upon others in enclosed spaces, in practical terms folded’s more manageable, too. The point is, I wouldn’t leave it unattended because of the all-too-easy possibility of theft, so taking it with me is desirable, and for that, folded-up is obviously even better. If I already know it’s not a good idea to bring it indoors, I’ll elect to forgo the scooter for other transport, but otherwise save the those modes for long hauls, passengers, groceries, and the wintertime.
Perhaps, at 25 lbs, this is out of the question? https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ninebot-One-A1-Electric-Unicycle-310WH-free-shipping-from-CA-with-Warranty-new-/262788562792
Bob
Before I clicked the link I had hoped it was a hang glider.
Any idea how fast that can go? For comparison, one video I watched said some of the e-scooters could go 18 mph.
Those look like they came straight out of a Jetsons episode. Great futuristic look and style, and about as compact as it gets. An attractive price, too. But the weight is more than I would personally prefer, and I would want the handlebars and more forgiving footspace a scooter has to offer.
The Full Item Description cites a top speed of 20 kph (12.4 mph), which is toward the mid-to-low end for e-scooters, but I’m guessing that limit is probably best, safety-wise, for the Ninebot One design.
The functional operating speed of electric conveyances depends not only on their power, but also on user weight and terrain. Obviously, level paved surfaces are best, but even so, the heavier you (and your load) are, the less readily you should expect to get to top speed. Going up inclines will also slow you down (which makes me question the wisdom of rental companies picking locales such as San Francisco). In both cases, you put extra drain on the battery. The degree of workable incline can differ from model to model, and some of the cheapest won’t handle inclines at all. These are all things to take into consideration. Dirt, grassy and gravel surfaces are probably best avoided in any case. That said, under ideal conditions e-scooter speeds have even been reported at over 20 mph (32 kph) in some models, but blazing speed is the least of my concerns.
One good thing is that most e-scooters now come with at least one regenerative brake, so battery drain can sometimes be significantly mitigated, especially by applying the brakes on a downhill run.
Recharging time is also an issue. Some of the best require as much as 4 hours (!), while their close competitors need only around an hour and a half. Much to think about when making a choice.
Well, if you don’t need customer service for your scooter because you can do it all yourself, you are a lot freer in your choice (because what I really wanted to write previously, before I got sidetracked, was that I opted for buying a 90%-perfect bike from the nearest shop instead of trying to find the absolute optimum model from heaven knows where - though I had tried a number of different ones before picking mine).
It seems as if weight is your most important criteria? Is the list of foldable scooters under x pounds (x being however much you are able and willing to carry) really so long that the choice is horribly difficult, once you factor in price and availability (I’d still prefer a shop where I can shout at the vendor if there’s a problem)?
Regarding charging time, is it really an issue? My bike battery charges awfully slow (which is supposedly better for the battery than charging quickly), but I don’t care because I just plug it in in the evening and unplug in the morning and it lasts for well over 100 km, which is way more than the usual distances I ride. Not sure how big the variety is for scooters, but I’d try to find one that easily covers a round trip to your principal destinations, so you just have to plug it in back home (saves you from having to carry the charger around, too). Only if that’s not possible, so that you have to charge at your destination, does charging time become important.
Btw, make sure the battery is included in the listed scooter weight, bike weights are sometimes listed without those extra 5 lbs…
I wouldn’t say that’s the surest way to put it, because it’s more nuanced than that. My most important criteria are several, and roughly equal in consideration: power, battery life, dependability, weight, and price. How these come together as a whole is what I’m looking at.
Not really. But I’m swimming unfamiliar waters here, so that’s why I posted this topic, in hopes that anyone with any prior experience would have any input for me. It doesn’t even have to be about scooters per se, so long as it sheds a light on electric vehicles as might apply to the topic, not least including such things as brand reliability.
Of course. So would I. But that appears impossible where I live. The only shop I can find in the Twin Cities that deals in and is dedicated to so-called “e-scooters” really only deals in those that closely resemble motorcycles, such as the Vespa. I was unable to find any indication whatsoever that they also deal in the kind I’m looking for. If there are bicycle or other kinds of shops that sell them, they’re not in evidence. My only other local option is to go to the mega-corporate likes of Best Buy or Walmart, but while the prices are very attractive, their top scooters don’t really come quite close enough to what I’m looking for. And they don’t do service, but farm it out or replace. I called Best Buy and the person talking to me couldn’t tell me anything about their scooters, which, unfortunately, is nothing to be surprised at. If I were just looking for what essentially amounts to a toy, then I could have gone that route and wouldn’t have even brought this topic up. But I’m not looking for toys, and money being money, I need to find something that’s just my kind of workhorse. So here we are.
I haven’t decided yet. That’s why I’m asking you guys.
This is good information that I didn’t know. Thanks. Will look into it further.
Right. I have all these in mind. Your first point is paramount, because I intend to confine using the scooter within a relatively small geographical radius - my usual run of activity - but at my age and condition, covering such distances on foot, as I routinely used to do, is no longer a realistic option. Yet the world’s demands remain to be met, so in doing so, keeping a reduced carbon footprint, or even lessening it further if I can, matters quite a bit to me: consider the excessiveness of driving a car eight blocks and back for one non-loadbearing trip, especially when weighed against doing the same on an electric scooter. So that’s part of my motivation, too. I’m lucky to be able to have such an option that I could use so extensively. Anyway, yes: Whether it be a few blocks or a few miles in total, reliable round-trip capacity within that radius and its conditions is absolutely important. That part’s easy enough to square away. However: Should there come a time when, for whatever reason, I have to step outside the intended normal distance, time, or load parameters (I don’t anticipate it, but I’m big on not being caught with my pants down), then battery charge time might become an issue. Something more to consider.
Thanks for the tip. So far, the weights quoted appear to include the battery, which makes sense if you’re advertising a product meant to be folded and carried. Still, it’s best to keep a closer eye and not make assumptions. 
That’s actually a subject I’m thinking about right now because I’m considering a bicycle tour with my e-bike (or whether I should take the e-bike at all or rather buy a mechanical touring bike). So far my reasoning goes something like this: It’s actually unlikely that I will really do more than 100 km/day considering I want to do some extensive sightseeing. Secondly, if I do want to do more, I might be able to ask nicely whether I can charge the battery in the place where I have lunch. Even one hour of charging time will extend the battery life somewhat and Li-Ion-batteries don’t suffer if you charge them partially (unlike NiCd, which as far as I know are now longer being sold for consumer goods, at least in Europe). Last but not least, when the battery should run out I’m still sitting on a 24-speed bicycle (with emphasis on the “slow” speeds), albeit a heavy one, and should be capable to get to my destination under my own power, just a bit more slowly.
Can those electric scooters actually be used without the motor?
As there’s no stores specializing in electric foot scooters (something I wouldn’t have imagined), have you tried looking for them in stores selling electric bicycles? (I’d hope the twin cities have some of those!)
I don’t know about all of them, but a number of them are advertised that way. It’s an option worth having should I need it.
I know, right? But actually the phenomenon appears to be so utterly new here that the local entrepreneurs have yet to catch up. That day I first saw one I wondered why I hadn’t noticed them before - the idea looks like a given, doesn’t it? - but the answer seems to be that they simply just weren’t around in any significant way before this. And now: BANG.
Yes, we have those. I met a guy who sells and rents them alongside the regular ones at his bike shop; he was standing with one on a route that was prohibited to motor traffic, and thinking it was a motorbike and that maybe he was from out of town and didn’t know, I approached him to hint, friendly-like, that he’d probably want to relocate before he got a ticket. Nosy, right? That’s when I first learned that electric bikes even existed, and that their legal status was pretty free and clear (just checked his website, and no, he doesn’t sell e-scooters. Yet.). Interestingly enough, while electric bikes aren’t unknown here, they don’t appear to have caught on for some reason. I’ve only noticed one in several years, and that was the very one with the guy I just mentioned. Might be local urban bike culture; our cyclists do seem to champion a crusty “purist” attitude. Around here bicycling often includes hitting the recreational off-road bike trails for fun and exercise, so you see a lot of single-speed bikes. You see three-gear bikes, of course, but unless I’m just not seeing right, your twelve-gear racing-style bikes don’t seem nearly as common, at least where I live. No idea why; if I were to get a bicycle, that’s the kind I’d want. But as I said earlier, I’m uncool, so…
The modern revival of the tall bike actually started here in Minneapolis with the Hard Times Bike Club, which went on to become the international Black Label Bike Club. But this group’s creations are really better termed your so-called “freak” or “mutant” bikes, as the movement went beyond tall bikes to explore a host of customized expressions, both tall and low. So while a fringe group, its being founded here might say something too about local attitudes.
At this point my searches in the bicycle vendors’ general direction have been fruitless, but admittedly cursory too, so deeper digging would be called for. On that note, I have wondered if bicycle vendors might be steering away from e-scooters on some point of principle, but I think it’s far too early in the game to arrive at such conclusions.
Maybe most Americans are still too attached to their cars? I have the feeling that in France e-bikes are for motorists more than for cyclists (as you can imagine, road cycling is pretty big in the home of the Tour de France. Btw, modern racers have more often 24 gears than 12… ) When in Germany - I grew up in Munich - I didn’t even own a car, but here distances are just too big. It’s 10 miles to the nearest supermarket and 15 to the library - with a few hills on the way and wind on most days. That’s when I use my e-bike - for the 2 miles to the letterbox and old mechanical is enough, and in the truck, to ride in cities, I have an even older 10 speed.
E-bikes are also simply fashionable right now. E-scooters, on the other hand, haven’t made an appearance yet, as far as I know. And recently in a tramway I saw that (mechanical) foot scooters (they are around in small numbers) were not allowed on board. Wegoboards are sometimes seen, but I think more as a toy than a means of transport.
By the way, when I say e-bike, I mean an electrically assisted bike - the motor only works when the rider is pedalling. Which is one of the reasons the thing is considered a bicycle and not a motorbike. The other is the limited speed - the motor cuts out at 25 km/h - about 16 mph. There is a category where the motor works up to 40 km/h, but they are considered motorbikes and need vehicle registration and the rider needs to wear a helmet.
Could be, but the more I can do without mine, the better I’ve always liked it, so I’m not the one to ask. It probably depends very much on the general mindset of your local culture, and on what’s feasible; for example, it’s well known (or at least broadly assumed) that in Los Angeles, don’t expect to be able to get by without a car; the city’s just too spread out. But maybe there are LA cyclists who would contest this. Not having experienced LA for myself, I can’t begin to guess, but I expect e-bikes would certainly have more currency there. Having lived the rural life, I know firsthand how indispensable a motor vehicle is in that situation. In fishing about for a possible “Minneapolitan mindset” in the matter (if there really is one), I was thinking along other lines. It seems to be: If you take the car, take the car; if you bike, then bike; no call to blur the lines. Possibly this is in part because MPLS is compact, which would make these choices easier and more clear, and also render intracity use of e-bikes irrelevant except for rental by the weekend dilettante. I know some hardy souls who go by mechanical bicycle year-round, and that is firm unless the winter weather gets too bad even for them, and only then do they take a cab. Wintertime cyclists, while not common, aren’t a rare sight; you might well expect to see at least one every day. I shake my head and marvel at it, but for them, there’s a matter of principle involved; a lot of these people could buy cars if they wanted to. I can think of a couple of fellows (one getting into middle age, a winter cyclist for sure, and I know for a fact that he could afford at least some kind of car) who would probably roll their eyes at the suggestion of an e-bike. It’s really like that around here. Not with everyone, of course, but the bike purism mindset does exist enough that it can’t be dismissed out of hand. They are known to be vocal and politically motivated vehicle-wise, but of course the noise may outweigh their numbers.
If you think about it, it’s probably the non-foldable ones that led to that. I rest my case.
That’s me: Life as a dinosaur.
I don’t know where they draw the line on that here, if there is one. But IIRC, the fellow I talked to definitely had, and was referring to, the first kind you mentioned.
By the way, let me compliment you on your easy command of English. It puts me to shame; I have enough French and Japanese to get into trouble, but not enough to get out. I would never have guessed you were a German native.
Thanks, but don’t worry: I trained as a translator (English/German) and used to work as a technical writer (English, in France). My French is much worse…
Back to e-bikes and scooters: What I have not mentioned so far is battery life - in the sense of lifetime, not range between charges. I’ve heard of e-bikes where the battery died (permanently) just after the warranty period. For which I have two explanations: It was a cheap, shitty battery to begin with (I have no idea how to make the difference before purchase, other than going by the manufacturers reputation). Or the bike hadn’t been used often enough. For it’s a maybe not well-enough known fact that rechargeable batteries must be used regularly or they’ll deteriorate to the point of dying. I killed two cellphone batteries (only kept if for emergencies which never happened) before I found out. The user manual to my bike states that if it’s not used in winter, the battery much be recharged once a month. On the other hand, as far as I know (from the manual to my phone pad and what I’ve heard about laptops) it’s not a good idea to leave the batteries connected to the charger/mains permanently either. Just something to bear in mind…
Another important point is punctures - flat tires are the bane of cycling. Not sure how prone to flats the small scooter tires are (something the guys in the rental places should know), but I’d say, the easier the wheel is to remove, the better. Easy availability of spares (tires and inner tubes, if any) would help (are scooter tires standardized yet?). You’ll probably also want to invest in a good-quality air pump - correct pressure is incredibly important for vehicle performance. Or maybe there are airless tires for scooters? But they’ll probably be heavier…
Most other things that are important for bikes probably don’t translate to scooters - I suppose you don’t need to worry about kickstands, luggage racks (though how do you transport things on them? Backpack?) and lights. Though I’m sure being visible (to drivers) is just as hugely important for scooter riders as for cyclists (where I live - and have lived -, they don’t actively try to kill cyclists, they just run into them by accident because they didn’t expect/see them. But some things I’ve read make me wonder about the U.S. and Australia…) Fluorescent vests are very good, and there’s lots of cheap LED lamps around - blinking ones are very visible, where allowed, but for illuminating the road a steady white one in front is better.
You’ll want brakes that work even when wet (even if you don’t plan to ride in bad weather, you never know. Or you might get drenched by crop irrigation or a broken hydrant) - I’ve become a huge fan of disk brakes since I’ve had my new bike.
That’s all I can think of for now…
Thanks. This is stuff that I definitely want to know.
No tire standardization yet, nor do I expect it will ever come about. You see both pneumatic/holiow and solid tires on e-scooters - pneumatics tend to be a bit larger, of course - but solid appears to be the majority by far, and that’s what I’m going with. Even if not really pneumatic, hollow tires are still vulnerable to puncture, even though they do cushion the ride more. So it’s a trade-off. I’d rather have tires I needn’t worry about, even if it means a harder ride. As to weight, size matters. Look again at the pic I posted, and you’ll see the size I have in mind: very small. Some are even a bit smaller yet, IIRC. The better scooters of all types have varying suspension strategies to help soften the ride, but with solid tires I won’t expect any miracles in that department.
Models usually come with a wee little kickstand. Very cute. Also easily replaceable, like the rest, if they fail.
Backpack would be the usual if I were hauling several items from the convenience store, for example.
LED lights front and back can be expected on most models, certainly on the better ones. They also provide readouts (some lit, some not) of speed and battery charge. As it should happen, just last night I saw an e-scooter going right past me in the opposite direction (I was in the car), and for my money I thought its lighting was sufficient for safety purposes, because while it was technically on the wrong side of the road, thanks to its headlight I saw it coming well ahead of time. I elected not to hit it.
Some of the earlier models had the front light down low with the deck, but that was soon deemed unsatisfactory for street use (I agree), so now the standard location is up where the handlebars are. That’s preferable, I think.
A scooterist is hardly less vulnerable than a pedestrian, so naturally I have road safety very much in mind. My chances are best if I stick to bike lanes (and we have a lot of them), but if things get hairy I can always use the sidewalk in a pinch. Also, for night runs it’s of course best to stick to well-lit streets.
I’m less clear on the braking technologies used on scooters. I’ve seen disc brakes mentioned, so I know they’re out there, but while I don’t know if that’s the industry standard, the implication has been that those are best.
The higher-end scooters all claim water resistance (light rain and small puddles) to keep the battery and wiring from shorting out. It seems to me that this would matter especially for those models where the battery pack coincides with the deck. On the model I posted a pic of, the battery pack is in the upright section (“steering tube” is one name for it), so wiring aside, that might possibly add some extra advantage in water resistance. Hard to say, but it looks like it. None will tolerate full immersion, though, so while I wouldn’t know why you’d want to do that, it’s to be avoided.
You’ve been a great help! Thanks for your input.
What do you (Nano and Kade1301) do in less-than-clement weather conditions (rain or snow)? I am wanting to move toward using an e-bike but my wife isn’t fond of the idea of me driving to work in the snow. (The snow hangs around for a while, gets really really dirty and then sticks to everything. So she imagines I would look like a horrible mess were I to drive through the snow to work on a bike.)
For us, a car seems most reasonable to overcome this problem. (For the record, I might also be asking the local bike shop soon to get recommendations from them.) But I am curious how you guys overcome or plan to overcome the weather?