Pro Scooter Buying Guide

Source: walmart.ca

While the past decade has been overwhelmingly dominated by skateboarding, there is one more type of board floating around. Freestyle scooters are their own subculture with their own tricks and style. Because of this, lots of people have been showing interest in joining this sport. If you're one of them, then you're probably wondering how to get started. 

There are plenty of fun activities that you can do on a scooter, which include tricks, jumps, and even racing if you get serious about it. However, these activities all require different things from your scooter. Before you start doing any scooters tricks or getting into races, take the time to assess what kind of riding you will be doing and then make sure your scooter has the correct build to handle that.   

Wheel Size 

Source: thejournal.ie

The most important part of a scooter to consider is the wheel size. Most scooters come with 100mm wheels, but there are other options. 90mm and 110mm wheels are also common. The bigger the wheel, the faster you will be able to go. Bigger wheels can also handle road bumps more easily, but that's not much of an issue on a scooter.  

If you are planning on doing tricks with your scooter, you will probably want a smaller wheel, preferably 100mm or 90mm. A smaller wheel means the deck is lower to the ground, which makes it easier to do tricks and grinds. A larger wheel can work for doing tricks too, but it's harder.  

Wheel Bearings   

Wheel bearings are what make your wheels roll. They are small steel balls or cylinders that spin between the wheels and the fork. They can break quite easily but are cheap and easy to replace.  

Bearings usually come in two types: standard or ABEC. Standard bearings are cheap and last for about a month of hard riding. ABEC bearings on the other hand are more expensive and last longer.  

Deck Size

Source: electrek.co

The next important thing to consider is deck size. The size of the deck controls how nimble a scooter can be, how easy it is to turn corners, how much room you have on the pavement, and how well it will handle bumps.  

Generally speaking, decks range in size from 7 inches wide to 8 inches wide. You can get some smaller than that or some larger than that, but those are the most common sizes. For the most part, beginners will want something on the small side because it is more nimble. However, as you start getting bigger and hitting bigger gaps and ramps, you may want to go for something a bit larger because it provides a more stable ride at high speeds and over rough terrain.  

Deck Height

Deck height is a pretty important part of picking a scooter. If you're too short for the deck, you won't be able to ride it. There are two things we consider when talking about deck height:  

How high do your feet have to be off the ground when standing on the deck. This is the "standover height" and varies depending on the length of your legs. Your standover height should be at least 1 inch less than your inseam (the distance from your crotch to the bottom of your foot).  

The height of the scooter affects its performance. Taller decks are usually more stable, while shorter decks are more maneuverable. Generally, decks that are 14-18 inches high work well for younger riders, while 18+ inch decks work best for adults and older teens.  

Scooter Handlebars 

Source: electrek.co

There are many different styles of handlebars on the market. They come in all shapes, sizes, and materials. You need to consider what kind of riding you want to do and how much control you want over your scooter while choosing handlebars. Here are some of the most common styles:  

• T-Bars: These are the most common style of bars found on beginner scooters. These bars feature a simple crossbar with two vertical bars extending down from them. They give riders good control over their scooter but don't allow for any technical tricks as they are straight up and down.  
• Y-Bars: These bars are similar to T-bars except they have a third horizontal bar going across the back of them. This gives riders more room to put their feet when performing scooters tricks but doesn't provide much more control over the direction of your scooter than t-bars do.  
• IHC Bars: Integrated Headset Compression is an advanced bar style that allows for smoother turns, easier handling, and less wobble than traditional threaded forks.  

Suspension   

Suspension is a system on a scooter that permits the wheels to move vertically for the chassis. The purpose of suspension is to make riding more comfortable. Suspension does this by absorbing the energy generated by bumps in the road. An undamped (non-suspension) scooter would transfer all of this energy to the rider, which would be very uncomfortable over long distances. A well-designed suspension system can nearly eliminate this effect and allow you to ride much longer distances at faster speeds.  

To Sum Up  

In short, there are lots of options for someone looking for a good scooter to join the growing ranks of freestyle riders. However, no single scooter from any one brand is best at everything, so it's a matter of picking the right board based on its strengths and your interests. Hopefully, this guide can help you make an informed decision when it comes time to buy your own scooter.