E-scooter recommendations in the 900-1300 price range please.

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tehgerbil

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#302751 16-Dec-2022 21:13

Hey everyone,

I'm looking at a 'last mile' electric scooter in Chch.

It'd be for parking near Hagley then scootering to work and scootering from work (Lincoln/Moorhouse) into town.

I'm both spending money on parking and Lime scooters regularly, so I figure why not get a better long term solution.

I am not a fan of the Ninebots from their total lack of suspension and comparatively slow top speed in the 1000~1300 price range.

I'm finding myself turning to the Sonic 600W from Black Sheep trading, I'd love the Vsett8 but simply cannot justify the additional few hundred for an NFC tag lock and better suspension.

I would love any feedback from someone who rides the Ninebot Max (G30) on comfort and speed. I do like how they're water resistant to a degree and their reliability.

Thank you for any feedback anyone's able to offer.

Poll

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#3011056 16-Dec-2022 23:08

I've got a G30 that I use for commuting from the outskirts to centre of town a few days a week (14km), standard top speed is 25 but you can very easily unlock up to 30 with an android app to flash the firmware and tell it you're based in the states. That additional speed is dependent on weight and charge, I usually cruise at 27 (90kg including backpack etc) until down to around 75% then it will drop down to 25 and once down around 30% it will drop further to about 23.

The braking is not great, it's drum and regenerative only, it's no worse in the wet for braking other than grip which is a plus compared to Discs but disc brakes will stop you a lot quicker in the dry. If you're not on the road and keeping to cycle paths then this is far less of an issue.

The lack of suspension is relatively noticeable but you just learn to avoid potholes and bend your knees when going up kerbs, it's definitely not as much of a deal breaker as the brakes are.

As far as range goes, that 14km trip will use up anywhere from 32% to 58% battery depending on the wind direction, a head wind makes a big difference to speed as well.

I've ridden it through winter in heavy rain as far as water resistance.

There's no loss of battery life in the time I've had it (9 months). I even crashed off it last month (not scooters fault) and it is still running just fine so definitely a win on reliability.

On the subject of speed I'd definitely suggest ensuring adequate protection if going any faster than the 25 I was when I came off, helmet saved me from a far worse injury but I still ended up getting stitches in my head.

Hope that answers your questions, if there's anything else specific then ask away.

MarkM536

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#3011058 16-Dec-2022 23:36

Zero 9 scooter did me very well up until the last day it was in one piece.

Rock solid and did me up hills each day in the morning. I did 20km a week on it.

The Zero 9 is the same as the 'Sonic' 9 from Blacksheep you are referencing too.

RunningMan

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#3011212 17-Dec-2022 11:56

Poll:The braking is not great, it's drum and regenerative only,

There is adjustment in the G30 front brake which can increase it a bit.

tchart

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#3011333 17-Dec-2022 14:59

After a bit of research we got my son the Xiaomi Pro 4 scooter. Paid $1300 for it but they had it on sale for $1100 on Black Friday. Very good scooter. He’s over 100kgs so that limited the range and we we after the bigger tyres too. The rubber is self healing- which I was like yeah right until we pulled a huge nail out and didn’t lose pressure or require repair.

Handsomedan

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#3011888 19-Dec-2022 08:53

I've been riding a last-mile scooter for a few years now (less so since getting a company car).

I got a Xiaomi M365 Pro which I was able to flash new firmware to and it'll take me (I'm not light) 20 km or so on a charge at a top speed of 35km/h.

Doesn't have suspension, but I have never needed it, to be honest. I ride a full suspension mountain bike and feel like suspension on a scooter would be wholly unnecessary and at that size, would barely work anyway.

The only issue I have ever had with my Xiaomi is punctures - so I swapped out to good quality solid tyres.

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tchart

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#3011891 19-Dec-2022 09:02

Handsomedan:

The only issue I have ever had with my Xiaomi is punctures - so I swapped out to good quality solid tyres.

Nice, where/what did you get? I was eyeing these up but the self-healing tyres on the pro 4 have impressed me so far!

BTW what kind of things have lead you to punctures? Glass? Nails/screws?

Handsomedan

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#3011900 19-Dec-2022 09:16

tchart:

Handsomedan:

The only issue I have ever had with my Xiaomi is punctures - so I swapped out to good quality solid tyres.

Nice, where/what did you get? I was eyeing these up but the self-healing tyres on the pro 4 have impressed me so far!

BTW what kind of things have lead you to punctures? Glass? Nails/screws?

I got some from scoozzi.nz like this:

Mostly I got pinch-flats (due to insufficient tyre pressure) or I got nails in the tyres.

I used Slime in my tubes, which helped with self-healing small punctures, but anything that gashed the tube meant that I had to patch it.

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duckDecoy

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#3011925 19-Dec-2022 10:43

My son has had a Zero 9 scooter for a year and not a single issue so far. Im not sure about ChCh but there is a place in Auckland that stocks all the parts and repairs them, which was one of the reasons we chose it.

tehgerbil

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#3013927 25-Dec-2022 20:37

duckDecoy and MarkM536 I've narrowed it to the Zero9/equiv just worried about the lack of any water resistance, I'm in Chch and it's fairly often spitty/drizzly especially during winter.

Was that of concern to you, did it stop you riding in the wet at all?

Thank you everyone for your replies, I really appreciate the feedback. :)

jonathan18

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#3014707 28-Dec-2022 17:43

I have previously ridden my Zero 9 in light rain and felt it was ok from a water resistance perspective; but I didn’t feel particularly comfortable from a performance perspective (brakes in particular) - not something I’d do as a matter of course… For others YMMV…

tehgerbil

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#3014948 29-Dec-2022 09:57

jonathan18: I have previously ridden my Zero 9 in light rain and felt it was ok from a water resistance perspective; but I didn’t feel particularly comfortable from a performance perspective (brakes in particular) - not something I’d do as a matter of course… For others YMMV…

Thank you, brakes seem to be an oft glossed over feature I'm finding from reading many reviews both on Youtube and Interwebs. Pity many put good breaks on front only (I'm guessing cheaper to put good breaks on non-motor wheel) is just asking for physics to teach you a harsh lesson about overcoming friction coefficients haha.

MarkM536

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#3015129 29-Dec-2022 16:26

tehgerbil:

duckDecoy and MarkM536 I've narrowed it to the Zero9/equiv just worried about the lack of any water resistance, I'm in Chch and it's fairly often spitty/drizzly especially during winter.

Was that of concern to you, did it stop you riding in the wet at all?

I've ridden it through puddles and been in sudden Auckland down-pours while riding it.

When I bought the scooter, I stuck some duct tape over a gap between the front plastic and the chassis.

Just in the middle is an oval shaped drainage hole, but water often gets flicked up into there from the front wheel.

I took it back to the store when it was worth just parts, and they said the inside didn't have much dirt or water damage.

(The scooter didn't break on it's own, it was another person involved.)

MarkM536

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#3015131 29-Dec-2022 16:31

tehgerbil:

Thank you, brakes seem to be an oft glossed over feature I'm finding from reading many reviews both on Youtube and Interwebs. Pity many put good breaks on front only.

Now that I have a Zero 8X, having a drum brake was good.

I often used the drum brake for gradual deceleration because disc brakes are more aggressive. I still used both when I needed to stop quickly.

floydbloke

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#3019810 11-Jan-2023 08:09

Although at $2100 makes it a bit OT, I figure this is as good a place as any to show off my new acquisition. It's an Apollo Explore I’ve previously had a Ninebot ES4 which turned out to be a POS and really didn’t have enough grunt which steered me away from e-scootering as a serious commuting means. However, the unreliable bus service persuaded me to give it another crack, and this one has a bit more oomph to get me up the hills.

Did Eric Clapton really think she looked wonderful...or was it after the 15th outfit she tried on and he just wanted to get to the party and get a drink?

jonathan18

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#3019822 11-Jan-2023 08:49

Looks great. Would be interesting to know its relationship to the Zero 9 (the scooter I have), to which it bears more than a passing resemblance!