Even with a folding bike like the Dahon or Brompton, I still have to "take care" of the bike as those bikes are not cheap, and so I cannot leave it unattended. I can bring the bike along with me, but that makes it cumbersome, even with a Brompton that I can push along.
With a kick scooter, that simplifies things as I can fold it with just one action, and carry it along as it is so lightweight compared to a bicycle. It also does not attract as much attention as when you push or carry a folded bicycle with you. Finally, I will not need to wear a helmet as I am just scooting along the pavement at low speeds. It is not an E-scooter, so I feel like I am in control at all times. If anything happens I can jump or run off the kick scooter easily.
Being impressed by Decathlon's range of kick scooters, I decided to give it a try and get one from Decathlon. After comparing each models' pros and cons, I decided to get this one, which is not too expensive. After all, kick scooters are cheap compared to bicycles!
Oxelo Town 7XL, in a dark silver colour! Comes in an easy to carry box, similar to IKEA furniture.
Includes large wheels for smooth rolling, brake lever for braking (which is very important to me), and also suspension for comfort.
Other features include the optional kickstand (included in box) and a place for you to clip lights if you need to scoot around in the dark.
Comes folded in the box, almost ready to go!
Detachable handlebars, which I feel is the weakest part of this kick scooter design. More on this later on. At least there are holders for the detached handlebars.
Adjustable handlebar height, and detachable ends for compact storage.
Quick release lever for adjusting of handlebar height. Not really safe or ergonomic to have the end of the lever sticking out at this angle.
The plastic buttons that you press to release the handlebars from the centre handlepost. These two buttons are the only two areas preventing the handlebar from twisting or falling out.
Low platform height makes it easy and effortless to scoot around
I like the wide and long platform that accommodates both my feet easily. The rubberized layer is also useful for additional grip.
Decathlon, being a French company, has this kick scooter designed and engineered in France. As with most things, it is Made In China. It has a weight limit of 100 kg.
Rear suspension, visible through a transparent lens on the platform
Just a simple coil spring and elastomer in the middle, similar to the Brompton rear suspension. Adjustable by turning the nut at the top.
Large 200mm diameter rear wheel (equivalent to 8 inches). Nice spoke design too. Rear suspension arm made of stamped sheet metal.
Front suspension located between the front fork and the head tube. With just a rubber boot covering the mechanism.
It seems like the mechanism is just a shaft suspended within a tube, much like a standard bicycle front suspension. Front fork is also made of stamped sheet metal. Front fenders included.
Braking function can be activated either by the brake lever or by stepping on the rear fender.
Stock brake lever, mounted on the right side of the handlebar.
Using an inner cable, the rear brake mechanism is activated.
When the brake lever is pulled, the inner cable will pull the silver coloured brake shoe, which will then touch the rear wheel.
Another view of the rear mechanism. Rear brake mechanism is suspended on the rear arm, which itself is suspended from the main frame by the suspension spring.
Another way to activate the brake shoe is to step on the large aluminium rear fender. This aluminium fender looks and feels much more sturdy than the plastic ones that are usually used.
Front headset is the threaded type. Steerer tube is threaded, and secured with two interlocking nuts. The long handlepost is then clamped onto the steerer tube by this clamp shown here.
Hollow centre tube section of the platform. Strong yet lightweight.
Folding mechanism at the front. The lever on the left loosens the mechanism, while the lever on the right activates the fold.
Instructions on how to fold shown here. Quite easy to do but needs both hands to work.
Actual weight is 6 kg, which is OK, considering that it has full suspension and also a brake lever.
Optional kickstand
Kickstand attaches to the platform with two bolts and nuts.
Little kickstand activated!
Looks pretty good! I like the design of the wheels and also how integrated the suspension mechanism is.
Overall view of the Oxelo Town 7 XL kick scooter!
The large wheels plus the smooth sealed bearings makes the kick scooter glide so smoothly and quickly! On a smooth flat road, it just glides effortlessly along. It only takes 3 good kicks to roll a distance of approximately 50 metres.
In stock condition, the rear suspension was far too hard for me to feel any effect. I had to loosen the nut by quite a few turns, in order to feel the suspension compressing when I step on it. Sort of like setting the sag on a mountain bike suspension.
As for the front suspension, it was also far too hard to feel any movement when I step on the platform. However, I could not find any way to adjust it.
During actual usage, I did feel the rear suspension work, when rolling over the raised yellow dots on the floor. As for the front suspension, I only felt it activate occasionally, when the front end goes into a depression on the ground or drops over a small curb.
The brake lever is useful for reducing speed, as compared to using the foot to step on the rear fender. It is better for me as I don't need to shift my weight balance when braking, whereas if you use your foot to brake, you need to balance with one foot while using the other to brake. Also, pressing the brake lever requires much less reaction time, compared to using the rear fender brake, where you need to shift your balance, followed by finding the rear fender to step on, then trying to modulate the braking force so that you don't fall off the kick scooter.
With the brake lever, I can modulate the braking force more precisely with my hand, while preparing to put down a leg when I come to a stop. It is safer and more stable to have a brake lever on a kick scooter.
So far, all is good. However, the wobbly handlebars are not the best. As the handlebars fit into the handlepost loosely, you can still move and rotate the handlebar even when you are moving, which is quite unsettling. Although it will not fall out, the moving handlebar still makes me a bit worried. To mitigate this, I try to hold the grips and push it downwards when riding, so that it settles in a fixed position and not move around.
I am not too satisfied with the condition of the rear brake setup, so I will modify it a bit...
