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Recommend electric folding scooter for end of commute (Mod Note Post #1)

goz83

Mod Note: I've discussed with site admins, due to the current legal situation recommendations cannot be made for use of electric scooters on public roads in Ireland, but can be made for use on private property. However, we will allow discussion of e-scooters for purchase for use on private property, and other jurisdictions such as France/Germany where they are legal for use. This restriction will be lifted as soon as the legal situation changes, which will hopefully be soon.

I was thinking of getting one of those xiaomi m365 folding scooters to cover the last 5 kilometres of the journey as I come into the city and traffic gets mad. I am looking for peoples experiences with them.

I understand they are in a bit of a legal grey area, but you need to push this scooter to get going, so technically it doesn’t operate on mechanical power alone which is what the rsa site mentions as the definition of an mpv.

I’ll be travelling about 15km each way from urban to city. Due to a back injury, I can’t spend an hour stuck in traffic twice per day. I can’t tolerate public transport and it would be much more expensive (over €100 per month, compared to about €5 per month in my Leaf and m365).

So, my plan would be to drive about 10km and park the car before hitting the city centre. Parking would be free as I would be well outside the cc. I would then scoot the rest of the way to my destination and do the reverse on my return journey. I wouldn’t be stuck in traffic for too long and the range of the scooter should easily cover the return journey without destination charging. The scooter will cost around €400 to buy and claims 30km per charge...I am expecting 15.

What do you think?

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cojomo2

Zurbaran wrote: »

Got my Kugoo s1 today. Battery half full so gave it a bit of a go. You can definatly feel the bumps even with the suspension so I reckon the reviews of putting solid tyres on a m365 are spot as it has no suspension.

I got up to 25km with ease although I’m not sure I’ll get to the advertised 30. One thing that’s bothering me is how hard it is to fold it. I’m hoping I just haven’t got the technique down cause it is really hard to do.

https://youtu.be/3A6GM0FbxI4

cojomo2

Second time out and about on the m365, it feels painfully slow going up hills...haa anyone tried any of the custom firmwares and does it help with this?

I scooted rite past two cops doing speedchecks, no other cars about, just me scooting towards them on a long straigh road doing about 20kph!..they didn't bat an eyelid as I passed by them!

Zurbaran

Off work for the next week and a bit but might do a test commute at off peak times just to see what it’s like.

antodeco

Zurbaran wrote: »

Off work for the next week and a bit but might do a test commute at off peak times just to see what it’s like.

How you finding it so far? I'm.in the canaries this week and I'm dying to have it here!

Sono

How hard is it to get parts for these scooters? Just want to be sure if I do pull the triggger I can get running parts relatively easy. Thanks

andydurnin

I would like to know where's the best place to get a xiaomi m365 scooter as I had ordered one from Gear best and they canceled my order after 3 months. Best place for value and dose take long to get.

ongarite

andydurnin wrote: »

I would like to know where's the best place to get a xiaomi m365 scooter as I had ordered one from Gear best and they canceled my order after 3 months. Best place for value and dose take long to get.

Amazon Spain have it for 370e. Should cost 385 to Ireland with Parcel Motel/Wizard.
I've ordered from Gearbest month ago, still waiting for it. Seems to be on the slow boat, literally!

Tazium

Xiaomi's are vulnerable to remote attack capable of locking them from up to 100 meters away.

https://thehackernews.com/2019/02/xiaomi-electric-scooter-hack.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASygXa8UVYk

cojomo2

andydurnin wrote: »

I would like to know where's the best place to get a xiaomi m365 scooter as I had ordered one from Gear best and they canceled my order after 3 months. Best place for value and dose take long to get.

3 store, with 2 yrs warranty.

Zurbaran

antodeco wrote: »

How you finding it so far? I'm.in the canaries this week and I'm dying to have it here!

Brought it to near the train station in the car and then hopped on to take me up the hill to the train station which it handled no problem although the cruise control caught me off guard.

Went from heuston to Stephens green and then back to the station. Missed my train so then went from there down the quay’s to the bridge after Tara street dart station and back to Heuston.

90% was in the highest setting. My consistent top speed was 27kmph. Was fairly uncomfortable on the way back, tough on the hands and left knee although on the smooth parts it’s great.

Pretty hard to tell how much battery I had as it fluctuated throughout. Think I had between 25 & 50% left when I got back to the car.

antodeco

Did you stay on the main road the whole time?

I'm trying to see what way the suspension can be improved. I'll have a look and see if some rubber washers can be placed strategically!

The cruise control is odd. I can't really see how it decides to kick in or not. Caught me a out a few times

...Ghost...

Interesting reading here. I have had a 365 since the summer of 2018 from lightinthebox. Im about 110kg with all my gear. I would like to answer a few comments made here and give my experience of varied and regular use in the hope it helps others make up their mind.

I bought a luggage hook which is great for a shopping bag and I also bought a gasket which sits into the part where the scooter splits to fold. I have adjusted the adjustment bolt only once on my scooter to tighten the folded connection, as it can become loose over time and make the handle-bars feel a bit wobbly.

I pop the scooter into my EV boot and drive from the Dublin suburbs to the Dorset street area. From there, 2-3 times a week, I scoot less than a kilometer to my destination and back, with the return journey being a slight incline. Once per week, I go right across the city to the St Stephens Green area and back. The return journey is about 6 kilometers and includes the incline of the christ church area which the scooter struggles to get up with my assistance.

I use it to go to the shops from time to time and bring a bag of bottles to the bottle bank. I have used it on the grass several times and overall, it was a great purchase. The one thing I would like is a bit more power. The speed is perfectly fine....in fact, I think they should be restricted to 25km/h. More power would make the inclines a non-issue.

As an addition to my wish list, I would love indicators, or a button to cruise for 5 seconds wile making a hand signal. Signalling right is not easy unless the cruise control has been engaged, which takes about 5 seconds at the same speed before engaging with an audible beep.

Once the battery is below 50%, there is a noticeable difference in the performance so I keep mine charged up.

I have observed more and more of these on the roads since I purchased mine. I even seen a white one yesterday and almost all them are the 365 model. No punctures yet, but when that happens, I am sure I will manage.

The people who will be pulled over will be (a) on a very fast scooter (b) on a scooter with a seat attached (c) acting the maggot. Hopefully they won't ruin it for us scooter commuters.

And now the comments.

beauf wrote: »

Had anyone worked out a way to securely lock their scooters. They don't seem to have any place you can run a lock though. Be nice to be able to lock them to something in the office or shed.

I use a U-Lock on mine. The angular bar which connects the chassis to the handle-bar support beam is the ideal location to secure it. There is plenty of space when locking and very little room to move the scooter/lock when set. A very good quality lock is needed. I interrupted some junkie scrote tampering with mine around Christmas.

Martynet wrote: »

So, just finished my first ride today. From Stepaside to Stephen's Green. Took me 30 mins, but that's because I had the ECO button on, which limits the speed to 33 km/h. Even someof the fast cyclists had no problem overtaking me. On the way home it's up the hill most of the time so I'll get my revenge.
But what I want to say... It's just amazing. It's the best thing I ever bought. No more stress on the luas... Love my scooter. So cool.

That is some serious scooter you have there. I am glad you are enjoying it and I envy the power. My concern is the speed. Anything over 25km/h is too fast imho. I think negative attention will be brought on us because of these speeds.

iamtony wrote: »

snip....I toyed with getting one myself to nip to the shops, has anyone found a good solution to transporting these things around a supermarket or anything?

I wheel mine around the super-market. You could fold it and put in the trolley if you wanted to, but you might struggle on the way home with 20 bags full of groceries :P

antodeco wrote: »

Did you stay on the main road the whole time?

I'm trying to see what way the suspension can be improved. I'll have a look and see if some rubber washers can be placed strategically!

The cruise control is odd. I can't really see how it decides to kick in or not. Caught me a out a few times

I would not get the hard wheels. I think they would be uncomfortable and much more likely to slip. The vibrations could also cause problems with the scooter.

Comfort was a concern for me when choosing. I ruled out hard wheels right way. I was looking at what I can only describe as a scooter with fat monster wheels and tuned suspension before I decided I did not want to attract extra attention and went with the 365.

cojomo2

New pro version of m365 being released tomorrow. 45km range, built in display and I believe 300w motor. https://www.gizchina.com/2019/02/15/xiaomi-launched-the-new-mijia-electric-scooter-pro-at-2799-yuan-413/

[Deleted User]

So these things are legal again ? just to recap !

cojomo2

[Deleted User] wrote: »

So these things are legal again ? just to recap !

"Grey area" at best!

prinzeugen

cojomo2 wrote: »

"Grey area" at best!

They are illegal technically, but you will only get caught if you make it obvious that it has a motor.

cojomo2

prinzeugen wrote: »

They are illegal technically, but you will only get caught if you make it obvious that it has a motor.

The ones that require a push start you could argue the toss. I went by the gardai a few times, got a funny stare at worst.I don't think they are bothered (until you get involved in an accident ofcourse)

peaceboi

Halfords started selling
https://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductMobileDisplay?storeId=10001&productId=1522826&categoryId=357001&langId=-1&catalogId=10151

[Deleted User]

I would find it most disturbing if Children under say 16 were allowed use these on public streets.

Or are they already ? I don't see it down this end of the sticks.

loyatemu

Deleted User wrote: »

I would find it most disturbing if Children under say 16 were allowed use these on public streets.

Or are they already ? I don't see it down this end of the sticks.

technically no-one is allowed use them on public streets, it's just not really enforced.

cojomo2

peaceboi wrote: »

Halfords started selling
https://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductMobileDisplay?storeId=10001&productId=1522826&categoryId=357001&langId=-1&catalogId=10151

UK only.

[Deleted User]

loyatemu wrote: »

technically no-one is allowed use them on public streets, it's just not really enforced.

My point was more to do with the fact that I don't think they'd be suitable for younger folk who may lack the maturity to ride them.

antodeco

[Deleted User] wrote: »

My point was more to do with the fact that I don't think they'd be suitable for younger folk who may lack the maturity to ride them.

I'd rather them being on one of these, rather than the dirt bikes/quads I regularly see them driving down the wrong side of the road!

Shefwedfan

Deleted User wrote: »

So these things are legal again ? just to recap !

Yes

Calahonda52

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Yes

not legal

Sono

Calahonda52 wrote: »

not legal

Got that officially somewhere?

Shefwedfan

Calahonda52 wrote: »

not legal

Wrong choice

Zurbaran

Deleted User wrote: »

My point was more to do with the fact that I don't think they'd be suitable for younger folk who may lack the maturity to ride them.

A 12 year old on a decent bike would be faster than 99% of these things going full pelt. Admittedly they are not as stable as a bike. The issue is the faster ones will become cheaper and cheaper so there will need to be some laws around it at some point.

beauf

cojomo2 wrote: »

The ones that require a push start you could argue the toss. I went by the gardai a few times, got a funny stare at worst.I don't think they are bothered (until you get involved in an accident ofcourse)

They pretty much all sorts of law breaking. That doesn't make it legal.

beauf

cojomo2 wrote: »

The ones that require a push start you could argue the toss. I went by the gardai a few times, got a funny stare at worst.I don't think they are bothered (until you get involved in an accident ofcourse)

The petrol ones require a push start. They aren't legal.