Raising the bar: on the Mibo Folding Scooter

Much as I love my Mibo Folding Scooter  my scooterin time with it has always been hampered by lower back pain after the first 1-2 kilometres of kicking.

The scooter height  is just a tad too short for my frame and I have had to bend at the pelvis in a sort of unnatural slouch in order to ride the thing. I've always thought that I could do with another inch rise on the handlebars.

So today I went to the bike shop; handed over $20 for a set of sweeping upwards handlebars. They fitted them on the spot, gratis...and now I no longer need to slouch either to scoot the scooter or walk along side it.

A new scoottering experience is being had. Comfort plus.

The main thing to consider when 'raising the bar' is to not effect the fold so I had to ensure that I could collapse the front stem onto the kickboard so that the fold still fitted in front of the back wheel.

That said  I have now had my  Mibo for 7 months and am better placed to report on its wherewithalls.

1. Sturdy rigid frame but since the alloy mix isn't quite 21st Century the scooter is heavier than it possibly could be.
2. This is primarily a pure steel machine so you need to watch out for rust points and treat them accordingly.
3. The gross design is intuitive...almost superb. The wheel size in sync with the kickboard height is ideal for street and pavement use so that mounting rises like gutters is easy and incident free. Undercarriage scrapes are rare.
4. The folding lock at the base of the front stem is cumbersome to secure in place and if I can find a better swing locking mechanism I will replace the original pro tem.
5. There's no 'handle' fulcrum to facilitate carrying -- no sweet spot to grab and carry the scooter , say, as you walk up stairs. Similarly , when folded the scooter is still a bit cumbersome although the folded 'package' is much lighter and more compact than that of most folding bicycles.

I have tended to throw the scooter unfolded into the boot of the car for cartage and fold it only when boarding public transport -- during peak times on trains and always on buses. The folded scooter will rest between my thighs if I'm seated but it can be a inconvenient shape if you are forced to stand and support the folded scooter against your body. This is because the wheels won't lock and when you rest the scooter, folded and upright on one wheel, unless there is something to prevent the wheel turning (eg:a wall, your shoe, etc) the scooter will roll away from you.

Ironically, because of its design attributes the Mibo is easier to push than my kickbike. Since I have arthritis, 'ease'  is synonymous with comfort especially now that I have resolved the lower back issue. The kickbike almost demands total body engagement in every kick while the Mibo can be advanced simply by throwing the leg forward and pulling it through.

The skate bowl type youth are all envious of my Mibo but treat the kickbike as an exotic eccentricity...

The Mibo makes me feel more the homie -- regardless of how low my pants don't  ride.