For those of you that don't know much about scotters, and simply dismiss them as a childs toy, i should probably explain a few thing.

Yes indeed there were scooters in the past as toys, but these were much larger, and had bike style weeks, and could not fold, and were seen as toys. Then in switerland a design of what we now call the scooter was desgined in order to be used as a personal transport measure (in swiss, they have nice smooth roads, and in winter they need to have room to store their bikes etc). Enter, the micro scooter (and i use the term micro scooter as the brand micro, started this).

This was a hit when they first came out, as these scooters were fun, relatively cheap compared to bikes, and made out of aircraft grade aluminum. Sadly though, competitors tried to muscle in on the act. 2 main competitors were JD bug (which is now owned by micro anyway), and razor, but there were other cheap competitors that were just terrible. Scooters were now a sort of trend, and people started to use them in skateparks and the like, and found problems like the folding mechanism breaking. So then along came the stunt scooter, with even smaller wheels, and no folding mechanism.

Somehow, scooters then started to become a plaything, and now most scooters are sold to children. Look on the razor website (i dislike razor, i will come onto this shortly), most of the scooters they sell are aimed at kids as mindless toys, for a design that was, lets face it, genius.

What about this scooter. Well this was the scooter that really started it all off, made in switersland, to a very high spec, i still own and use this scooter today (only about 8 years later, with no problems!). Featuring independent rear brake, front suspension (although this is no longer on newer models, as it doesn't really work very well), and can fold to about the size of 2 shut umbrellas side by side. It has a catch to pull and fold, and i can hit heavy sprinting speeds with ease on the right surface. I should mention a few problems. Firstly, the handbars aren't quite tall enough for me anymore (for my preferance at least), and the wheels are a bit small for rough ground. To be fair considering this is mark 1 of the scooter, i think it has faired excellantly, but i wouldn't buy another today, as the scooter has come on. What i like about this scooter though is the idea, the idea that you can transport yourself anywhere, and fold it up and stick it on your back with the provided strap.


So whats better about this scooter than competitors? Ok i know micro is an expensive brand, but the really is quality in the work. If you just want a toy, go razor, and the reason i don't like razor is because they have broken down the whole idea of the scooter into nothing more than a kids toy. In some areas of europe, scooters are still used a lot as transport, its a shame we don't do the same here (i should probably add razor are american.. it figures).

JD bug really only makes the orignal scooter and a stunt version, basically older micro models under a different brand name, but these are more aimed at children. I would say if you are thinking of getting scooters for children, i would probably go with JD bug.

But micro these days do offer some "toy scooters", but they also offer what they call commuting solutions. Look at the micro white for example, larger wheels, lower footplate, higher handbars, everything that the original scooter could benefit from, and using different tyres and getting rid of the poor suspension gives it a nice ride to!

In summary then, the micro scooter (original, the pro just ads the weird bar thing at the back which actually does nothing if im honest other than give you somewhere to rest your foot) is actually a great invention, and i find it sad that very few people today see scooters for what they are, and dismiss them as toys. The micro brand are very well built (kinda like a swiss army knife), and i can vouch for that, after 8 years, the only thing i have replaced was the strap to put the thing on your back, which i kinda accidently broke myself, i've never even oiled it or changed the wheels! My bike on the otherhand which cost more when new (although i did get the scooter as a present) has since broken more times than i can count, and has cost me a fortune in maintaince.
However, although this is a very good scooter, if you were buying a scooter today, i would buy differently. If you want something for a child, i would go JD bug. If you are looking for something to do stunts on, i can't really help you there i don't know much about that. But for commuting, depending on budget, i would either go for a knowped if the ground is very rough (around 230), a xtoor if the ground is smooth and you want safety (around 170 quid), a micro white or black (same scooter, different colour) as a good all rounder (around 150). If these are all too expensive for you, check out the Hondura big wheel (around 70 quid amazon), or the Coxs swain super size (around 60 quid). Believe me, this scooter was genesis, and don't be fooled into thinking this is nothing but a useless toy.