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My youngest is getting into it, and her current one is really only a kids 'toy' - and I'm getting nervous that as well as being a little small it might be in danger of falling apart as she gets more ambitious.
Anyone got any pointers on brands and what to look for? Price looks highly variable and I assume there's a degree of diminishing returns like in bikes. Clearly don't want to spend a fortune. Or should I seek out the LSS and get their advice, or will I look like a grandad trying to get down wiv da kids.
check out skates.co.uk loads there..dont get folding as they're generally unstable and shite, price varies but you can get decent ones for around £70-£100. wider bars are better for control.
grit/sacrifice/mgp seem to be good brands according to my kids.
Maybe tempt her to try a BMX or skateboard instead of a chuffing scooter.
My kids went through this a few years ago so I am probably very out of touch, but one had a Grit and the other Mad Gear. We got ours here, probably an up-to-date selection offered now:
http://www.crucialscooters.com/
Maybe tempt her to try a BMX or skateboard instead of a chuffing scooter
Why, what's wrong with scooters? Why would she want to restart a learning process for something she currently enjoys, if she wants to learn to skateboard or BMX she can do that when she chooses 🙄
theotherjonv - MemberMaybe tempt her to try a BMX or skateboard instead of a chuffing scooter
Why, what's wrong with scooters? Why would she want to restart a learning process for something she currently enjoys, if she wants to learn to skateboard or BMX she can do that when she chooses
I never got the scooter thing and £150+ for something that small seemed crazy to me but that is what the kids (and their mates) wanted to do, so I just went with it.
They did however progress onto BMX after scooters, perhaps look at it as a stepping stone.
While servicing my tourer's headset, I discovered Chris Kings fit some scooters..!
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I don't think we'll be spending £150!!
I have no idea if it's actually going to last long under such use, but I did a double take!
Have a look on eBay at 'Toxxic Avenger' scooters. We bought one for our son a few years ago and it's been solid as a rock. About £45 too!
Stunt scooters are great and will get a lot of use over the next few years. My boys' scooters came from Skate Hut.
As far as I can tell a stunt scooter is a stunt scooter: The £70 one is as good as the more expensive MGP.
The wheel bearings need replaced every year or so (£10 or so from ebay, takes minutes) and the headsets are a pain, so get a Chris King compatible one rather than one requiring headset spanners.
As far as I can tell a stunt scooter is a stunt scooter: The £70 one is as good as the more expensive MGP.
The wheel bearings need replaced every year or so (£10 or so from ebay, takes minutes) and the headsets are a pain, so get a Chris King compatible one rather than one requiring headset spanners.
Maybe you highlighted one fundamental difference between £70 and £150 right there^, quality and durability of the headset and bearings.
When you build it, do drop tests so it doesn't sound like a bag of nails. There should be absolutely no rattles, it should hit the ground sounding like a solid object. Vids on you tube
We were in the same boat and got one from our local skate park for £65. The comments on the headset are interesting as the main difference between cheap and expensive enough are in this area. It seems to me that the cheaper ones require headset spanners but spend a little more and you get sealed bearings with an Aheadset style set up which takes a lot more abuse.
Buy the best you can afford.
Our nephew changes parts every few months on his. He is quite good on it and is hoping to get sponsorship soon.
Its the usual thing of needing lighter parts, good quality will pay off if she's riding hard and performing all the tricks.
Blimey I sound like I know what I'm talking about 🙂
A word of warning, don't ride the thing yourself if you're a novice. I had a bad accident and took almost 2 years to mend. 😳
In my experience, you need to be spending around the £100 mark for anything above absolute beginner. You need a fixed (ie non-folding) deck and fixed bars for any stunting. Be prepared to replace wheels and bearings regularly. My son has spent many happy hours on his. His confidence and skills have sky-rocketed. Grit, Fasen and MGP are all well thought of.
Its the usual thing of needing lighter parts,
That's another key difference between £70 and more expensive. It's not that different to MTB tbh, just a lot fewer parts to nerd over. More expensive ones are better made, lighter weight materials, better bearings, quality headsets, more expensive grips.
That said, you should def be able to get a good stunt scooter for £100.
The two brands my godson and his mates all have are sacrifice and MGP. I'm pretty sure MGP do an entry level scooter
And don't forget about getting it dialed properly, too many kids ride around on bags of spanners, just because their dads haven't put it together properly, don't be that Dad. 😉
Oh and body armour. At least a helmet.
My nephew spent 2 hours dropping in, making all kinds of moves, then on his way home he came a right cropper just riding the pavement up to our house.
He's constantly covered in cuts and bruises but has been spared hospital visits with knee and elbow pads.
The kids hide them under the baggy clothes.
If you buy a decent scooter, just like mtbing upgrade the deck,bars,wheels etc.
Maybe you highlighted one fundamental difference between £70 and £150 right there^, quality and durability of the headset and bearings.
The £70 one has outlasted the £150 MGP in both areas!
Cheers all for the advice. Went to a proper shop (The Boardroom in Dorking) got some proper advice and bought an off the shelf scooter which the shop was then happy to change the bars to a better height one for her, FOC.
Aheadset type bearings, metal core wheels, flex fender brake...... £80.
I didn't realise how 'bad' her old one was until we put the two side by side.