Kick scooter

Wooden scooter with a pair of roller skates

Kick scooters have been handmade in industrial urban areas in Europe and the United States since the 1920s or earlier, often as play items made for children to roam the streets.[2] One common home-made version is made by attaching roller skate wheelsets to a board with some kind of handle, usually an old box.[3] To turn, riders can lean or use a second board connected by a crude pivot. The construction was all wood, with 3–4 inch (75–100 mm) wheels containing steel ball bearings. An additional advantage of this construction was a loud noise, like from a "real" vehicle. An alternative construction consists of one steel clamp on a roller skate divided into front and rear parts and attached to a wood beam.

The German Bundesarchiv for "roller" details that both homemade and manufactured children's scooters were used and even raced in Paris, Berlin and Leipzig in 1930, 1948 and 1951. They are similar to later designs.

The short movie "A Trip Through the Streets of Amsterdam" from 1922 shows several children on scooters.[4]

In 1974, the Honda company made the Kick 'n Go(ja), a scooter driven by a pedal on a lever.[5] While it seemed to be as much effort to "kick" as a regular scooter, the novelty of it caught on and it became popular nevertheless.[6] And the use of kick scooters for commuting can also solve many problems.[7]

Before bicycles became popular among children, steel scooters with two small bicycle wheels were more common. Around 1987, many BMX manufacturers produced BMX-like scooters, such as Scoot.[8] Those manufacturers discontinued their scooters, but some scooter manufacturers were established in later years and remain in business. These scooters are still used in dense urban areas for utility purposes, since they are faster than a folding scooter and more convenient than a utility bicycle. Some are made for off-road use and are described as mountain scooters. In addition to commuting, sports competition, and off-road use, large wheel scooters are a favorite for dog scootering, an activity in which single or team dogs, such as huskies, pull a scooter and its rider in the same way that a sled is pulled across snow. Some Amish are not allowed to ride bicycles, so they ride scooters instead.[9] Today, variations on the kicksled with scooter design features are also available, such as the Kickspark.[10]

Modern kickbike

A similar vehicle had been produced by Denis Johnson in 1819

The development of the kickbike in Finland in 1994 changed the way scooters are viewed. The Kickbike has a large standard size bicycle front wheel and a much smaller rear wheel, which allows for a much faster ride. The Footbike Eurocup has been held since 2001.[11]

In 1990, a foldable aluminium scooter with inline skates wheels was created by Wim Ouboter[12] of Micro Mobility Systems in Switzerland.[13][14] The scooter was sold as "Micro Skate Scooter," "Razor," and "JDBUG/JDRAZOR MS-130A".[15] The Razor was introduced to Japan in 1999, with many early adopters being young Japanese who used it for portable transport. It later became a worldwide fad and these small scooters also became popular toys for children.[16] TurboAnt's folding scooters are known for their detachable battery designs. Its electric scooters have a range between 18 and 30 miles.[17]

Children on stunt scooters

Kick scooters used for extreme sport stunts and tricks and made to withstand stresses and frustrations, are called pro scooters. Numerous brands specialize in stunt scooters and accessories including lightweight and high strength parts, helmets, pads, ramps, grind wax, griptape and clothing.[18]

• 
  Early Razor scooter with 98mm wheels
• 
  Folded Razor scooter
• 
  A Mini Micro scooter with three wheels
• 
  Xootr scooters in the USA

A three-wheeled K2 Kickboard

Three-wheeled scooters similar to tricycles have been produced for little children.[19]

In 1999, Micro Mobility Systems and K2 Sports produced a reverse-three-wheeled scooter called "Kickboard". Micro also produced the Kickboard-like children's scooters "Mini Micro" and "Maxi Micro". The reverse design inherently provides greater stability than the standard: a standing person will tend to stand at the front of a scooter rather than at the back. However, the steering geometry is inherently weak and requires design adaptation to improve its response. An example is the Mini Micro, which uses a spring-loaded system to translate lateral force on the handbars (child leaning) into turning motion on the wheels, referred by its makers as "lean and steer".

A Fuzion-like scooter

The early scooters, which were made with roller skates, were four-wheeled like skateboards.

Around 2000, a Swiss company produced a four-wheeled scooter called "Wetzer Stickboard". The Wetzer Stickboard was a narrow skateboard with a foldable pole on the nose.[20]

In 2006, a company called Nextsport started producing a line of four-wheeled scooters, known as Fuzions. The scooters are typically bigger and heavier than Razor and Micro models. The early Fuzion models come with large, wide wheels, and an oversized deck for carving stability. Later scooters, such as the Fuzion NX, included smaller, harder wheels, and 360 degree handlebar spinning capabilities, unlike its predecessors.

Riding an electric kick scooter in Berlin (2014)

Electric models surpassed gas-powered scooters about 2000.[21] They are often manufactured for fleet rentals, such as Lime e-scooters. Kick scooter has also made a certain contribution to environmental protection. Because they do not emit greenhouse gases, reduce traffic congestion and reduce the need for public transportation. These electric kick scooters have huge potential to be one of the most environmentally friendly means of transportation.[22]