My Favorite Thing...

My Razor A5 Scooter

I am a 48-year-old and I ride my scooter to the playground with the kids. I also ride to the library and to the market. I give the Newton Corner area a B+ when it comes to riding for the following reaons:

1. The sidewalks are not crowded and they comfortably accomodate a single scooter
2. The skirt on the street is relatively wide (but be careful of sand)
3. When you encounter pedestrians, you literally need to stop to squeeze by
4. You have to be wary of cracks, debris and doors

Scootering is  a lot of fun, it probably counts as exercise and I suspect that using your balance is probably good for you as you get older. Aw hell, it's just a blast to ride. Always wear your helmet and if you feel self-conscious doing so, just find a style that fits you. There are many more helmet choices than there were when we were growing up. One day in Watertown Squatre, I literally saw a wooden-laminate helmet on a cyclist.

Here's a SWOT analysis of my scooter

Strengths:

• Fun to use
• One less car on the road
• Well-constructed: straight and neat welds
• Fluid feeling when riding
• Can be used by a tall grown up
• Holds up to 220 pounds
• Stable and responsive
• Kick brake works well when it is dry out

Weaknesses

• Kick -brake works poorly in the rain or wet-road conditions

• Tube collar does not hold handlebars straight: I had to replace mine with a four screw collar and it worked fine

• The scooter will probably not hold up well if you do stunts (wheels are nylon)

Opportunities

• It would be great keeping one of these in the trunk for commuting to the T

• Would be fun taking one to NYC and riding around to destinations

• I wish someone made a kickstand for this scooter- it would be so helpful in the check-out at the market

Threats

• Debris on road
• Distracted drivers
• Poor road conditions
• Unwary and aggravated pedestrians