Using a Travelscoot Junior Mobility Scooter

What's it like to ride a Travelscoot Junior mobility scooter? If you're elderly or have a disability, would a Travelscoot be suitable for you?

From the few experiences I've had now, I have to say, though I'm delighted with my travelscoot, I can see it isn't for everyone. Below I list the reasons why.

You need to have reasonable mobility to ride a travelscoot. I have difficulty standing for more than a few minutes and trouble walking any distance. Other than that, though I'm no longer young, I am reasonably fit.

For a travelscoot to work for you, you need to be able to do the following:

1. Get on and off the travelscoot by lifting one leg across the main v-shaped frame of the scooter. I achieve this easily by placing one hand on the centre of the steering column, and the other on the top of the back rest, to help stay balanced. Alternatively (I haven't tried this though others have), you can remove the backrest and mount the scooter from the back.

2. Once seated, you have to be able to lift your feet onto the foot rests located on either side of the steering column. I have added the foot plate accessories to the foot rests on my scoot (see in image above) because of chronic discomfort with my left foot.

3. You need to be able to hold the handlebar grips and twist the throttle on the right grip in order to operate the travelscoot. There is an accessory available, a Crampbuster, which can be attached to the throttle to reduce hand fatigue. I bought one when I bought the travelscoot but haven't felt the need to use it yet.

4. You need to have enough strength in your hands to apply the brakes, and you need both hands to apply the brake locks as demonstrated in the video below.

5. It also helps to be able to lift the travelscoot if needs be. I don't have a car to lift the travelscoot into, but I do sometimes need to lift the scoot over a kerb. I get off the scoot, lift the front wheel over the kerb and onto the pavement first, then gripping the backrest, I lift the back of the scoot and put it on the pavement.

6. Most importantly, when riding the travelscoot you have to be able to lean-in towards a bend as you're cornering. Also, you must also be able to lean forward when going up slopes. These upper body movements are vital to keep the travelscoot from toppling sideways or tipping backwards. 3-wheeled mobility scooters are not as stable as those with four wheels but provided you're able to lean-in and forward, the travelscoot is pretty stable.

It seems to have helped that many years ago I had a bike and also drove a car. More recently I've had to negotiate pavements and pedestrians with a Sholley shopping trolley so I'm used to manouvering. The result is I quickly overcame the initial nervousness I had about riding the travelscoot and now feel completely at ease with it.

Why I Bought a Travelscoot Junior

I compared several lightweight, folding, portable mobility scooters before deciding to buy a Travelscoot Deluxe Junior.

The other makes of similarly priced mobility scooters that I looked at were:

1. The Di Blasi R30
2. The eFoldi
3. The Atto
all of which had 3 wheels, and
. 4. The TGA Minimo Plus 4 with 4 wheels

I chose the Travelscoot Junior above the others for several reasons:

1. It weighs the least.
2. There is excellent ground clearance which is important where I live since many of the pavements are uneven and the kerbs, even though lowered in places, are still too high.
3. The Travelscoot can climb a 15 degree incline.
4. The tires are solid which means no punctures to deal with.
5. It has a tight turning circle making it highly manoeuvrable which is desirable for shopping in a small supermarket and traveling along crowded pavements.
6. Despite being lightweight it is sturdy, reliable and rarely breaks down according to other users.
7. It is easy to maintain and service at home.
8. The handlebars, seat and seat back are all adjustable to suit the rider.
9. A wide range of accessories is available.
10. It is small enough (without folding) to fit into the available storage space.

Additionally the Travelscoot has lightweight, lithium batteries which are easy to remove and bring indoors for charging with the included battery charger and cable. Also, it's easy to attach two batteries, thereby extending the distance that can be traveled.

It must be said however, the travelscoot is not entirely ideal. I would have preferred a flat footplate to rest my feet instead of straight bar-like foot rests, but I did buy a pair of foot plate accessories to alleviate that problem. It would have been better if the motor had a lock instead, it was necessary to buy a separate lock. I would have liked the seat to have had suspension instead of having to buy a separate suspension seat post. Fortunately, the seat is well-padded and quite comfortable without using the extra seat post. I bought the extra wide front wheel accessory to improve grip but wonder why it isn't included as standard. Finally, I would have liked armrests!

Despite the above issues, I feel sure I made the right choice. I'm happy with my purchase.