Average Cost: $74.00
Official URL: www.micro-mobility.com
Age Range: Officially 3-5 but children as young as 2 seem to be able to use it with parental supervision
Rating:

Wheels! Wheels! Wheels! Toddlers and preschoolers are obsessed with “things that go”, especially when they can ride on them. Unfortunately for parents, most things that go are large, bulky, and difficult to store. Not to mention far too complex for toddlers to operate on their own, or far too passive for them to satisfy their need for “ME DO IT! ME DO IT!”.

The Mini Micro scooter is compact, durable, easy to master, and safe. Children will be fascinated by it as soon as they can walk, and will typically master its use sometime between 18 and 30 months of age. My son had it down-pat by the time he was 21 months old.

FEATURES

The Mini Micro scooter’s main features are that it is lightweight, low-to-the-ground, has three wheels for stability, and a “lean to turn” mechanism that is easier and safer for youngsters to control.  It is a simple, functional and straightforward way for a child to learn to use a scooter.

AESTHETIC & DESIGN

The scooter has a slightly more mature look to it than many child-oriented scooters that I’ve seen. The large rollerblade-style wheels and aluminum bar give it its mature sporty look while the translucent blue or pink plastic kickboard and neon orange break keep it kid-like and fun without making it look like YET ANOTHER garish toddler toy.

ASSEMBLY

Assembly couldn’t be easier. The T-Bar (handlebars) have a base that is rounded with a single flat side, and a plastic wedge-shaped pin on its left side (see image to the right. The pin is the wedge shaped bit that points downward toward the right side of the image ) Align the flat edge of the pole base to the flat edge of the socket on the kickboard, use your thumb to press the pin down into the base, and press the T-bar into the kickboard. The pin will pop out and lock into the kickboard once the T-bar is properly positioned. Pull up on the bar to make sure it’s firmly attached, and your toddler is ready to go.

To remove the T-bar for more compact storage or for transporting the scooter, simply locate the wedge pin on the left side of the scooter and press it back in toward the T-bar. Once it’s fully depressed, pull the T-bar up and it should pop out. The instructions on the Mini Micro website say to do this with the scooter upside down, but I found it easiest to do this with the scooter upright.

Assembly and disassembly both take just a few seconds once you’ve done it the first time. This should make parents of impatient toddlers more than happy.

QUALITY & CONSTRUCTION

The overall quality and attention to design of this scooter is unusually high for a children’s item. The 70lb weight limit of this scooter does not come from any fragility, rather it comes from the turning mechanism which has to be flexible enough for younger and lighter children to be able to operate the scooter. It is wonderful to see such durability and high quality manufacturing.

Handlebars: The handlebars on this scooter have an industrial strength feeling to them. The metal is thick and high quality, and the welding is similar to welding that you’d see on a scooter geared for adult use. There’s nothing flimsy about this at all. It’s nice to see a kid’s product with metal parts that don’t rival the flimsiness of tinfoil. The handlebars are 26 1/2″ from the ground, and 24″ from the kickboard. The handlebars are slightly on the “tall” side, and your child may not be comfortable riding this if he or she is under 36″ or three feet tall.

Hand Grips: Each hand grip offers 3 1/2″ of grippable space with a 1″ rounded and ridged bulb at the outside to keep your child’s hands from sliding off.  Perfectly sized for toddler hands, these grips are made of heavy durable rubber and have a raised oval texture that alternates between three small ovals and one large oval that has an inset MICRO logo. The pattern of the grips makes it so that your child’s hands shouldn’t slip even if they’re sweaty or wet. The inner edge of each grip is slightly raised, and the center of the grip bar is exposed which encourages your child to place his or her hands properly for safety and control.

Kickboard: The kickboard is made of a translucent pink or blue plastic that flexes slightly if a child heavier than the recommended weight limit steps on it, a good safety reminder.  The kickboard offers a standing surface of 11″ long and 4 1/2″ wide (at its widest) and tapers for a streamlined look. A slightly wider board may have  been beneficial for toddlers. The board is very slip-proof with dual patterns: a smaller diamond tread pattern that is closely spaced, and wide slightly raised ridges that arc from one side of the board to the other. The plastic has a matte non-slip finish. The overall effect is a very grippy surface for your child to ride. At just 2″ off the ground, the kickboard is low enough to be safe for very small children.

Brake: The brake operates by friction. It is a curved piece of orange plastic about 4 1/2″ longthat closely follows the shape of the rear wheel. It is mounted to the scooter with a flexible piece of metal that curves along the entire inside of the brake piece. When released the brake holds itself bout 1″ off of the wheel. When your child presses down on it with his foot, it rubs against the scooter’s rear wheel and brings the scooter to a slow and gentle stop. The brake has a slight breaking-in period as the shiny new wheels don’t provide it an ideal surface. After about 30 minutes of outdoor play the brake starts working much better.

Wheels: The wheel layout of this scooter is perfect for young riders. Rather than having a more typical configuration of two or four wheels, or placing two  wheels at the back of the scooter, the Mini Micro has two large wheels at the front of the scooter, and a third smaller wheel at the back. The two wheels in front are placed eight inches apart for stability.  The front wheels are 4-inch in diameter and the one in back is 3-inch. The wheels are made of polyurethane and resemble oversized rollerblade wheels. They operate smoothl and quietly, do not track up floors indoors, wear evenly, and hold up well after months of daily use.

Turning Mechanism: The turning mechanism is one of this scooter’s more interesting features. Rather than require that your toddler turn the handlebars to turn the wheels, your child can simply lean to the left or right and the wheels will turn in that direction. This is accomplished by a mechanism very similar to suspension mechanisms used in bicycles or strollers. In my experience, young children find this far more intuitive and far less daunting than other steering methods. One thing to note is that children under about 23lbs may lack the weight necessary to implement a turn. My son is about 26lbs and is only able to turn in wide arcs. This actually works out well as it suits his developmental stage at this point. As with all the parts on this scooter, the turning mechanism is of very high quality for a children’s item.

CLEANING

The metal and plastic construction is very easy to clean. The wheels do not retain dirt or pebbles and can be cleaned with a wet damp cloth. Their clear surface makes it easy to ensure that they are fully clean, and they retain far less grime than softer black rubber wheels. The hardest part to clean is the area under the steering mechanism, as it’s slightly more complex and dirt has many places to hide. Overall, this isn’t a hard item to clean. (One note: Much like rollerblades, the wheels stiffen up slightly the morning after the scooter has been used in puddles or submerged in water. The stiffness wears off quickly.)

ACCESSORIES

The Mini Micro came with a strip of 6 funky skateboard-style stickers that your child can use to customize the scooter. Fun!

SPECS

Weight: Just under 3 1/2 lbs (1500grams)
Height: 26 1/2 inches (670mm)
Width: 8 1/2 inches (220mm)Length: 21.6 inches (550mm)
diameter of wheels: large wheels are 4.7″ in diameter or 120mm. The small rear wheel is 3.14″ or 80mm.
Width of wheels: .9″ or 24mm
Bearings: precision bearings
Width of deck: 4.3″ or 110mm

AGE AND WEIGHT LIMIT

The scooter is recommended for children from 3-5 years of age, however 2-7 seems to be a more accurate age range based on the children that I have seen using this scooter.

The weight limit of this scooter is 70lbs. You will note that the bottom of the scooter states that the weight limit is 44lbs, this is due to European standards which require that weight limits are displayed only in increments of 20, 50, and 100kg.

REPLACEMENT PARTS

Wheels, brakes, handlebar grips and the U-bar that controls steering are all currently available for sale on the web. Other parts can be purchased by contacting the US sales rep.

SAFETY

This scooter is very stable with three-wheel design. The front wheels are super-sized and tilt slightly inwards toward each other which increases stability even more. The super-sized front wheels give a more stable ride over rougher ground while the smaller rear wheel helps keep the scooter at a more controllable speed and makes the brake easy to use. The scooter is a little bit prone to tipping forward if a taller child leans too far forward over the handlebar, but other than that this scooter is almost impossible to tip during use. The handlebars do not fold down, which is another safety benefit of this scooter. Since the handlebars have to be removed from the kickbar, there is no risk of the scooter folding during use.

The safety recommendations that are included in the box are:

1- Only use the mini-micro with the steering rod fully engaged.
2- Like cycling, skateboarding and inline skating, riding the mini-micro is not totally safe even in perfect conditions and can lead to accidents.
3- Always make sure that your child wears a safety-approved helmet to ride the mini-micro, falling off the mini-micro without such safety precautions may cause serious or even fatal accidents
4- In wet conditions there is a major risk of slipping. Do not use the mini-micro in these circumstances.
5- Riding at dusk, at night or in poor visibility is very dangerous and increases the risk of accidents and injury.
6- Ensure that your child always wears safety equipment. In addition to the recommended safety equipment, your child should wear bright, reflective clothing.

BOTTOM LINE

This scooter is a great purchase. It’s a piece of athletic equipment that your child will grow with, and that encourages active outdoor play. It’s a breeze to clean, will easily last for years, and offers some unique features that are of great benefit to younger children. Its compact size will make it a big favorite for those of us with less storage space or with smaller cars.