Cold Weather TravelScooting

Dean sent this in on February 9th.  I'm a little behind on blog posts!  -- Elizabeth
I have been learning things about living in cold weather. Since I am on a project that keeps me in Omaha (and my wife is in Phoenix) this week it got down to minus 8 degrees F. I learned that lithium batteries have perhaps 1/2 of their power in that cold of weather. My scooter functions wells but the aluminum body 'creaks' as does my own body in the cold weather..ha ha....

Dean, on his experiment of living with a TravelScoot and traveling worldwide

Travelscoot and HOPE!

I received the following email from a blog reader. I hope we hear about MANY future TravelScoot adventures from her.

Thank you so much for making your blog.

I've been getting sicker these last five years- can't really walk anywhere anymore. I used those scooters at walmart and target, but they were heavy, loud and always ran down. I thought- this is mobility? We also live on the third floor of an apartment building- so lugging a 500lb scooter upstairs to charge it wouldn't work. I felt so trapped and alone.

Then I found the travelscoot and then your blog. I see pictures of people having FUN! They're outside! They're not alone! I cried because now I know I can have that too- I can have a life again. I could go for a walk with my Hubby like we used to. I could even go on a cruise! Imagine- me who only leaves the house for two hours a week- a CRUISE!

I'm excited again- to live and get out there! I hope to send you lots of pictures of me outside - spending time with my loved ones again. I might even get to the grocery store on my own!

You've given me a great gift- thank you so very very much.

Sincerely,

Jen

Race for the Cure TravelScoot Adventure

This is Dave, Rhonda and Mark, who completed the Race for the Cure in Baton Rouge on Saturday. Rhonda said no one even gave her a second thought.

Have you done a similar event on your TravelScoot? Send me a picture (if you have it) and details to elizabeth@ifisher.com and I'll post about it here.

My wife is thinking of buying a TravelScoot

David M asks:

Q. My wife is thinking of buying a TravelScoot. She tried one out which had a 150 watt Lithium-ion battery, which seemed underpowered except on flat ground. What motor & gearing options are available, and what would you recommend for a 70Kg person who wants to use it on undulating ground?

A. David, my best suggestion is to contact the experts at TravelScoot with your questions. Their website is at http://www.travelscoot.com/. If you're not in the United States there are links there to locations in the European Union, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia.

The specifications for the TravelScoot in the U.S. are at http://travelscoot.com/specifications.htm. There you'll see that the lithium ion battery is 24V, 9.6Ah and the motor specification is 24V, 150 or 200 Watt DC with integrated controller.

70Kg is the equivalent of 154 lbs., and at that size your wife should be in great shape on any available configuration. The TravelScoot is at its best on flat surfaces, but it works well on many inclines too. For someone your wife's size she shouldn't have any problems at all on almost any incline. The tips that I suggest to help with performance on inclines are: 1) approach the incline head on; 2) Start the incline going as fast as you reasonably can; 3) Lean slightly forward on the incline and it will change your center of gravity, improving performance.

I hope if you haven't already that you'll take some time to read through my blog. You'll see people all shapes and sizes successfully navigating with their TravelScoots. My scoot has opened up the world to me. In the past 2 years in addition to using mine almost every day (including at work), I've been to Washington D.C., San Francisco, and Hawaii. I ride it to the door of the plane and they store it with the baby strollers and deliver it back to me when we land. I've folded it up and carried it in car trunks, loaded it fully assembled into my van, I've even stashed it under my seat at a bar for a surprise party. I didn't miss out on seeing the zoo with my great nieces and nephews, and I got to be there when my younger sister was recognized for donating a kidney to my older sister. I can shop the mall, do my own grocery shopping, run my own errands, and because it only weighs 35 lbs. (including the battery), I can lift it in and out of my van without assistance.

Has anyone seen my hinge bolt?

From Elford

On my last ride on my Travelscoot, I lost my hinge bolt. I didn`t realize it until I tried to fold it up and put it into the trunk of the car. I sent an e-mail to Hardy and he sent me another one immediately. So from now on I wiil check the bolt for tightness so I won`t lose it again. Enjoy reading about your cruises with Travelscoot.

Elford lives in Helsinki and has had his TravelScoot for almost 2 years. He's sent in many wonderful posts and pictures of his adventures. If you'd like to read them, click the link below.

http://mytravelscoot.blogspot.com/search?q=elford

Changing the TravelScoot Belt

Changing the TravelScoot Belt
	As part of preventive maintenance we decided to change the belt on my TravelScoot. Melissa came so she could help and learn more about how to perform maintenance on her own scoot. In this picture Alan is reading the belt change instructions. Click any picture to see a larger version
	This is the hex tool that came with the scoot.
	Alan and Melissa decided the wheel needed to be propped up, so they turned the seat upside down and propped it on the u-bar part of the yoke.
	Melissa is rolling the old belt off.
	Tada!
	Now they're working together (each with a hex tool) to get the wheel off.
	There was some cursing involved because they were having a hard time getting the wheel loose.
	Alan went and got the big guns -- his ratchet set.
	Success!
	Now Melissa is rolling the new belt on.
	Alan is putting the pin back that holds the wheel on.
	There's that ratchet again.
	All done!

TravelScoot in a Tokyo Taxi

My TravelScoot fits in a Tokyo taxi. Yesterday it experienced an earthquake and no damage. On to Hong Kong. Dean