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.
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