Scootin' tootin' fun! (DIY handlebar tassels & carry strap)

We decided to get the kids kick scooters when we saw how much fun they were having with their friends' scooters at a birthday party. Joanie especially loved this scooter that was blinged with pink gems and hot pink handlebar tassels. 

So I tasked myself to scout for affordable, sufficiently high quality scoots for the kids and ourselves. The budget was $100 per scooter for a smooth and quiet ride. Given how happy we are with our eventual purchases, I just wanted to share what we purchased and where we got them.

$100 is quite a generous budget. You can get kids scoots for pretty cheap but the quality of the ride was an important factor for us as Josiah had a kick scooter previously that wasn't very smooth to ride, and was hence largely underused...

The kids enjoying their scoot to school. Sure makes getting to school more fun!

After online research and taking into account affordability, user reviews and aesthetics, we decided on the Razor A5 for us, and the Razor Cruiser for Josiah. We bought them at a great price from Amazon (with free shipping to boot!) compared to what they retail for locally - about half off for the Cruiser and 70% off for the A5. And they shipped really quickly too. We received both in a week and they ride great. 

The A5 is a nicer ride than the Cruiser (to me at least), possibly because the wheels are larger (200mm vs 140mm), but the Cruiser looks way cooler with the wooden deck. The A5 also has a higher weight limit of 100kg, and I've used it with Joash strapped on me in a carrier while ferrying Joanie (drew plenty of curious stares from the neighbourhood aunties) but the ride was just as smooth. Didn't try that with the Cruiser because our combined weight exceeds the weight limit of 65kg. Although the min age stated for the A5 is 8 yrs old, the handlebars at their lowest are perfect for Josiah and he uses both the A5 and Cruiser with ease. 

Josiah's Razor Cruiser. Both Razors fold up which is convenient

Joanie's scoot took longer to find. The reviews for the Razor kiddie kick were so-so, and there weren't other exciting options on Amazon, so I looked locally instead. 

The popular choice for her would be the Micro, and having seen the Mini Micro in action, we knew it was a good scooter. But as Joanie was already 3, and pretty tall for her age, we considered the Maxi Micro instead; with the adjustable handlebars, she would be able to use it for longer. We also tested the Y Glider XL. Both scooters were snazzy pink and black rides, but the Y glider was about 25% cheaper. Even so, both were over budget...

I finally came across a scooter by 21st Scooter on Aliexpress (which sells products from China) that is modelled after the Maxi Micro (which is also made in China). Reviews were pretty good, but I wasn't sure about taking the risk since we wouldn't be able to test it. So I was really happy when we came across it by chance at Skateline in Peninsular Shopping Centre. It rides really smooth and quiet, and retails for $69! (Better than the price on Aliexpress. They also sell the Mini Micro equivalent at $49). 

Road testing the scooter

Anyway, I blinged it up for Joanie with a scooter sleeve (made for the Maxi Micro) from White & Black Trading, and used ribbons to DIY the tassels. Also made a strap so I can carry it around easily. DIY instructions below.

Happy to say the kids love their scoots and look forward to every opportunity to enjoy them :) 

DIY handlebar tassels

1. Choose your ribbons and cut them to desired length (the ribbons I used were about 1cm thick, except for the ribbon used to tie them together which is about 2mm)

2. Tie the ribbons together in the middle using the thinner ribbon. Thinner ribbon = smaller knot = easier to push into the small hole at the end of the handlebar grips

3. Use a bobby pin or blunt end of a satay stick to push the knot into the hole

4. Bask in the glow of your little girl's joy! :)

Scooter carry cum pull along strap for the Maxi Micro 

1. Get 1.2m of a bag strap material (I chose one with a 25mm width), a D ring and a bag adjuster buckle (optional)

2. Sew one end of the bag strap over the D ring, and use the bag adjuster buckle to form a loop on the other end. If you don't get the buckle, you can just sew a loop on the other end. I chose to use the buckle so that I can adjust the length of the strap. 

To use:

1. As a pull along strap - Push the strap through the D ring so it forms a loop. Loop over the handlebars so that it rests just under it. Hold the strap by the looped end to pull the scooter while the kid steers (Actually, if your strap isn't too long, you'll be able to control the steering too). 
This comes in handy when Joanie gets too tired to push herself along. 

2. As a carry strap - Loop the strap through the D ring and over the handlebars so that it rests just under the handlebars. Hook the loop over the back wheel, adjust using the buckle. The strap and scooter now form a triangle. (My carry strap was a bit short as I only bought 1m of the strap fabric. I can still strap the scooter across my back pretty comfortably though but it would be good to have a bit more length)

Works for josiah's scooter too!

 

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