Bike or scooter?

[puglogic]

A different tilt on RosieTR's thread :D

I'm trying to decide whether I should buy a bicycle or a scooter. Its purpose would just be to get around....to the post office, the grocery store, meetings, etc. Average distance would be 3-6 HILLY miles each way, at 7000+ feet elevation. The way I see it:

A bike would be great exercise, but fairly useless in the winter. On days when I had to face huffing and puffing in high altitude, I'm sure I'd blow it off and drive. And since I'll be traveling to business meetings, I'd hate to show up all sweaty and gross. Would also be much less expensive than a motorized anything.

A scooter would be only nominally better in the winter (at least I could ride in the lane, which is dry about 30% of the time on our winter days) but would be better for carrying loads, handling steep hills, etc. There would be fuel involved, but not nearly as much as a car, and we could probably easily go down to one car.

Has anyone else had to make a similar choice? Or thought about it?

[HappyHiker]

A hard decision..given your terrain, a bike would certainly help you get in great shape--how are your knees--can they take the exercise? A bike would cost less in purchase price, licensing, insurance, and no cost for fuel, oil and much less for maintenance. A scooter would extend your range.

Can you rent a scooter to see how you like it?

Our household got rid of one of our two cars as we both work at home and we now have several bikes we use for local errands. Our terrain is flat, though, and we rarely get snow so we're able to use our bikes just about daily.

Me, I'd try the bike as it's a low initial investment (you can buy a decent used bike for under $75) and give it a whirl and see how often you use it...there are new electric bikes that might be worth looking at, too.

[Float On]

You mentioned hilly miles. That is what we have and there is a man who uses a scooter on our road but it doesn't have enough power to keep at a safe speed for the hills and curves. I'm fearful of him causing an accident.

[Tweety]

Scooters ARE slow, so riding in the driving lane while struggling uphill would be a problem. Also riding on 2 motorized wheels in wet or icy weather is VERY chancy, you just don't have the traction that 4 wheels have. And cold! You can figure that you will feel 15 - 20 degrees colder than the ambient temps. Those are the reasons why I put my motorcycle away for the winter.
I agree that a bicycle is a less expensive experiment.

[davidmcowan]

Bicycles!

(if you ride slow and enjoy the show you won't show up anywhere sweaty)

(Also, should a bicycle not do the trick you can add an electric assist to the bicycle and then you get the best of both worlds!)

[pcooley]

We've gotten by in Santa Fe, NM for eight years with just our bicycles. Recently, however, with my daughter slated to go to a middle school out of our immediate neighborhood, and the proliferation of kid-related activities, we did fold on our idealism and buy a car. Next month, however, we're also going to add a Vespa GTV 300. I've always wanted a scooter, and it will be less expensive to run my daughter around on. Slow? It's capable of doing 80 mph. I don't intend to go faster than that.

Santa Fe is hilly, but bicycles have always been fine. My sense is that bicycles are probably generally safer than scooters, particularly if you take a League of American Bicyclist safety course. Now that I'm driving again, I do see bicyclists out there doing really dumb things, from riding on the sidewalk against traffic to running stop signs. And of course, a motorcycle safety course would be a good idea if you buy a scooter. (I was a motorcyclist for a long time before our eight-year break with motorized transit).

[morning girl]

I own both. Bicycles are a great way to get places and get exercise at the same time. They are cheaper to operate. A scooter requires gas and insurance. In many states if it is above a 50cc engine you need a motorcycle endorsement. You need a helmet for both. Because of higher speeds it is best to ride a scooter with protective gear like gloves, boots and some riders go as far as armored pants and jackets. I am a fair weather rider of both I just don't ride in the rain. I wouldn't give up either one the bike is great for a couple of miles but the scoot is better for longer distances.

[ctg492]

I ride both Bike and 2 different gas powered scooters, A honda Metropolitan and Kinetic from India. I bike everywhere as I prefer it. I can actually carry more on my bike with a really nice xlarger grocery panniers I have. They carry 30 pounds each. ( I just got them to replace the smaller ones) Scooters are fun to ride to and from places but not shopping. Winter in MI, I whimp not a choice for me to put them all away.

[HumboldtGurl]

I'm always more in favor of a bicycle than a scooter.

Unless you get one of the heavier scooters (which IMHO, why not spend your money on a motorcycle instead?), my experience is that most scooters are highly unstable and not safe enough to carry lots of cargo, especially in hilly terrain. With a bicycle, you can get a cargo trailer, add extra gears and heck, even a motor to propel you up those hills. And there's always studded tires and heated bikewear for snowy days.

I rode both a bicycle and a motorcycle when I lived in San Francisco and both helped me live car free while I was there.

[morning girl]

Scooters are in general automatic. No shifting! If you have no experience with standard transmissions this could be a problem. Scooters are actually designed with built in storage under the seat. My Vespa has a top case and can carry quite a lot. It comes with a built in bag hook for a shopping bag. It is amazing how much you can pack onto a scooter. That said, I have panniers that hook on my bike rack each the size of a large grocery bag. It is very important how they are packed or it throws the balance off for the rider. I really is a matter of choice. The scoot is quicker for longer distances. If appearances are important on a scoot you will arrive less sweaty.