A Guide to Essential Parts and Accessories for Scooters
Published by Adam Pol,
Despite once being a piece of wood put on wheels, kick scooters have come a long way and made sure they're desirable even by adults, not just children. Riding a kick scooter may seem like an activity that only a 9-year-old would do but, in fact, it isn't. With the right scooter in hand, you can not only enjoy the soft breeze hitting your face but you will also help strengthen your calves and core muscles.
You may not get the body of Arnold Schwarzenegger but you will definitely get solid exercise from pushing a kick scooter. You will also improve your balance as well as your coordination by having to look out for other scooter riders and pedestrians. There's no doubt that kick scooters are good for your health even as an adult.
Important Parts of Kick Scooters
Grips
As I mentioned above, kick scooters have improved tenfold when it comes to their ride quality and performance. This is thanks to the numerous parts that have been added since their invention. One of these accessories for scooters are grips. Starting from the top, they are the first component you come in contact with. Grips are found on the bar ends so that they provide the necessary grip to prevent your hands from slipping when riding on a hot summer day.
Bar & Bar Ends
The bar is where you put your hands on to either rest or steer. You can also find other scooters parts on the handlebar as well as the bar ends. More on that later. The bar ends are usually plastic caps at the end of the grips so that they keep in place.
Compression System
Next comes the compression system or headset which is essentially a component that helps keep three other scooters parts working together. These are the bar, fork and deck. There are 3 types of compression systems SCS, HIC and ICS.
SCS or standard compression system is the strongest you can get as it's made to sustain the impacts of stunt scooters. An SCS is the way to go if durability is what you're looking for in a scooter. But if your scooter comes with a bar that has a slit in it, an SCS is not going to be compatible with it.
HIC or hidden internal compression is the simplest form of compression system you can get your hands on. It's also the easiest to assemble and much lighter than SCS. HIC also uses a shim that makes the clamp sit tighter around the bar and lets the scooter spin too.
An ICS or internal/ inverted compression system is the most affordable and the lightest you can find. ICS is as you'd expect the most difficult to assemble and maintain too. But if you want a lightweight scooter then one with an ICS is for you.
Clamp
Talking about the clamp, it's one of the most crucial parts for scooters as it secures the bars onto the fork. This allows you to rotate them together at the same time.
Fork
The metal bar that goes from the front wheel through the head tube and to the bars is called the fork. The fork is much like the headset since it also comes in a threaded and threadless version.
Deck
The place you put your feet on is called the deck. The deck of a kick scooter is connected to both the front and back wheel as well as the down tube or head tube as it's also called. The area at the rear of the deck where the wheel is mounted is known as the dropout.
Grip Tape
The most useful accessories for scooters that oftentimes go unnoticed are grip tapes. A grip tape goes onto the deck and acts as a layer that provides traction for your feet. This way you are not going to slip when pushing your kick scooter, even on a rainy day.
Wheels
Without the wheels, no kick scooter would be able to bring you anywhere. The wheels of kick scooters are made of a core and typically urethane material around it. The core is the inner part of the wheel that provides a place for the urethane material to sit in. Interestingly enough, the diameter of the wheels depends on the size of the deck and fork.
Wheel Bearings
The wheel bearings are the components inside the wheels. They are the scooters parts that make the wheels turn so easily. Made of small metal balls they are able to provide the needed rolling action to make your rides less of a hassle. The specs of wheel bearings can affect your ride quality as well as acceleration.
Suspension
Kick scooters nowadays come with a suspension system that is made of a shock absorber or two. These spring-based parts for scooters help make your ride smoother and they also add more weight. This makes for a smoother riding scooter but also a more stable one when going over uneven surfaces.
Brakes
All kick scooters have them be it on the handlebars or on the rear wheel. Kick scooter brakes are available in different variations such as rubber mount-resistant brakes, steel flex-resistant brakes and spring-loaded brakes.
Folding Mechanism
While not all kick scooters come with it, a folding mechanism helps make storing and carrying a scooter a lot easier. Especially if it's one fitted with suspension on both the front and rear wheel.