The size and composition of scooter wheels does make a difference in their ability to roll over rocks and twigs. At the time I learned about the Xootr brand, one of the arguments for getting one was the size of the wheels. The very dense polyurethane tires meant that less energy would be used while rolling. Those big wheels with less rolling resistance really made the Xootr a standout in the scooter world.

These days there are other brands with large diameter hard wheels. Razor makes the A5 with eight inch wheels. There are some European brands that have similarly sized wheels. These are now just as fast as the Xootr brand. The differences are in the deck sizes and folding mechanisms.

Today I would choose a different brand for much less money. The Razor A5 costs just $99 at retail prices but can be found for $75 if you shop around. Buy some ceramic bearings for another $75 and you'll fly down the road at a much lower cost than a Xootr. The The Go-Ped Know-Ped model is one I like very much, though it would be a little slower than the others due to the hard rubber wheels that have more rolling resistance. I like it because it is super durable with a very wide deck just like the Xootr brand. The Know-Ped is expensive though.

The Mibo brand from Czech Republic is very expensive but they have great (though ugly) models for sale.

I like the Swifty Scooter brand but won't buy one until I'm either wealthy or just crazy. They have a wonderful folding scooter for $668 plus shipping from England plus import duties.

Both the Mibo and Swifty Scooter brands use pneumatic tires which should give a very smooth ride compared to the hard wheeled scooters, but one of the European brands of hard wheeled scooters actually has rubber suspension joints. I don't know anybody with a scooter to get their opinion of them but imagine having a nine or ten pound scooter that folds and can be carried over your shoulder giving a smooth ride almost as good as a large wheel scooter. I would like to try one of those.

Did everybody hear on Nutnfancy's video where he said he travels at twelve miles per hour according to his GPS unit? (It might have been on his second Xootr video.) I find that difficult to believe. If he is that fit and fast then he is really a strong scooter user. I sprinted once in front of a radar unit parked on the side of the road and barely hit eleven miles per hour at maximum speed. I couldn't average ten miles per hour if I wanted to in my current physical condition.

Through my research on a few web sites I could only find a couple of references of scooter speed. One said a fit person could travel twenty miles in two and a half hours. That is eight miles per hour. Another site or two said that scooters travel at 60% of bicycle speed. For me that is an accurate statement. Sixty percent of fourteen miles per hour is eight and four tenths miles per hour. Both of those articles were about pneumatic wheeled scooters. If that is so then I really don't need to buy one. I can keep my Xootr or get a Know-Ped and be just as fast with a fraction of the overall size of a full size scooter. Being able to take my Xootr with me inside stores is a HUGE benefit to using one. That makes them convenient just like folding bicycles but at just ten pounds.