Review- In a world where electric scooters are almost everywhere on every street corner, something special is needed to stand out. Ninebot is a scooter brand that has been around for some time. They produce many of the scooter-style electric scooters you see in urban areas. Segway has been around for a longer time. In 2002, it launched the first “personal transporter” that most of us remember, which caused a huge wave of waves. In the past few years, Segway and Ninebot have merged, and their descendants include a series of Segway-style scooters to expand Ninebot’s more traditional scooter lineup. Segway Ninebot S MAX is an upgraded version of Segway Ninebot S. Compared with the non-Max version, there are many changes. I tried it (groaning, sorry), and I have some ideas-mostly good.
What is it?
Segway Ninebot S MAX is a self-balancing personal transportation electric scooter. It has an impressive range and adds handle-based steering instead of the knee steering they have done on previous models. The scooter is controlled by the handlebar system. You can turn the scooter horizontally with a light touch, while pushing or tilting your body forward/backward will accelerate and decelerate.
What’s in the box?
- Segway Ninebot S Max
- Charger and AC power plug
- User manual
Hardware specifications
- Unextended handle size (length x width x height): 16.6 inches x 22.8 inches x 37.5 inches (42.1 cm x 57.8 cm x 95.2 cm)
- Net weight (without charger): 50.3 lbs (22.8 kg)
- Recommended rider weight: 88-187 pounds (40-85 kg)
- Maximum speed: 12.4 miles per gallon (20 km/h)
- Typical range: ~23.6 miles (38 kilometers)
- Maximum slope: ~15°
- Crossable terrain: sidewalks, accumulated soil, slope <15°, obstacles <0.4 inches (1 cm), gaps <1.2 inches (3 cm)
- Working temperature: 14-104°F (-10-40°C)
- Storage temperature: -4-122° F (-20-50°C)
- Weather rating: IP54
- Charging time: ~4 hours
- Battery: 432 Wh, 55.5 V, over/under voltage protection, heating protection, automatic sleep
- Motor: 500 W x 2 (peak 2400 W x 2)
- Charger: 100-240 VAC, 120 watts, 2 amps
- Tire: 2.7 inches wide (68 mm); diameter 10, hollow solid tire
Design and features
Segway Ninebot S MAX is similar to a hoverboard with a handle. After riding the early hoverboard, the similarities stopped (I couldn’t keep my balance on a cheap hoverboard to save my life, but I chose this with a very small learning curve). When the rider is standing on it, the 500W/2400W peak dual motors do a good job in automatic balancing, so the most difficult thing to learn is to overcome small bumps, such as the transition from lane to road or the up and down of sidewalk ramps. Most of the learning curve here also seems to be a kind of mental game. When encountering small obstacles, your brain and body are expected to tip forward, but during this transition period, the scooter itself can easily stay in place.
There are several lights and indicators on the scooter, including a digital speedometer, dual front LED “headlights” and a battery status indicator on the front. The handlebars can be easily adjusted to fit almost any rider’s size-I am 6’4″ and feel perfect at maximum height, but even if I am taller, so the handlebars are lower, they still work well.
The outer body is almost entirely plastic, but the inside of the handlebar is metal, you can see that the scooter base itself is solid. The wheels are solid rubber/plastic styles, which are common in the electric scooter market. With a solid wheel like this, you will lose some of the shock absorbing effect of pneumatic tires, but the trade-off will make your wheels never flatten out, and stopping them from rolling can cause huge damage.
The handlebars are also easy to remove for transportation, making it a great choice for fun in different destinations, or a “last mile” transportation option, you can park your car outside a crowded area and use a scooter Enter the remaining positions.
Installation and setup
Installation involves several screws and batteries. The manual is easy to understand, and the included tools do the job well.
The handlebars are fixed to the scooter base with 2 screws, but can be quickly loosened later to eject them later. This system works well and always feels very sturdy.
The handlebar handle is a padded plastic/rubber device that feels good to hold. As shown in the picture, it is connected to the handlebar with a few screws.
The handlebar itself is divided into two parts, and the solid metal inner body is connected by screws. The metal knob allows quick adjustment of the handlebars later.
This is the bottom of the handlebar, and there are a few screws here.
The next step is to configure the mobile app (regular and sport modes and custom lighting need to be unlocked. Available for iOS and Android).
After registering and logging in, you search for the vehicle and the app is paired with the scooter.
Next, you will land on an unfamiliar social network page called “Moments”, which is a place to share pictures and messages for Ninebot Segway owners. This surprised me, but maybe some people like this kind of thing. You will be prompted to complete the novice tutorial, after which you can run around at a limited speed for a period of time. After riding 1 km, you can lift all speed limits and reach the maximum speed (12.4 mph).
You can also customize the lighting (front lights and RGB lights that glow from underneath the scooter deck). The lighting under the deck is interesting, but you can’t really see it yourself, it’s all for the benefit of others.
At some point, you also need to charge the Segway Ninebot S MAX scooter. The charging port is located at the front of the scooter and is well protected under the plastic flip cover and rubber plug. The entire scooter has an IP54 degree of protection, so it has a certain degree of water and dust resistance (however, if things go crazy, you will need cover). Speaking of the front of the scooter, I found it to be a strange place that displays the battery status and power button. I think where you can remove the handlebars, they can’t put these functions in it, but you do have to lean forward a bit to see the battery status while riding. Fortunately, long distance means you won’t worry too much unless you forget to charge or drive a long distance.
Performance
There is a Target store about a mile and a half from my home, and I have an obvious first destination. I used to ride a rental scooter found near me to this specific goal, but the previous ride was very bumpy and unpleasant. The Segway Ninebot S MAX is definitely an improvement from the traditional scooter experience: the larger wheels certainly absorb pavement cracks and uneven bumps better than the small wheel scooter. It is also much easier to stand in a natural position throughout the ride, instead of putting one foot in front of the other.
After reaching the Target, locking the scooter is not as easy as a bicycle, and there is no obvious place for the locking cable or rod to pass through. However, I followed the recommendations in the Segway manual and simply wrapped the lock around the base of the scooter, and then wrapped it around the bike frame as much as possible. It doesn’t feel as safe as going through a bicycle frame, but at least some tedious arguing is required by the thief to try to get the scooter out. In the previous photo, also pay attention to the stand: this small stand allows the scooter to stand upright when it is stationary.
This standing position does make you much wider than a bicycle, and some cities/states have different laws on whether you should ride on sidewalks, bicycle lanes, or curbs, so be sure to check in your area before riding. If you are riding on the sidewalk, you may occupy the entire sidewalk, and encounters with other scooters, bicycles, or pedestrians are a bit rough.
Even at the maximum setting, the speed is lower than I expected. It is still much faster than walking, but the speed of 12 mph is lower than the speed of most rental scooters, so long-distance travel takes more time. In addition, the scooter enforces the “speed limit” in a strange way: if it travels too fast, it will lean backwards. Since you push the handle forward to increase the speed, once you exceed the speed limit, your whole body will be tilted backwards, and the first few times this happens, I feel that the scooter will be tilted backwards until I fall. fall. After a few days of riding, I got used to a gentle backward leaning, then I pushed it too far and slowed down myself, but this is where I want to see improvement; it’s better before the strong backward leaning phase The warning would be greatly appreciated.
I like that scooters have headlights, but they are too low to be useful other than broadcasting your presence. As you can see in the footage above, they actually only show you a very narrow road about 10 feet ahead of you. If you are driving at full speed, this is not enough to warn of obstacles. For this reason, I hit a fairly large tree branch on the road after the storm, and this was the only time I fell off the scooter (but due to the lower speed, it was more like running and dismounting than falling). If Ninebot can put the headlights on the handlebars (or even just higher on the body of the scooter), it will help both provide illumination for the rider and help the rider’s visibility to other cars and people.
I didn’t push it to its range limit because it was uncomfortable to ride for a long time (advertised as 23.6 miles, but this is probably done on a smooth track for ultralight riders). I like short rides very much, but over time, uneven roads or sidewalk cracks plus sturdy wheels and old knees add up. I can do at least five 1-2 mile outings with no less than 50% battery power, so for a rider on the heavier side of the limit, the real-world range may be at least 10-15 miles. The scooter performs well on hillsides up to the recommended limit of 15 degrees, but if you are in a hilly area, you will be hit hard.
Despite some shortcomings, I found myself jumping on the Segway Ninebot S MAX almost every night, just to cruise around. This is very interesting for short trips, here are some antics I captured with the drone (one hand controls the scooter, the other hand controls the drone):
what do I like
- Fairly easy to balance and learn
- Long distance
- portability
- Karting options
What will i change
- Better headlights
- damping
- Higher top speed
Final thoughts
I can see that Segway Ninebot S MAX is a fun toy for some people and a useful commuting option for others. I just don’t want to take it to public transportation, there are foldable scooter options, which are more suitable for buses and trains. Just before I wrote this review, I had to put down my bike (my main means of transportation) to adjust. My wife uses our only car, but the 2-mile return journey without a bike is an easy 10-minute scooter journey instead of a 20-30 minute walk in the August sun. I haven’t even mentioned kart accessories! I have seen prices range from US$800 to US$1,000. All you have to do is insert the scooter into a kart-style body kit, and it becomes a kart with fast acceleration and a top speed of 22.9 mph. All in all, if you are looking for a remote scooter that is easy to control and fun to ride, you may have just found the perfect choice. I know this will continue to be used for a long time. One last thought before I leave you-if you use it for shopping, be sure to bring a backpack: Travel a few miles with a full shopping bag, and there will be some creepy moments on the way back.
Price: USD 1099.99
Where to buy: Segway with Amazon
source: The sample for this review is made by Segway
