Yes, it's $100 cooler than a Cruz
Written: Feb 06 '01
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Stable, fast, smooth, and FUN!
Cons: Cost
The Bottom Line: I've got both the aluminum-decked Street and the wood-decked Cruz. Which wins the coolness prize? Which wins the fun per dollar sweepstakes? Why do I have two Xootrs? Read on!
|
|
|
| howardh's Full Review: Xootr Street |
I didn't think that I would be writing a second Xootr review, but here it is. I suppose I could just copy and paste large chunks from my Cruz review(http://howardh.epinions.com/kifm-review-17E6-8AE8794-39DD2137-prod1), but that wouldn't be any fun, so I'll try for a new perspective.
Why? 'Cause the Street's a different beast.
What kind of fever-dream craziness brought me to buy another relatively-expensive scooter?
I wanted the alumninum deck. I lusted after the aluminum deck. The Cruz? Marvelous machine. Smooth as silk. Extremely cool. Wood deck though. Hmmm. Too bad about that wood there.
The Street does indeed have an aluminum deck. But this is not the rolled, folded, stamped, and spot-welded deck of a (holding my nose) Razor. No indeed.
On the top, the Xootr logo embossed into the cast alumninum block.
On the bottom, milling marks from the computer-controlled cutting head. Think of it: metal shavings flying out of this machine, heaping up on the factory floor. Street.
I also wanted a front brake. To get that, I'd have to send the Cruz back to the factory for a $30 retrofit. Which meant I'd be Xooterless for a couple of weeks.
Granted, I live in Seattle, it's winter, and it's definitely not safe to ride in the rain. Two weeks? Should've done it. But then I didn't have a box to fit it.
The front brake has two major advantages: first, as you slow down, your momentum pushes you toward the front wheel. (You are going forward, aren't you?) With the older-style rear brake, you move away from the braking wheel, diminishing its effectiveness. Also, the longer cable run from the handlebar makes your pull less effective. More cable = more stretch = less friction on the wheel.
How different is the braking? Try night and day. The back brake was so weak, that I worried I'd run into something if I needed to stop quickly. The front brake is so strong that I worry that I'll need to pick myself up off the pavement because I went over the top.
Lessons? Get your rear-brake Xootr retrofitted at the factory and don't squeeze so hard, for pity's sake.
Final straw? The good folks at Nova Cruz send me an email offering big discounts on refurbished and factory second model Xootrs. My left hand shot to my back pocket...the card was out...the Street was ordered. Phew! Aluminum, front brake, box: all my worries swept away for less than $200.
Ain't captitalism great?
I took delivery in the afternoon. That very morning I -- and 2/3 of my colleagues -- had been laid off. Fun, eh? Indeed. Well I had a tremendous consolation prize. The Street.
So how does it compare to a Cruz? The biggest difference I noticed was in the braking. The front brake makes all the difference. The aluminum deck weighs slightly more than the wood, but I couldn't tell much difference there. Nor could I discern much difference between the "Ultraglide" tires and the standard ones.
I had also expected to feel less deck-flex with the aluminum deck compared with wood. The Street might be a little stiffer, but not appreciably.
Bottom line?
The Street is sleeker, no doubt. I'm all for that, but when I realize that I've picked up two refurbished Xootrs for the retail price of one Street model, I have to say that there's not enough difference.
The extra $100 doesn't make any difference to you? Street all the way!
Ooops, my son's home from school. We'll leave his Razor in the basement. My only question: which one of us rides which Xootr?
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 189
Type of Toy: Sports
Age Range of Child: 9 Years or Older
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
howardh
|
|
Member: Howard Hansen
Location: Seattle, WA
Reviews written: 16
Trusted by: 8 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.