Broken Brake Cable

When I get on my scooter I squeeze the brakes to keep the scooter still while I swing my leg over the seat. A couple weeks ago while doing this I heard a weird noise and my brake handle went limp. I got off the scooter and squeezed the right brake and noticed the little bar that gets pressed against the back wheel when applying the brakes wasn't moving. The brake cable had broken. I saw a spring and 2 round washers on the floor and this little small barrel looking thing with a piece of my brake cable attached to it:

I called TravelScoot and talked to Bonnie, unfortunately they were out of brake cables. Fortunately my son was visiting that weekend so I waited for him to take a look at it. My son went to a bike shop and picked up a new cable and housing (the housing is the black covering for the cable) for like $8. It was kind of tricky to get the new cable on because you have to thread it through the frame of the TravelScoot. It took about 30 min and my brake was back in business.

If your brake cable breaks I recommend looking for the parts that fall off when this happens, you can reuse them: one spring, two washers and the barrel looking thing above. I recommend taking a look at the brake assembly by the back tire and note how the spring and washers and barrel thing fit while it is not broken so you know what the parts look like if your cable breaks.

Question about Smaller Size TravelScoot

Jodie needs help deciding on which size TravelScoot.  Do you have any thoughts or want to share your experience?

Hey there! Believe it or not I got my TravelScoot from the "original creator" Hardy. I picked it up after he built it in his airplane hangar in FL. I obviously LOVE it & have enjoyed your blog too. My question is this...I'm obviously in need of a new one after the wear and tear over 7-8 years and am not sure if I'd be better off on a junior size one that's available now? I'm fairly small (110 lbs or so) & think I would like a little smaller frame. Does anyone have any ideas regarding the comparison? I'm hoping for someone's (anyone's) outside experience with them.

Thank you!

Jodie

Joe in Browns Bay, Auckland

Joe with his daughter and grandchildren, at the ANZAC Parade in Browns Bay, Auckland

Ding's Velcro Replacement

Ding's Hog

 This is Ding (Arifin) from Singapore, and am a heavy user of my TravelScoot (I call it my Hog) for the past 2 years, and have had lots of dings (no relation to me .. lol!) and accidents (particularly running over people's toes ... Singapore is a very crowded place, especially when you are on the subway train platforms here).

As for the velcro strap, I didn't bother with it, and have used the elastic rubber hooks that you probably can find at a motor accessories shop. I have attached a picture for your readers' reference.

Cheers!

Velcro Replacement

Stef wrote in to say that the velcro that holds the batteries on their tray is getting worn.  Have any of you had this problem, and if so, how did you deal with it?

You can respond to this post by making a comment, or by sending an email to elizabeth@ifisher.com.

An Update and some Questions from Frank in Melbourne, Australia

A TravelScoot with FOUR Wheels

An interesting item of news about the Travelscoot from our agent is that for SYDNEY (Australia)  customers who wish to use it on Public Transport, changes had to be made, for it is now mandatory for all “scooters” (baby carriages and all) to have FOUR wheels.  The front wheel is now being offered with two (twin) wheels.  This also is said to make the Travelscoot a little more stable (it is said).  This, of course is offered for the client’s decision, but at an additional $AU200.

Any experience with Allure of the Seas?

In May we are off again to your fair country, which involves Las Vegas (of course!) to take in a few shows and a Globus tour along the Eastern part of the States and Canada, finishing in New York.  Part of our journey also involves 2 x back to back 7 day cruises to the Western and Eastern Caribbean on the “Allure of the Seas”.  We believe that this is quite a “humungous” ship and which we are really looking forward to.  Has any of our tri-cycled gang ever done a cruise on this ship and/or visited its ports and can they give us any ideas of what to look out for (and what to be careful of or miss?)

How do you transport your TravelScoot? 

I find that transporting my scooter in the bag provided, whilst travelling,  can sometimes be a little precarious, for non of the modes....air or ship, still seem a little dodgy, even though we have FRAGILE posted all over the bag.  We have looked at golf bags, but they don’t seem rigid enough or long enough.

Frank and Evelyn's South American Trip

Evelyn and Frank at Iguazu Falls.  A "must see" destination!!  The roar of those Falls still rings in my ears............

Evelyn and Frank in La Boca, a must-see destination in Buenos Aires.  Note the cobble stones.  Not very comfortable on your tail-bone!

Frank's Ferrari, as he and all others know it.