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Lemon cakes. Dark chocolate cookies. Dulce de leche brownies. I’m not trying to make you drool. These are just a few items my partner baked, and I delivered, to some friends and family around Brooklyn this past month. But it’s been a hot summer in New York. To avoid arriving as a sweaty mess, I’ve been dropping these goodies off on an electric scooter—the EcoReco L5+.
New Yorkers have accepted electric scooters much faster than I expected. Every time I venture past my neighborhood, bike lanes are packed with folks on electric bikes, normal bikes, and e-scooters (and the occasional Onewheel). The recent legalization of all ebikes and e-scooters in the city is most likely the answer, but these vehicles have quickly become the response to the general wariness of taking public transportation during the pandemic.
The L5+ is bulky but well-built. It has let me leisurely visit people I haven’t seen for months. (I wear a face mask and stand 6 feet from them, of course!) Unlike riding my bike, I never break a sweat, and I can bring it indoors, so I don’t need to carry a lock to secure it outside—and worry if someone’s stealing it. It’s even become my grocery cart at the store. I’ve put about 50 miles on this scooter in the past two months, and it’s hard to imagine getting around without it in our new quarantined American life.
That kind of convenience comes at a cost. The L5+ is EcoReco’s top-tier scooter and costs a hefty $999, and that’s technically a discounted price.
Brawny and Tough
The L5+ has been such a joy to ride that I’m considering skipping the unlimited subway pass whenever it is we’ll be able to go to offices again, and just electrically scoot my way everywhere (when I don’t want to bike, that is). A part of what makes that possible is the front and rear suspension. They make riding on rougher roads much more bearable than some scooters. You’ll still feel those bumps, but not so much that your teeth chatte