Overflowing with power – Geek Review

If there’s one thing electric scooters and electric bikes could always use more, it’s power. I almost always want a little more sustained torque going up hills. InMotion’s Climber might lack a bit of overall polish, but it had just enough extra speed to keep things interesting.

All about power and speed

Typically, you won’t want a little more oomph out of your electric scooter right out of the box. That often happens a week or a month later, once you’ve become familiar with the vehicle. That’s when you realize a few more miles per hour would come in handy. I’ve felt that before on other scooters, but even after a long time with the InMotion Climber, I didn’t feel that desire. Its top speed of 23 to 24 miles per hour was fast enough to keep me satisfied.

The Climber scooter can go from 0 to about 15 miles per hour in three and a half seconds. It had a lot of giddy which was helpful for hills and steep areas. I never felt like I was waiting on the scooter to pick up speed no matter where I was riding it.

Because InMotion’s electric scooter is so powerful, it may not be suitable for younger riders. There are only two speed levels: Standard mode, which tops out at around 16 miles per hour, and Sport mode, which tops out at around 24 miles per hour. A three-mile-per-hour walking mode is available, but it is not designed for bicycling.

My elementary school kids rode the Climber scooter, but they had a bit more trouble controlling the throttle than they did on the Atomi Alpha scooter. This was not the right electric scooter for them.

For me, however, I constantly kept the Climber in sport mode and accelerated accordingly. It took me a few days to get used to riding sidewalks and understanding when to hit the gas, but once I had a few miles under my belt, it felt familiar, and the scooter was always capable of navigating my suburban neighborhood.

Ready for rain or other weather conditions

I took the InMotion Climber scooter for about four miles in light rain. Partly because the vehicle is advertised as waterproof, but also because I wanted to drive it despite the weather conditions. Sometimes you’ll need to get somewhere, even when the weather outside doesn’t agree.

I was pleasantly surprised that it handled almost identically to how it did in dry conditions. I did not notice any problems with the throttle or when accelerating. The brake worked fine too. Luckily I didn’t put it through any emergency braking situations, but there were no surprises when it was cruising around 20 mph and then coming to a stop as expected.

The screen was bright and viewable, even with water dripping on it. I didn’t notice the rubber mat under my feet feeling any more slippery. In general, the scooter behaved in the rain. I liked that it performed about the same despite external factors.

Solid performance, but lacks polish

There was nothing in my use that made the InMotion Climber scooter feel incomplete or lacking. But at the same time, the scooter definitely didn’t have the same level of fit and finish as the Atomi Alpha scooter. There were no extra lights flashing different colors. Some wires were exposed. It did not have a built-in lock. That sort of thing made the Climber scooter feel a bit more utilitarian in nature.

I found the throttle to be a bit touchy while using sport mode. If you’re navigating a dense urban area and can’t get up to top speed, it may take some time to get comfortable using the button under your thumb. You can switch to the slower standard mode, but then you don’t get the same jolt on takeoff as sport mode.

The single button to operate the controls on the screen was fine. It mostly worked as expected, though there were a few times where it didn’t register my double taps to switch modes. There was no pattern, and it was infrequent enough that I put it down to how I was clicking the button.

You can use the mobile app to switch from standard mode to sport mode if you prefer. The InMotion mobile app, available for iPhone and Android, was basic and unremarkable. You can log trips to track distance and routes, as well as display estimated distance remaining or try to diagnose a problem if something goes wrong, but otherwise it’s just a bunch of fiddly setup. I didn’t find myself using it often beyond setting it up and tweaking the initial settings.

While there is a hook that connects the handlebar to the rear wheel housing when folded, I found it inelegant. There was some movement between the hook and its latch, so I always felt it would come loose before I even lifted my neck to move the scooter. She never disengaged, but she constantly felt like she was going to.

The Climber was sturdy and felt strong, but it didn’t prioritize comfort. Its air-filled 10-inch tires were able to soak up some of the cracks and bumps on the sidewalk, but not all of it. The ride was stiffer than other scooters that have dedicated methods for shock absorption. Semi related, the scooter’s frame was less aesthetically pleasing than other less expensive scooters on the market.

It’s easy to say that the priorities for this electric scooter were power and performance, rather than design and comfort. In that sense, this scooter lacked polish. It certainly wasn’t a deal breaker, but it should be a consideration depending on your planned use.

Should you buy the InMotion Climber electric scooter?

The InMotion Climber isn’t the fastest electric scooter on the market, and it’s not the most powerful either. But it fills a common gap between casual use and intense enthusiast driving.

Personally, I fall right into that hole. I would go for a scooter with a bit more power over some of the niceties that other scooters can offer, like shocks or built-in lockout. I am comfortable with electric skateboards, electric bicycles, and most other types of personal vehicles. Also, if I’m using a scooter, it’s probably for a specific purpose of travel, so I want to get there as quickly as possible, without feeling like I’m out of control. The InMotion Climber perfectly meets those needs.

I also realize that my uses may be a bit narrower criteria than yours. So simply, if climbing hills and a satisfying amount of torque are near the top of your list of must-haves, then this scooter is worth considering and offers solid value for its $999 retail price.

If a speed increase of a few miles per hour isn’t the most compelling thing for you, then you’re probably better off saving some money on a different scooter, either from InMotion or elsewhere.