Before you order this scooter, make sure that you have all necessary tools, or buy it with sufficient lead time needed to take it to a bike shop for assembly. You may consider this a toy but it will very likely be used on Public Street and your child’s life may be at risk if not assembled correctly. Tools Needed: 1. 6mm Allen wrench 2. An adjustable wrench or 9, 10, 14 & 15 mm box end wrenches or sockets 3. Cable cutters or sharp scissors or utility knife 4. Air pump or compressor 5. Optionally pliers, super glue, lock tight, grease, small shrink tube lighter and gloves I paid for this scooter myself and was not compensated in any way for this review. First, it is much larger than a standard kick scooter. It will easily handle riders in excess of 150 lbs. It is a heavy scooter and may be too big for a child under age 7. The box clearly states “Age 8+”. There is no provision for folding and I have to put the rear seat down to get it in a standard hatchback car (Nissan Versa). Because it is bigger and has nice 12” wheels, it glides over most bumps, cracks, and irregularities. Large potholes and slotted storm drain covers are still serious hazards. Packaging was very good. The box indicated that it should not be placed on its side and did not show any signs of having been dropped or damaged. The scooter had all parts zip tied to the frame and was a little challenging to pull up out of the box. I used wire snips to cut off all zip ties and removed the paper and plastic wrapping to inspect the parts. The wheels are delivered totally flat. An air pump or compressor will be needed. Be forewarned, the clamp on my hand pump that holds the chuck on the valve stem would not fit between the hub and rim. I had to use my compressor. If your bike pump doesn’t fit, take the wheels to a service station for air prior to attaching them to the frame. Construction quality is on par with any low priced consumer good mass produced in China. In my instance, the rear brake pads were tightened out of alignment with the rim. You will very likely need to adjust the brake pads. As other reviewers noted the brake cable ferrules are not crimped correctly and will fall off. Put a drop of super glue in it and tap it in place or just wrap the wire end in electrical tape, or use a short piece of shrink tube on the end. The handlebars are not attached. You will need to remove 4 Allen bolts and position the handlebars. I was able to do this single handed, but a second person to hold them in place would ease this task. Once the handlebars are positioned and tightened the brake cables will need to be attached. There are two cables on the right for the rear brake and one coming up out of the stem tube to be attached to the left brake handle. Adjusting the brakes is not difficult, just take your time and tighten everything when done. 1. Loosen the nut clamping the cable at the rear calipers. 2. Route the two cables attached to the right brake lever through the handlebars and down to the upper cable stop. 3. Screw the alloy barrel adjusters all the way into the upper cable stop and slide the beaded end sideways into the detangler. 4. Hold the rear brake calipers closed against the wheel rim and pull the brake cable taught at the calipers. 5. Tighten the caliper cable clamp nut. 6. Adjust the brakes at the calipers, detangler and at the lever as necessary so that the wheel turn freely and stops easily when the brake lever is engaged. Now on to the front brakes, 1. Loosen the nut clamping the cable at the front calipers 2. Push the cable up into the head tube until you have enough slack to reach the left brake lever. 3. Screw the barrel adjuster most of the way in and align the slots in the barrel adjuster, nut and break lever. 4. Slip the cable end into the round opening under the break lever and feed the cable into the slot on the barrel adjuster. 5. Turn the barrel adjuster ½ turn. 6. Hold the front brake calipers closed and pull the cable tight. 7. Tighten the caliper cable clamp nut 8. Adjust the barrel adjusters at both ends until the front wheel turns freely and stops easily when the brake lever is engaged. Assembly took me exactly 40 min from the time the box arrived to first test ride. I provided detailed instructions on what is required to assemble this scooter so that potential purchasers are able to make an informed decision prior to purchasing. My daughter’s first scooter was a $20 scooter. This was to gauge her interest and ability. She didn’t use her scooter much until about age seven. In the past 3 months, she has been using it every day and has worn it out. Since this is not a review of that scooter, I will not go into detail. Suffice it to say she couldn’t keep up with her friends and small bumps caused tumbles that left her fearful of sidewalks and some streets in our neighborhood. Now with the Mongoose she has confidence and can keep up with her friends. All of the kids prefer her scooter over any other brand or style. As a parent, I would rate it 4 stars, for size and build quality but my daughter says “it is a solid 5” and since she is the one who rides it every day I gave it a five. After her first test ride I removed the axel pegs from the rear, as she did hit them occasionally with her ankle when kicking. I later reattached them to the front axle, but I am not sure if I will keep them on or not.
