Whether in the suburbs, in nature, downtown, or on the road, a Boardy has been my true companion for the last two years. In the past two weeks, I’ve had an opportunity to ride the new model, so I can share my experience with you.

Conclusion: I’m (still) feeling it’s a must-have in life.

Experiencing freedom

When first trying a Boardy, the first and biggest wow moment comes right after the initial kick. There’s no sense of friction, no slowing down, nothing – you just whoosh down the street with surprising speed but in absolute silence from corner to corner in a single kick. The inflated tyres and the flexible wooden board greatly add to the sensory experience, creating a feeling of dynamic movement and toning down the impact from any bump you hit into a kind of undulation. With a pair of regular 12” wheels, you don’t have to watch out for cracks and small gaps in the pavement or changes in the terrain, as even running on rough stone paving or dirt roads does not cause any discomfort. The foam handle is soft to the touch but provides a firm grip even in the heat, and the Shimano handbrake and the pretty expensive hubs deliver perfectly what is expected of them. The whole structure feels firm and solid but light, giving a feeling of control and security. The board is made of a material consisting of specially processed wood layers, providing the rider with a dynamic experience of the terrain that is unmatched by other scooters with their rigid boards. You can feel and react to everything under your wheels but in easy mode, without any discomfort or a fear of being stopped abruptly.

A showstopper

The whole scooter simply emanates quality, and it gets noticed. Even our two ‘old’ Boardys get regular compliments (often accompanied by a request for a test round), and I have to admit that the new model looks even smarter. The matte graphite-black parts contrast nicely with the natural, light wooden surface of the board, and the clean and timeless functional design, devoid of any excess, greatly enhances the effect. And it feels quality, too – the touch of the surfaces, the quality of workmanship and the details, the sturdiness, the dynamic response you got from the structure at speed and impact, and the very natural feeling of riding it all add to that. It’s the Harley of scooters.

No terrain to shy off from

The best feat is that you can go everywhere riding it. I regularly use it on cracked concrete pavement, old asphalt roads, dirt roads and tracks in the nearby forest or around the lake, a bicycle road, and cobblestone pavement, without even really noticing the changes in the terrain, hopping on and off kerbs. It works great on wet surfaces and in light snow, too – even whooshing through shallow puddles is okay (and a must-do). On flat and relatively dry terrain, you can easily do 20–25 km/h (that’s not a problem even for my 9-year-old), which makes it an effective means of transportation and a great eco-conscious choice for urban warriors: a backpack and a Boardy make carrying home all that stuff from the market or the grocery store so much faster and easier (and shopping rounds are so much more fun).

Travel companion

With a weight of about six kilos, lifting and carrying a Boardy is a simple task (my son has been proudly bringing his own scooter up the ten stairs on our way home since he was eight). Also, the steering column can be folded back to the board, making the scooter easy to transport on trains (as hand luggage) or fit into the boot of an average car (and it does not need much place). On such occasions, I used to fasten the folded steering column to the board with a luggage strap but as far as I know, Boardy’s own solution is on the way.

The mule

Despite its slender look, the Boardy is surprisingly sturdy: the guys who make them tested it (check Boardy’s FB page), and it did not break (or suffer any damage) even under 450 kgs of weight. It’s unlikely I’ll ever confirm that, but it surely works well (and is still easy to propel, even up a slight slope) with about 100–110 kgs. Before I managed to get my hands on a second Boardy, the two of us (with a then-seven-year-old) used to go to school on mine, him standing in front of the board with his elbows on the inner end of the grip (and usually nibbling on something or chatting incessantly) and me in the back, kicking the ground. It worked very well for us in the first two years of school on a daily basis: there was enough space on the board (not anymore), the steering column did not wiggle, neither did other parts of the structure, and the brakes were effective enough to safely stop this weight in time even at a considerable speed, even when the terrain was wet.

An e-bike does not help you stay fit

I am often asked, “Why didn’t you buy an e-scooter for that money?” Actually, the answer is very simple but has multiple facets: Because I sit with my laptop at least six hours a day (often much more) but want to stay fit and, therefore, use every opportunity to exercise. Because I’ve been constantly under time pressure over the past two decades and multitasking has become my second nature, so clearing my head while doing some cardio while going shopping or anywhere I have to seems an ideal way of dealing with daily tasks. Because I don’t want things around me that require too much attention, and a Boardy is practically no-maintenance (save for a tyre check every other week) and indestructible. Because I believe in clever design and simple solutions, and don’t feel needing something with a battery that needs to be charged regularly for something I can easily do without. It’s a life choice, basically.

A good kick scooter tones and shapes your whole body, as the right move is similar to speed skating. With a Boardy, it’s easy to go for speed (because you don’t have to watch the terrain) and give your all, which is great cardio. If you go for distance in the first place, you can plan covering about 50–60 km a day on average built roads. Either way, it’s hard to get bored with the feeling of gliding through the world so freely.

Great for cardio and covering large distances

Regular scooters vs Boardy 1.0 vs Boardy 2.0

My first scooter was a fairly good Swiss piece with 20-cm cast plastic wheels. After switching to a Boardy, I can’t really imagine switching back again, but it’s no surprise as Boardy’s design is a conscious response to all demands in an urban environment that regular scooters fail to meet – negotiating diverse and difficult terrains perfectly while giving the best possible riding experience. Accordingly, there’s not much difference between the old and the new models: the new one simply looks better and feels even safer and sturdier. The old model has become iconic in my country, and the new one seems to follow the line.

Overall

The Boardy is the perfect kick scooter for an active life in the city and a semi-urban environment. It’s not simply better than any other non-electric scooters on the market but a game-changer in its category. If you’re thinking about getting a (kick) scooter, I don’t think you can make a better choice.

rider up to 200cm and 150kg, ground clearance 5cm, weight 6.1kg, wheel size 32cm

Boardy has always been as rare as hen’s teeth among average compact scooters with its unique dimensions.

The same can be said about the new Boardy. It is light and compact like a small wheeled scooter, but comfortable even for a person weighing 150 kg (330 lbs) and 2 meters (6′ 7″) tall.

And its board is wide enough even for two size US12 sports shoes. Boardy is made for those who don’t want to look like they stole their toddler’s scooter.

Boardy is finally a scooter designed for adults!

Big Wheels

Wheel size: 32 cm (12 1/2″)

Most compact kick scooters are equipped with plastic wheels, and they are maximum 8″ (20 cm) diameter. These small wheels get stuck on even the smallest bumps in the road, and the bearings in the plastic construction loosen quickly even under low loads. In contrast, the Boardy’s 12″ (32 cm) wheel size was chosen to provide safety on almost any uneven road surface and road defects, but they are still maintaining the scooter compact size. Boardy’s spoke designed wheels are made of metal and equipped with sealed industrial bearings, which ensure high load capacity and longevity.

High Adjustable Handlebar

Handlebar height: 108 cm (43″) / Handlebar width: 45 cm (18″)

Boardy probably has the highest handlebar height among the compact kick scooters. Its handlebar is adjustable up to 108 cm (43″) height. (Of course it can also be adjusted to a much lower position.) The high handlebar allows the rider to have a straight back body position, so the riding does not put a strain on the waist. If the rider is standing upright, he can look around, rather than who riding with his head down on a low handlebar scooter. – This is why the Boardy is called experience scooter.

Wide Deck

Deck width: 17 cm (7″)

Most kick scooters use a very narrow board, on which a single foot can hardly fit. This design originates from race scooters (kick-bikes), on which the usual riding (and switching legs) technique is that the person continuously jumps from one foot to the other during riding, and the stability is given by the speed, and the rider position, who constantly leans forward and puts most of his body weight on the handlebars. This riding technique is difficult to master,and it is not very comfortable during normal urban scootering. We designed the Boardy’s board to be double wide (170mm / 6.7″), so it is enough wide enough even for two size US12 sports shoes side by side. So even a beginner rider will have no problem switching legs, which makes riding for longer distances not tiring. Ride your scooter with both legs! Thanks to the parallel feet, riding on Boardy doesn’t put a strain on the waist, so its riding is completely different from the riding on narrow kick scooters. In spite of the different riding position the maximum available speed on Boardy is not much less than on kick-bikes. When we tested the new Boardy on a flat road, we could reach 21 mph (34 km/h), which speed is considered good even for a bicycle.

Low Deck

Deck height: 7 cm (2.7″) / Ground clearance (loaded): 5 cm (2″)

The low board height basically determines the experience of riding. Boardy has one of the lowest board heights, while its ground clearance (the space under the board) is no less than most scooters have. This low deck height also thanks to the self-supporting flexible wooden frame structure. The frame of the Boardy does not consist of a metal frame and a board on it, so the thickness of the frame is only 19 mm(!) under our feet. It ensures a lower board height and bigger ground clearance. Besides this, the frame of the Boardy is flexible. When you are riding, the board height is approx. 2 cm lower, but when you have to cross an obstacle or lift it over a curb without load, the ground clearance is again 2 cm higher.

Light Weight

Weight (without mudguard): 6.1 kg (14 lbs)

We paid special attention to keep Boardy’s weight low, because for a lightweight vehicle even 2-pound extra weight is very noticeable when you have to hold it in your hand, or when you are going uphill. Despite the 12″ wheels, and the load capacity up to 150 kg (330 lbs), Boardy has a surprisingly low weight. Boardy’s weight is approximately the same as the weight of a traditional 8″ wheeled and 100 kg loadable kick scooter. This low weight primarily thanks to the self-supporting wooden frame structure. This frame design does not require a separate metal frame and a separate board, because the self-supporting wooden structure is a frame, a board, and a flexible suspension at the same time. For the lower weight, we also designed the other frame parts as light as possible and produced them with CNC technology.

Over 100kg

Maximum Load: 150 kg (330 lbs)

Boardy’s load capacity is also unique among kick scooters. The frame is tested with a static load of 450 kg. As intended, even a 150 kg person can ride it, and even “bumps” on smaller curbs will not harm it. However, Boardy is definitely not designed for extreme/freestyle/dirt/downhill use, so tricks, teasing and downhill riding are not included in the intended use of Boardy in the least!