Review Summary
The Zoom Stryder has one of the most impressive combinations of portability and performance on the market. It’s not the nicest scooter to look at but it is very nippy and has a great range whilst being incredibly light weight and compact. Solid tyres do reduce ride quality but this is partially compensated by its simple and effective suspension.
Speed: 18 mph Range: 20 miles Power: 300W Weight: 10.9 kg
Scooter Specification Score
Note: All scores are derived directly from scooter specifications using consistent rules. This enables objective comparisons between products.
PROS
- Excellent specifications for the price with good speed and range
- Very light and compact
- Enough power for up-hill climbs
- Suspension
- Excellent 3 hour charge time
CONS
- Looks not to all tastes and generally less refined
- Solid rubber tyres means less grip and reduced ride quality
- Electronic brakes could be smoother
- No Bluetooth
Who SHOULD buy? If you want that rare combination of excellent portability with good performance for reasonable price, this is almost impossible beat.
Who should NOT buy? If ride quality is top priority then there are alternatives with pneumatic tyres which will have a smoother ride. There are many nicer looking scooters on the market.
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Scooter Specification
Note: Fixed color coding rules are applied consistently across all products to ensure objective assessment of specifications.
Product Overview
Whilst the Zoom Stryder is relatively new in some markets, it has actually been around since 2017, with this latest versions (the EX model) having an upgraded battery. In the world of electric scooters a little history is a good thing as it give some confidence to buyers and gives time for issues to be ironed out and improvements made. The manufacturer (Zoom) is based in Singapore where electric scooters have been a common sight for some time. Specification, reliability and performance this leads the pack in a competitive price bracket. In the past one of the drawbacks of this scooter has been difficulty in servicing warranty, but this is changing as more official distributors are also taking care of repairs, and warranties are being offered more widely. Edit: Recently Zoom went into administration which means that warranties for newly sold products may be limited.
The Zoom Stryder feels like the spiritual cousin of the millennium falcon – it looks dated and doesn’t give the smoothest of rides, but it’s incredibly plucky and exceeds expectations in speed, range, portability and other areas, with a cutting edge battery under the bonnet.
Design
Design aesthetics is highly subjective but this maybe one of the few things that let this scooter down. Simply put, it looks like a big toy with a display is straight out of the 1980s. But everything is functional and does the job reliably as it should. To some extent if a scooter is small and compact it is hard to avoid looking a bit like a flimsy toy. This is shame as it’s a much better scooter than these quick first impressions may give.
Durability
Despite the initial impressions from its aesthetics, a closer inspection reveals a well built highly durable scooter. There are a few minor issues to note. The collapsible handles which help make this scooter extra compact when folded have some minor play in them while riding. After a time this is something you get used to and it doesn’t present a safety issue. The suspension is really strong and well designed, and although it is not a impressive as top of the range scooters, it has had almost no issues reported by users.
Performance
The stats speak for themselves on this little scooter with performance that is well beyond expectations for something of this size and weight.
Speed: A higher than average top speed of 18 mph makes a very nippy little scooter. For a scooter of this compact size with solid wheels it would not make sense for this scooter to be any faster.
Range: A range of 20 mile is really astounding for such a small scooter. Whilst real world range is always less many reports suggest achieving over 15 miles is still realistic on even ground, which is still very good.
Power: 300 Watts gives this scooter an edge on most entry level scooters and it can achieve a 600W max power output. This slight extra power helps deliver a higher than average top speed and it means it will slow down much less when travelling up hills.
Max Passenger Weight: Surprisingly this tiny little scooter can carry above the normal weight, carrying passengers up to a substantial 110 kgs. This is testemony to its very strong but compact frame and slightly more powerful motor.
Ride Quality
Wheels: At 7.8 inches diameter the stryder wheel size is slightly below average but large enough to prevent it being too sensitive to rough surfaces. The solid tyres means that punctures can be avoided, but this does mean a much harder ride.
Suspension: It is rare for a scooter in this price bracket to come with suspension. Whilst the Stryder has a simple suspension set-up it does go a long way to offsetting the harder ride of the solid tyres. Getting the perfect scooter is all about balance and trade-offs and this is an excellent trade off if you prefer to avoid the risk of punctures but also want to avoid an incredibly hard ride.
Other factors impacting ride quality include the the throttle, which is simple to use but doesn’t always deliver the smoothest acceleration gradient. This is something that you quickly adjust to but it is definitely less refined than some other models.
Portability
The Stryder EX is exceptionally lightweight and compact design making it absolutely ideal for portability such as taking on public transport or just knowing wherever you go it won’t take up much space.
Weight: At 10.9 kg it is extremely light weight for a scooter with its performance. In fact, aside from clones based on this same body frame there is nothing on the market that matches this performance to weight ratio. A little investigation suggest that this may be because it’s body was constructed with an innovative manufacture technique called High Pressure Resin Transfer Molding (HP-RTM), which enables structures to be particularly strong and light weight. However, this is not confirmed. It also makes use of a recent battery upgrade which contributes to its performance to weight ratio.
Fold Size: The scooter makes use of one of the most compact folding designs, which allows folding of both the stem and the handlebars. The folding operation takes a little bit of practice but once it is mastered it takes just a few seconds
Battery
Capacity: At 280 Wh the capacity is inline with scooters like this M365. But it’s lighter weight frame and other design freatures means it’s able to squeeze just a little more range. The latest version, the EX, boasts an upgraded battery pack.
Charging: A charge time of just 3 hours is very good considering the capacity (the M365 takes closer to 5 hours for the same capacity battery). This means every hour of charging adds in the region of 6 or 7 miles range. All of these benefits are the result of an upgraded battery pack on this latest iteration of the Zoom Stryder.
Features
The Zoom Stryder is not exactly feature rich and keeps things simple but functional. Depending upon country the Stryder often doesn’t even come with a stand attached! But this bare essentials approach seems like the inevitable compromise for a scooter that excels in many other areas. This is one of the compromises of getting so much at a relatively low price point.
Display: The display is somewhat reminiscent of a 1980s calculator and put it next to something like the Unagi Model One dashboard and the Stryder really does look like it’s from a different century! There are also several reports that the battery monitor is also a bit unpredictable as it will show close to full until there is a significant drop. Stopping and stating the scooter usually enables this monitor to refresh.
Bluetooth: No Bluetooth or App. These were unheard of in the 1980s.
Lights: Lights front and rear do the job, with the front light integrated high up at handles bars where it is most effective. Aesthetically the front light looks like its modeled on the the headlights of a 1982 Ford Cortina, which provides continuity with the dated looking display!
Brakes: The front brake is electric also know as KERS (Kinetic Energy Return System) which involves using the motor to slow the wheels down whilst harvesting some of that energy to charge the battery. This does not provide the smoothest braking experience but it has improved over various model upgrades and iterations. The rear brake it a manual foot brake, which is a useful last resort but it is a very basic mechanism for a scooter of this quality. Most people will adjust to the characteristics of these brakes which are one of the less appealing aspects of this scooter.
Feedback from Owners
Simply a very good scooter was the comment from one owner which pretty much sums it up. It’s really outstanding how a scooter manages to pack such performance into such a low price tag. We scoured the forums to understand any issues that may have arisen. Like all scooters, it isn’t without some small weaknesses. Here are some to be aware of that were reported by owners:
Issues highlighted by users:
- Brakes are adequate but risky if you are going down a steep hill in the wet
- Solid wheels can lack grip on some surfaces (although generally they perform better than expected)
- Doesn’t come with some basics such as a kick stand or bell without paying extra
- Many comments on the dated looking display
Conclusions
We’ve done a lot of work trying to find the weak points of this scooter which on the face of it is excellent. After a testing and a lot of digging we found and highlighted some minor flaws, but in on the whole it is indeed as good as it seems – an excellent little scooter.