Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I saw these scooters all over Santa Monica & discovered they were owned by a company started by an x Uber executive called Birdride. They are placed all over the city and a phone app is used to rent them. What's really nice is you rent, travel and leave them at your destination. Pretty much anywhere. I used them multiple times before deciding to buy one. I'm not discounting the negative reviews. I've watched a few vids of rider abuse by taking the scooter off road as well as witnessing abuse by Bird renters. I knew going in the fold down bar can become loose. Users have already figured a fix with a 3D printed shim that can be purchased on Ebay. My thinking is that if it can hold up to rental use it should not have issues if taken care of. Also with thousands now everywhere I expect a fix for any problem that arises. That said, my initial impression is the Xiaomi M365 is a high quality product. It arrived mostly assembled with the exception of the handlebar that required 4 screws to install. Also nice they include two extra tires and tubes. I've noticed some pretty nice solid tire options but considering there is no suspension I'll stick with air unless flats become a problem. I haven't tested the range but I expect to get the 18 miles you would need to be on flat ground in eco mode, little stop and go & no wind. I saw an IG post where a couple on Bird rentals made it to Hollywood from Venice Beach. That's over ten miles with a lot of stop and go. I assume Birds scooters run in some type of energy saving mode. Braking is great. The front wheel uses some type of regenerative braking that charges the battery, the back disk brake adds kinda a trail braking effect. I've seen people thinking they needed to adjust the back to make it brake harder but I think the set-up from the factory is perfect & adds stability when braking in turns. Speed. In standard mode the top speed of 15 mph is great and I don't think you want to go over that with 8 1/2 inch wheels. Eco mode is ok if you need to extend range. It tops out at 11 MPH. In all modes climbing hills is difficult, small grades are ok especially if you are light. This is where your body weight makes a huge difference. I weigh of 200 lbs so hills are slow going and kill the battery. Charging. 5 hours and charger get hot. A fast charging option would be nice Lights: Lights are great, the scooter even has a flashing brake light. Fun: Yes! Buzzing around town on this is great. It's a useful toy. I wouldn't consider this a daily driver unless your commute is short. **** I'll continue to update Update 3/10: Regarding the fold down bar issue. I haven't purchased the 3D shim & mine hasn't become loose but after hearing a creaking sound on bumps I placed a couple pieces of electrical tape on the inside of the joint and now its completely silent.. I'm also adding a small piece of tape over the hook to stop wear due to vibration. I noticed Birdride has made a retrofit piece that completely goes in place & removes the fold down feature, I like the feature and prefer to keep it but I included a photo of Birds setup. Update 6/3: Got my first flat tire at around 600 miles. It was the rear and using a youtube instructional video was able to replace it with one of the included tubes. Was not easy but I've not changed a bike tire so had no experience. Removing the back wheel was not difficult but the actual tire removal and reinstall takes wrist strength and technique. Getting the tire back on was the most difficult and I damaged one of my replacement tubes first go round because I was doing it wrong. To get the rear back tire on you need to use your knee or foot to hold the tire in place while using the two tire sticks to push the tire in position. Be careful not to bend the disk brake. Also I looked at solid tire options on youtube & reading comments these seem nearly impossible to install and have a negative effect on speed and ride. In general the scooter has been problem free. I've learned what parts need oiled for silent ride. I'm still layering electrical tape to keep the hinge tight. Update 5/11/2019: Over 800 miles & I've been using it less for recreational riding. I have had no problems other than the one flat tire. I consider this ideal for short commutes where you don't want to sweat. You can throw it in your grocery cart while shopping, take it into Starbucks or lock it to near the door. The only negative would be If you are buying it for recreation you don't really get much exercise. I think I've been lucky with the reliability because obviously others have had problems. The fold down system hopefully has been redone on the new version.