Are you looking for a budget friendly scooter that can also tackle large hills? Look no further than the INMOTION Climber electric scooter. Currently priced at $599, the Climber is an affordable electric scooter option that advertises the power to climb 36% sloping hills. I live in a residential area with multiple large hills, so read on for my first hand experience if this electric scooter lives up to its name.
INMOTION Climber Appearance
Assembling the INMOTION Climber was a breeze. Simply connect the wires from the handlebar to the stem and tighten the screws. The kick stand also requires a few screws to attach to the scooter. Along with the hardware and tools necessary for assembly, INMOTION includes a nice manual, charging brick, and spare tubes in case you get a flat.
The INMOTION Climber’s color scheme features a black matte finish with bright orange accents. The orange highlights on the brake cabling, wheels, and break caliper help make the scooter pop in an otherwise standard scooter profile image. The front and rear lights are recessed into the scooter frame that adds a smoothness to the overall look of the scooter.
The left side of the handle bar features the intuitive turn signal controls and the brake lever. The display is plenty large and easy to read with a single power button. You’ll see your current riding mode, speed, battery level, and lighting indicator. Below the display is the hook to lock the stem to the rear kick plate for folding. On the right you’ll find the thumb throttle control. At the far ends of each of the handle bars is where you’ll find the blinker lights. I found the blinkers to be brighter than expected. You won’t find any additional powered lighting on this scooter, so I would recommend high visibility gear or addon lighting if you plan on doing a lot of night time riding.
The deck plate is plenty large and rubberized. Both front and rear wheels sport large black fenders for added road debris protection.
Performance of the INMOTION Climber
As with any electric scooter the experience is heavily dependent on your build so keep in mind my weight (165 lbs) and height (5’10”) as you read about my experience. The INMOTION Climber sports dual 450 watt nominal to 750 watt peak motors for a maximum 1500 watts of total power that advertises a max speed of 23.7 mph. I found this to be plenty of power to get me up the hills where I live. There is one steep hill down the street from me that is especially punishing on electric scooters where I’ve approached the low single digits on some electric scooters. I’m happy to say that wasn’t the case with the INMOTION Climber. On straight level pavement I was able to hit the advertised speed of around 23 mph. The Climber advertises 0 to 16 mph in 3.5 seconds and I could definitely feel the power at those speeds. A few times I even caused a slight burn out in the tires.
The battery is a built in a non-removable (built-in) 36V Samsung with a 14.7 Ah capacity with a range of 35 miles. It will take about 9 hours to reach a full charge. I was not able to do a full battery draining distance test and always keep in mind your experience will vary greatly on your build (height/weight) and how hard you ride the scooter (hills and stop/starts). If you require a scooter at the top of the 35 mile range, make sure you do some in depth research based on your commute and riding behavior. The INMOTION Climber has an IP56 rating for the body of the scooter and IPX7 for the battery. However, bear in mind they do not recommend riding the scooter in rain, but it is a nice peace of mind knowing you are protected if you get caught unawares by mother nature.
Riding the INMOTION Climber
The 10″ pneumatic tires provided ample smoothness in my rides. There is no suspension which is to be expected at this price point, but the INMOTION Climber is geared to commuters that happen to be in hilly areas. If you are in an area where you are worried about flat tires, as mentioned before spare tubes are included in the box and INMOTION advertises a 10 minute tire replacement process. The deck is comfortable to stand on and even at high speeds I didn’t experience any wobble in the stem.
The single brake lever controls both electronic and manual disc brakes. Amazingly the electronic brakes can be adjusted in the INMOTION app available for Android or iOS to meet your own customized feel. While dual braking would be preferred with a hill climbing scooter, the additional stopping power provided by the electronic braking systems feels sufficient in my rides. This also makes sense given the top speed of the scooter is 23 mph not 40+ mph like some performance scooters where dual braking systems are a must. The app also gives you riding statistics, hardware version information about the scooter, and battery information. The app includes additional settings features to turn on and off the lighting, lock the scooter, cruise control, and throttle take off adjustment from either a zero start or requiring a kick start before engaging. The cruise control is a great feature for those wanting to lock in a speed without holding down the throttle all the time. In addition to the headlight and taillight, there are reflectors on the wheels and the taillight will flash when the brakes are applied.
The thumb throttle feels intuitive and easy to use. There is also a bell that is integrated into the brake lever. The scooter folds very easy and uses a clipping mechanist to secure the stem to the rear kick plate. The INMOTION Climber is on the heavy side weighing almost 46 lbs., so keep that in mind if you plan on carrying it up and down stairs. Double press the single power button to switch between a pedestrian mode, dynamic mode, and sports mode. I did all of my riding on sports mode as I’m used to scooters with more power, but its nice to have a slower mode for those who get caught off guard by the swift acceleration or faster speeds of the scooter and would like a leisurely ride.
Final Thoughts on the INMOTION Climber
The INMOTION Climber is a great choice for people who are looking for a scooter with dual motor performance to tackle moderate hills while still keeping to a budget. The scooter looks good while not being overly flashy, provides decent range, lighting that includes turn signals, and a phone app with some customization options. If you are looking for a electric scooter with even more features and power, make sure to check INMOTION’s other offerings on their website.
