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Welcome to Flywheel, a weekly exploration of the owned and used micromobility. Each newsletter will highlight an observation of trends emerging in the industry and feature five of the most interesting used vehicles being sold in the secondary market.

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The observation of the week explores the top 10 most popular escooter brands. This week’s featured vehicles are an entry-level escooter, a folding fat-tire ebike, two premium hybrid commuters, and an emoped-style scrambler.

Observation of the Week

Top 10 Most Popular Escooter Brands

On this week’s Flywheel, let’s discuss a question I recently received from a Flywheel reader on the nascency of the escooter segment:

To dig into that question, let’s take a look at the 10 most popular escooter brands in the used micromobility market (in the US as of June 1, 2023):

Ninebot Segway leads the list, and makes up almost twice as many used escooter listings as the #2 on the list (GoTrax). This is not at all surprising given that Ninebot Segway has been a pioneer of the escooter industry. They were the manufacturer behind many of the earliest shared escooters people rode, and they were one of the first to sell escooters directly to end consumers. Two other brands that may be familiar are Xiaomi and Bird. Xiaomi is another manufacturer behind many of the shared scooters on the road today, and Bird is a shared scooter company that recently began a pretty extensive push into the owned consumer segment. One brand that I think has largely been under the radar is GoTrax. While GoTrax isn’t quite as flashy as its high-tech (i.e. Unagi) or high-speed (i.e. Dualtron) competitors, it sells affordable and reliable vehicles that are approachable and accessible to riders new to using escooters on city streets.

The average price of a used escooter is $1,040.92. Dualtron and Kaabo are interesting outliers given that their average resale prices are $700 to $800 higher than the overall average. This is because both brands sell ultra high-speed escooters, with many of their models capable of hitting max speeds over 40mph. As such, these vehicles have more substantial powertrains and other parts that cost significantly more.

The average mileage of a used escooter is 112.75mi. Xiaomi and Dualtron are notable outliers for this metric, with their average mileages being 100mi to 140mi higher than the overall average. In the case of Xiaomi, I think this is a testament to the rich expertise the brand has in building robust, reliable scooters for shared fleets as well as the excellent job they’ve done porting that over to their owned vehicles. For Dualtron, this above average mileage is again due to its ultra high-speed vehicles. Note that there are several brands in the top 10 with average mileages in the 20mi to 30mi range. In my opinion, this suggests that these brands don’t quite provide the utility or performance required for commuting and other daily/regular riding use-cases.

Ultimately, the top 10 brands only make up ~17% of all used escooter listings, and the top brand Ninebot Segway only makes up 4.4% of the total. The owned escooter segment is still largely fragmented with no clear winners, and there’s plenty of ceiling for both existing brands and new players entering the space.

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Top 5 Vehicles of the Week

1. Hiboy S2 | $449 | LA

The Hibouy S2 is an entry-level budget escooter. Its powertrain features a 350W front hub motor and 270Wh battery pack, giving it a max speed of 18.6mph and a max climbing grade of 15 degrees. The S2’s best feature is its braking system, which features regenerative braking on the front wheel and a disc brake on the rear wheel. Both are controlled by one brake lever and the vehicle intelligently balances which brakes to apply. There’s also a headlight, taillight, and idelights for improved visibility when riding in the dark. The S2 has a rear suspension, but it still can be rough to ride, particularly on longer trips, due to its solid and thin 8.5” tires. Lastly, the S2 comes with a mounting point for a seat, which is an interesting and increasingly popular accessory for scooters to make them even more convenient to ride. The S2’s closest competitor in the budget escooter segment is the market-leading Xiaomi Mi M365. While the S2 is similar to the M365 in specs and pricepoint, it’s measurably less smooth and stable to ride. That being said, given that the M365 was recently discontinued, the S2 is a great alternative for beginners looking for an escooter with a shallow learning curve. This listing is new and still in its original packaging, yet is selling for ~$190 less than MSRP and $41 less than its average resale price. Listing can be found here.

2. Lectric XPremium | $1,400 | NYC

The Lectric XPremium is an affordable class-3 folding fat-tire ebike with a mid-drive powertrain. Given that ebikes with mid-drives rarely sell for less than $3K, the XPremium is a great option that provides all the benefits of a mid-drive at a budget-friendly price without compromising on quality. Its ~55Nm mid-drive motor is controlled by a torque sensor, and its dual-battery pack setup has a combined capacity of 1000Wh. The powertrain even has shift-detection, which cuts off motor power to protect the drivetrain while shifting. These features, combined with 4” wide fat-tires and a front suspension fork, provide a ride that is almost as smooth, intuitive, and intelligent as that of premium mid-drives that cost at least $1.5K more. Lectric has made a name for itself selling high-quality ebikes at extremely affordable prices, and it’s amazing that even their premium offering, the XPremium, is more financially accessible than most other ebikes. The brand also has one of the largest service networks in the industry given its partnerships with hundreds of bike shops nationwide, and it consistently provides riders with an excellent post-purchase experience. This listing has only been ridden once, and is being sold because of a change in the seller’s commute. Listing can be found here.

3. Trek Verve+ 3 | $2,500 | SF - Bay Area

The Trek Verve+ 3 is a class-1 hybrid commuter, cruiser, and road ebike that is often referred to as the best hybrid on the market. Its powertrain features a 50Nm Bosch Active Line Plus mid-drive motor and a 500Wh Bosch PowerTube battery pack that is stealthily integrated into the downtube. This powertrain is also compatible with Bosch’s Range-boost, a mounting system that lets riders add an additional 500Wh Bosch PowerPack battery to their ebike. The Verve+ 3’s motor is controlled by an extremely sensitive torque sensor. While this provides a very intuitive feel that sport riders will love, it requires more effort to reach top speed than the average commuting rider would prefer. That being said, the Verve+ 3 is still a competent commuter ebike. It comes standard with hydraulic brakes and suspension seat post to smoothen rides, and there’s even integrated lights, fenders, and a rear rack so that riders can start using the Verve+ 3 as their daily commuter right out of the box. The Verve+ line is highly popular, and the Verve+ 3 is an upgrade to the lineup that offers better power and range. Of their latest models, the Verve+ 3 is the most inexpensive option. For riders looking for more affordable alternatives, there’s a number of ebikes under Trek’s Electra brand that can be used for similar use-cases. Trek is one of the bike industry’s big 3 manufacturers, and as such has a massive servicing network. This listing has a low mileage of 189mi and has always been stored indoors in a garage. Listing can be found here.

4. Bulls Urban Evo | $3,000 | Seattle

The Bulls Urban Evo is a luxury and sporty class-3 mid-drive commuter ebike. Its powertrain features a 65Nm Bosch Performance Line GEN3 mid-drive motor and a 500Wh Bosch PowerPack battery pack, both of which are stealthily integrated into the vehicle’s sleek matte black frame. The Urban Evo has exceptionally smooth handling, due to its more aggressive rider positioning, hydraulic brakes, and a front suspension fork that can be remotely locked when looking to maximize range. This vehicle competes in the same category as the Stromer ST3 and some of Specialized’s more affordable Turbo Levos. While these competitors may have some higher-quality components and marginally better rideability, they cost at least $1K more. Bulls is owned by ZEG, a German dealer association of 1K+ bike shops in Europe that also owns other premium ebike brands like Pegasus. Bulls ebikes aren’t as popular in the US as they are in Europe, but they are familiar and easy to maintain for most bike shops. This listing has only been ridden 42mi and comes with proof of purchase. It’s only being sold because it’s not the right fit/style for the seller. Listing can be found here.

5. Juiced HyperScrambler 2 | $1,800 | SF - Bay Area

The Juiced HyperScrambler 2 is a class-2/class-3 emoped-style scrambler. Juiced’s Scrambler line was the brand’s first foray into the scrambler ebike frenzy. They became hugely popular because their taller frame heights made the pedaling experience far superior to that of their shorter scrambler competitors. The HyperScrambler 2 is an upgrade to those original vehicles with a markedly more powerful motor and battery. Its powertrain features a 90Nm rear-hub motor and either a single or dual battery set up with 998.4Wh UL 2271 certified battery packs. This is a strong enough powertrain to comfortably carry two riders with range to spare, and the vehicle even comes standard with a padded double seat. It also allows the HyperScrambler 2 to hit 30+mph in offroad/emoped mode, which is dangerous if used in bike lanes but a nice plus when you don’t have bike lanes and need to keep up with traffic. The HyperScrambler 2 comes with both dual suspension (a front fork and rear coilover shocks) and hydraulic brakes. Given the speed and ~120lb weight of this ebike, these additions do an immense job of stabilizing the ride and improving handling. There’s also turn signals, brake lights, and a motorcycle-style headlight that help make the vehicle safer. This listing is a two-battery pack version of the HyperScrambler 2 and is in like new condition with a mileage of 633mi. Listing can be found here.

That’s it for this edition. Thanks again for joining, see you next week!

- Puneeth Meruva

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