There are two thumbsticks near the center of the handlebar. The one on the right is the accelerator and the one on the left is the regenerative braking. I’ve used this brake in most stops, but for any sudden you need to hit the rear drum brake lever on top of the right handlebar. It does the job, but I wouldn’t mind more stopping power. If you are riding fast and come to a sudden stop, you will experience some skidding.
Right in the center is a display with four buttons up front: Horn, Headlights, Settings, and Power. I found these mushy buttons to be difficult to press and reach with my hands while riding.The horn button really should be easier to access, although it Yes It’s loud enough to get the attention of any pedestrian or cyclist. Color display shows battery gauge, speed, controller temperature and trip mileage/odometer.
Most electric scooters have a button you can press while riding to switch between modes to increase or decrease speed. For some reason, Mosquito has a complicated system that requires you to set the speed while stationary. You need to hold the regenerative brake lever first, turn on the scooter, then press the set button to switch between L1 (5 mph), L2 (10 mph), L3 (16 mph), L4 (24 mph) ) and L5 (no limit); release the regenerative brake to set it. By default the scooter is set to L4, but I’m not sure why there is no easy mode button.
stings like… a mosquito
Aside from weight, power is the Fluid Mosquito’s next best feature. It has a 500-watt motor and can easily go 24+ mph on flat roads. Up the mountain? do not worry! Unlike many scooters that can only climb slopes, the Fluid Mosquito is powerful enough to climb quickly. It crossed the Manhattan Bridge at 16 miles per hour. For comparison, the Niu KQi3 Pro I’m also testing is driving at a snail of 8 mph on the same bridge.
This comes at a cost. You probably won’t get very far on mosquitoes. The Fluidfreeride claims a range of 22 miles, but this will depend on your weight (supports up to 265 pounds), terrain, and how much of your trip involves steep climbs.
During the 5.2-mile round trip, which was mostly on flat roads (buy some lemon bars from the local bakery), the Fluid Mosquito had 70% left in its tank. But when I rode the scooter from Brooklyn’s Bed Stuy to the Financial District for a meeting — which involved crossing the Brooklyn Bridge — it was only 10 percent charged when I reached my destination (8.6-mile trip). . Around 20%, the scooter starts to slow down; I’m riding at about 13 mph, not 24 mph.
I’d recommend switching it to L3 mode to slow down and run a few extra miles, but most people should be able to get about 10 to 15 miles on a single charge, if not more. If you know you’ll be near an outlet and are concerned, keep a charger with you. It’s not bulky, although you need five to six hours to fully charge the scooter.
Still, I was impressed for such a lightweight scooter. I wouldn’t call it a commuter electric car – I’d recommend the slightly heavier Speedway Mini 4 Pro – but if you use public transport a lot and want to ride as lightly as possible, the Fluid Mosquito is a nice little car choose.
