Gone are the days when electric scooters used to cost an arm and a leg for a poorly assembled hunk of junk. Today we’ve got countless options for high quality scooters that run circles around the cheap usual suspects like Xiaomi or Ninebot. The latest one we’ve tested is the Horizon electric scooter from FluidFreeRide. This bad boy can hit road-ready speeds and has full suspension to improve ride comfort.
Best of all? It’s quite affordable!
Miami-based FluidFreeRide is no stranger to the electric scooter world.
They are responsible for bringing to America the arguably most popular scooter of the year, the 1,000 W Mercane WideWheel dual-motor electric scooter.
And now they’re back with a new scooter that combines the ride comfort and power of the WideWheel with the affordability of other popular consumer electric scooters.
I’ve had the pleasure of scooting around on a $649 Horizon electric scooter for the last couple of weeks – every day of which has been a blast. But before I tell you more, let’s check out those specs!
Horizon electric scooter tech specs
- Motor: 500 W continuous, 800 W peak
- Battery: 48 V 10.4 Ah 500 Wh (624 Wh option available)
- Top speed: 25 mph (40 km/h)
- Range: 20-25 miles (32-40 km) depending on battery option
- Weight: 40 lb (18 kg)
- Load capacity: 265 lb (120 kg)
- Brakes: mechanical drum brake and regen in rear
- Tires: 8-inch (solid in rear, air-filled in front)
- Suspension: front spring stem, dual rear hydraulic shocks
- Climbing angle: 20% grade
- Extras: Triple headlights and double taillights, LED speedometer and battery meter, large splashguards, optional carry handle and trolley wheels for pulling, screw lock folding handlebars
Horizon electric scooter video review
Want to see the Horizon electric scooter in action? Check out my video below!
How well does it ride?
Damn if this thing isn’t powerful! I’m used to riding the WideWheel, which has two 500 W motors. So I expected that a single 500 W motor would leave me feeling underwhelmed. And while this is not as powerful as its nearly twice as expensive big brother, the Horizon electric scooter can absolutely hold its own!
While many scooters feature a front motor, the rear motor on the Horizon electric scooter is superior for getting that power to the ground. It also makes the acceleration and deceleration more comfortable. You’re essentially being pushed instead of dragged, which feels more natural to me.
The acceleration is peppy and gives me the necessary confidence to travel out of the bike lane and onto the road.
Ride quality is quite good, especially considering the rear tire on the hub motor is solid rubber. We’ve seen that a lot on electric scooters as a way to avoid flat tires. And while it certainly makes the scooter more convenient, it also means the scooter better have suspension to avoid shaking you to pieces. Fortunately, the Horizon electric scooter has you covered there. Front spring suspension and rear hydraulic shocks come standard. And they both work great.
I rode over bricks, sidewalk cracks, and minor potholes without feeling much of anything. Really big pot holes are still a bit uncomfortable, but that’s the case with just about any electric scooter. It’s hard to fault the Horizon electric scooter for the craters in New England roads.
As long as the road you’re traveling on doesn’t look like the Apollo 11 landing site, you’ll have a very comfortable ride.
The lights are nice and bright, which makes night riding less stressful. Sure, you can add lights to any scooter, but I prefer them to be included and run off the main battery. It keeps me from needing to charge accessory lights independently or routinely swap AAA batteries.
One feature I really like about the Horizon electric scooter is the locking component on the folding grips. Folding grips are great because they make the scooter absolutely tiny when folded up. It’s only as wide as the deck. But they can also make the handlebars feel a bit flimsy if they aren’t well designed. On the Horizon, the grips use a screw lock mechanism to tighten them in the riding position. That means they feel like rigid grips while still giving you the folding ability. It’s the best of both worlds and I wish more scooters had that feature!
At 40 lbs (18 kg), the scooter isn’t particularly lightweight.
While I’ve got no problem carrying it up a flight of stairs, I wouldn’t really want to carry it up three or four flights.
Not the lightest weight scooter at 40 lb (18 kg), but manageable even for a small guy like me!
It’s light enough to pick up when necessary, but don’t expect to walk around holding it too long. I guess that’s why they offer the trolley wheel attachment, similar to the InMotion L8F electric scooter. Now that I think about it, the Horizon can pretty much do everything that InMotion scooter can (minus the impressive multi-color light show), yet offers a more powerful package and comes in at a lower price.
Man, I’m loving the progress in the electric scooter industry!
The 20-mile (32 km) range version of the Horizon for $649 is a steal of a deal in my opinion, especially considering how many slower scooters there are with higher prices. But for an extra 15%, you can get 30% more battery with the $749 option featuring a 13 Ah battery.
Truth be told, the 10 Ah version that I tested is probably enough for me. I’m not really scooting more than 20 miles (32 km) at a time and I don’t mind charging the scooter each night to ensure I start the day with a full battery.
I’ve found that the Horizon electric scooter falls in the perfect sweet spot for me. It’s affordable with a price not that much higher than the super cheap budget scooters, yet offers high power, high speed, dual suspension, and great build quality. I don’t know how they did it all at this price, but I’m not complaining!
If you want to grab your own, you can find it on sale with free shipping from FluidFreeRide. And don’t forget to hit up the comments section below to let us know what you think of the Horizon!
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