Is The Oxelo Town 9 Premium Adult Kick Scooter Worth The Price?

As far as the best of adult kick scooters go, I've wanted to do a full review of the excellent Oxelo Town 9 for some time. So it was with some pleasure that I got this one home and was able to open the box for the first time. I also made a Youtube video of the unboxing which you can see at the end of this review. First a little about Oxelo.

Who Are Oxelo?

Oxelo is a French company famous for their urban mobility vehicles and kick scooters in Europe. They are based in Lille in the north of France, near Belgium and have around 50 employees. They Manufacture in China and design in France but the quality is still very high. Oxelo was recently acquired by the large French sports retail group, Decathlon. This gives Oxelo the advantage of a huge Europe-wide retail distribution network. Even though the French are rather protectionist about their manufacturing it's surprising that they are made in China, but don't let that give you any concerns about the build quality which is excellent.

So Why Is The Oxelo Town 9 EF So Good?

Well, just so I don't have to say it out loud again; I'm a big fan of the Oxelo Town 9 EF and have wanted to own one for some time. I like the Oxelo town 9 because it looks very distinctive and it turns heads as I explain below when I took it out for the first time. It folds very easily, is engineered well and the overall feel is of a ‘professional’ commuter scooter. There is nothing childish about the Town 9, it’s very much a personal transport machine for mature people that need to get somewhere conveniently.

So I’ll admit, since I got the Oxelo Town 9 I have pretty much ditched my bicycle for short trips, even to the local store. It’s easy to sling a small backpack over the from of the handlebar and use it to carry supplies home.

How To Use the Oxelo Town 9 EF [Video]

The handlebar stem is so sturdy and rigid that it could probably take quite bit of weight at the front. The weight of a small bag of groceries does not seem to affect the front-loading balance of the scooter. I can’t find anything by Oxelo to say that it was designed with carrying a load at the front in mind, but I suspect that it is part of the design because it handles this task so well. At Toyrider, we love practical wheels and this Oxelo is one of those!

In any case, if you need to carry something heavier I guess you could sling messenger back over your shoulder or carry a backpack on your back. When I’m scooting I prefer not to have anything on my back so this front-carry  feature is perfect for me.

Reasons To Buy The Oxelo Town 9:

• Very high quality manufacturing
• Handlebar mounted rear brake
• Rear fender Brake
• Left handlebar mounted bell
• Top quality Handle bar clips
• High quality rubber slipway on deck
• Great looking design
• Very sturdy front suspension
• Large 200mm wheels
• Wide-ish wheels
• Super comfortable ergonomic handlebar grips

So let's look at some of these components in details because every inch of this adult kick scooter has clearly been carefully thought through by the designers:

Oxelo Town 9 EF Features in Detail

Handlebars

The handlebars are not as wide as say a stunt scooter. As they are fairly narrow, they are good for stability as you can’t make huge movements that will steer you into a wipeout. For the that know, it’s very easy to over-steer a kick scooter with large wheels and the narrow handlebar pretty much makes that impossible.

The quick-release handlebar buttons that lock the handles bars into place on the cross-bar are nice rigid plastic buttons and so much easier to use to fold down the handle bar ends. Cheaper scooters use those sprung nipple-type clips that are much more difficult to use in a hurry.

The left handlebar features a bell, which is a nice touch as you don’t need to buy one as an extra. This bell is designed for the scooter and wraps around the handlebar with a small sprung striking hammer. It seems that cyclists are forever ringing their bells at pedestrians these days, so why not join them as a scooterist?

Handlebar Stem

The handlebar stem is adjustable and is incredibly rigid. There is a quick-release lever to unlock the stem to slide it up and down. you even get height graduations that are printed on the inside of the stem to make it easy to adjust to the right height. The quick-release lever is very strong and it has a vice-like grip on the stem. When it’s locked in place it isn’t going to move at all.

Handlebar Grips

These grips are one of the nicest components of the Oxelo Town 9. They are not off-the-shelf grips and have been ergonomically designed for this kick scooter. The shape is very comfortable, more like a luxury bicycle feel. A clever touch is the multi height ribs which wrap around each grip. These server to absorb vibration as well as making for a soft-fell grip. As a result there is little or no vibration carried through to my hands when I ride.

Handlebar Brake

The handlebar-operated rear brake is an interesting one, mainly because I found that it only really worked when I was stationary or going very slow. It seems to me that you need to use it in conjunction with the rear fender brake. Then the stopping power of both brakes at once is amazing. However, the handlebar brake is useful when you mount the scooter as it’s stationary, or want to remain still on a hill. Use it much like a bicycle front brake and you’ll get the idea.

Handlebar Storage Clips

These clips are mounted on the handlebar stem below the top cross-bar and are used to stow away the handlebars when you fold them down for storage. On this model it seems necessary to fold down the handlebars because when the Scooter itself is folded you can’t twist the steering to 90 degrees.

However, because of the quick-release handlebar buttons and strong elastic cord that prevents the handlebars from falling off, it’s an easy job to fold these bars down. Now onto the clips themselves because I often see that the handlebar storage clips are the part that a cheaper scooter will overlook.

With the Oxelo Town 9 the quality is amazing. Not only will they stay in position on the handlebar stem, they are so rigid and tough that they will withstand any amount of snapping the handlebars into and out of them.

I love details and the handlebar storage clips are another indicator of the high quality manufacture of this adult kick scooter. They will not get loose or break and your bars will be securely clipped in place as long as you need them to be.

Front Suspension

The front suspension unit is actually housed inside the bottom of the stem so there is no exposed spring. in any case, Oxelo have covered that part with a rather fetching rubber spring cover which looks like it’s intended to keep water and dirt out of the suspension mechanism. I like the fact that the suspension is quite stiff. That means no unnecessary bouncing. It absorbs rough, uneven road surfaces well and in conjunction with the handlebar grips I don’t fe any vibration carried through to may hands.

Rear Wheel Shock Absorbing Axle

Oxelo say that the rear axle bearing is mounted in a shock absorbing material. This appears to absorb street vibrations at the rear end so that the ride is very smooth.

Folding Mechanism

Probably the finest part of the Town 9 design. The full name of this adult kick scooter is ‘Oxelo Town 9 EF’ and EF stands for Easy Fold. That is certainly true. You don’t even need to use your hands to fold and close the scooter.

So let me explain a little more. The front part of the frame extends a little beyond the front wheel. At the top of this extension is a button and a sliding mechanism.

All you need to do is stand in front of the scooter and press the button and push down onto the sliding mechanism with your toe. The rear end then swings up and clips into place with a sprung clip located on the handlebar stem. The clip locates onto the rear fender in one motion. It’s super quick and easy. I like not having to use my hands especially if the road has been dusty or a little muddy.

To finish, if you are stowing the scooter away in the trunk of a car then you might need to fold down the handlebars, but that will not always be necessary.

Locking

Just behind the folding clip on the handlebar stem there is a bracket with a hole. This useful little addition means that when the scooter is folded, you can use a regular bicycle security chain to secure the scooter to a pole or fence, then use a small padlock (not supplied). Lock the padlock in this hole and you will be unable to unfold (or easily steal) the scooter. This is a great little feature that looks like it actually works. Make it hard for those street thieves and they’ll move on!

Deck

The scooter deck is rigid aluminium with enough weight capacity for heavier adults. It is covered with a nice, thick rubber grip mat from end-to-end. I haven’t has any trouble with this. I haven’t inspected it too closely to se how its fixed onto the deck but there is no sign of it coming loose at any point from the deck after a few miles of use.

Wheels

Obviously the 200mm wheels are great for commuting as it takes less kicks to go further on larger wheels. Another thing that I noticed is that the wheels and tires are slightly wider than a cheaper adult kick like the Razor A5 Lux, for example.

The extra width of the wheels provides more traction and better stability so I like that feature.

Splash guards

The front wheel comes fitted with clear plastic guards on either side that cover 100% of the spokes. I can only assume that these have been fitted is to prevent dust and mud splashing up to your ankles where the front fender would not catch it. Another neat idea from the French designers to keep their clothes clean on their commute to work.

Oxelo Town 9 EF Specifications:

• Colors: White or Titanium Gray
• Warranty: 2 years excluding wear-and-tear parts (wheels, bearings, brake, grip, and handles).
• Carry Strap: Yes
• Trolley system: Yes
• Wheel diameter: 200mm
• Bearings: ABEC 7
• Suspension: Yes, front
• Mudguards: Yes, front and rear fender
• Deck, Frame and Handlebar: Aluminum
• Wheelbase: 27”
• Deck height: 3”
• Deck width: 6”
• Deck length: 27”
• Minium handlebar height: 34”
• Maximum handlebar height: 40.75”
• Max rider weight: 220lbs
• Weight Capacity: 220lbs is Oxelo’s recommendation but I think it would take a lot more than that

Packaging

As you can see from the video the packaging is very sturdy, coated cardboard and will protect the scooter during shipping very well. There are a couple of spacer blocks inside which keep the folded scooter from rattling around inside the box while in transit. Overall It’s great quality packaging and well worth keeping hold of if you ever need to sell the scooter on eBay.

Assembly

The Oxelo Town 9 EF in this review was fully pre-assembled out of the box. I just had to figure out how to unfold the scooter with the clip on the rear fender and unfold the handlebars to set it up and ride. The quick-start guide helps with this.

What's In The Box?

1. Carry strap with high quality webbing band and high quality chromed steel clips at each end
2. Set of Hexagonal key tools for making adjustments
3. Folded Scooter
4. Quick start guide

Oxelo Town 9 EF Details [Video]

Oxelo Town 9 In Use

This is one of the smoothest adult scooters I have ridden. Several components contribute to this and the combination works well so you don't feel any vibration on your hands at all. That makes this Oxelo great for longer distances as it won't be tiring to ride.

Firstly, the deep ribbing in the handlebar grips absorb fine vibrations. Next, the stiff suspension inside the base of the steering stem absorbs road bumps and finally the rear axle shock absorbing bearing housing material absorbs rear wheel vibration. This system works so well in concert that it's like gliding down the street on a Rolls-Royce.

Carry Strap: I have to mention a few things about the carry strap that’s included. Firstly. it’s super-high quality. There is a hole at the top-front of the handlebar and the bottom-front fender to clip the carry strap in. However, the strap needs to fe fed inside the front frame extension otherwise it interferes with the folding mechanism. That was not obvious from reading  the quick start guide.

Also the carry strap add a small layer of complexity when folding the scooter. I had to hold the strap out of the way when using the front foot-button to fold the scooter. A small gripe if you actually need to use the strap to sling the scooter over your shoulder. I did try out the strap but have now decided to take it off. I’lll be carrying the scooter in one hand when folder from now on. That’s not a problem for my use.

Trolley System

Another nice feature of the Oxelo Town 9 EF is that you don’t even need to pick it up when its folded. You can drag it behind you in what they call ‘trolley mode’. This means that if you find it too heavy to carry fro a longer distance, you can wheel it behind you like luggage. A great feature and another reason that I do not need to fit the carry strap.

Modifications

I would recommend that you add some under deck protection if you will be riding over large bumps in the road or going over sidewalk kerbs. The deck is quite low to the ground and will get scraped at the bottom if you ride the scooter in this way. Add some Skateboard grip-tape strips or something similar to protect the underside from getting scraped. Under normal circumstances, if you ride the scooter on a flat street most of the time then it won’t get scraped.

Paint Job

I have the white Town 9 EF version and I cannot speak to the metallic titanium grey paint job on the other available color because it may use a different process in manufacture. The white pain is really great, it looks like the powder-coated type of paint rather than a wet-spray. It may not be, but it looks like ceramic-like, extremely tough and fairly chip-proof. I am very happy with it. there are no unpainted patches and it looks like a multi-layer high quality job.

Con's

The tires are hard PU material and I did slides out the back-end on a smooth sidewalk that was slightly wet. I guess that's going to happen with all kick scooters unless you choose one with air-tires. Air tires tend to have a tire tread pattern and will provide some grip in wet conditions much like a car tire.

Would I Recommend This Kick Scooter?

Absolutely, yes without any hesitation. Oxelo make some of the best kick scooters on the market and the Town 9 EF is one of their best. One caveat is that for some reason, this European kick scooter is very expensive in the USA. I think this is because Oxelo or Decathlon do not yet use USA distribution. They likely ship from France to the USA so it ends up a very expensive buy. Still, it's a unique look and a great buy so if you have a lot of change in your pocket you may still buy the Oxelo Town 9 EF.

For those USA based readers who want a French kick scooter of similar high quality and features but for less cash, then go for the Globber Adult One which is shipped from the USA. The Globber Adult One does not have the same distinctive look at this Oxelo but it's still a great quality buy.

Oxelo Town 9 EF Unboxing And Review [Video]