InMotion Climber Electric Scooter Review: Bursting With Power

Publish date: 2024-05-04

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Key Takeaways

If there's one thing electric scooters and ebikes could always use more of, it's power. I almost always want a little more sustained torque cruising up hills. The Climber from InMotion might lack a little polish overall, but it had just enough extra speed to keep things interesting.

InMotion Climber

Weight 45.85lbs (20.8kg) Range 35mi (56km) Max. Load 286.6lbs (130kg) Lights Yes Brakes Electronic & disc brake Height Adjustable Handlebars No Foldable Yes Motor 750W Top Speed 23.7mph (38kmh) Climb Capability 36% Waterproof IP56 (body), IPX7 (battery) Charging Time ~9 hours ProsConsSee at AmazonSee at Inmotionworld

All About Power and Speed

Tyler Hayes / Review Geek

Usually, you won't crave a little more oomph from your electric scooter right out of the box. That often happens a week or a month later once you've gotten comfortable with the vehicle. That's when you notice that a few more miles per hour would come in handy. I have felt that before on other scooters, but even after plenty of time with the InMotion Climber, I didn't feel that desire. Its top 23- to 24-mile-per-hour speed was just fast enough to keep me fulfilled.

The Climber scooter can go from 0 to about 15 miles per hour in three and a half seconds. It had a lot of giddy-up and go, which was helpful for hills and steep areas. It never felt like I was waiting on the scooter to ramp up to speed, no matter where I was riding it.

Because InMotion's electric scooter is so powerful, it may not be right for younger riders. There are only two speed tiers: standard mode, which tops out at around 16 miles per hour, and sport mode, which goes to just about 24 miles per hour. A three-mile-per-hour walking mode is available, but it's not meant for riding.

Related: Atomi Alpha Electric Scooter Review: Plenty of Substance to Match Its Style

My elementary-age kids did ride the Climber scooter, but they had a little more trouble getting a hang of the throttle than they did on the Atomi Alpha scooter. This was not the right electric scooter for them.

For me, however, I constantly kept the Climber on sport mode and worked the throttle accordingly. It did take a few days to get the feel for cruising around sidewalks and understanding when to punch the throttle, but once I had a few miles under my belt, it felt familiar, and the scooter was always capable riding around my suburban neighborhood.

Ready for Rain or Other Weather Conditions

Tyler Hayes / Review Geek

I took the InMotion Climber scooter riding for about four miles in light rain. Partly because the vehicle is advertised to be water-resistant, but also because I wanted to ride it despite the weather conditions. Sometimes you'll need to get somewhere, even when the weather outside doesn't agree.

I was pleasantly surprised that it handled almost identically as it did in dry conditions. I didn't notice any problems with the throttle or getting up to speed. The brake functioned well, too. I didn't put it through any emergency braking situations, luckily, but there were no surprises when cruising around 20 miles per hour and then coming to an expected stop.

The display was bright and visible, even with water falling on it. I didn't notice the rubber mat under my feet to feel extra slippery. Overall, the scooter handled its own in the rain. I liked that it performed nearly the same despite external factors.

Solid Performance, but Lacks Polish

Tyler Hayes / Review Geek

There was nothing in my usage that made the InMotion Climber scooter feel incomplete or lacking. But at the same time, the scooter definitely did not have the same level of fit and finish that the Atomi Alpha scooter does. There weren't extra lights flashing different colors. Some cabling was exposed. It didn't have a built-in lock. Those types of things made the Climber scooter feel a little more utilitarian in nature.

I found the throttle to be a little touchy while using the sport mode. If you're navigating a dense urban area and not able to get up to full speed, it can take some time to get comfortable working the button under your thumb. You could switch to the slower standard mode, but then you don't get the same jolt on takeoff that sport mode does.

The single button to operate the controls on the screen was fine. It mostly worked as expected, though there were a few times when it didn't register my double presses to change modes. There was no pattern, and it was infrequent enough to chalk it up to how I was clicking the button.

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You can use the mobile app to change from standard mode to sport mode if you prefer. The InMotion mobile app, available for iPhone and Android, was basic and nothing remarkable. It can record rides to track distance and routes as well as show the estimated remaining distance or try to diagnose a problem if something goes wrong, but otherwise, it's just a bunch of fiddly settings. I didn't find myself using it often beyond getting it set up and tweaking the initial settings.

Tyler Hayes / Review Geek

While there is a hook that connects the handlebars to the rear wheel housing when it's folded down, I found that to be inelegant. There was some movement between the hook and its latch, so it always felt like it would disengage before I picked up the neck to move the scooter. It never became unhooked, but it constantly felt like it was going to.

The Climber was sturdy and felt strong, but it didn't prioritize comfort. Its 10-inch air-filled tires were able to absorb some of the cracks and bumps in the sidewalk, but not all of them. The ride was more rigid than other scooters that have dedicated methods for shock absorption. Semi-related, the scooter's frame was less aesthetically pleasing than other, less expensive scooters on the market.

It's easy to tell that the priorities of this electric scooter were power and performance, rather than design and comfort. In that regard, this scooter lacked polish to me. It certainly wasn't a deal-breaker, but it should be a consideration depending on your planned usage.

Should You Buy the InMotion Climber Electric Scooter?

The InMotion Climber isn't the faster electric scooter on the market, and it's not the most powerful. But it fills a common gap between casual use and intense enthusiast riding.

Personally, I fall right into that gap. I would opt for a scooter with a little more power over some of the niceties that other scooters may offer, such as shocks or a built-in lock. I'm comfortable with electric skateboards, ebikes, and most other types of personal vehicles. Also, if I'm using a scooter, it's likely for a specific commuting purpose, so I want to get there as quickly as possible---without feeling like I'm out of control. The InMotion Climber hits those needs perfectly.

I also realize that my uses may be a little narrower criteria than yours might be. So simply, if climbing hills and a satisfying amount of torque are near the top of your must-haves list, then this scooter is certainly worth considering and offers a solid value for its $999 retail price.

If a few miles per hour speed increase isn't the most compelling thing for you, then you're probably better off saving some money on a different scooter, either from InMotion or elsewhere.

InMotion Climber

See at AmazonSee at Inmotionworld

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