For the past few years, the entrance of my New York City apartment has been littered with one or two electric scooters for testing, along with a folding ebike. My wife has been thrilled. She and I have tripped on the handlebars, knocked into the wheels, and—well, let’s just say I’m surprised she didn’t cite these daily hazards in our vows when we tied the knot.
Escooters are, yes, more convenient to stow away than a bicycle (not to mention a car), but they’re not as compact as scooter manufacturers might have you believe. When folded up, they’re often too tall to roll under a couch. You can balance them upright by leaning them against a wall, but, speaking from experience, they’ll come crashing down every so often. That’s where the Taur won me over. It’s the first escooter I’ve tested that has no trouble standing upright on its own. My wife and I are very thankful.
It is unusual in other ways, too. There’s no traditional “deck” on which to place your feet. Instead, two pedals flap out from the tubular frame. You put your feet on these, and the Taur makes you ride with your legs parallel, instead of one in front of the other, which the company says is more of a natural stance. This also helps shave down weight and the overall size of the vehicle. Unfortunately, my overall experience has been mixed. The Taur does a few things right that I’d love to see extend to other scooters, but it very much feels like a work in progress. You probably don’t want to feel like a beta tester after spending $1,195.
Two-Horned Bull
Photograph: Taur
The Taur is gorgeous. It has a clean and minimalist design, with an off-white powder-coated aluminum tube that runs all the way from the handlebars down to the rear wheel. There’s a front light, a taillight, a motorbike-styled center stand, and a decently loud horn that’s sure to get the attention of that dolt in a car blocking the bike lane.
There’s a little latch at the bottom of the frame you can twist to make the stem fold down. Align the metal peg on the stem with the hole on the rear fender, and the Taur stays folded. You can use the center kickstand to give it more stability or put the whole scooter upright. The latter is arguably one of the best features of the Taur. It’s not only space-saving at home, but it was immensely helpful in not taking up too much room on a crowded subway (more on that later).
It’s not my favorite folding system—the latch feels clunky and can require some force to move. Pushing down on the rear fender to unhook the stem also isn’t intuitive when you aren’t using the center stand, because it’s easy for the whole thing to fall on its side. I should add that when it’s folded up, the Taur is relatively lightweight to carry at 37 pounds, but the thick stem makes it unwieldy. I wish there was a slim grab handle affixed to the stem, like on Fluidfreeride’s Mosquito.
Power isn’t a problem with the Taur. It has a 500-watt motor that had no trouble taking me up and down bridges and other slopes. The dual 12.5-inch air-filled tube tires are larger than what you’d typically find on an electric scooter, and they help provide a smooth ride despite the lack of suspension. The hydraulic disc brake does a nice job of coming to a halt, though I did have to initially tighten the brake lever.