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Disclaimer: All ScooterDad reviews are unbiased opinions. While reviews are previewed by suppliers for factual accuracy in statements about products, the opinions are not influenced. The product in this review is tested, reviewed, and then donated to a needy rider selected at a local skate park. ... Read more >>
Disclaimer: All ScooterDad reviews are unbiased opinions. While reviews are previewed by product suppliers for factual accuracy in statements about products, the opinions are not influenced. The product in this review is tested, reviewed, and then donated to a needy rider selected at a local skat... Read more >>
The following article is presented as sponsored content from an advertising partner in collaboration with ScooterDad.com. The content has been reviewed and approved to ensure that it aligns with the purpose of the site.
Putting together your first pro scooter is a snap, but what happens when y... Read more >>
Our unique little kid, Paxton. In case you were wondering, he’s one on the right. ;)
The following article was written by my wife, Dena Carlile, who is the mother of my scooter kid, Paxton Swygard. This has been a challenging article to write as we weren’t sure if being open/honest about ... Read more >>
The best way to improve your current brake, if it’s not already a Phoenix Switchblade, is to replace it with a Switchblade.
Scooter riders are always trying to figure out how to dial their scooters. Unfortunately, spring brakes have been a big problem in this area for many years. No matter w... Read more >>
You can promote your own content such as videos, photos, and announcements on ScootAm.com!
Even if you’re a great scooter rider, you still need to promote yourself in order to get the exposure needed to grab the attention of sponsors and promoters. If you’re an unknown rider, you’re stuck in... Read more >>
Please wear a helmet whenever you ride a freestyle scooter. No one is too cool to wear a helmet.
I’ve always been a strong supporter of helmets in all action sports. It just doesn’t make any sense to me to not wear a helmet because of the risk. I grew up knowing that and never doubting it. A... Read more >>
It’s Ask ScooterDad time again! If you missed the other volumes, you can find them here: Volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3.
Why do some scooter decks have different headtube angles?
The angle of the headtube on a scooter deck affects a few aspects of the way your scooter feels. First, and pe... Read more >>
I might not be a scooter rider, but I’ve been around enough scooter competitions to know what kind of performances are successful. In fact, you can watch other sports, such as skateboarding, BMX, inline skating, and freestyle motocross and learn about things that score well with judges. I sus... Read more >>
Don’t measure your success in terms of your sponsorship status and don’t think that lack of sponsorship is what is holding you back.
Scooter kids are frequently asking me about sponsorship: “will you sponsor me?1”, “how can I get sponsored?”, “do you know if [some brand] is sponsoring?”, “ca... Read more >>
Stand out in the crowd by not copying everyone else. Be original. Be yourself. Follow your own creative ideas.
Lamborghini makes pretty amazing cars. But what makes them so cool is that they are different and unique compared to the cars that Ford, Chevy, Honda, and Toyota make. If every car ... Read more >>
Check out the newly opened Scoot Loot Store!
ScooterDad is proud to announce that our Scoot Loot online store is now open! For those who may not have seen our new products in person or online, we have bracelets, keychains, dog tag necklaces, bandanas, and lanyards. All orders ship with free ... Read more >>
It’s time for another round of Ask ScooterDad! If you missed the first two installments, you can find them here: Volume 1 and Volume 2.
Is there a rule of thumb for determining the height and width of your bars in relation to a rider’s height?
Every kid has a different preference for bar he... Read more >>
HIC stands for Hidden Internal Compression
It seems that Hidden Internal Compression (HIC) systems are becoming more and more popular among freestyle scooter riders. This is because they are simple, cheap, and light compared to SCS systems, which we covered in another tutorial found here: Pr... Read more >>
Installing an SCS clamp system isn’t as scary as it seems.
Installing a Standard Compression System (SCS) clamp can be tricky if no one has shown you how to do it right. Even after you get your SCS installed, it can be challenging to get it locked down just right. When dealing with an SCS, t... Read more >>
Use creative angles and filming techniques to stand out in the crowd.
Has your scooter kid been hounding you to make videos for him yet? If not, it’s coming, so be prepared. Videos are a big part of the freestyle scooter culture and if your kid sticks with the sport, he’s going to want to st... Read more >>
A penny is the cheapest tool you can keep in your scooter toolbox!
It can often be difficult to get a clamp and bars to fit together if the clamp is a tight fit for the bars. You don’t want to use grease to make them fit together as it will be difficult to get a secure fit later on after you... Read more >>
Having trouble removing bearings from your metal core wheels? Try using the bearing spacer trick!
Everyone wants metal core wheels because of their superior strength, performance, and durability. However, they have one disadvantage over plastic core wheels: they are much more difficult to ge... Read more >>
Do you have a question for ScooterDad? Send me an email at kenny@scooterdad.com, post on Facebook at facebook.com/ScooterDadBlog, or message me on Twitter at twitter.com/ScooterDadBlog.
I’m back with more answers to your questions with Volume 2 of Ask ScooterDad. If you missed the first volu... Read more >>
Not every question or topic is broad enough for an entire article. Some topics are very specialized or have very short answers, but I’d still like to help where I can. I’ve scanned the Google keyword searches resulting in hits to ScooterDad and I’ve identified some questions that I can answer... Read more >>
Believe it or not, this is the 3rd set of bars these pink grips have been on. Using the air compressor technique, I’ve been able to easily move them without damaging the grips.
If you haven’t installed a thousand pairs of scooter grips yet, don’t worry…you will.
Grips are usually one of the... Read more >>
Show the respect for others that you want them to show to you. Share the park.
One of the biggest challenges young freestyle scooter riders face is criticism at the skate park. Many people think young kids on scooters are out of control, oblivious to other people around them, and they get in... Read more >>
Jeremy Cathcart definitely knows what “sick”, “beast”, and “boost” mean. He’s also pretty familiar with “flow”. :o)
We had a lot of fun with our tongue-in-cheek, yet informative, Scooter Lingo - Volume 1 article which resulted in quite a few web hits and some positive feedback. This article,... Read more >>
When he’s not designing graphics or his own clothing brand, you can find Justin at the skate park on his scooter or at the motocross track riding one of his motorcycles. If you still can’t find him, he’s probably trying to score a phone number from your girlfriend, wife, sister, mom, aunt, gran... Read more >>
The first step to maintaining your scooter is knowing what all the parts are. It’s a lot easier to order a new “fork” than it is to order a “you know, that long metal thingy with the tube part and the U-shaped part that holds the spinny jobby”. :o)
Many of you reading this blog will undoubte... Read more >>
Chicks dig scars, but they also dig a full set of teeth!
Last Friday, my scooter kid, Paxton, and I went up to Sammamish, WA for the Lucky Summer Blow Out tour. He had never ridden Sammamish before and he was having a great day until horror struck. Paxton was trying to clear a quarter pipe t... Read more >>
“That scooter is so dialed and those bri flips are legit! You’re riding steezy today. I can’t wait to see that banger in your next edit, homie!”
This is the first article in what I expect will be a series of articles to help teach parents and kids who are new to the scooter world about some ... Read more >>
Removing flat spots from scooter wheels can save you money, but it can also be dangerous. Always be extremely careful when operating power tools.
If you’ve ever bought expensive wheels for your kid, you know how frustrating it can be for both you and your kid when he develops a flat spot on ... Read more >>
Find me at a skate park or event and get your own free ScooterDad sticker!
If you’ve been to a skate park in the Portland, OR area, you may have seen some scooter kids proudly rocking the new ScooterDad sticker on their scooter and/or helmet. I’m really excited to have our stickers to share ... Read more >>
Grip tape is pretty cheap and you can do some cool things with it if you get creative!
Recently, I wrote an article titled Swap Meet - Frequent Part Swapping in Scooter Culture where I discussed an aspect of freestyle scooter culture pertaining to a constant upgrading and swapping parts. I a... Read more >>
When you’re the scooter mechanic for a fleet of kids, you end up with a graveyard of parts like I have.
If your kid is serious about freestyle scooter competitions, you’ll find very quickly that trying every possible part and combination of parts is ingrained in the culture. As a parent, it ... Read more >>
It can be difficult to decide when to make an investment in your kid’s freestyle scooter. The Razor Ultra Pro is the best all-around complete scooter for beginners.
When your kid is first beginning to scooter, he will probably start out on a Razor A1, A2, A3, B model, Pro model, or similar f... Read more >>
Installing bearings can be a pain, but a few simple tips can make that process easier.
Once you’ve made the move from plastic core wheels to metal core wheels, you probably know how frustrating it can be to install bearings. The actual act of installing bearings isn’t that hard, but doing it... Read more >>
Stopping the rattle on a District V2’s brake is easier than you think!
One of my scooter kid’s competition scooters has a District V2 deck and, as much as he loves it, it has always bother me how much the brake rattles. He usually complains about his scooter not being “dialed”, but for some ... Read more >>
This is the second part in a two-part article about your first competition. Part 1 can be found here: Preparing for a Freestyle Scooter Competition
The Competition Day
You know those times that you were told registration would start? Yeah, well, forget it. Okay, that’s not true, but the poi... Read more >>
Paxton practicing his tabletop hip transfers in preparation for the Subway Games.
This is the first part in a two-part article about your first competition. Part 2 can be found here: What to Expect at a Freestyle Scooter Competition
This coming weekend, we’ll be going to Sammamish, WA to co... Read more >>
About ScooterDad Published: Monday, July 11, 2011 Category: scooterdad
Introduction
When my step-son Paxton was 3 years old, his mom got him a Spiderman skateboard with a T-handle attached to it. It was somewhere between a skateboard and a scooter. We had no idea that we’d be so involved in the scooter world, but we are because it’s his true love and passion. We do... Read more >>
Freestyle scootering information for parents and kids.
Thanks for visiting my new website dedicated to providing a resource to the parents of scooter kids. My name is Kenny Carlile (ScooterDad) and Paxton Swygard is my step-son and scooter kid. As the parent of a scooter kid, I’ve spent the ... Read more >>
