Razor A5 Air: S-117 Stealth Edition

 

Deadly quiet, invisible to radar* and incredibly fuel efficient

The S-117 Stealth Edition custom built A5 Air

My wife Sandy, rode my Boardy the other day and experienced a VERY noticeable difference in the way it rides. Prior to the Boardy, the only scooters we owned had hard, polyurethane wheels (The Razor A5 Lux and Xootr). Hard wheels certainly have their advantages. They roll further and faster due to their low rolling resistance. They're easier to maintain as you'll never get a flat. But they do have their downsides. Hard wheels effectively and vigorously transfer the shocks and vibrations of the surface that you scoot on. Rough pavement can be teeth jarring, twigs and cracks can stop you in your tracks. In addition, hard polyurethane wheels are not ideal to ride off road, even on hard-packed flat dirt. 

We love the Boardy with its pneumatic wheels and the way it rides, but couldn't justify the price of a 2nd Boardy in the family. What to do? Many pneumatic wheeled scooters were out of our price range. There was someone (Ester) in a Facebook group that I follow who loved her Razor A5 Air, called it her "Scootie". I decided to do some research and check this thing out. 

The cost was right, significantly less than my Boardy and a price that I could afford. The reviews were generally good, with a couple recurring criticisms: the wheels made it feel slower and the ground clearance was low. Still there weren't many small, inexpensive, pneumatic wheeled scooter options so I took the leap and ordered the A5 Air. Glad that I did.

For what it is, a small 200mm pneumatic wheeled, inexpensive scooter, it's a great scooter. It's not as "fast" as some of my other scooters and the ground clearance is REALLY low, but still, for the price you get a whole lot!

The pneumatic tires do a great job of soaking up some of the bumps and vibrations that my hard wheeled scooters would otherwise transfer up to my knees and teeth. It rolls over cracks and small debris like a champ. I even gave it a little test on hard-packed dirt and it didn't disappoint (something my Xootr or A5 Lux couldn't do). One tip: keep the tires at max pressure to reduce the rolling resistance as much as possible. 

The deck height is low and there really isn't much ground clearance on this thing. The good news is that a lower deck height is less fatiguing for your standing leg. It actually makes it easier to push. But the low ground clearance can be a challenge. I think this thing has the lowest clearance out of anything that I own, all scooters and skateboards included. You've really got to watch out for rises and large bumps in the pavement, otherwise you'll high-center yourself and might come to a grinding halt. There are some techniques to deal with these pavement lumps: Check out this video.

The size is right. It can fold down quite small. Very nimble The handlebar GRIPS even detach and fold if needed. Certainly small and unobtrusive enough to carry into a store or on a bus. 

I was reluctant to get the A5 Air. I own an original A5 Lux and the thing is rattlely, noisy, transfers vibrations like you wouldn't believe and is cheaply made. One of ours "broke" and I had to fix it using glue and hose clamps. Not kidding. 

The A5 Air has "anti-rattle" components and they actually work. Combine that with the pneumatic tires and it really does offer a quieter ride. The smoother, quieter ride is worlds apart from the ride of the A5 Lux. 

I have to admit, I wasn't too excited about having "Razor" stickers plastered all over the scooter. Like it or not "Razor" is typically associated with "kid toy scooters". More importantly the grip tape was SO grippy that it made it hard to perform the "pivot-switch" method of changing feet (see this method here) and had to come off. Fortunately there is an excellent video created by a guy (Jeffrey) on how to remove the stickers. Check it out here. Et voilà, we have created the S-117 Stealth Edition! (see the original inspiration) I was a little concerned about just how slick or smooth the non grip taped deck would be. It's NOT an issue. The deck is still more than grippy enough. It's never felt unsafe. 

Overall:

Pros:

A great scooter at a reasonable price

It's super nimble and folds down very small

The pneumatic tires make a for comfortable ride over rough pavement

The anti-rattle components really do make it quieter

Deck height is low for easier pushing

Cons:

It's a bit slower than my hard wheeled scooter, but the rolling resistance is not bad at all (maybe it's because I keep the tire pressure high?)

The main caveat: The ground clearance is really low.

You can get a flat, so you'll need to carry a repair kit and know how to use it

Amazon: Here's a link if you'd like check it out.

Bonus: On my VERY first ride, within .8 of a mile out, I got a flat! A staple found it's way and cut my ride short. I walked it back to my car since I didn't bring my patch kit, JUST this time (what would be the odds of getting a flat on my first time out?). When I got home I pulled out my patch kit and learned a few things. 1) You'll need TWO Allen wrenches to remove the axle, 2) the hubs of the wheel come apart! This is a VERY good thing. Instead of using a tire lever to PRY the tire off the hub, you simply take the hub apart. It's easy and is held together by 4 nut-bolts. Easily remove the inner tube, patch it, put it all back together, pump it up and you're good to go. It may take a bit of time, but it's all easy. One challenge: the valve stem is tight and difficult to access. Here's video showing a tip to use the Allen wrench to help out. 

My entire tire repair kit

*Not really, I just thought it sounded cool ...

What it originally looked like prior to "Stealth" customization