Want to get out on two wheels but don’t fancy a daily battle with the traffic? Well, a posh scooter might offer just the alternative for design-aware commuters who want safe and stable city transport.
Premium, design-led adult scooters brand Swifty has been taken into the Madison brand fold and were on show at IceBike in Milton Keynes this week.
Jason Iftakhar, one half of the Swifty design team with his wife Camilla, said the Olympic effect had even helped increase the number of scooter commuters.
Iftakhar told BikeRadar: "What we're finding in some of the big cities, because of the Olympics and all things two wheeled, people want to get out there and have a bit of fun and exercise, but maybe it’s a bit intimidating to get out on the roads. We're kind of a different solution."
The SwiftyOne: a gateway between shanks' pony and pedal power?
Part of a three scooter lineup, the £499 SwiftyONE folder has been refined for 2014. It's aluminium frame is lighter than the model that was launched in 2011, and a rear brake has been integrated into the rear folding mechanism. There are two pleasingly solid-sounding folding mechanisms which turn the 16in wheel into an easy-to-push or carry bundle.
The Iftakhars have taken care of all the little details in the new model: only rubber parts will touch the wall when it's folded down and leaning against the hallway wall. And at less that 16cm wide when folded down, it won't draw angry glances when it's taken on to a packed tube train.
Iftakhar added: "We're not competing against the bicycle but it's a much simpler product – easier to maintain and service.
"You feel a bit more connected to the ground, you feel more comfortable because your centre of gravity is so low. It's really nice to think we're converting people onto two wheels who possible wouldn't have onto a bicycle."
The SwiftyONE is available in silver or black. Visit www.swiftyscooters.com for more information.