Dualtron Mini Electric Scooter Review
Hey guys, it’s Paddy from LOCO Scooters, your favourite one-stop shop for fast electric scooters in Ireland. We recently announced the good news that LOCO Scooters are Ireland’s official and exclusive distributor for VSETT electric scooters. I’m delighted to let you guys know that another deal we have been working on for a while has come to fruition. We are also now the exclusive distributor for the Dualtron electric scooter range by Minimotors [You can check out the Dualtron Mini through this link].
Dualtron are a high spec, high-quality fast electric scooter brand designed in Korea and brought to you in Ireland by LOCO Scooters. Whenever you think of the best quality electric scooters, think of LOCO Scooters in Blanchardstown, Dublin 15. Our reputation as the number one provider of electric scooters and e-scooter repairs in Ireland has positioned us strongly to be awarded yet another exclusivity contract with a specialist brand like Dualtron by Minimotors.
With that I would like to introduce you to what will be a weekly / bi-weekly review piece. I’ll be using a different Dualtron electric scooter each week to test drive as my primary means of transport and reporting back to you guys here on the LOCO Scooters electric scooter blog. I’ll go through the ins and the outs of the spec of each scooter, how I found using it, what I like and don’t like and recommendations. So without further ado, I’ll begin by sharing my Dualtron Mini review.
The Dualtron Mini comes in a 13.5Ah, 17.5Ah and 21Ah battery version and the one that we supply at LOCO Scooters currently is the 52v 21Ah version with LG 18650 MJ1 cells, so although this is the entry level into the Dualtron range of electric scooters by Minimotors, it’s the highest spec version available. My use case for this scooter is going to and from work and home, 6 days a week and this combines a mixture of cycle lanes, general traffic lanes and incorporates uphill and downhill riding.
To give you a brief overview of the spec of the Dualtron Mini electric scooter, I’ll take you through it from the ground up. Sticking you to the tarmac are two 8.5 x 2 inch tubed pneumatic tyres which deliver plenty of comfort and smoothness, albeit they may be a little small to give me the confidence to give the throttle the full squeeze – I was more inclined to keep the scooter between 35 and 45km/h, which is fast for most electric scooters in Ireland.
The rear wheel houses a Minimotors brushless DC motor with a rated output of 1000w and peak output of 1450w. There’s a drum brake in each wheel which are both surprisingly effective at slowing you down, even at higher speeds. Front and rear coil-over rubber suspension ensures a smooth riding experience on most finished surfaces. As with any scooter with smaller wheels, you’ll feel a good bit of the road if you’re riding on an unfinished or very uneven surface.
Next there’s the deck which is made of aerospace grade aluminium alloy, housing the 21Ah LG battery and the electronic speed controller. Along each side of the deck runs a Dualtron-branded customisable LED light strip, which I will explain more about in a short while. At the rear you’ve got a foot rest which gives you additional comfort and security, ensuring that the scooter takes you with it, wherever it’s going!
One of the features that I was most impressed by is the ultra-secure folding mechanism which is super easy to use and gives a confidence-inspiring click when securely in place. This is backed up by a safety pin to ease your mind even further. The steering pole is made of steel, so unlike cheaper electric scooters like the Kugoo Kirin M4 electric scooter and Kugoo Kirin M4 Pro electric scooter, there’s no aluminium involved, so no chance of any parts wearing down and causing rocking or wobbling. The steering pole also incorporates a strip of moulded LED lights down either side which are fully customisable to any colour or flashing sequence you prefer, or you could simply turn them off.
Up at the business end you’ve got the usual Dualtron mountain bike-esque handle bars, allowing for minor adjustments in handlebar height. These carry the front and rear brake handles, which actuate cable drum brakes in the front and rear wheels, and then the world-famous EY3 (EYE) throttle, used across a number of fast electric scooter brands such as Dualtron and Kaabo. I’ll be chatting in a bit more depth about the EY3 throttle in another article to give you the full low-down on how to use it and what you can do with it.
Top-speed
Most people when they see a Dualtron only want to know one thing, how fast does it go? Over the course of the week, I racked up just under 100km on the Dualtron Mini electric scooter. As I said earlier, I’m not big into driving flat out on a scooter with such small wheels but I did let it go on a straight stretch once and I was able to squeeze 57km/h out of it and I feel like it would have done more. This is a fast electric scooter, not a hyper scooter like the VSETT 11+ or Dualtron Thunder but it’s certainly fast enough that you wouldn’t be left wanting much more if you were using this as a commuter electric scooter.
Maximum-range
So, this old chestnut. Telling you guys the maximum range on an electric scooter would be a bit like installing an ashtray on a motorbike - pointless. Variables such as load (rider weight), environment (temperature, inclines, wind), speed and tyre inflation all play a big part in the resultant maximum range, but at least I, a real person, can give you an account of my experience. So like you, I want a long range electric scooter, one that I don’t have to charge while I’m at work, or even daily. I prefer an e-scooter that will get me in and out of work a couple of days at least without having to charge it. For me, the ins and the outs are as follows; I rode the scooter on a week where average temperatures were about 18 degrees C while I was riding. I weigh about 85kg and I didn’t drive it extremely hard. While it is a fast electric scooter, I stuck to 35-45km/h, I stopped at all the red lights and junctions and I’m generally a very careful rider (I always wear a helmet). From fully charged to completely flat, cut out entirely, I achieved a range of 45km from start to finish, which is very impressive and even a little surprising. Charging it from zero to 100% using the stock charger took 7 hours and 5 minutes total, so the reality here is that you could legitimately do an 80km commute in and out of work daily on this scooter if you charged it while you were at work. This really is an electric scooter with long range.
Features
As with all Dualtron electric scooters with the Eye throttle, P-settings (program settings) are accessible using the buttons on the display. You can set your new Dualtron Mini electric scooter to soft-start, turn the output up and down, turn the e-ABS on and off, switch between kick start and auto start and you can turn up or down the regenerative braking, among other things. I’ll put another article together later which will go into more detail about how to change the p-settings on a Dualtron electric scooter.
Lights
Anyone who drives or has driven a car at night-time will appreciate the importance of being well illuminated when on an electric scooter. My own opinion is that a lot of cyclists and electric scooter users don’t fully appreciate how difficult it is to see them on a dark evening. With that in mind, I’m always keen to get as lit up as possible (not that kind of lit up) when I’m on my e-scooter in low light conditions. I’ve mentioned that I always wear a helmet, and my lid of choice is the Lumos Ultra Smart Helmet in black with MIPS built in. It’s got super-bright front and rear LED lights, red at the back and white in the front. The rear lights double as orange indicators left and right, controlled by a remote control I have attached to my handlebars. This addresses the difficulties associated with turn signalling on an electric scooter. The Dualtron Mini electric scooter has got white spotlights on the front of the deck, red ones at the rear which double as brake lights and I’ve mentioned already the significant light which is provided by the customisable LED strip lights down the length of the steering pole and deck, on both sides. I am so impressed and assured by how visible I am to other road users at night, keeping me safe and seen.
Brakes
I guess if you want to know how fast it will go, you’re going to also want to know how quickly it’s going to stop for you! Front and rear drum brakes are cable actuated using the standard brake handles on the handlebars, left and right for front and rear. These are pretty decent, even at medium to high speeds. Alongside these, you’ve got the option to turn on the e-ABS (electronic anti-lock braking system). This uses a pulsing electromagnetic brake to slow the motor down and does so quite effectively. I’m not a fan though, they’re quite noisy and I’m not driving the Dualtron Mini so hard that I need these, so I’ve turned these off in the P settings.
Ergonomics
Before I wrap up this review, I’d like to address a couple of other questions we tend to get here in the shop in Blanchardstown and those are mostly about how transportable the scooter is and how it feels to stand on and ride. This is a great option if you are looking for a foldable electric scooter. It weighs only 23kg and it locks in the folded position, allowing you to carry it by the steering pole. It’s got a relatively short deck so it’s compact and tidy for the boot of your car. I have size 10 feet and no issue with the amount of available standing space on the deck, so this is not an issue for me. The brake handle and throttle pitch are all adjustable so you can set these up to suit your own comfort, and the pitch of the handlebars is adjustable, so you do have an element of control over the height of the handlebars.
So that’s it from me, I could go on and on but there’s no need! I think I’ve answered most of the frequently asked questions we would get in our electric scooter shop in Dublin. If you have any additional questions or want more info on the Dualtron range (or any of our products) then feel free to contact me directly on 01 5242062 or paddy@locoscooters.ie. Check out the Dualtron Mini through this link.
The next one up in this series is going to be a lot of fun, I’m currently riding the Dualtron Thunder and will put some thoughts on paper for you guys in the next week or so. In the meantime, keep the rubber side down and always wear a helmet!
