Imagine a sunny day. The birds are singing and students are going about their way. All of a sudden your hear the clickity-clank of a skateboard from behind. Or wait, that's a rollerblader. On second thought, it probably a bike. Nope, it's me on my mini-scooter!

Scooters in general are the big fad right now and are sweeping the nation. Why? Because they are small, light weight and foldable. You don't need a lot of space for them, and there is absolutely no prep time like there is with a bike (i.e. unlock, get on, ride, lock, walk to class). With the scooter you just go! Hell, I ride mine right up to the door in most cases.

Scooters are nothing new, they've been around forever. But advancements in material and design, as well as the addition of roller blades, has brought a whole new dimension to the scooter world. Mini-scooters vary, but the most common are aluminium framed with oversized roller blade wheels.

The best part about mini-scooters is the way they compact. When folded, they are about two feet long! The manufacturer, Razor, has been the leader in this field and has the highest quality design on the market. It was the first introduced in Shaper Image catalogs about 2 or 3 years ago. Recently however, companies have found a way around Razor's patents and have come out with their own styles.

In California, the new trend is motorized scooters. It is even legal to ride them on city streets. Go-Ped is the leader in Motorized scooters. They make electric, gas, and push-powered scooters that not only fold but also come with seats if you want them.

Due to their popularity, the FAA issued a report of 9,000 children and adults being hurt on scooters in the last year. That's not surprising since the idea is so new that no one is wearing safety equipment. I've personally only wiped-out once, so I think it isn't that big of a problem.