FluidFreeRide Horizon Electric Scooter Review

The Horizon is a classic, durable electric scooter that is sold by Fluidfreeride, a company that was started in early 2017 by their passionate and helpful founder Julian Fernau. It is one of four scooters in Fluidfreeride’s currnet lineup that is aimed at creating a curated selection of scooters for every need. The Horizon was designed as a step-up from the Mosquito, both in terms of motor size and durability. With a 500W brushless hub motor and a top speed of 25MPH, this scooter is aimed at being an ideal urban traveller and whilst still being able to handle relatively uneven road surfaces with its chunky tires. Let’s see what else this all-rounder has to offer in our Horizon electric scooter review. 

 

 

Quick Look

The design of this scooter is a familiar one, standing somewhere in between an off-roader and a commuter scooter, the Horizon was built to handle almost anything you could encounter in an urban environment and more. It has a long, wide deck with 8” wheels, a rear drum brake and a great little display. The whole scooter is powered by a 500W motor with an 800W peak output, for those 20% inclines that it can comfortably tackle. On flat ground the story is the same, with a good top speed and solid acceleration. This scooter is portable, but don’t mistake that word for compact – it weighs around 40 lbs and has folded dimensions of 38.6” x 7.1” x 14.6”. It can definitely fit into the trunk of your car, and can be carried onto the bus or subway, but remember to lift with your legs as this is no toy. It does however weigh less than the WideWheel, FluidFreeRide’s main e-scooter. 

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Quick Specs	Top Speed	25MPH
	Maximum Range	20 miles
	Weight	40 lbs
	Motor Power	500W (800W peak)
	Dimensions	39.4” x 14.7” x 43.7”
	Dimensions (folded)	38.6” x 7.1” x 14.6”

Features

The colourful LCD display that comes with the Horizon provides you with all of the information you need, including the standard battery life, speedometer, gear setting and mileage. Next to this display is the trigger throttle and the ‘mode’ button, which allows you to easily change gears and turn on the lights. 

This scooter is not short on lights, with three bright headlights at the front of the scooter, and two flashing brake lights slightly below the rear end of the deck. 

It has dual suspension, with front spring suspension and rear hydraulic suspension, for a front air tire and a rear solid tire respectively.

The Horizon has been given a drum brake to work with the rear hub motor. Drum brakes are great for easy maintenance or replacement, they’re also cheaper than disc brakes to fix when/if you encounter a problem. Read more about them in our Complete Guide to Electric Scooters.

 

Design and Build Quality

As previously mentioned, this scooter could not be described as lightweight, with unfolded dimensions of 42.5” x 23.2” x 46.8”, and overall being made up of pretty solid materials. This is not necessarily a downside, as every aspect of the Horizon is decked out for performance and durability, so you’d expect it to be on the heavier side.

However, with all of this in mind, the Horizon has adjustable handlebars, an adjustable stem, and a folding mechanism all for maximum space efficiency when travelling. When folded it is 38.6” x 7.1” x 14.6”, and this managed to fit into the trunk of a small car. 

The adjustable stem means this scooter can accommodate basically anyone, tall or short. The handlebars are designed in an ergonomic way to give you a more enjoyable ride, they are also wide enough for a natural stance, without feeling like you are being forced into a cramped position. The deck is comfortable and wide, large enough for a man of 6’0” tall to stand easily on it, and has two strips of grip tape for extra stability. 

The battery is stored beneath the deck, this means that there are multiple wires leading up to the controls by the handlebars, all contained within tidy tubing. 

The folding/unfolding latch initially caused more than a few problems, and seemed to be more or less jammed in place, meaning it was at first impossible to fold and put it in the trunk of our car. This eventually was solved by oiling and a lot of elbow grease, however it was quite disappointing as an out of the box problem and we think that there are definitely better designed folding mechanisms out there.

 

 

Read More on AltRiders

• Best 3 Wheel Electric Scooters

• Ninebot Segway ES2 Review

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Performance and Range

One thing the Horizon does really well is performance. The 48V 500W system got me to over 21MPH in less than 10 seconds when testing it on flat (although rough) roads. Due to the 800W peak output, it can get you up moderate inclines no problem without losing much at all in the way of speed.  The different gears become a big component here, as you can set your comfort level with this powerful electric scooter. 

The Horizon has been given front spring suspension and hydraulic rear suspension, and combining these with the 8” tires, you get a nicely cushioned ride that can handle substantial cracks and bumps. The front tire is air filled, meaning more shock absorption and a more comfortable ride, and the rear tire is rubber, therefore it will never go flat. 

The drum brake is equally as powerful as the motor, and can match the high speeds with considerable yet controlled stopping power.

The lighting on the Horizon is plentiful and are beneficial if you are planning on doing any night riding. We at AltRiders would like to make it very clear that night riding always comes with a higher risk, so take into consideration your area and your own confidence. However, if you are planning on riding at night, the headlights are bright and clear, as are the tail lights, which also flash when the brake is used.

Rubber vs pneumatic tires

‘Rubber tires’ refers to tires made entirely of rubber, compared to pneumatic or ‘air-filled’ tires which are made up of rubber on the surface but are inflated with air on the inside.

The main benefit of rubber tires are that they cannot get flats like pneumatic tires can, as the are entirely made of rubber. They can still sustain damage, however have a lower risk of leaving you with one useless tire like an air-filled tire would. This also means that solid rubber tires require no maintenance, and when the day comes that your rubber tire has run its course, it will be removed and replaced with a new one. 

The main benefit of pneumatic tires is comfort. They provide more suspension and cushioning for the user, and are more lightweight than rubber tires. Air filled tires also require more maintenance and care, and you will have to refill them with air regularly, as well as possibly repairing a flat.

 

What We Like About the Horizon

• Performance – This is a bit of a general point, but I would struggle to fault the performance for the price you pay. The Horizon manages to get every bit of power out of the 500W motor, managing to remain above 20MPH on slight uphills and getting you to a crazy 30MPH on downhills.

• Tires – The tires are substantial and reliable, and kept me feeling safe and comfortable while going over relatively large cracks in the road. 

 

What We Don’t Like About the Horizon

• Folding mechanism – While I am sure that any other model could be unfolded no problem, we had a massive struggle getting this particular scooter to fold down. This then meant we couldn’t transport it anywhere without first fixing this issue.

• Weight – I’d love to see a slightly less bulky version of the Horizon, though I can understand why it weighs 40 lbs, it is still a bit of a pain. This definitely isn’t a deal breaker but more of an ‘ideal world’ complaint. 

 

 

Final Thoughts 

The Horizon passes with flying colours for performance and durability. This scooter was surely built to last come rain or shine, and I have confidence that with proper maintenance, you won’t need to buy a new electric scooter for a long time. The Horizon is definitely a step up from your portable commuter scooters, so if you’re looking for something you can easily get on the bus or train, you might want to look at Fluidfreeride’s Mosquito instead. However if you’re looking for something with a little more power, and a nice ‘intimidation factor’, the Horizon is your purchase.

 

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