The middle of 2022 is a period of great upheavals for the so-called soft mobility and for electric scooters, which (except for second thoughts) from 30 September they must also be equipped with direction indicators.
And the Nilox M1 is among the first to be already adapted to the new legislation: in the left part of the handlebarjust under the brake lever, there is the button to activate the arrows, which controls the right and left lights in the rear area of the scooter.
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Nilox M1 scooter, the technical characteristics
On paper, the Nilox M1 is the most classic thing there can be: 350W motor in the front wheel, 7500 mAh battery, rear disc brake (always preferred), 8.5 “wheels and a declared weight of just under 14 kilograms. As soon as you take it out of the box, you get the feeling that it is small, which in fact it is: compared to competing scooters, it is slightly lower and shorterbut this does not create problems if you are not taller than 1.75 meters. In addition, it will give a bit of the feeling of being a toy.
Where the M1 dares a little more is in the colors: it is available with lime or dark blue accents that help to give a little sparkle to the black or gray structure. Also the price is attacking: less than 400 eurosthat is almost 200 euros less than the very popular Segway and Ninebot and Xiaomi Mi Electric Scooter Pro.
How it is configured and how it goes on the road
Like all scooters, this one too it must be partially assembled before it can be used: nothing complicated, just fix the handlebar to the stem, which can be done easily thanks to the tools and screws included in the package. There is no app to pair it with, but we haven’t missed it; we have instead appreciated the presence of the NFC tagwhich must be approached each time to the handlebar to confirm the start: it may seem like a nuisance, but it is instead a useful device to mitigate the risk of theft (combined with a chain of course).
The display is a generously sized LCD, not very readable in direct sunlight; below is the button to switch between the 3 modes of use, which allow you to reach 3 different speed levels (no later than 25 per hour) and to turn on the front light. On the road, the Nilox M1 performs well: it is stable even when exaggerating when cornering, braking is always decisive and conveys a good feeling of safety. The direction indicators are activated at the rear and they are clearly evident and visible: the biggest problem is remembering you have them, especially if you have been using scooters for 2-3 years and were not used to their presence.
Like all electric scooters, this one also suffers from the variable range syndrome: we have often written that for no model it is the case to trust the one declared from the manufacturer (in this case, 25 km), because the variables that contribute to lowering it are many, including external temperature, driver’s weight, slope and more. We tried it in Genoa, losing half of it in a 6 km route full of climbs, and in one case we even struggled to proceed: with the battery around 20-30%, the M1 simply couldn’t push enough to climb. Repeating the test a second time, with the battery fully charged, we had no problems.
The thing we liked least, in the ten days we used it, however, is the total absence of any form of cushioning: it is a feature common to more or less all scooters, but here (perhaps because of the tires) we perceived it more, so much so that we made us choose longer routes to avoid cobbles and cobblestones.
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Is the Nilox M1 to buy or not?
As often happens, the answer to the question above varies as needs change. If you live in an almost flat city e it weighs less than 70-80 kgthe Nilox M1 is definitely a good choice: it works well, it is well equipped also from a regulatory point of view, it weighs little (an important feature, if it is often loaded on a car, a bus or a train) and it is also cheap.
Conversely, if the routes that are made daily are made up of long or very steep climbs, it may be a good idea to try it out before you buy it. So you can decide if it’s right for you.
What we liked
- Ease of use
- Good braking
- Endowment of safety
What we didn’t like
- Not very comfortable on the disconnections