[brianpgordon]

I had that scooter and used it for my daily commute for a couple of years. The first time I hit a pothole, I shattered my clavicle and had to call an ambulance. The second – and last – time I hit a pothole, I broke my humerus in two places but was was able to take a Lyft to the emergency room. I completely lost the use of my right hand for a couple of months because swelling pinched off the nerves. Extremely inconvenient for someone who works in front of a computer.

I would strongly recommend that you not ride an electric scooter. Consider the diameter of the wheels. If you hit any pothole or rail or anything which has a lip higher than HALF the diameter of that little wheel, you're going to go flying over the handlebars. If you ride it every day for months or years, you're going to crash, no matter how careful you are, at least on SF streets.

[OldManAndTheCpp]

I don't understand why you went back to using a scooter, if you were so clearly able to diagnose the dangers, and had one fairly severe injury. Why not switch to a commuter bike (the ~1 ft wheel foldable ones)?

Also, separate question, my understanding is that potholes are mainly formed by freeze/thaw cycles -- weather not typically found in SF. Have you lived in Chicago or NYC? Can you contrast the pothole density between those three cities?

[brianpgordon]

After the first time, I thought it was a one-off and that I could avoid further injury by being more careful. After the second time, I realized that was foolhardy.

Potholes in asphalt can be caused by pressure from tires too. I've never tried biking or scootering in a different city so I can't compare the quantity of potholes.