Glion Dolly
$429
In this review, we do in-depth testing of the Glion Dolly, Model 215. The Dolly is a surprisingly popular, yet somewhat obscure electric scooter that was designed specifically for bringing on crowded public commuter trains like the BART. It has unique features that make it one of the most portable scooters in the world.
Technical Specifications
| Tested top speed: 15.8 mph* | |
| Tested range: 14.6 mi* | |
| Weight: 29 lb* | |
| Max rider weight: 260 lb | |
| Water resistance: None |
Highlights
| Wheels and handle let you roll like luggage | |
| Built like a little tankk | |
| One of the most portable e-scooters | |
| Harsh ride quality | |
| Very poor braking |
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Summary
The Glion Dolly is a sturdy, no-frills, compact commuting machine. It is one of the most portable electric scooters available on the market today.
Portability is facilitated by dolly wheels (after which the scooter is named) and an airport luggage-style telescoping carrying handle. The whole scooter folds into a package with an ultra-small footprint, is easy to tow around, and will free stand on its own.
However, its ultra-portability comes at a cost. The scooter will be a rough ride on poor quality roads and has lackluster controls and performance. It is also not the most attractive scooter.
The Glion Dolly is an ideal scooter for those who will bring it onto crowded public transportation frequently. The scooter is designed around this concept. If this fits your needs, then the purchasing decision is truly a no-brainer. If you don’t need this capability, then consider some of the other options.
Best Alternatives and Competitors
| Model | Top Speed** | Range** | Weight** | Price |
| Glion Dolly | 15.8 mph | 14.6 mi | 29 lb | $429 |
| Xiaomi Mi M365 | 16.7 mph | 14.6 mi | 27 lb | $499 |
| UScooters Booster V | 23.9 mph | 12.6 mi | 26 lb | $949 |
| Unagi Model One (E500) | 20.0 mph | 8.5 mi | 29 lb | $990 |
Glion Dolly Review
Performance Summary
| Acceleration (0 to 15 mph) | 9.4 seconds |
| Top speed | 15.8 mph |
| Braking distance (15 to 0 mph) | 40.5 feet |
| Range | 14.6 miles |
| Hill climb | 17.9 seconds |
Acceleration
The Glion Dolly has a 250 watt motor and some sluggish acceleration. The scooter took 9.4 seconds to reach 15 mph during our tests.
For comparison, a typical scooter like the M365 took only 6.3 seconds.
Hill Climb
The Dolly has decent hill-climbing capabilities and reached the top of our hill climb test (200 ft, 10% grade, 165 lb rider) in 17.9 seconds with an average speed of 7.6 mph.
This actually performed better than the M365, which took 20.8 seconds to reach the top with an average speed of 6.6 mph.
The Dolly will take you up small hills but is by no means a hill-climbing machine. Expect to slow down quite a bit on even modest hills. On steep slopes, you’ll have to dismount and walk the scooter.
Top Speed
We hit a top speed of 15.8 mph on the flat. This is comparable with other scooters with 250-watt motors, but some, like the Swagtron Swagger 5, will actually hit 18 mph.
Anything above 15 mph will be sufficient for most urban commutes. The front motor is quite noisy at top speed.
Range
The Glion Dolly has a 238-watt lithium-ion battery pack. We range tested the scooter to have 14.6 miles of real-world range on our urban test track with a 165 lb rider.
Braking
During our review, we performed 15 mph to 0 mph braking tests, and the Dolly took 40.5 feet to come to a stop. This is the worst braking result we’ve ever gotten.
The Glion Dolly relies entirely on a single rear electronic brake to slow you down. The brake is activated by a twist-style control. The brake functions in a binary manner with no capacity for modulating their strength. By this, we mean that brakes are either fully activated or off.
At speed, you have to be careful to ensure you have steady footing and have your weight shifted toward the rear of the scooter. Activating the brakes will abruptly and jarringly slow you down. If you aren’t expecting it, it can be a sketchy situation.
Overall, our review finds that the Glion Dolly has pretty mediocre brakes. They are initially reasonably strong, which causes abrupt deceleration. However, they quickly lose their strength, and braking distances are long.
Other scooters that have two braking systems or a mechanical one have 15 mph stopping distances between 15 ft and 20 ft.
Ride Quality
The Glion has no suspension. Both the front and rear tires are solid (airless) and provide no cushioning.
The ride quality on the Dolly is acceptable if you are riding on smooth roads. On terrible roads (included in part of our test track), expect a punishing experience that will leave your joints and brain aching.
The poor ride quality is one of the most significant drawbacks of the Dolly. Unfortunately, none of the scooters that we consider “ultra” portable (UScooters Booster V or Unagi Model One) have fantastic ride quality on poor roads. This is somewhat of an inherent trade-off.
Glion Dolly Features
Portability
It’s not an exaggeration to say that the Glion Dolly is the ultimate portable electric scooter. The whole scooter has basically been designed this concept.
The Dolly has some unique features that make it ultra-portable:
- Telescoping stem
- Folding stem
- Folding handlebars
- Dolly wheels
- Telescoping towing handle
This is where the scooter shines. Telescoping stem, folding stem, and handlebars, low weight. But the big story here is the dolly wheels coupled with telescoping handle that comes out of the platform. This works exceptionally well. If you’re commuting on a crowded bus/train, this is worth the other performance and ride quality trade-offs.
You can roll the dolly wheels easily. And when it is time to be stuck like a sardine on the bus/train, the thing stands up vertically, taking up very little space. It also has a nylon wrap on the middle of the handlebars, where it rests on the floor. This keeps the area in contact with the ground more protected.
The Glion Dolly is named for the dolly-style wheels that protrude from the tail of the scooter. Like those you would find on luggage, the wheels allow it to be easily rolled around when in the folded configuration.
The Glion also features a telescoping towing handle that is stored in the deck. Like a handle of a rollable suitcase, this deploys with the simple push of a button and allows the scooter to be rolled around easily on its dolly wheels.
The folding handlebar / handlebar-locking mechanism is similar to many other scooters (WideWheel, Horizon S, Emove Cruiser) but is the best we’ve seen.
You only need one hand to pull the device out to raise/lower the handlebar because it is so smooth. It also locks in place and doesn’t stick.
Cockpit
The scooter folds and unfolds easily and quickly via a large folding lever. The Glion Dolly has a very minimal cockpit/handlebar area consisting of:
- Twist-style accelerator/brakes
- Power button
- LCD Display
- Mechanical bell
Overall, the cockpit is a bit behind the curve for modern electric scooters. For example, the Dolly uses a twist-style throttle and brake control that is somewhat clunky. The LED display shows only battery level.
The acceleration is controlled by a somewhat unique motorcycle-style twist throttle. While this seems ideal, it is somewhat awkward to try to control the throttle finely. However, because the scooter has so little power, we kept it at full throttle — a position that is quite ergonomic.
A small LED display on the right side of the handlebars gives you a readout of battery life, but no other information.
Situated below the LED display is a large red button that is used to both power the scooter on and control lights. If you toggle the button quickly when the scooter is powered, the front light will turn on/off.
The sole braking mechanism — and electronic brake — is controlled by another twist-style control that affords minimal braking modulation. Once twisted, you will experience forceful braking that is surprising if you aren’t expecting it.
On the Glion, it is not possible to brake lightly — the control is all or nothing. We aren’t huge fans of it, but once you are used to it, it is manageable.
Lights
The Glion features a single, low-mounted front light and only a passive, red reflector in the rear.
Though the front light is useful in an emergency situation where you find yourself out after dark, it is not one that you should rely on. In our opinion, it’s too underpowered for safely riding at night.
We recommend additional lighting for frequent riding at night.
Tires
The Glion has 8.0-inch solid tires in the front and rear. The airless tires ensure zero maintenance and no risk of flats. However, the trade-off is poorer on-road performance. These solid tires will not grip as well as pneumatic (air-filled) ones and provide no cushioning for rough roads. They are one of the reasons the Dolly has such poor ride quality.
Deck
The deck offers 18.0-inches by 5.6-inches of standing room — this is on the smaller side for compact scooters, but not too small. The ground clearance is 3.2 inches. The deck-to-handlebar distance is adjustable between 29.8 inches and 38.0 inches.
Build Quality
The Glion Dolly does not have an official IP (water-resistance) rating. While most scooters can tolerate some exposure to rain, doing so is not recommended by the manufacturer and may void your warranty.
When riding the scooter hard on rough roads, the scooter is a bit noisy. The various components of the scooter rattle, and the motor is pronounced under heavy acceleration.
However, unlike many other scooters, we’ve had zero maintenance issues pop up on this scooter. We think of it as a German tank — rickety sounding but ultimately solid.
Glion Dolly: Review Conclusions
The Glion Dolly isn’t going to win any awards for performance, ride quality, or even looks. Our review finds that the scooter is average to below average in many of these categories. It isn’t particularly fast, nor does it have a great range or perfect brakes.
However, this scooter is exceptional if you’re the right person.
If you have a commute that requires you to bring you scooter on public transportation, this is the scooter for you. The Dolly is easy to fold up and roll with you on public transport. It’s no worse than having a small piece of luggage, and you won’t be awkwardly bumping into other people as you get on or off a crowded train or bus.
Because of the Dolly wheels, rolling the scooter around is as easy as rolling a 29 lb piece of luggage.
If you don’t need an ultra-portable scooter, then consider our suggested alternatives. You can also check out our Editor’s pick of best electric scooters.
Our content is independent, but buying through our links may earn us a commission.
Glion Dolly Specifications
| Make | Glion |
| Model | Dolly |
| Weight | 29 lb |
| Folded dimensions | 37 by 8 by 12 in |
| Motor power, continuous | 250 W |
| Top speed | 15 mph |
| Range | 15 mi |
| Battery capacity | 238 Wh |
| Battery recharge time | 3.5 hrs |
| Max rider weight | 260 lb |
| Brake type | None + Regenerative |
| Tire type | 8.0 in Solid + Solid |
| Built-in lights | Front + Rear |
| Water resistance | None |
