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I saw scooters for rent at some downhill MTB sites. I have never tried them, but I wonder anyway: is a scooter significantly lighter than a bicycle? I assume both are built for downhill riding, including some modest drop-offs.

It should be lighter, because it lacks drivetrain. But maybe not — because bicycles have more mature technology.

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    Weight similarities are not about product maturity. A downhill MTB typically used two triangles for strength, bicycle frame built with a single tube have similar engineering challenges to a scooter have been around forever. They are a relatively heavy design.
    – mattnz
    May 1 at 19:59
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    The title asks to compare scooters with DH MTBs with the 'same performance'. I doubt that we can find a scooter that matches the downhill performance of a DH bike (~200mm travel front and rear). Even the ones mentioned by David D's answer only have tiny 26"/19" wheels.
    – reciprocal lettuce
    May 2 at 9:08

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There are a wide variety of things that go by the name "scooter." Taking a wild guess that you are looking at something like this, it's in the same weight range as a downhill mountain bike.

Gravity Downhill "Raptor" scooter

Specifications

Stat Value
Weight 16,7 KG
Frame Chrome-moly steel
Fork RockSh.BoXXer Select.RC2 DA 200mm. Aluminum DH axle 20mm. Weight 2,63 Kg
Brakes Shimano Hydraulic disc brake 4 pistons Ø 203mm
Wheels Front: Ø 26" x 2.35” Tire Schwalbe Space.
Rear: Ø 19" x 2.5" Bike Trial
Handlebar 740mm DH
Board Antislide surface. Beech board from Brittany in hot forming. Aluminum scuff guard. Wide board, measures: 700 X 200 X 10 mm.
Frame protection Aluminum 2mm
Mudguards Aluminum 2mm
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    Is this thing serious or some kind of expensive novelty item?
    – ojs
    May 2 at 7:00
  • This being made of steel suggests it's not a fully optimised design (I like steel bikes, but they do come in a little heavier than aluminium). It should be possible to build one lighter than a bike with a drivetrain.
    – Chris H
    May 2 at 10:15
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    @ojs I discovered last week during a ride that there are even electric version of them... youtube.com/watch?v=mlvXCExXcGU (the video is 6y old, so it looks like it didn't take off).
    – Renaud
    Oct 16 at 17:28
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You must bear in mind that unlike the bicycle frame that triangulates, the scooter is a linear frame and therefore its structure needs extra reinforcement for extreme downhill. The solution is to build a frame in chrome-molybdenum steel, the most resistant, in order to guarantee maximum durability when making big jumps. This combined with a sandwich the wood to give flexibility and strength to the set.

Watch this video to understand what I mean.

A downhill bike can weigh 7kg to 15kg. A downhill scooter usually weighs about 16-17kg

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