Talk long enough to anyone who regularly walks when they play golf and they’ll eventually tell you two things. First, walking is the best way to play golf. The fresh air, the feel of the ground beneath your feet, the perfect rhythm it creates. And second, that sometimes 14 clubs, a dozen balls, a rain jacket, an umbrella, a bag, and miscellaneous other goodies can be an awful lot to carry.
Trolleys or carts – be they of the push or pull variety – have long served as a great compromise. Golfers could walk and enjoy all that offers them while shedding the load from shoulders already burdened with making par at the last to relieve their friends of a few bucks.
Earlier this year, Sun Mountain rolled out the Micro Cart. The cart is positioned, both in terms of size and price, as a direct competitor to the Clicgear cart we reviewed about a year ago. What did we find out about the Micro Cart? Read on to find out.
Design, Setup, and Specifications
The first thing you’ll probably notice about the Micro Cart is that, unlike virtually every other push cart you’ve seen with three wheels, the Micro Cart has four. Sun Mountain says that the extra wheel eliminates the need to tune the cart to travel in a straight line – and if you’ve ever had an improperly-adjusted three-wheel push cart you know what they mean. Additionally, the added wheel increases stability when you’re traveling on sideways slopes.
Unfolded, it’s apparent this is a lightweight cart. But it’s also sturdy, too, and it rolls well.
Sun Mountain made sure that you’d notice something else as well: the incredibly small size of the Micro Cart. The Micro Cart folds down to 2.7 cubic feet and doesn’t require any assembly. The cart folds up or out in one or two basic moves. Those 52 cubic inches break down as follows: 12″ x 17″ x 25″ (Those are my measurements. Officially it’s 24″ x 16″ x 12″). This leaves the Micro Cart marginally larger than the Clicgear, which clocks in at: 13″ x 15″ x 24″. An inch here or there, so basically you take take this away: they’re virtually the same size when folded.
But the the Micro Cart wins in another “micro” way: weight. The Sun Mountain offering tallies a svelte 13 pounds. Compare that to the Clicgear at 18 pounds. Now, a few pounds is not a lot of weight when you’re talking about things with wheels, but five pounds is bordering on significant simply because you’ve gotta bend into your car to pull the cart out from time to time.
The latch on the bottom, here in yellow, takes up most of the setup time: two or three seconds.
The Micro Cart’s four wheels are standard, low-maintenance solid foam, both as a space and weight savings and convenience – no flat tires (and no pump necessary). The front tires are mounted on an adjustable axle to accommodate the largest of golf bags. The frame is anodized aluminum, is available in four colors (black, silver, red, blue), and folds in one easy motion. The Micro Cart offers two handle-height positions, a strapless bag bracket, and a console with a padded valuables tray, ball and tee holders, a magnetized scorecard holder, and a drink holder.
The Micro Cart also boasts what Sun Mountain has billed as “a totally new, contemporary look.” Uhmmm, okay. It’s a push cart, fellas. Let’s not get too carried away in the marketing department! It looks nice, but, well, okay.
MSRP is $239, but you can find the Micro Cart for $199 pretty easily.
Here’s the console. Not shown here: the umbrella tube that clips in beneath the console.
Setup, Operation, and Performance
From its folded up position, unfolding the Micro Cart is a simple process. First you unlatch the handle (the latch is part of the cupholder), then you lift. The cart unfolds outward and upward with that one motion, and is virtually ready to use. The second (or third) step is to flip a latching mechanism over and click it down to lock the cart in place. Oh, there’s a fourth step as well: flip up the foot upon which your bag rests.
To fold the cart, you reverse the steps: flip the bag-rest foot down, unlock the clip, and push down, making sure that click one of the clips onto the proper area of the cupholder. This clip locks the cart in a folded position. You can carry it about by the handles in this folded, locked position pretty easily.
The Micro Cart folds up to a very small size: 12″ x 16″ x 24″ or so. Seen here with a cart bag.
In either direction, the process takes about ten seconds, and that’s if it takes you six seconds to start and stop the timer. It’s at least as easy to fold as the Clicgear cart, and likely a bit easier.
Like Sun Mountain’s other carts, the bag doesn’t so much “attach” to the cart as it rests upon it. The two frame rails at the base of the cart support the cart bag while the aforementioned flip-out foot supports the weight of the bag. Near the bag’s collar, two flip-out plastic clips squeeze the bag to hold it in place. These clips are adjustable via a simple thumb screw, and do all that’s necessary. Except for the rare occasion when the golfer (me, in this case) acts like a complete buffoon and rolls his cart down a steep hill with a tree or two in the way to topple the cart, the bag remains securely resting upon the cart at all times, without any worries, no need for bungees or straps.
Sun Mountain chose to use these little clips to hold the bag on, and they work just fine.
On the course, the Micro Cart was a joy to use. On fairways and shorter rough, the foam tires rolled quite smoothly. Foam wheels don’t always feel better than their inflated brethren on cart paths or in taller rough, but I’ll take foam wheels for their simplicity and their decreased impact on the grass, particularly in moist conditions.
Sun Mountain’s claims about the lack of a need for tracking adjustments seemed correct in my testing: the cart would veer slightly with slopes, but that’s simple physics. On even terrain, the cart went straighter than Moe Norman’s golf balls. Furthermore, the advantages the fourth wheel offers in navigating side slopes was an unexpected bonus. The extra four inches or so of lateral stability comes in handy several times around Lake View and several other golf courses.
The Two handle positions available: about 34″ and 42″ if my measurements are accurate.
Like other Sun Mountain carts, the Micro Cart uses a lever brake near the handles. Unlike the Speed E Cart‘s tension-based brake, the Micro Cart employs a pin brake: a metallic pin pierces a disc on the left rear wheel to prevent movement. The Micro Cart’s method works better.
The handle adjusts to two heights, and they vary by about eight inches: 34″ and 42″ from the ground. My only complaint with the Micro Cart involves the handle. Not only did I find myself wishing for a position in between – one feels too high and the other too low – but I also found that the handles would often “slip” when I pushed down on the handlebars to lift the front wheels of the cart to jump a curb or something. I learned to be a bit more careful and to apply a bit more pressure backwards rather than down to avoid “slipping” the handles, but it doesn’t seem like something I should have to worry about. I suppose there was no room for Sun Mountain’s typical fine-grained teethed handle locking mechanism.
The brake: a pin slides through the many holes on the left rear wheel to lock the cart in place.
The console is a nice touch that contains just about everything you’d need: spaces for tees, your pencil, a spare ball, and a magnetic clip to hold your scorecard. Beneath, plenty of room for your wallet, a spare pair of sunglasses (in a soft pouch), your car keys, etc. The cup holder will fit a 12 oz. can and smaller plastic bottles, but if you carry a 32 oz. Gatorade, you’re out of luck, just as you would be in a full-on golf cart.
Durability of the cart was good, and I can attest to the fact that the weight savings found in the Micro Cart are indeed a plus: not just for getting the cart out of the trunk of a car, but down from a hanger on the wall or even just moving it about while cleaning the garage.
Another look at the console. The top space is great for keys and such, the bottom for bulkier items.
Finally, two things I never found myself using, but which are nice. The Micro Cart comes with their standard umbrella holder. It’s a tube, it’s stored beneath the handles, and it threads into a screw on the center of the handles to keep your clubs and you, when you’re pushing the cart, dry. Second, the adjustable front wheels. You can slide each wheel out a few inches to widen the space, but I put an Ogio cart bag on it and still had plenty of room to spare in the “narrow” setting, so I’m not sure how many people have bags so large they’ll need this, though the option is there if you do.
Specifications
MSRP is $239, but the retail price is $199. The Micro Cart is available in black, silver, red, and blue. Each cart comes with the cart and a screw-in umbrella holder. The cart weighs 13 pounds and folds down to about 12″ x 16″ x 25″.
The Micro Cart is available in black, silver, red, or blue. Click here for a larger picture.
Conclusion
Though I’ve never taken the Clicgear cart around 18 holes, I can’t imagine it could perform any better than the Micro Cart from Sun Mountain. The Micro Cart folds up to the same small size, weighs five pounds less, comes with all the same features, and a fourth wheel which eliminates tracking adjustments and improves stability.
At $199 – the same price as that other cart – this one seems like a no-brainer for those in the market for a light, small push cart. The Micro Cart does everything I could want, economically, and with that “totally new, contemporary look.” 🙂 If you walk and like to take a push cart, consider the Sun Mountain Micro Cart one of the best available.
The only fault I have seen with the Microcart is the handles. I much prefer the handle design on the Clicgear or Speed Carts over the handle on these.
Nice review for the most part.
I haven’t taken the micro cart out to the course…. but in the store it seemed so unstable on four wheels. I wonder if it’s just because it was a very light, empty cart….
My issue is basically this: When you try to brake it on a slope do the foam wheels slip?
Probably my only issue with the clicgear is that when I try to park it on hills I have to make a point of parking it perpendicular to the slope or it’ll slip sometimes. There’s just not enough friction between the foam and the grass.
That’s like pushing a bicycle down the street and saying “nope, that one falls over too easily.” All push carts are “unstable” without a bag on it. The Micro Cart is fine with a bag on it.
No. Obviously the braking mechanism doesn’t slip, and the foam wheels haven’t slipped for me on moderately steep hills covered in concrete or fairway-height, dewy grass.
If the Clicgear does it, this might as well, though the fourth wheel would change the dynamics a little.
I have owned the Sun Mountain V1 and V2 and also am now using the ClicGear 2. I recently had the opportunity to try out the Micro Cart for a couple of rounds and for a first edition of a four wheel cart, it’s pretty nice.
There are things about the cart that are not to my liking, such as the handle; too small and the grip is not a grip on humid days and the angles to which you can access your scorecard, lets just say I remove the card to write my score. The water bottle holder is, well, useless!
The good: Very solid stability and it maneuvers surprisingly well (considering that it’s four wheels and not three). Folds up like a dream and takes very little space. The weight of the cart really is not an issue as it is equally not an issue with the ClicGear 2; it’s about the size and space it takes up. The wheels are every bit as good as ClicGears and yes, they do slide on angles so you have to ensure your cart is positioned properly (why would you not do this anyway…I don’t get the disappointment about the carts inability to stay put on a hill…it’s gravity!)
All in all a good offering by Sun Mountain, but I can see several areas where they will tweak to bring out a better cart (v2 likely). Sun Mountain is very good at listening to their customers, this much I know.
For today, I will stay with my ClicGear 2. There are significant differences between the two and this one comes down to straight personal preference as both address key areas of concern (size, wheels, looks and functionality).
I just bought a Sun Mountain Micro Cart, and I thoroughly enjoy using it, from lifting it out of the car trunk to loading my clubs on it, to pushing it on the course, and loading it to go home. I have two carts, one with the trangular shaped handle. I prefer the stubby, sloping handle bar type handle of the Sun Mountain, probably because it reminds me of riding a Razor scooter. I also like it to lean on when pushing through the rough because the slight droop of the handle bars means that you don’t have to pronate your wrists to make your hands horizontal. The last thing is that when I push it on the cart path and can let it roll, the handle bars are easier to push than the triangular handle bars on my older three wheeler. Someone wrote about a problem writing on the score card. I have to problem. I position the score card so that the upper edge of the card faces down, so I just lean over the handle bars and write easily. The magnetic clip is great. The card cannot fly out in strong wind. Last of all, all you engineers out there–you will marvel and the engineering design when you open and close the cart. The design put into the moving levers is a marvel. I’m only concerned about the two plastic clips, wondering how long it will be before they break. For now, they look like very strong plastic, and the instruction book contains a parts list with part numbers, so I assume parts will be available. Great cart.
Will there be a seat available like the one for the V1 and V2? The seat I have on my Speed Cart comes in real handy on busy Saturdays at the course.
Good review.
In the pictures it looks like the cup holder is being used for a golf ball holder instead of a beverage. 🙂
Creating a Christmas list I checked carefully the micro cart vs. Clikgear 2.0
Clikgear seemed more solid or “bombproof” than the micro
seems like the rear wheel brake on the SM would hold better
over a variety o terrain
like that 2.0 offers wheel bag for quick loading of dirty cart
my main concern/reservation with the micro is the lock/hinge
of the cupholer that locks the cart closed. Seemed remarkably fragile for the only locking mechenshen closed.
Also think a multiple position handle would be a good upgrade
sooo for now clikgear wins
We sold every micro cart we bought in to the pro shop.
The only thing I want to warn you about is the plastic clip below the cup holder that holds the whole thing in place when it clicks, DO NOT FORCE it shut, it is plastic and will break.
IMO that’s a bit misleading introduction “micro cart takes on clicgear, who’ll win” with reviewer revealing at the end that he hasn’t really used clicgear. Otherwise great review as always.
Fair point. The consumer wins, though, with two great options! 🙂 Cop-out? Yeah, okay, a little.
I did use a Clicgear a little – a friend’s – and for the weight savings I’d choose the Micro Cart. Virtually everything else seemed about even.
I’ve been told that both the Sun Mountain micro cart and the Flip and Go from Axglow both push very well. Has anyone had problems with the bottom plate folding too far forward from the weight of the bag on these carts?
I ‘m in the market for a new push…I truly enjoyed the review of the SM Micro. Also, I read all of the negatives about this cart. I have been a bag carrier golfer since I started playing.
The most important functions to me are the size (while in the trunk), the weight, and the closing of the cart. This cart gets nothing but A+ in all categories.
My buddy has one and i push for a few holes it is GREAT !! This guy carries everything in his bag (very heavy)..it was a breeze…will order one from my club pro shop.. that silver is soo cool looking !!
ps. never had to deal w/ a cup holder while carrying..so that not an issue..lol
Thanks guys
I purchased the micro cart and used it around a dozen times during the Christmas break in Pheonix. It is as good as they come. For one that is not usely used to walking, I found it to be very easy to manuver and I was not tired at all after the rounds. The only concerns I have is I to would like to see a more adjustable handle and the locking clips are plastic and I do have a fear that they may not stand up especially when one is rushed and applys to much preasure when setting up.
The Good: design, size, lightweight. easy folding.
The bad: handle. wheel grip. ground clearance. price.
The ugly: brake system cable breakage (3 times in 3 months), bag handle arm breakage. poor quality.
verdict: buy something else.. this cart will give you headaches after 1-2 month.
My first and foremost question about the Sun Mtn Microcart is: “how easy does it push?” With 4 wheels instead of 3, it would seem to offer more rolling resistance,particularly on plush fairways.
Has anyone tested the 4 wheeler against the very popular 3 wheel Speed Cart?
Having used the Micro for 8 months and about 80 rounds, i can say it hasn’t disappointed. The flip top console is great for scorecards, and i keep my range finder (the Nikon) in there for quick, easy access. i like it so much i’m buying another one for my wife. (It’s a gift to me too since setup is SO quick!!!)
This is the second Sunmountain cart I’m dissatisfied with, my first three wheeler had nothing but problems. I thought I would give them another chance. I’m sorry but this cart broke the first time I used it, It won’t last a Season for a person who plays very little, not very stable, to lightweight. The cart can’t handle a large bag, that’s why I bought a cart bag to store all my crap. I’m waiting on the New 3.0 cart that I heard is coming out from Clickgear. The Sunmountain doesn’t get my vote piece of —t I’ll never buy another one or anything they make.
As a platform for a motorized cart, it makes a lot of sense, certainly for straight tracking. Which is why I was VERY interested when I saw the motorized version on youtube — Sun Mountain Micro E Cart: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frZtlEr8ugc
Cool!
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? You must use this thing like a bulldozer. I have had this cart (SM) since it came out. I have pushed it in the snow, in the rain, up hills, down hills, and just about every imaginable situation and it has with stood everything I threw at it. The one drawback is the handle only having two positions (one to high, and one too low). The new 2010 version has fixed this problem. This is one fine cart. Better than the original speed cart or the V2.
I have used the Sun Mountain Speed Cart for 3 years now and looking to upgrade to the Micro Cart. Two important things for me: 1) has the 2010 model provided more than 2 handle positions, and if so, how? and 2) is Sun Mountain making a seat attachment for the Micro Cart?
Having owned the SM Speed Cart (and others) and now having purchased a Micro Cart I can honestly say that this Micro Cart feels cheap and is not nearly as durable as the Sun Mountain carts befroe it. A lot of plastic, and several of the plastic components are in high stress areas.
Its usable and stable, but its life cycle will probably be 60% less that the previous Sun Mountain carts.
Having owned both the Sun Mountain Speed cart and the Mirco cart I can honestly say, that although much lighter the Mocro is cheaply made. Many of its plastic parts will break prematurely, especially the support rings for the primary bag support plate.
Hi
I wonder if the cart is available with more than 2 adjustments in the higth?
I picked up a used Micro cart, and for my first round it did not disappoint. So no comment on the long term wear and tear.
However I did notice something weird. When I push the cart it tracks straight whether flat or uphill.
When I’m downhill it tracks to the right side…if I release it, it goes way right?
Is this an alignment issue, or a safety design that makes it go right on a down hill release?
I have a SM 3 wheel cart and now the micro, which I like mostly for the compact size when closed. One big problem me and a couple friends have had with it. When you rest your bag on the triangle platform, the side pockets of my bag rub the front wheels of the cart therefore wearing out the pockets. I keep meaning to call SM, since they have an excellent customer service department.
I have both carts. I bought clicgear 2.0 for my wife’s birthday and bought myself a Micro cart 2009 a few month later. Everytime when playing golf with my wife, I did all the work, unfold, fold and store them in my garage. After one rounf of golf, I swap the cart with my wife for 3-reasons : 1) the weight – Clicgear is too heavy for my wife. 2) Difficulty fold/unfold – Clicgear is way difficult for my wife. 3) Storage space – Clicgear takes more space. oh, one other thing, parking the cart green side – Micro cart is easier parking on slope, tilted green side.
I ended up giving my son Clicgear, he is young and not a big deal for 18Lbs or 13Lbs and bought my wife a Micro cart 2010 for my wife. I am very happy for both of us pushing same looking cart, the 4-wheelers.
eric
do you know the status of the micro “E” cart?
I give this cart a 1 out of 10 with 1 being the least satisfied and 10 being the most satisfied.
1) I don’t find it roles well unless on the fairway. Forget the rough!
2) the umbrella holder on my golf bag scuffs the front left wheel so I have to twist the bag to prevent this.
3) the tightening devices on the claws to hold the bag in place are difficult to tighten (maybe since I have to twist my bag so the claws have to be tight to hold the bag at such an angle?)
4) it’s definitely made for a short to average height person. I am 6’5″ tall and cannot fit under the umbrella with the handle set in the most upright position. (and even at that my hands are well below my elbows when pushing the unit – maybe that’s why it pushes poorly?)
5) folding the unit after a wet day with a little sand on the rails is bad. I didn’t see the note that said “wash after each use”?
The boys were right, Clickgear was the way to go,,, oh well,,, I’ll have to get a couple of years out of it somehow.
You should see what I did to extend my umbrella holder? PCV plumbing pipe and a little black paint go a long way.
Got one the other day and works great! Mine is a little different and has a fully adjustable handle. They must have changed it. The break works great. I like the light weight when loading into the trunk and pushing. Works great for me, wouldn’t change a thing.
I bought the original Micro Cart back when they first came out. I bought it primarily for the way it folded up and packed in my trunk when I traveled for my job. I traveled with my bag some luggage and my cart in my trunk with room to spare. I have logged many miles on many golf courses some very hilly, some with rolling terrain, and of course some were fairly flat. I have been retired for over two years and still use the Micro Cart at least four times a week, 18 holes a day. I have had no major problems with the cart, except an occasional brake cable replacement ( to be expected after hundreds of miles of being pushed over every type of terrain). I am 62, and pushing this cart is a breeze.
I am A 70 year old, short woman , that lives on a golf course. I believe I have had the Sun Mountain Micr Cart at least 5 years. Anyone that is concerned about durability should not. I expect I will get quite a few more years out of it. At my course I can fold the micro cart and it will fit in the small the back .basket on electric cart! I was given a gift of a 3 wheel clicgear cart. It was way too complicated to fold up, more steps, and having to move front wheel. For a smaller person it was heavy and awkward to pick up and load in the car. Sun Mountain changed the micro cart to something a little bigger and heavier. (Surprising, especially as popular as the micro cart was and still is.) Only minor issue is that I have to tighten up screws occasionally.