Riding an electric scooter is easier than riding a bike and most people can pick it up immediately. This guide will help you get started and cover information on how to ride an electric scooter and techniques.
A quick start guide on how to ride an electric scooter
Wear protective gear that suits your riding and riding style. Before riding the scooter, you must wear the proper equipment.
First of all, no matter how short the ride or how fast the bike is, you should always wear a helmet when riding. A CPSC-certified bike helmet is the smallest, but you may want something extra to protect from higher speeds.
Learn more in our helmet guide. Your gear and clothing should always match the speed and type of travel. Higher speed = more gears. For higher speeds or if you’re riding on busy roads, you should add long pants, gloves, long-sleeved shirts, and closed-toe shoes.
You can also add more protective gear, including elbow and knee pads, or maybe a full racing suit. For most riders, these are overkill. A man dressed in full safety gear riding an electric scooter
Make sure you are familiar with your scooter and its controls.
Before driving, it is important to familiarize yourself with his scooter. Make sure you know the position of the throttle, brakes, lights, and horn.
If you’ve just received a scooter, it’s best to take it to a protected outdoor area, such as a parking lot, and make sure you understand how the throttle feels and how the brakes work. If you want to be very cautious, you can use it as a standard scooter to test your scooter without even turning it on. This allows you to have a good sense of balance, steering, and braking.
Lastly, make sure you understand how the scooter’s folding mechanism works. Depending on the scooter you own, it may have folding stems and folding handlebars. Make sure you know how to lock both of them in place. There are many mechanisms, some with additional safety features, that must be used to prevent folding while driving.
Some mechanisms make a clicking sound when properly seated, while others do not. Read your instruction manual and make sure you understand how it works. People familiar with electric scooters.
Do a pre-flight inspection of your scooter before you get on it
Do a pre-flight inspection for the first time and every time you drive to make sure your scooter can drive normally. If this is your first time using a scooter, you may need to adopt a traditional stance where one foot (usually a non-dominant foot) is placed in front of the other. If it works in your favor, this is called a stupid position.
Some people prefer to walk with their feet side by side… It works, but it will be unstable and you won’t be able to transfer your weight properly for balance. If you are in an emergency, you will not be able to react as quickly while driving.
When riding a scooter, use the handlebars to help you balance, but your feet and legs should do most of the work. If you notice that you are pushing or pulling hard on the handlebars, this is not a good sign and means that you need to work hard to keep your balance.
The handlebar sits at the end of a long lever arm, and even the best shooters aren’t designed for the rider to frequently shake the handlebars.
At very, very low speeds you will actively use the handlebars to control the scooter. You must also mobilize your core strength and adjust your weight for balance. At normal riding speeds > 8km/h you should keep most of the handlebars straight and rely on weight transfer and camber for maneuvering and turning. Man on an electric scooter
Move the center of gravity back and forth when braking suddenly
When you brake hard, bend your knees and shift your weight back onto your hind legs, as if you were about to sit down. Most of the braking power comes from the front brake, so be sure to use both at the same time.
Hard braking while turning is more likely to cause a collision than hard braking straight ahead, so whenever possible, go straight ahead before making an emergency stop.
For maximum braking force, you’ll want the rear tires to be on the verge of skidding, rather than “locking” the brakes. Front-wheel spin is unlikely, but too strong a front brake could allow you to go over the handlebars, especially when riding a scooter with more powerful front brakes (such as disc brakes).
Take some time to practice using the front brakes. As you get more front brakes, add more and more front brakes. Time-lapse photo of people breaking on an electric scooter
Use the throttle to speed up and adjust your position to maintain stability.
Accelerate by pressing the throttle control. If you’re accelerating on a more powerful scooter, double-check that your feet are in a stable position and bend your knees to lower your center of gravity. Use the handlebars to maintain stability, but avoid excessive force. Your legs should provide most of your balance.
Pro Tip: When you accelerate hard, put your weight on your back foot and use your back foot to help your body lean forward. This will prevent you from pulling on the handlebars.
If you’re riding a double scooter, it also helps prevent the front wheels from losing traction when accelerating. Inokim OXO electric scooter-man mounted on the right side of the frame, facing the camera, side view, full view
Advanced driving skills
When you learn to ride a scooter and take risks on public roads, you need to put some advanced technology in your pocket.
Avoid obstacles in advance
First, learn and use how to avoid obstacles. Scooters have relatively small tires and potholes, and other road debris is dangerous. Always pay attention to the road and pay attention to surrounding vehicles. Practice and confidently perform quick but controlled avoidance moves. The most important thing is not to overcorrect or change to another car. Sometimes obstacles are unavoidable and you have to cross or cross them. The biggest problem is stopping the front wheels, which will allow you to go over the handlebars.
Jump over obstacles vertically
To climb obstacles, practice shifting your center of gravity to the rear wheels and gently pull on the handlebars so that the front wheels jump over obstacles. You won’t be trying to get a lot of air out of the front wheels, and if you do it correctly, the front wheels may not get off the ground. The goal here is to reduce the weight of the front wheels so that they can go over obstacles as easily as possible.
Use these techniques to maximize reach
How do you maximize the autonomy of your scooter? It’s simple: follow the tips below to use as little energy as possible:
1. Always start your scooter. The motor uses maximum power when it generates maximum torque, i.e. when you first start the scooter.
2. Accelerate slowly. Faster acceleration = more torque = more power consumption.
3. Reduce top speed. Higher top speed = more wind resistance = more torque = more power consumption.
4. Inflate the tire to the proper pressure. Be sure to inflate the tire to the recommended pressure, which will reduce rolling resistance. Lower pressure will reduce mileage and increase the risk of a puncture.
5. Drive in hot weather. You may not be able to control this, but the battery cannot be fully charged when it is cold. When operating the battery in temperatures below 50 F / 20 C, you will notice a significant drop in capacity (temporarily).
Will regenerative braking give you more range?
No, according to our analysis, it can increase between 2% and 3%. However, it will extend the life of your brake pads.
after riding
When you arrive at your destination, it is important that you store your scooter safely so that it will be there when you return. Although the safest option is to always carry your scooter with you, and there are often creative ways to do this, sometimes this is not possible.
To lock your scooter in public places, we recommend using only very high-quality U-locks, such as the Kryptonite New York series. These padlocks are expensive and heavy, around 2.0kg, but they are necessary and well worth it. A cheaper, lighter lock will not protect your investment. Slide the U-lock over a security lock and permanent point, which cannot be easily removed with a tool. Some examples are: through/around the frame, permanent handles, through folding mechanisms.
Finally, if your scooter gets wet during the trip, clean it quickly (towel or paper towel) and make sure to park it in the car so that it is completely dry before the next trip. This is especially important if your scooter does not have an IP rating (water/dustproof rating).
Generalize
Learning to ride an electric skateboard is relatively easy, but being able to navigate safely in traffic is learned through experience. If you are a complete beginner, be sure to wear a helmet, practice, and gain confidence before driving in mixed traffic.
Whether you’re looking for a new way to travel or want a healthier lifestyle, we’re here to help. Please visit our website for more electric bike and electric scooter information or leave information to us.
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