If you’re thinking of buying a portable electric scooter this year or got one last Christmas, it’s important to know first how to properly ride and handle it. More people changed their mindset towards electric scooters after seeing it as a convenient means of transport. However, electric scooters are nothing like the kickscooter of your childhood. A budget electric scooter can have a top speed of 25 km/h, which is fast if you’re on a footpath. We have compiled practical tips from experienced riders so you don’t have to.
First, read these articles if you haven’t yet:
Electric Scooter Handling Best Practices:
- Ride the electric scooter like a motorized skateboard with a handle.
- Get familiar with the sensitivity of your electric scooter’s acceleration and brakes.
- Do not grab, lean and pull on the handlebar. This will damage your folding mechanism, especially on Xiaomi M365 electric scooters.
- Practice emergency braking.
- Be ready to engage your brakes anytime.
- Always do basic maintenance – general, tyres, brakes, and battery.
- Never ride a budget or commuter electric scooter like an off-road machine.
Electric Scooter Riding Tips
Don’t be an idiot
- Do not drink and ride.
- Do not text, check your mobile phone, or use your display while in motion.
- “Dress for the slide, not for the ride”
- Do not jump off of curbs.
- Do not do stunts or wheelies.
Proper positioning
- Use the handlebar to turn the front wheel only. The tyres are small, so steering with it alone is not sufficient.
- Use your feet and body weight to steer your electric scooter.
- Keep a low stance and bend your knees slightly when going over obstacles.
- Stand near the back of the deck.
- Do not stand with your feet parallel to the deck.
- Use “skateboard” style positioning for your feet.
Proper turning
- Use countersteering maneuvers.
- Lean your body with the electric scooter as your turn.
- Use motorcycle cornering techniques – brake before a turn, release, then accelerate through the turn.
Proper braking
- Lean back when braking
- For emergency brakes – use your hips to lean back and down.
- Be careful when using regenerative brakes downhill. Some riders have reported that their electric scooters got bricked doing this.
- If you can’t stop in time before hitting a curb or obstacle, do an emergency brake.
Ride sensibly
- Use freerolling technique.
- Don’t go at full speed unless you are very familiar with the terrain.
- Watch for anything that can make your front tyres slip – gravel, grass, pebbles, wet spots, uneven road surfaces, etc.
- Safety over speed.
Electric scooters look like toys, but when used for public transportation they’re like any other vehicle. By practising and keeping these electric scooter riding tips, you’ll have a safe and smooth ride wherever you go.
Before heading out, remember to keep yourself updated with thelatest news on e-scooter riding laws.
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