Riding cars has its luxuries, but riding two-wheeled vehicles have a fulfilling feeling about it that doesn’t compare to anything else. Maybe it is the sense of wind on one’s face, or the spirit of control one gets while balancing, but either way, it’s a whole lot of fun. If you want to keep this feeling alive as an adult and if you feel you’re too old for bicycles, you should give a try riding an electric scooter. But before purchasing one, you must know first how to ride an electric scooter.
Electric scooters come in a variety in terms of their shapes and sizes. They are designed for riders with all skill levels, but the more powerful models can be challenging to control and ride. If you haven’t ridden a manual scooter before, or it’s been a while since you’ve been on one, you need some practice to learn how to use an electric scooter. In such cases, not only the powerful ones but even a slower electric scooter can require some skill.
Before we give you some electric scooter riding tips, it is vital to know how old do you have to be to ride an electric scooter. Electric scooters riders should be at least 18 years old, have a driver’s license, ride alone, and wear a helmet. Now let’s dive into the details of how to ride an electric scooter for beginners.
need?
An Electric
Scooter
As said before, there are different shapes and sizes of Electric scooters. The bigger models look cooler and can attract a lot of eyes, but it is advised to purchase something you can easily handle and get the best learning experience from.
Just like bicycles, scooters take a lot of getting used to. And if you don’t want to fall with heavy scooters on your first few attempts, go for the easy and simpler ones.
A Place to
Practice
While you learn how to ride an electric scooter, you should find a great place with little to no traffic and obstacles. You should also try finding a place that doesn’t have any bumps, posts, and ditches to maximize safety. For example, you can go to places like parking lots, back roads, or even your school, since these are spacious and away from fast vehicles.
Until you’re confident in your skills of a scooter, you should avoid bike lanes or paths, and basically uneven terrain and also try not to run over anyone’s fence.
Helmet
I cannot emphasize enough on this. The most important thing to remember while riding an e-scooter or any two-wheelers for that matter is to keep your safety above the rest and wear helmets and other appropriate gear. You don’t want to get hurt badly, in case of some accident.
Getting Started
Basic Steps
- Firstly, you need to flip the latch located at the base of the steering column and unlock your scooter, and then raise it in a full and upright position to start riding.
- You will find an on switch on your scooter. You have to switch it to power up the vehicle. In some scooters, there are LED displays that provide information regarding the working and other mechanisms. If you have one in your ride, take a look at the details, especially the battery life indicator.
- You will find the handbrake on the handlebars. These breaks on e-scooters are generally very sensitive, so you should go easy on it until you become more familiar with your new scooter.
- There is a throttle which helps you in increasing or reducing power. To get started hit the throttle, and you’re off.
- If you’re ready to stop, use the hand or foot brake. When you have successfully reached your target, make sure you remember to power the scooter off.
- Next, you need to fold the scooter back up, engage the latch, and you’re done.
Practicing with a Partner
If you have a friend who is experienced in riding electric scooters, you should consider asking them for pointers. It is even better if they are available to practice with you a few times so they can teach you the basics and provide you with some moral support.
Safety
As I mentioned above, wearing a helmet is a must. It doesn’t matter if you are riding alone or with someone, you MUST wear a helmet even if you are riding at the safest possible place.
If you need recommendations regarding the helmet, we suggest you for the Pro-Tec full-coverage helmet. This helmet is built hard and comes with a wide venting system and a moisture-wicking liner, so it will help you stay nice and cool during a ride, and well protected.
Clothing
Apart from wearing headgear, you should also wear protective clothing. Your clothing should fully cover your arms and legs, so you’ll have slight protection in case of a fall. And if you are still unsure, it is recommended to wear knee and elbow pads.
Charging
Make sure your electric scooter is fully charged before you plan to take it out. The directions of charging it are mentioned on the user’s manual you’ll receive with the scooter. Some models require being charged overnight, while some require just a few hours. Find out what your model requires, and do the required ahead of time.
Brakes
Some models of electric scooters come with very powerful brakes. In such cases, make sure you familiarize yourself with the brakes and learn how sensitive they are before you start riding around at top speed.
Pace Yourself
When you start riding your e-scooter, you will get temptations to rev up the throttle and see what your scooter is really made of. But while learning to ride, shooting for the max speed before you’re confident in your riding and braking abilities is the last thing you want to do.
When you are riding at first, you will be surprised at how easy it is to balance when you’re moving, but increasing the speed makes it harder to balance. So make sure to get a lot of practice.
In the event of an Accident
Even the most skilled scooter riders can fall while riding from time to time. When you get imbalanced and are about to fall, remember not to panic. Whatever you do, you must not grab the throttle. This will only escalate the situation from bad to worse.
Instead, you should simply just let go of everything
and jump away from the scooter. Don’t try to safeguard the scooter. Your major
focus should be to get away from the danger.
Mileage
During your ride, you should keep a close eye on the battery life indicator and the mileage of the scooter. To familiarize yourself with the scooter’s range capabilities, you should thoroughly read the user’s manual. If you notice that the battery is running low and you are close to the maximum mileage range, you should consider heading back home. Or else, you can get stuck pushing your electric scooter all the way home, especially if you have a larger, beefier model.
As you can see, it isn’t exactly complicated. You
just require practicing your balancing and reflexes and becoming familiar with
your electric scooter’s model’s setup.
Riding your new electric scooter can be an enjoyable, fun skill. You should be able to get the hang of riding, turning, and weaving in and out of traffic with some practice, patience, and carefulness, in a little time. However, you must remember to go slow in the beginning. You should practice in parking lots and back streets until you feel confident enough to ride around traffic or areas that have more pedestrians.
