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15 Advanced electric scooter tips (only experienced riders know)
The first month after buying the first electric scooter was an interesting experience for me. Even if you learn how to ride in about 3 minutes, there are still many advanced electric scooter tips that need to be learned after months or even years of frequent use.
Although I’m not sure if you can become an “expert” scooter rider because the process is very simple, I do know that there are some tips and tricks, and I hope someone will reveal it to me sooner. This is much better than finding them myself, and this process has some disadvantages for me and my scooter.
Do a quick check before each ride
Just check if:
Your battery is enough where you want to go
Your brakes work
Your tires are inflated
All lights of your scooter are working
This is a very simple procedure, only 4 steps, completed in about 20 seconds, it can prevent accidents and you get a ticket.
Always wear a helmet and as much protective equipment as possible
Man wearing black reflective full motorcycle helmet and backpack
Personally, I have never fallen from a scooter, and I have never actually had an accident.
However, two of my friends have had three accidents in total.
One of them collided with a bicycle and fell down due to potholes a second time. His first accident was not that serious, and he was not injured, but the second time his head hit a large cement flower pot on the sidewalk. His helmet withstood most of the blows and cracks appeared. In his own words: “If I don’t wear a helmet, I will at least have a concussion!”.
Another friend of mine is riding without any safety equipment. To prevent pedestrians from crossing the bicycle lane, he lost his balance and fell off the scooter. Although he didn’t bump his head, his elbow was scratched and almost dislocated. He suffered for a week. Wearing knee and elbow pads can prevent this from happening.
Be sure to wear a helmet, there is no room for negotiation! Wear as much other protective equipment as possible.
Check out the complete electric scooter safety guide to learn how to avoid injuries and accidents at all times, or check the helmet guide to learn how to choose the perfect helmet for your needs and budget.
Keep your back straight, posture naturally, and relax your body as much as possible
Two descriptions of the body posture of riding an electric scooter, the first is that the shoulders are loose and wrong, the second is that the back is straight and correct
This is especially important if you, like me and many other people who work at the computer, are struggling with back pain.
I noticed that if I ride for more than 30 minutes, my back usually becomes inflamed. Over time, I realized that I tended to be listless and that my shoulders and neck became very tense (sometimes I even made a strange angry face for some reason when I was riding a bike).
One problem that is hard to avoid here is that the riding posture is not completely natural and good posture is not encouraged. The correct riding posture for optimal balance requires your body to be twisted a bit at the hips. As anyone with spine problems will tell you, this is not good news for your back.
Therefore, help your body as much as possible and maintain a natural posture. Stand straight from above the waist and relax as much as possible without sacrificing control of the scooter. Try to stay in the middle of the scooter deck, not too far from the handlebars, but not too close.
You can try to tighten your abdominal muscles when you encounter bumps, so you don’t feel too much impact, but other than that, staying relaxed will reduce fatigue and give you a better riding experience.
The front feet point to the front and diagonally, and the back feet point to the side (aka skateboarding standing)
If you are right-handed, your right foot will be forward, pointing forward, and possibly slightly to the left. Your left foot will be placed behind, either fully pointing to the left or slightly pointing to the left. This is also known as the “skateboard” or “surfboard” pose, and it is the best way to control the scooter the easiest.
The distance between your feet depends on the length of the deck, but it is usually around the shoulder width.
If you are left-handed, then… you will swim upstream here, but I think you are used to it, living in a world for right-handed people. However, you may be lucky, because some models are indeed for left-handed people, with the throttle on the left and the brake on the right. Obviously, the foot description above is the opposite for you, but you may already know it.
Turn with the feet (and the whole body)
Although the main work of steering belongs to the handlebars, you should use your feet as an additional way to easily change direction.
Just use your feet to transfer some of your weight and move your center of gravity in the direction you want to turn. In fact, don’t just stay on your feet-move your whole body and your feet gently and slowly. This will do wonders for your balance and make turning more intuitive and basically embedded in your body.
Bend your knees slightly
This is one of the most advanced electric scooter riding skills. When you want to keep your back straight, you should not lock your knees and keep your legs straight. This will be very unnatural and make riding very difficult.
Slightly bending your legs at the knees not only makes riding more comfortable, but also serves as an additional suspension system when you are over bumps or holes.
Speaking of bumps…
Make yourself “light” during bumps (aka bunnyhop)
Another advanced technology, it took me a few months to figure it out myself, but it’s actually very simple. This is probably my favorite riding technique.
This technology is used to cross bumps, potholes, road cracks or anything that will disturb your riding stability.
It involves further bending your knees and reducing the pressure your feet and entire body put on the scooter deck. Literally, this is like trying to make your body lighter during a collision. Your body is elevated, a bit like a very light jump during a journey through bumps (hence the name “bunnyhopping”). In this way, when traversing bumps, your scooter only needs to support its own weight, and will not bear your weight extra.
The joints of your legs, as well as the muscles of your legs and your entire body, further act as a suspension system, but they can only absorb a small part of the impact that you can absorb when you hold your feet firmly on the deck.
This has a huge impact on ride quality, but overall it will also extend the life of the scooter.
All in all, this is a very cool and useful technique. Start practicing it in your riding and you will find that the riding is smoother.
Lean forward when accelerating and climbing
A person climbs a mountain on an electric scooter, leaning forward
When accelerating or climbing, your scooter consumes the most energy and the system bears the most stress.
If you lean forward a bit, you will make it much easier to work because you will shift the center of gravity to the direction of the scooter. This way you can save battery and all other scooter systems.
Lean back when braking and going downhill
The correct braking technique for an electric scooter includes leaning back a bit. There are two reasons for this:
Shifting your center of gravity to the back will help your scooter brake more easily
The brake is usually at the front, and tilting backward prevents the rear wheel from hanging and the scooter from overturning completely
The same principle applies to downhill riding. You may (I hope) not accelerate when going downhill, you may brake a little. Leaning backward can slow you down and prevent tipping over, which is much easier when going downhill.
Hold the handlebar firmly, but don’t use too much force, never let go
You will find that during the first few rides as a beginner, you tend to squeeze the handlebars so tightly that they almost melt in your hands. This is a common preventive measure, even I would say it is a reflex, because you are very afraid of falling. I even remember that my arm was injured and cramped because of the grip on the handlebars after the first few rides.
But as you gain more experience, you will feel more confident and realize that you don’t actually need to use that much power. You really can’t ride with very loose grip, because it will make you lose too much control, but you will learn how to lighten it a bit.
Never let go of the handlebars while riding, this is a big mistake and will cause you to be on the floor.
Put at least one finger on the brake lever
Strange things happen when riding an electric scooter. The old people jump in front of you from nowhere. It is a good idea for the bike to decide to cut you off. The dog stopped on your track and started to stare at you curiously. Large objects appear on your way. Accidents can happen very quickly.
After a few near accidents, I started to step on the brake lever with one or two fingers. This greatly reduced my response time when I needed to move quickly, but it did not reduce my ability to drive a scooter (for example, this would happen if you put all your fingers on the brakes).
The possible trade-off is that it will be more difficult to brake completely, which requires putting all your fingers on the brake and then pressing it down. However, I rarely need to do this because I don’t ride fast in the city. So for me, this is a clear victory.
If you often need to brake hard, please do not use this tip. Just hold your handlebars for maximum control, and only hold the brake lever with all your fingers when the time is right.
Stay focused, riding a scooter can easily distract you
People riding electric scooters are not fully focused and paying attention to the road ahead
This sounds simple, but it is actually more aimed at experienced riders.
Riding on electric scooters is so joyful that we often forget that we are participating in traffic, and serious or even fatal accidents may happen in the blink of an eye.
Novices are too afraid of falling, making mistakes, or embarrassing themselves, so they may ride with 100% concentration.
However, over time, more experienced riders may become so relaxed, forgetting that their driving speed is not harmless.
This has happened to me many times. I just like cycling so much that I completely enter the area and no longer worry about the world around me. Fortunately, so far, I have managed to respond in a timely manner, but I already have some close people.
Riding an electric scooter is very fun and relaxing, but never let this cause you to lose your attention. The consequences can be severe.
If you are riding in wet weather or on slippery roads, slow down and make yourself “heavier”
First of all, most scooter owners and scooter manufacturers strongly oppose riding in rain, snow or other wet conditions. Even if you have a waterproof scooter, the risk of being waterproof, slipping, falling, and hurting yourself is too great.
Nevertheless, I can’t count how many times I have no better choice than riding in the rain. Sometimes you just need to do this.
When riding on rainy, snowy, wet, muddy or slippery roads, please slow down! The faster you go, the better your chances of falling.
Also, remember how we described making ourselves “lighter” when crossing bumps? Well, the opposite is true when riding on a smooth surface.
Use your feet and your entire body to apply a little extra pressure on the deck of the scooter. Bend your knees slightly and let your body push the scooter down. This will lower the center of gravity of your scooter and make it more stable.
Ride defensively, never ride too fast
Look, I understand. You have been waiting for days or even weeks for the scooter to arrive, and you have been thinking about it for months. After opening the package, you will want to step on the metal pedal and see what your baby can do.
I think I can test drive it (under safe conditions!) and even drive at maximum speed. Of course I have, and I know that stimulation is irresistible.
Nevertheless, in the real world, in everyday scenes, I recommend resisting temptation most of the time. Especially if you are riding in traffic, please avoid riding at speeds exceeding 30 km/h/18 mph. Speeds higher than this are already dangerous for you and others.
Respect the law
The second month after I bought the scooter, I rode in the driveway and had so much fun that I forgot to stop at the red light. Of course, I was stopped by the police and I got a ticket.
When riding a scooter, please follow local traffic laws. This usually means:
Make sure your scooter is working properly. In many countries/regions, you can get a ticket for a faulty scooter
Ride in lanes designated for e-scooters or at least bicycles
For legal and safety reasons, do not ride under the influence of drugs or alcohol
Observe the speed limits of electric scooters or other rideable equipment
Only park the scooter where it is allowed
Always ride with the lights on, especially at night
If you don’t have a rearview mirror, please add a rearview mirror to your scooter
If you interest in our electric scooter and have any other questions, please let us know in the comment section below.