When I first started using my brand new Xiaomi M365, I struggled to relax and I felt a little vulnerable. I kept worrying about accidentally falling off having never ridden an electric scooter before. I didn’t know what to expect. Is it easy or difficult to balance, and how dangerous are electric scooters? I was also quite worried, as the plan was to use it for my daily commute to work in London, which gets insanely busy in the morning with traffic and pedestrians. I wanted to use it as much as I can on the pavement and cycle lanes, until I was comfortable enough to also use it in the road. The confidence on my new scooter pretty much came instantly, as soon as I stood on it for the first time and realized how easy and intuitive the whole process is. Therefore, I decided to write this post in order to help anyone out there who really wants one, but ultimately is unsure or uneasy about the idea of using an electric scooter.
Riding Style and Balance
It really isn’t one whole big balancing act. When I first brought my Xiaomi M365 to the office where I work, all of my colleagues wanted to have a go on it. A handful of people wanted to ride it, but were really scared to actually accelerate. I reassured them that there is nothing to be scared of, and to just push down the accelerator very slowly at first (I also put the scooter into Eco mode which caps its top speed to much lower). They were mainly worried about balancing on the scooter and falling off.
I admit, when you look at them you kinda wonder if its easy to balance on one – after all with a kick scooter one of your feet is intermittently touching the ground, and thus you feel like you are a lot more stable. It is actually really easy to ride an electric scooter. The majority have a lovely wide foot platform, so that you can place both of your feet on it. All you have to do is get the wheels turning, hold down the accelerator and you’re off!
There is no right or wrong way to position your feet on it. However, certain foot placing might help you feel a lot steadier. I’ve uploaded a couple of videos below for you to see which foot placement tends to work best for the majority of riders.
The foot placement in the above video gives you a better balance when you’re riding. Add to that a slight bend in your knees and you’re onto a winner combination, as you are now steadier and the comfort of your ride will increase when hitting bumps in the road.
This foot position is okay and you can certainly ride your scooter like this, but generally speaking you might feel like you have less balance on it, and if your knees are completely straight, you will also feel every slight road imperfection.
Riding Surface and Location
In order to feel safe and relax while riding your electric scooter, it is very important to consider where you will be using it:
- Are you going to commute in a very busy road full of speeding cars and buses in the morning during rush hour?
- Are you going to be in a cycle lane, away from cars so you don’t have to worry about traffic around you?
- The pavements that you might be using – are they wide enough so that you don’t bump into people?
- How about the surface of the actual roads you’re using?
- Are they smooth or are they full of cracks and bumps?
These are all very important to consider, as they will dictate your overall safety on an electric scooter – if you know that you have available pavements with smooth surfaces and you’re generally away from large crowds of people and speeding traffic, you will feel a lot more relaxed on your daily commute.
Safety Awareness
Being safety conscious is compulsory, especially if you are going to be using your electric scooter almost every day to get to work. Wearing a good helmet and a hi-vis (if riding at night), is going to make you feel a lot more relaxed and safer on your new scooter. If you have an electric scooter that can reach higher speeds, such as 20-25mph, then you definitely don’t want to risk getting on it without at least basic personal road protection.
Night Riding
When I got my scooter I knew that I was going to have to use it at night, as I frequently finish work at 9pm, and I was a little weary of this at first. However, as soon as I rode the scooter for the first time my doubts were put to rest. The head, tail and brake light on my Xiaomi M365 are outstanding. I feel 100% visible to all other road users and I can also see all the vehicles and pedestrians around me. The majority of electric scooters have strong head and tail lights and a brake light is always an added bonus, so if you need to get on your scooter when it gets dark outside, rest assured that you will be safe and visible.
Braking
It is important to adjust your brakes when you first get your scooter as you might find that they are a little loose. I adjusted them on my Xiaomi M365, as I felt that I wanted the braking to be a little faster and more abrupt. It was a fairly straight forward process, and if you feel that your brakes need a bit of adjusting straight out of the box, do it as this will make you feel a lot safer.
Another important thing to remember is not to accelerate when going downhill and to always apply your brakes, as accelerating downhill can be dangerous and its actually always advised against in the manufacturers guides. Just be vigilant and careful about your safety and make sure you apply your brakes in ample time.
So, How Dangerous Are Electric Scooters?
Well, I would say they are no more dangerous than riding a bicycle. The same vigilance and personal protective road equipment applies to both, and you should of course be careful, but you also need to learn to relax and enjoy the ride.
As always, please feel free to share any comments, questions or feedback that you might have on this topic, as I would love to her your opinion.