How to choose the right electric scooter for you: Brakes before speed!

So, you have decided to buy an electric scooter to get you from A to B, and now you’re searching online for the scooter that goes the fastest…? Or, maybe I am wrong and what you really want is a means to navigate your way through the overwhelmingly many bright, shiny, zippy scooters on the market. Just so you know, we won’t be starting our discussion with the fastest scooter on the market. In fact we won’t be talking about speed at all. Sorry.

At the risk of sounding boring, safety is the most important consideration when it comes to deciding which scooter to buy. The fact is that if you’re zipping around at high speed, the most important thing is how well your brakes work, which means your stopping power needs to match your ability to accelerate. Therefore the point of this article is to quickly touch on your choice of brakes (see what I did there?).

Overall, your very best option in terms of safety is to purchase a scooter that has hydraulic disc brakes, and although drum brakes, V-brakes and band brakes will still get the job done, the fact is that hydraulic disc brakes perform better over time because they don’t deteriorate in the same way that the other brake types do. Regardless of which brake type you choose, maintenance is utterly key; brake pads and shoes need to be changed regularly, and braking shoes and rims must be properly fitted. If you check out some of the higher-end scooters, you will notice that they have regenerative electronic brakes, which are great for stopping smoothly.

Rear foot brakes are a practical safety back-up that never fail; if you’re planning to be a hardcore or ‘extreme’ rider, if you live in an area that has a lot of hills and/or uneven terrain, or you plan to ride very regularly, then regenerative and rear foot brakes are a great option.

In summary, there’s no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to deciding on which brakes will suit your needs best, but they should definitely be high up on your list of questions to consider when purchasing your shiny new electric scooter.