Self-balancing scooters, aka hoverboards, are the new innovative transport means and have flourished the market quickly. Their demand is increasing day by day and no doubt, they deserve it.
Hoverboards and scooters are two-wheeled transport devices that have introduced a new style of travel. Although they cannot take you to distant places, they have become the favorite of teens and kids due to their advanced specifications and new technologies.
If you are also going to buy a new self-balancing electric scooter, you might think how do you ride a self-balancing scooter? How do you balance the hoverboard?
If you are looking for answers to these, you’ve come to the right place!
We will discuss a complete guide on how to ride a hoverboard and help beginners become a pro in minutes!
Contents
The importance of the best hoverboard
Whenever buying a hoverboard, the best idea is to invest in a durable and versatile hoverboard that offers many other features besides the self-balancing technology. It can help you learn earlier and make your ride fun with the most advanced specifications.
After reading reviews from many reputable sites like rideonlab, we believe it is essential to have a robust hoverboard with flexible specifications. Although it may cost more, the investment will be worth your consideration!
Before you start
Whenever riding a self-balancing electric scooter, it is essential to have all the safety equipment with you, especially if you are riding it for the first time. So, for your first riding gear, you will need the following:
- Helmet
- Knee pads
- Elbow pads
- Tailbone protector
- Wrist guards
All these safety equipment help prevent serious injuries. As electric scooters and hoverboards don’t have a handle to keep you balanced and provide safety, it would be best to prepare yourself before riding.
Moreover, most of the hoverboards can attain high speeds up to 15 mph. Although it isn’t much high compared to a car, the speeds can be terrific when riding on a hoverboard. So, it is essential to gear up yourself and get ready for the fun ride on your electric scooter.
How to ride a self-balancing scooter
When riding for the first time, it is better to choose a straight and even surface. If you’re riding on the road, it would be best to choose the one without any curves, so you don’t have to keep turning.
· Stepping on:
After choosing the best area to ride, place the scooter in front of you. If your scooter comes with an instruction manual, you should also give it a read. To turn the electric scooter on, push the silver button at the back near the charging port.
Then, step on the hoverboard with the foot, which feels more comfortable to you. It is best to stand near an object you can hold to keep you balanced while standing on the scooter.
However, you need to be very careful with this step because the board starts vibrating as soon as it detects some pressure. So, after putting one foot on, lean the board forward and backwards to determine its response.
When everything feels right, you can use the support near you and place your second foot on the board.
· Stay relaxed:
When you stand on the electric scooter for the first time, you will feel a bit awkward. As it doesn’t have any handle or extra support, staying relaxed is essential. Don’t get panicked and lose your control, or else you will fall and get serious injuries.
However, you need to concentrate and stay relaxed to keep yourself balanced. Don’t lean forward or backward at any cost!
Just stand straight, relax your shoulders, and take a deep breath. Controlling your nerves is very important, especially when riding for the first time. Once you get used to riding, you won’t get nervous at all.
· How to balance a hoverboard without falling:
Self-balancing hoverboards are not as easy to balance as they might look. However, it is not a difficult thing, as well.
The self-balancing hoverboard will perform its’ job to help you keep balanced, but you also have to play your part to avoid injuries. As soon as you learn the art of balancing, the hoverboard will be super-easy for you to ride!
The best way to stay balanced on the scooter is to keep your feet as apart as possible. It will help you to stand straight without falling and give better control.
· The importance of posture:
Maintaining a good posture is essential to stay balanced and focused. If you don’t stand straight with your shoulders relaxed, it is more likely to happen that you will fall.
To stand straight, the best thing is never to bend your knees. However, you should not lock them as well. Similarly, tuck the hips directly under the spine and keep yourself straight.
If you bend yourself even slightly, you will fall. So, a good posture will help you stay balanced and avoid severe injuries in the first try.
· Don’t look down at the board:
Just like your body posture, your eyes should be straight. If you start looking down at the board, you will lose the balance and won’t see the road’s obstacles as well.
So, the best idea is to look straight, and the hoverboard will keep moving forward. In this way, your body will move with your eyes, and you will master the art of riding in a few minutes!
Learning to manoeuver
Once you have mastered the art of balancing, the next step is to start riding and learn to manoeuver.
· Moving forward:
When you don’t have any button to tell the scooter to start, how will it start to move forward?
To tell the scooter to start moving, you have to lean slightly in the forward direction. It will tell the scooter that you need to move in the forward direction.
However, it is essential to remember that you should not lean too forward, just as important it is to lean to start moving. Small shifts in your weight are enough to start riding.
If the hoverboard does not start moving at first, it’s totally fine. Keep on leaning slowly and carefully forward, and it will start to move.
A small trick here is to never bend at your waist while leaning. It is because the movement is basically in the ankles, and the hoverboard will sense your foot movement.
· How to turn:
Once you have learned to move the scooter forward, the next step is to learn turning it.
To turn the hoverboard, you will use your toes. If you want to turn right, push your left toes down. Similarly, if you want to turn left, push down your right toes.
If you want to make sharp turns, you can push the toes farther down, and push down the other foot’s heel. This step will take a lot of practice, so you need to be patient in the process.
· Watch your speeds:
The best and safest way to ride the scooter is to move at slow speeds in the beginning. With most scooters, you hear a small beep when you start to reach higher speeds. At this point, it’s better to slow down to avoid accidents.
Stepping off the scooter
Most users feel that getting on and off the hoverboard is the most challenging part. To stop the scooter, you have to stand straight until the scooter slows stops and eventually stops. Then, shift your weight to the dominant foot and step off the scooter using the other foot.
However, you should avoid jumping off the scooter as it can be dangerous.
Conclusion:
Riding and learning how to balance the hoverboard is difficult in the beginning. To make the process fast and efficient, patience and controlling your nerves is essential. Besides, practice hard, and you will master the hoverboard in no time!