Standing for long periods of time sucks, to put it bluntly. There’s nothing worse than being on your feet all day and feeling the ache in your legs, only to face a long commute home that requires you to keep using your sore muscles. While electric scooters are a fantastic, affordable, and environmentally-friendly way to travel, they don’t really give you much time to sit down. Luckily, there’s an option available for riders who need a rest: a seated e-scooter. Sit back and get comfortable because today, we’re highlighting some of the best aspects of seated electric scooters for commuters who like to take it easy while they ride.
The Benefits of a Seated E-Scooter
Fixed-seat electric scooters like our Flex and Eclipse Ultra e-scooters can look very different from their traditional e-scooter counterparts. We’ll go over a few of their most unique features below.
Comfortable Seat
The most important part of a seated electric scooter is, of course, the seat. While having a place to sit is a bonus all on its own, a particularly comfortable seat takes these e-scooters to the next level. A cushioned, shock-absorbing seat makes every ride comfortable and reduces the agitating jumps and jolts caused by rough roads.
Bike-Like Tires
Due to their design, many seated electric scooters can accommodate larger, more bike-like tires. These wheels, which are usually air-filled, also help to prevent cracks, bumps, and other small obstacles on your path from jostling your scooter, keeping your ride smooth.
Hand Controls
Unlike a regular kick scooter rider, a seated e-scooter rider can’t access the rear fender of the scooter. This means that riders can’t brake using their feet. As a result, seated e-scooters feature hand-controlled brakes on the scooter’s handlebar. This allows for a dual-braking system that keeps riders safe and in control at all times without needing to lift a foot.
Storage
One of the biggest draws of a seated e-scooter is their ability to use a storage basket. While riders can always take a bag with them as they ride, this extra storage space allows riders to carry more than they would otherwise or give their arms and shoulders a brake while they ride. The baskets present on many fixed-seat e-scooters are great for carrying groceries, office supplies, textbooks, and more—some are rated to carry as much as 50 pounds, letting you carry nearly anything you could ever need for a shorter trip.
Suspension
Due to their other unique design elements, a number of seated e-scooters have the room to incorporate suspension. Suspension on even just one wheel significantly reduces the shock a rider might experience during everyday riding, which is especially important when you're sitting down. Suspension on a scooter like this helps create a relaxing riding experience and preserve the comfortability of your commute.
Are There Other Seated Options?
There’s more than just fixed-seat e-scooters out there. Some regular electric scooters can be outfitted with an optional seat to convert them into a seated e-scooter. Though e-scooters with seat attachments tend to lack the storage, suspension, and shock-absorption of a fixed-seat e-scooter, they’re still a fantastic way to get the seated e-scooter experience if you’re not sure you’ll want to sit for every ride. Just make sure that your e-scooter seat is properly sized to fit the deck of your e-scooter, and ensure that the seat is securely attached before you ride.
Alternatively, if you don’t mind moving your legs just a bit, you can always try an electric bike. There are a wide variety of e-bike options with varying levels of speed, suspension, and comfortability, and the pedal assist technology present in e-bikes help support your pedaling efforts, meaning you’ll never have to work too hard to move the bike. A number of e-bikes even offer throttle, which keeps the e-bike moving with you needing to pedal at all.
However you choose to get around town, remember that safety is the most important thing. Follow local rules and regulations, make sure your vehicle is properly charged before each ride, and always wear a helmet!
