Using your scooter during the cold and dark winter months might evoke some mixed emotions. But the cold weather changes shouldn't stop you from riding outside!
Especially in the winter, it’s important to stay active and luckily for you, all Swifty models have been designed to be all-weather scooters! These aim to help you stay safe and warm on your winter kick scooter adventures!
Shop Our Big Wheel Adult Scooters
Stay Motivated
Finding the motivation to go outside in the cold to scoot can be tricky. Remember that even if it’s cold outside, exercising warms you up! Get moving and get your circulation flowing. Finding a kind of exercise that you enjoy helps you to remain motivated; just because the weather is colder the benefits of scooting don't change! Finding a buddy to exercise with might also be what you're needing to get you outside!
If you're a lone scoot-er one way to boost your motivation is to join our Strava Fitness club. On Strava, you can track your scooter journeys, share pictures with other members and motivate each other to stay active this winter. Find our Strava Scooter Club here. Unfortunately there isn't a 'scooter' category on Strava currently so most people seem to log the exercise as a bike ride!
Can't get outside but still want to improve you scooting technique? Try out top indoor scooter training exercises
Make Sure You're Visible
The days are slowly getting longer, but the mornings and evenings are still very dark. It’s important to be seen by pedestrians or cars when crossing the street, especially in the dark.
We'd recommend to scoot in areas that are well lit to make sure you're as visible as can be. However we know that often the quickest ways to get home are to head through some unlit paths and alleys.
To stay safe wherever you're riding make sure to fit a front light on your scooter and attach a rear light to your backpack.
You can shop our range of lights for both the front and rear of your scooter HERE
Our scooters already come with a reflective strip on the side of the tyre but if you’re out early in the morning or later at night, it’s also a good idea to add some sort of reflective clothing to your scooting outfit. This will maximise your visibility during the darker times of the day.
Adjust Your Scooter Riding Technique
The best to ride a kick scooter in the summer can be somewhat different to how you ride it in wet winter months. You'll obviously have to be cautious and pay close attention to the road
We suggest doing shorter pushes more often to make sure you're as grounded as can be. Keep swapping legs as normal to get a feeling for the ground either side of you.
We'd also recommend less time freewheeling with both your feet on the footplate. It's ideal to have a leg ready to stabilise you if you hit a particularly slippery patch!
Dress Up Warm
Being weather conscious is another must for scooter riders. Before going out, always check the weather and dress appropriately. Even though your body will heat up by exercising it, your fingers, nose, chin and ears will stay cold in the icy winter wind so don't neglect your extremities!
Always wear a pair of gloves to keep your fingers warm, a scarf for neck coverage or a jacket that you can zip up to your chin and something to protect your ears (like a headband). Wear multiple thin layers of clothing to insulate your body and stay warm.
BEST SHOES FOR KICK-SCOOTING FOR ALL TYPES OF WEATHER
Wet Weather Proof Your Scooter and Yourself
Just like you winter-proof your car by filling up the anti-freeze and changing your summer tyres to winter tyres, your scooter needs some winter loving too. Winter equals wet and cold weather.
The mud, dirt, and grit on the pavements come up from the rotating scooter tyres and can get on the scooter and onto the rider. That’s why it’s time to take out the mudguards again!
A mudguard protects you from all the debris, which is especially useful on wet and muddy roads. You can get mudguards for your folding SwiftyONE, fitness SwiftyZERO or adventure SwiftyAIR.
If you use your scooter for commuting and you take your scooter onto the train or tram with you, bring a rain cover. Fold your scooter as you’d normally fold it, put it into the rain cover and protect yourself and other commuters from the rain and dirt.
Because winter can also be quite wet, prepare yourself with an extra waterproof layer of clothing. Fit a lightweight, waterproof jacket into your bag in case the weather changes for the worse. One of our favourite brands for warm, waterproof clothing is Mountain Equipment. Make sure to be wearing a pair of shoes with enough grip and that is made for wet weather. Approach shoes or trail running shoes would be a good pick.
New to scooting and got a few queries about it? We've answered Google’s Top 10 Questions about Adult Scooters for you!
Safety Checks
Before hitting the road, always make a basic check of your scooter. Check the tyre pressure, check if the brakes are working properly and check all quick-release levers are fully closed and tightened. You can always ask your local bike shop for advice or send us a message if you’re struggling. These checks are always recommended, but especially in the wet winter months, it’s a must!
Wet weather = dirt on the pavement = a dirty scooter. This time of year it’s extra important to clean your scooter regularly. This won’t only allow you to show off your scooter’s stylish features, it also prolongs the life of your scooter.
In winter, salt and grit are spread across the roads, but these can corrode the steel parts of the scooter if not looked after properly.
To clean your scooter, you can use soap and water and a non-abrasive sponge or plastic brush. Clean off the debris and keep your ride smooth.
Check Your Scooter's Tyres
Are your tyres still suitable for the weather? Your scooter wheels might have served you well in the drier months but as we head further into winter you could suddenly find yourself riding in the snow so it's worth making sure they can handle it!
If you’re a frequent scooter rider, you might notice that your tyres have worn down a bit. Check if the tyre treads depth is still okay and consider changing the tyres if you can see visible wear and tear to maximise your grip.
You can get new tyres for your adult scooter here.
Even though all Swifty tyres come with the highest level of puncture protection, being prepared is always better than being sorry. Because extra grit is being spread to give you extra grip on the wet pavements or in the snow, punctures are more likely to happen. Pop a lever patch kit in your bag, just in case.
Want to know more about what scooter tyre and tyre pressure is best for your needs? Learn all about it HERE
Do A Quick Warm Up
The first time hopping on your scooter in the morning can catch you off guard sometimes, we all need a bit of warming up before we hit our stride. Take a couple of moments to get yourself moving and activate your scooting muscles before setting off on your journey.
A warm up doesn't need to take a big chunk out of your day, even a minute beforehand of moving will prepare your body for activity and reduce and chances of injury.
To give you some guidance on what kind of movements can prepare yourself for a scoot watch Alex Lawson's warm up video below, it only takes a minute!
Thanks for sharing your experience Winston! Some great tips in there, -6.6C degrees is colder than anything we’ve ever tackled!
Swifty HQ on
I received my new Swifty Zero in January but was unable to scoot until March due to illness. So I missed the coldest part of Maine’s winter. I think the coldest day I’ve scooted thus far was around 20 F (-6.6C) but with the wind blowing 10 mph the effective temp was about -4F. I was pleased to discover that scooting in cool weather was much easier and more enjoyable than riding a bike. Part of this is probably related to the lower cruising speed of a scooter. That said, I live in a mountainous area and regularly hit 25 mph on the downhills and at those speeds still found the scooter a more comfortable means of winter travel than my bike. Clothes wise I wear a thin nylon liner under my cycling helmet, a polypropylene turtle neck, topped with a wool shirt, a down vest, and a medium weight wind shell. For gloves I use an old pair of thick, thermal lined woolen gloves I used to use for ice climbing. For shoes I just use my New Balance running shoes and a thin pair of wool socks. When I used to cycle in the winter I had a terrible time with cold feet as I rode at a pedal cadence of around 110 rpm so in addition to the cooling effect of moving along the road you also suffer a further cooling effect as your feet spin through circles. Happily I had no problem with cold feet on my scooter. All and all I’ve found my Swifty Zero to be a very safe and enjoyable means of getting about on cool days.
Winston Shaw on
Hi Dan, We have not really experimented with using slime for puncture prevention, so thank you for the suggestion. There are a few brands offering puncture-proof tape to line in the inside of your wheel that we know about. But we’ll certainly look into slime on your recommendation and perhaps do a review of it as a potential puncture-proof solution!
Swifty HQ on
I was wondering what your thoughts are on putting slime or another puncture prevention substance in the inner tube?
I’ve slimed all my scooter wheels after a thorn puncture on my first ride out (that wasn’t a Swifty)
It’s impossible to say whether it’s the slime or tyres which are working well but I’ve had no punctures on any of my scooters since.
Also…I just want to say how much zi adore my SwiftyOne. I miss it when I’m away for more than a couple of days!
Dan Stone on