Let’s talk protective gear. Whether you ride electric scooters, electric unicycles, e-skates or any other type of micro-mobility, you’ll be needing some level of protection from any potential falls or accidents.
This blog post is a guest blog from Philip Chan (@scooterlifelondon) and a member of the PET community, sharing his thoughts on protective gear after years of riding.
What is the Best Combination of Protective Gear?
The level and combination of protection necessary can be considered by the speed you travel, your riding environment and the potential severity in the case of an accident and the weather conditions. Below are some of my personal recommendations for choosing which gear to wear in some different scenarios. Hopefully it will be of help to you finding your own personal preference for protective gear when riding your electric scooter, electric unicycle or any e-skate.
- Are you someone who rides low performance PEV’s at 15mph or less, and occasionally commute shorter distances on quieter roads with some cars, buses, cyclists and generally just ride more casually for leisure purposes?
Then a trail half face helmet and mountain bike gloves should be reasonable. - Are you someone who rides mid range PEV’s at 15-25mph, regularly commuting longer distances on busy roads with lots of cars, buses, cyclists and other road users?
Then I recommend to wear a full face helmet, mountain bike gloves and knee pads and arm pads.
- Are you someone who rides high performance PEVs at speeds greater than 25mph, and regularly commute longer distances on busy roads with lots of cars, buses, cyclist and mainly rides for daily commuting purposes?
Then I highly recommend to wear a full face helmet, motor cycle jacket or full body amour, shin pads and MX gloves.
Note – the above are just some outlines and suggestions that should be taken with a pinch of salt. As a PEV rider, only you know your personal riding situation and riding style, therefore it is ultimately up to you, when deciding about protective gear and the best options four you.
Overall I think it is hard to categorise distinctively which protective gear should worn in which situations, as every situation is different and ultimately every person is different and has different preferences when it comes to riding and using protective gear.
My personal favourites
Enduro Helmets – as they offer great full face protection, whilst remaining cool and light on my head (PET stocks Kali, check them out)
Motor cross jacket- as an all in one package jacket that you can easily wear and will provide you with abrasion resistance and CE rated body protection (PET stocks ultra cool Lazyrolling amour, you’re gonna love these)
Shin pads – as they provide full leg protection
Motocross gloves with a built in wrist guard – as they provide full protection to the hands and stop you braking your wrist, all whilst providing the flexibility and the breathability of a normal MTB/MX gloves
I can 100 percent recommend them for their awesome selection PEV products, excellent in house and servicing (the best in London), warranty and most importantly complete honesty and transparency about advise and recommendations, to help you find the perfect PEV to suit your requirements and needs.
If you would like to support my work please follow my social media (listed below) and if choose to purchase an electric scooter, EUC, Onewheel or any other PEV from PET, the CODE : #GOELECTRIC will give you £50 off for your first purchase. Please feel free to message/contact me with any questions,I will be happy answer, and be of help where possible.
– Phil
Protection Recommendations
Lazyrolling / Dainese / Leat / Fox / Rst / Thor / Alpine star
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