Maximize your Unagi’s battery life
We want you to get the most out of your ride! So here’s a few tips to get the most range out of your Unagi Scooter.
Your cart is currently empty.
If you’re new to the world of electric scooters, “solid tires” might sound like a contradiction in terms.
After all, when we think of tires, we think of the circular, black rubber three-quarter-hollow tubes mounted on wheels and filled with air. Everything from airplanes to cars roll on air filled tires.
Whether we're on a motorcycle, bike, or e bike, almost all the tires on two-wheeled vehicles are pneumatic. E scooters are, for the moment, one of the few two-wheeled vehicles for adults to offer the choice between pneumatic and solid tires.
So, why would riders choose a solid tire over a pneumatic tire? Well, there are good reasons, and we’ll look at them below.
But first – pop quiz, what’s the first word that comes to mind when you hear “tire”? If you said “flat,” you passed. Because, yes, that’s the biggest problem with pneumatic tires and the biggest advantage of solid tires. They never go flat....
Some solid tires are just crude plastic circles, the kind of thing you find on children's toys. Fully solid tires provide an unforgiving ride.
Fully solid tires are found only on cheap scooters made for kids and generally offer nothing in the way of shock absorption or damping. They are also more prone to developing flat spots, which can't be fixed and require a full tire replacement.
Premium solid tires use durable, high-grade materials that maintain their shape. They also tend to use a honeycomb or vented structure, with hollow areas to provide cushioning and absorb vibration.
You'll find solid rubber air pocket tires on high quality electric scooters for adults like the Unagi Model One.
The biggest advantage of solid tires comes from the fact that they require no maintenance, in contrast to the routine air pressure checks, tube and tire repairs, and flat tire anxiety pneumatic tires tend to provoke.
In fact, if you ride an electric scooter as a lightweight urban commuter vehicle on mostly well-paved roads, you might want to ride nothing but a solid tire scooter because of their ultimate ease of use.
Solid tires can be replaced. But they only occasionally need replacing if they develop flat spots or sustain damage that puts them out of round. Such events are rare compared to the frequency of pinch flats and punctures with air filled tires.
While it's a good idea to carry a small multitool with you when riding any small vehicle, a solid tire electric scooter eliminates the need to carry a full toolkit. You won't need to pack a repair kit, tire lever, extra tube, air pump, or any of the essentials needed for proper roadside pneumatic tire care.
Solid tires do not provide as smooth a ride as pneumatic tires. They can be more jarring and uncomfortable on bumpy terrain. Pneumatic tires offer better shock absorption than their solid counterparts.
Solid tires have less traction than pneumatic tires, which can be a problem in wet or slippery conditions.
If you regularly ride or drive a vehicle with pneumatic tires, it's generally recommended that you check the tire pressure once a week.
While checking air pressure weekly can be burdensome and unnecessary with cars, when it comes to the smaller, low-volume tires on bikes and especially electric scooters, this routine become much more important.
That's because most air-filled tires on small vehicles contain an inner tube, the part of the tire that actually holds the air, and inner tubes require a minimum pressure to stay inflated.
So-called tubeless tires (which, you guessed it, lack an inner tube), are standard on cars, motorcycles, and even high-end bikes. And they are becoming increasingly common as premium electric scooter tires.
Inner tube tires offer the benefit of holding the air inside the tube rather than the tire, which means that the outer tire can take a beating and the tire can stay inflated. But once the tube is punctured, it must be repaired or replaced.
Inner tubes, however, are relatively inexpensive compared to new tires, and most riders can learn to fix a flat tire themselves.
Tubed tires must be kept at the minimum recommended tire pressure because they are subject to what are called "pinch flats," the most common type of flat tire.
A pinch flat happens when the inner tube is literally pinched between the tire and the wheel rim, resulting in two tears that look like a snakebite on the inner tube.
Pinch flats happen without warning (if you don't top off your tires), no sharp objects required.
Next to pinch flats, punctures are the next most common cause of flat tires. All tires are subject to punctures from objects in the road, including broken glass, nails and screws, and other kinds of debris that can slice through the rubber and cloth of a tire.
Punctures in the tread areas of a tire can usually be repaired, sometimes while on the road. But if the sidewall is punctured, the tire will have to be replaced.
Many tubeless pneumatic tires are puncture resistant and even have "self-healing" properties, but no tire is 100% flat proof.
There are many good reasons to ride on pneumatic tubeless tires: with no risk of pinch flats, they can be run at lower pressures for more comfort, and they have superior puncture resistance.
At lower pressures, they also provide more surface area for contact with the road, leading to greater wet and dry traction (sometimes at the cost of more rolling resistance, i.e. slower speeds).
Tubeless tires are filled with sealant which keeps the air in at the rim, or "bead," where the tire meets the wheel. This sealant also rushes into a puncture and seals it up before much air is lost, leading to the description of tubeless tires as "self healing."
All tubeless tires have this healing property to some degree. Some use a layer of self-sealing compound inside the tire to provide additional protection.
Tubeless pneumatic tires have several benefits for the serious rider (no pro cyclist rides without them these days). They can also require a pro level of maintenance.
While the average rider can learn to change an inner tube on their scooter, mounting, sealing, and filling tubeless tires with tire sealant can be a herculean effort that is best left to mechanics.
Maintenance can be a pro or con, depending on how much you enjoy working with your hands. The advantages of pneumatic tires are many, but they require some level of routine care and special equipment (tire levers, spare tubes, pump, tire pressure gauge, roadside repair kit, tire sealant, etc.).
If you don't properly maintain air filled tires, the risk of flats goes up significantly. And if you don't want to end up walking your scooter home, you'll have to learn to fix a flat tire on the road.
The drawbacks of solid tires are improving, with foam filled tires that offer more cushioning and traction without the maintenance.
But the fact is that there are different types of electric scooter tires for a reason, and not all tires are suitable for all types of electric scooter or every kind of riding.
If you plan to ride off road, you should buy a scooter with knobby off road tires.
If you're commuting longer distances at speeds over 20 mph, and you routinely encounter bumpy roads and bad weather, you might be best off with pneumatic road tires.
And if you're primarily an urban commuter who travels a few miles a day at lower speeds on city streets and sidewalks, and who doesn't want to bother fixing flats, then solid tires can be the best choice for you as the only maintenance free option.
Overall, the choice between solid and pneumatic tires will depend on the specific needs and preferences of the rider. If a smoother ride and bad weather traction are top priorities, then pneumatic tires may be the way to go. However, if durability and low maintenance are more important, then solid tires may be the better choice.
Taking an e scooter camping has taken off in recent years. If you have an all terrain electric scooter with enough power and battery life to climb hills and handle a heavier, more rugged terrain.
Scooters didn't just start as an alternative ride for popping tricks in the skatepark, in fact, they've been around for a really long time. These days it's quite common for people to own all manner of electric scooters and even electric mopeds, but who invented the scooter?
For a few years, it seemed as if city streets would soon belong to shared electric scooters and bikes. The prospect seemed to enrage as many people as it excited, and there was much wrangling over the new micromobility transportation…
Commuting is terrible, and not only in the ordinary sense of frustrating and annoying. The problem has reached the level of a public health crisis. It wastes an “astonishing” amount of “human potential,” claims The Washington Post, drains our energy…
Advances in battery technology have led to a market filled with high-quality electric scooters for everything from tooling around the neighborhood to competitive off-road racing. It’s an exciting time to buy a scooter, but also a confusing time, given the…
Micromobility has arrived. Personal electric vehicles are solving last mile problems and replacing car trips as major cities move away from car-centric infrastructure. Increasingly, commuters are realizing how much faster and easier it is to get to work on an…
As cities become more crowded and traffic worsens by the year, the old ways of commuting have become increasingly unsustainable. So, is it worth buying yourself an electric scooter?
The Covid-19 crisis has ushered in a period of sickness, fear, confusion, and fatigue across the planet. Naturally, we're all looking for a little hope. At Unagi, we're trying to carve out a humble corner of optimism by helping the…
Home to Wrigley field, beautiful skyscrapers, large parks, and public beaches along Lake Michigan, the North Side of Chicago is one of the most recognizable areas of the Windy City. The district is bordered by the Chicago River, the West…
Read more.
Read more.
Read more.
Read more.
Read more.
Read more.
Read more.
Read more.
Read more.
Are you tired of sitting in traffic, spending a fortune on gas, and constantly searching for a parking spot? Say hello to the electric scooter - your new best friend for getting around town. Let's dive into the top 5 reasons why you should buy an electric scooter this holiday season.
Want to get the most out of your electric scooter battery and extend your riding adventures? We've got you covered with our comprehensive guide full of maintenance tips and best practices.
With the addition of Chicago, Washington DC, Northern Maryland and Virginia, and NW Indiana, our All-Access scooter subscription service is now available to more than 75 million people. But we’re just getting started: we want to make Unagi the ubiquitous standard for short-distance transportation around the world.
You're already aware of many of them: Dual motors. Premium materials. Lightweight is king. And it's not difficult for anyone to see that Unagi cares about design more than any other scooter company...But the topics for today are brand, customer obsession, and our All-Access subscription service...
We’re launching our All-Access subscription service in six new cities, and expanding in two more. And with $10.5 million in new funding, we’re ready for takeoff in 2021...These areas represent a market of more than 30 million consumers – putting Unagi’s All-Access service within reach of 1 in every 10 Americans
Electric scooters are quickly overtaking other means of transportation as the best way to cover short distances. They’re lightweight, portable, convenient, and more environmentally friendly than almost any means of powered transport.
It’s more or less a given these days that micromobility solutions like electric scooters are part of a major transportation revolution “Among many [recent] technology milestones,” reported Government Technology, “one of them was certainly that...e-scooters became a fixture in many…
Telling people through paid advertisements that an electric scooter will change their life is one thing. Letting them hear it from real people who own and love their scooters is something else. Now that we all have the ability to…
Micromobility has already helped solve several modern transportation issues, and may reshape the way we get around in the near future. But small electric vehicle owners are still plagued by an ancient problem. Electric scooters present new security challenges, and…
“Is my scooter legal?” is a question many are increasingly asking. The micromobility industry is one of the fastest-growing and most exciting in the world—with promises for...in addition to abundances of the basics of time and money savings. And with this pace of innovation comes a struggle for regulation to keep up.
So, you're thinking about joining the electric scooter revolution, huh? You've seen those sleek and stylish scooters zipping around town, effortlessly gliding through traffic, and you can't help but wonder: Are electric scooters easy to ride?
Want to get the most out of your electric scooter battery and extend your riding adventures? We've got you covered with our comprehensive guide full of maintenance tips and best practices.
*Disclaimer: Unagi, INC. has used best efforts, but does not in any manner guarantee the accuracy of the below findings regarding electric scooter laws in the United States or internationally. Electric scooter riders or those considering to purchase or begin…
It’s beyond question that we must drastically reduce carbon emissions in the coming years to head off the worst effects of climate change. How we do that has been a matter of considerably drawn-out debate. As individuals, it can be…
If you're considering riding an electric scooter for the daily urban commute - or even just for recreation - this article will give you the lowdown on getting insurance for an electric scooter.
New modes of transportation have been popping up all over the place thanks to incredible developments in lithium-ion battery and electric motor technology. These include electric bikes, innovative modern electric scooters like Unagi, as well as the shared scooters clustered…
You’ve seen them all over your city’s streets, and everyone who rides one looks absolutely thrilled. So, why haven’t you picked up your own folding electric scooter yet? Maybe you’re worried about whether e-scooters require a driver’s license, or a…
It’s a reasonable question to ask. After all, it seems like the safer option. Can you, and should you, ride an electric scooter on the sidewalk? In many cases, the answer is no: you cannot. Story after story in electric…
The basis and the premise of my work is that we either operate out of love or we operate out of fear...Time is currency. The coolest thing about the scooters is that it's really quick, and it goes uphill. From there, traveling more efficiently and having a good time doing it--I think that's the most important thing.
Cynthia Leu has a full plate. A tech worker by day, Cynthia spends her off time balancing the parallel lives of a powerlifter, entrepreneur, mental health advocate, and more. Riding Unagi helps this USMC veteran cut down on everyday…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m2hVBE62LY Rasheed Muhammad is sick of Los Angeles traffic. In order to preserve his sanity, Rasheed has traded his everyday driving habit for the portable and beautiful Unagi Model One. It’s an essential accessory for navigating LA streets -- and…
Rich Lee, Co-Founder of San Francisco’s SPRO Coffee Lab, wants to share his love for coffee with the world. He depends on riding Unagi to avoid the hassle of navigating the parking crunch in the booming Mission Bay neighborhood.…