One of the great things about having consistent live videos on Amazon and Instagram is the ability to deliver helpful product information. Not only to potential and future customers, but also existing SWAGTRON owners. These videos, cohosted by SWAGTRON’s own dynamic duo — David M. and Cyrus M. (no relation) — provide a lot of valuable tips and tricks with everything from our hoverboards and electric bikes to our electric scooters. Such was the case with our ever-popular Swagger 5 Elite eScooter and an important PSA the team recently delivered: “The rear fender is not a brake.”

Watch David and Cyrus explain in this Amazon Live video:

An Understandable Confusion

As scooters grew more popular and ubiquitous, people became accustomed to the standard frame and design language of a standard, non-electric scooter, as well as the basic functions. In other words, if they see a rear fender on a kick scooter or a stunt scooter, you can rest assured that it’s likely a rear foot brake. But with an electric scooter, the brakes are usually in easily accessed around the handle — a hand brake, a button or both. The rear fender of an electric scooter is likely housing important electrical components, including motor connections or brake light connections. Slamming down on the fender with your foot might damage important wiring components.

Aside from fulfilling expected design language and protecting important wiring, the fender also holds the folding hook to keep the Swagger 5 Elite locked in place when folded.

That rear hook connects with the folding latch, located on the handlebar.

This makes folding the Swagger 5 Elite a snap — literally!

So remember, while the rear fender is a lot of things — a mud guard, a familiar design aesthetic, wire shielding — the one thing it’s not, is a brake. And using it as such will not only damage your Swagger 5 Elite, it will also void the warranty.

As always, if you have questions or run into any problems, hit us up. We’re here to help.

— Keep Riding!

So there you were, cruising along, enjoying the weather, pondering the mysteries of life. And then it happened. Some inconsiderate road-dwelling debris jacked up your Swagger 5 Elite front tire. How rude.

Flats. Slow leaks. Eventually, every air-filled tire has to deal with these issues. And while the rear tire for the Swagger 5 Elite has a maintenance-free, airless, honeycomb design, the front tire is pneumatic — meaning, it’s air-filled — and is susceptible to flats and slow leaks. You might find that the front tire doesn’t hold its inflation, which we all know is important to scooter performance. Fortunately, there’s a quick, easy fix.

Fix Swagger 5 Elite Tire – Quick Jump

1. Gather Tools
2. Clean and Inspect
3. Deflate Inner Tube
4. Remove Valve Core
5. Apply Tire Sealant
6. Spin to Spread
7. Spin, Inflate, Repeat
8. Check Your Work

GATHER YOUR TOOLS

As with any project, start by gathering all the tools you might need. For this fix, you’ll need:

• Tire sealant
• Valve core removal tool
• Tire pump
• Spray bottle full of soapy water
• Microfiber towel
• Needle-nose pliers

CLEAN AND INSPECT

Start by inspecting your tire and rim for damage. Thoroughly wipe down the whole wheel with your microfiber cloth to get rid of any road dirt. Then, remove the valve cap and fill the tire with air.

Flip the scooter on its side and spray the tire rim with the soapy water. Watch for bubbles. Bubbles will form where the leak is.

DEFLATE INNER TUBE

Flip the scooter back to an upright position. Depress the pin inside the valve. Press down on the tire to deflate the inner tube.

REMOVE THE VALVE CORE

Lay the scooter back on its side. Now it’s time to create an opening for the tire sealant application. To do this, use the needle-nose pliers to hold the valve core still. Insert the valve core remover and twist counterclockwise until the valve core is released.

APPLY TIRE SEALANT

Remove the blue cap from the tire sealant syringe and insert the tip of the syringe into the valve. Slowly depress the syringe until it is empty, then use a towel to thoroughly wipe away any excess sealant from the tire and rim. You don’t want it gathering dirt.

Next, you’ll reinsert the valve core. Carefully insert the core, still attached to the valve core remover, and twist clockwise until it is secure.

SPIN TO SPREAD

Spin the wheel several times in both directions to spread the sealant thoroughly around the inside of the inner tube. Flip the scooter back into an upright position and inflate the tire to 60 PSI. Do not over-inflate the tire.

SPIN, INFLATE, REPEAT

After inflation, lift the scooter and hold it sideways. Spin the tire repeatedly in both directions while rotating the handlebars back and forth to thoroughly spread the sealant even more and allow it to move into the cracks.

Check the tire pressure again. If it’s gone down, inflate the tire to 60 PSI again and give it another spin — as you did a moment ago. Repeat this process until the tire stops deflating. Be patient; it might take a while.

CHECK YOUR WORK

Get your bottle of soapy water and spray the rim again to check for leaks. If you don’t get any bubbles around the rim, you’re leak-free!

Give the tire and rim one final wipe down to get rid of the soapy water and any sealant that may have seeped out onto the wheel.

That’s it — you’re done!

If you find that you’re constantly inflating the front tire of your Swagger 5 Elite eScooter more than usual, or that the tire isn’t holding air in it at all, reach out to SWAGTRON customer service and we’ll expedite our tire kit to you. You’ll be up and running again in no time!

Powerful and robust, the Swagger 5 packs a lot of power into its 26-pound frame. But the Swagstrap is more than up for the task!

Attaching the Swagstrap to your Swagger 5 Elite

1. Fold the Swagger 5 Elite:

• Turn the collar counterclockwise to unlock the latch.
• Fold the latch down then pull the stem down towards the deck.
• Line up the handlebars with the rear bumper so that the lock connects to the hook.

2. Loop the Swagstrap’s front buckle around the neck, close to the hinge, then clasp to secure:

3. Pull any excess strap:

4. Lastly, loop the Swagstrap around the bottom of the deck and over-top the stem:

Now you’re strapped up and ready to go!

Carry on with a Swagstrap eScooter Shoulder Strap Today

 
Still have questions? Feel free to reach out to our expert team of customer service specialists. Our team is available via email, live chat or by phone, and is fully staffed in the U.S.

And don’t forget: Just because we’ve delivered your Swagger, doesn’t mean we’re closing the door on you. SWAGTRON® is known for its world-class customer support. You can always reach out to us via live chat and email. Our support team, fully staffed in the U.S., is here to answer questions and provide the information you might need.

First Steps Before You Ride Your Swagger 5 Elite

1. Check for Carrier Damage
2. Get Organized
3. Familiarize Yourself with the Manual
4. Assemble Brake Handle & Handle Grips
5. Inflate the Tire
6. Power Up!
7. Got Questions? Contact SWAGTRON®

Follow along with our First-Steps video:

Check for Carrier Damage

Roughly 1 to 2 percent of freight shipments end up damaged. Now if you’re a gambler, those might be good odds. But there’s still the chance — however small — that your shipment has suffered some form of damage while in transit. Your best bet then is to inspect your delivery for carrier damage. At the first sign of damage, contact SWAGTRON® directly.

Get Organized — Pull Everything from the Box

Culinary artists call it mise en place — literally, “everything in its place.” Basically, it means organizing and arranging all the tools and ingredients you’ll need to prepare a meal. It’s definitely a philosophy we can incorporate here.

Carefully remove the contents from the box. And use the manual as a guide to make sure you have all the parts you need.

And speaking of . . .

Familiarize Yourself with the Manual

The manual contains a lot of important information. From the included parts (mentioned above) and assembly instructions to riding tips and warranty details. The manual will be your go-to guide to riding your Swagger 5 Elite. Before you begin assembly, read over the manual. And once you’re done putting your Swagger together, read the “How To Ride” section before you actually take your first ride. A perfect time to do this is while charging the scooter.

Assemble Brake Handle & Handle Grips

You’ve read the manual. You’ve double-checked that you have all the necessary parts and tools. Now it’s time to assemble your Swagger. Don’t worry, there’s nothing complicated about the assembly. Attach the brake handle to the bar using the included 5-millimeter hex key. Make sure it’s secured on nice and tight.

Tips for assembling the handle grips:

• Face forward when installing — as though you’re riding the scooter
• Twist the handles toward you to tighten.

Follow this video for step-by-step instructions. (Starts at the 0:57 mark.)

Inflate the Tire

The rear tire on your Swagger 5 Elite uses a maintenance-free airless honeycomb design. But the front tire is pneumatic, meaning it’s filled with air. This helps smooth out rides, but it also means you’ll need to check the tire’s air pressure before every ride.

And the front tire will have deflated while in transit. So, after you’ve assembled everything, you will need to inflate the tire to the recommended 28 PSI. Proper tire pressure can prevent flats and increase efficiency including speed and range per charge.

Read more on why proper tire inflation is important to the longevity and performance of your Swagger 5 Elite.

Power Up!

Hand brake assembled and secured?
Handles assembled and tight?
Front tire inflated?

Great! Now you’re ready to power up!

As a shipping precaution, the Swagger 5 Elite is only charged up about 50 percent out of the warehouse. So you will definitely need to charge it up before you ride. Use the included charging adapter — and only the charging adapter that comes with your Swagger 5 Elite.

Our charger comes with an integrated battery indicator that will light up red when charging. The indicator color changes to green when the Swagger 5 is fully charged. This should take anywhere from two to three hours.

The Swagger 5 Elite’s battery is a highly efficient lithium-ion battery, protected with a smart Battery Management System (BMS) and our proprietary SentryShield battery safeguards for worry-free charging. But you should avoid leaving it on the charger for long periods of time after it has been fully charged.

Now that you’re fully charged, you’re ready to roll. Be sure to grab your protective gear before you ride. That means elbow and knee pads and ASTM-certified helmet. Need help finding the perfect fit for your helmet? We’ve got you covered!

Got Questions? Contact SWAGTRON®

As always, if you have any questions or issues, you can always reach out to us directly for expedited service. Our team of customer service professionals are available via email, live chat or by phone, and are fully staffed in the U.S.

Special Reminder: Daily Maintenance Checks

Remember to check the front tire’s air pressure before every ride. Occasionally, you might find that you need some general maintenance, e.g., tighten brakes or tighten the stem. Maintenance on the Swagger 5 Elite isn’t difficult. But we won’t leave you hanging. We have a video that will guide you through this process too.

Keeping up with regular maintenance checks is a surefire way to get the most out of your Swagger 5 Elite.

The same holds true for the Swagger 5 Elite.

We’ve built the Swagger 5 using an airless honeycomb-design for the rear tire. This enhances the durability of the eScooter, increasing the maximum weight it can sustain, while also making it virtually maintenance-free. No flats, no punctures, but still a smooth, compliant ride. But the front tire is air-filled, like a bicycle. That’s to add flexibility and smoothness to the ride.

This combination is ideal in that it lets the Swagger 5 Elite handle bumpy rides better than other scooters that only use solid tires. But having an air-filled front tire means that riders need to stay on top of tire pressure and inflation.

Here’s how to check and maintain proper tire pressure for your Swagger 5 Elite. After the video, we’ll discuss why it’s important, offer some tips for finding the perfect PSI for your Swagger and how to maintain it.

WHY IS TIRE INFLATION IMPORTANT?

When it comes to air-filled tires on any vehicle, under-inflated tires can present several problems — poor handling, loss of battery efficiency or fuel economy, poor braking reliability and low performance. Low tire pressure is one factor in preventing riders from reaching top speeds and can lower your range per charge significantly.

HOW MUCH PSI SHOULD I RUN ANYWAY?

This isn’t exactly a question with a simple answer, so it’s understandable that many riders get this wrong. There are a lot of variables at play when determining the “perfect” tire pressure for whatever you’re riding. People tend to believe that tires should be inflated at the air pressure stamped on the sidewall, but this is totally incorrect.

But optimal tire pressure should be found in the owner’s manual of your bike or scooter. This is just a starting point, though (we’ll get into that a bit later).

BUT MY TIRES SAY . . .

Undoubtedly, you’ve looked on the sidewall of your tires and seen a Max PSI number stamped on it. Those have to do with the load index of the tire itself — basically stating what is the most pressure that tire is built to handle. Tire manufacturers deliver millions of tires. They’re not told what the tires are being used for — bike, scooter, motorcycle. And without knowing what kind of bike or scooter their tires will be installed on, they can’t really tell you what PSI you should be running them with.

But the manufacturer of your electric bike or eScooter understands the kinds of demands it will be placing on the rubber it’s riding on, so they are the ones who determine what the proper tire pressure should be.

You’ll notice the front tire of our flagship electric scooter — the Swagger 5 Elite — will say 65 PSI. That does not mean you should inflate that tire to 65 PSI. Instead, go by our recommended inflation of 28 PSI. This will give the air in the tire enough “room” to move around when you’re riding on the scooter.

FACTORS THAT CAN AFFECT RECOMMENDED TIRE PRESSURE

These are three of the factors that can affect the recommended tire pressure.

OUTDOOR TEMPERATURE

Air pressure in tires fluctuates as temperature changes. Heat expands air; cold contracts air. But it’s not just the temperature outdoors that matters. As you ride, the friction between the tire and the pavement generates heat. Every time you brake, that also generates heat. The resulting friction-generated heat will affect tire pressure.

RIDER WEIGHT

More weight pushing down on the Swagger 5 Elite’s front tire will compress the air inside more. The more that the rider weighs, the more pressure is needed to counter the effect of this compression. Larger riders will need higher tire pressure. Remember: 28 PSI is optimal starting point for the Swagger 5, but heavier riders might need to go up a few PSI if the tire looks like it’s compressing too much under your weight.

(If you’re not getting good performance from the Swagger 5 — i.e., the range per charge is low or you can’t reach top speeds — you might need to inflate the front tire more.)

SURFACE CONDITIONS

Flat, even pavement is the best riding condition we could have. Unfortunately, cities rarely have them. Pavements are bumpy, uneven often have slight (or not-so-slight) inclines. These surface conditions will affect the performance of any rideable, electric or otherwise. If you have a traditional bike, for instance, you’ll have to work harder to pedal through hilly downtown San Fran than you would the (relatively) flat local streets of Indianapolis. The optimal tire pressure in those two cities would be equally different — even for the same bike!

HOW TO GET THE RIGHT TIRE INFLATION

You should find the minimum and maximum pressure on the tire itself. But this is a guideline based on the tire material, not based on the tire’s use. In other words, the tire manufacturer determines these numbers without regard to how the tire will be used. They leave actual, optimal tire pressure to the manufacturer of the eBike or electric scooter — or whatever the tire is being used for. So always follow the user manual and never exceed the maximum written on the tire. And that goes with any rideable with air-filled tires.

EXTRA TIPS FOR FINDING THE BEST TIRE PRESSURE FOR YOUR SWAGGER 5 ELITE:

• Get a small portable pressure gauge. Inflate the tire to the recommended pressure. For the Swagger 5 Elite, that’s 28 PSI.
• With the Swagger 5 Elite’s compact design, you will need to get a valve extender, like the one shown in the video. A lot of portable pressure gauges and air pumps have them, but they are also sold separately and are quite inexpensive.
• Consider the temperature outside. If it’s hotter than 90-degrees Fahrenheit, take out about 2 PSI.
• Go for a ride and take the pump with you.
• Notice a harsh ride? Take out about 2 PSI and ride some more.
• Monitor your speed as you experiment with different tire pressures. The SWAGGER 5 app is perfect for this. You’ll be able to see how different tire pressure affects your speed.

While there is no absolute “perfect” tire pressure, there is a “perfect for you” tire pressure. And it’s certainly worth taking the time to finding the PSI that is best for your weight, altitude and surface conditions. After a bit of experimenting, you’ll soon find the pressure that’s best suited for you and your riding style.

STAYING ON TOP OF YOUR TIRES

You’ve checked the owner’s manual. You know how much the tire should be inflated. The next step is to stay on top of your tire inflation. Over time, a tire will lose air, especially with regular use. The front tire of the Swagger 5 Elite will likewise need to be topped off after a while.

How long?

As with anything, that depends. It depends on your use, your weight and the pavement you ride on. The recommendation is to make it a habit to check tire pressure weekly. But we suggest checking it daily or, at the very least, before every ride. You’ll want to make a habit of making sure the front tire is properly inflated and topping it off when necessary.

• Use a tire gauge that’s simple, accurate and effective. A good quality gauge can be used with all your vehicles — cars, bikes and more.
• Check tire pressure when the Swagger 5 is “cold,” meaning it hasn’t been ridden on for at least an hour. The friction from riding and braking will generate heat, which in turn expands air and increases tire pressure.

Proper tire inflation is important. Staying on top of your tire pressure is equally so. With the above knowledge and tips, you’re well on your way to having the best possible riding experience you can with your Swagger 5 Elite. Not only that, but these tips can follow you throughout your outdoor riding life.

Mountain bikes. eBikes. Dune Buggies. If they have air in the tires, then those tires will need proper inflation and maintenance. And you’re now armed with the knowledge needed to get the perfect tire inflation for your ride.

— Happy riding!

The Swagger 5 Elite is in a league of its own. It’s everything you want in a flagship electric scooter from a company known for producing top-quality rideables — electric or otherwise. Robust. Durable. Feature-rich. The Swagger 5 Elite is truly a powerhouse. But with great power comes great responsibility.

And that responsibility is maintenance.

Keeping your electric scooter in tip-top shape is key to maintaining optimal performance and long-lasting durability. But it doesn’t have to be complicated. Fortunately, with the Swagger 5 Elite, it isn’t!

4 tips for maintaining optimal performance on your Swagger 5 Elite:

1. Keep the Front Tire Properly Inflated
2. Kick Off with Your Feet First
3. Adjust Brakes for Better Stopping
4. Be Mindful of the Terrain

Keep the Front Tire Properly Inflated

We talk a lot about maintaining proper tire inflation and why it’s important. Because it is important. Low tire pressure can negatively impact the your Swagger 5 Elite’s performance. Everything from not being able to ride far on a single charge to reaching the maximum speeds can be attributed to poor tire inflation. That’s why we consider this the number one way to maintain optimal performance. Not only in your Swagger 5 Elite, but in any rideable you own that has air-filled tires. Cars. Bikes. Dune Buggies. If it has air, make sure it’s properly inflated.

Here’s how to properly inflate the front tire of your Swagger 5 Elite:

Kick Off with Your Feet First

This is a trick we use to preserve the longevity both the motor and the battery of your Swagger 5 Elite. When riding, you can stand with both feet on the deck, using the scooter’s throttle to start moving. Doing this means that the battery and motor are doing all the work to get going. This puts added strain on the battery and motor, making them work harder to perform.

Instead, kick off with one foot until you get to the speed you want. Then use the throttle to keep yourself moving forward at the speed you want. Engage in cruise control for consistency. This puts less stress on the motor, adding to its longevity. And your battery won’t have to work quite so hard, so its charge will last longer.

Adjust Brakes for Better Stopping

It’s understandable that you want to go, go, go! with your Swagger 5 Elite. But you’ll also want stopping power that is fast, precise and consistent. Over time you might need to adjust the brakes. You might also need to adjust them when you first get your scooter. Everyone’s style and comfort level is different. So here’s how to get your brakes just right:

Be Mindful of the Terrain

Flat, even pavement is the best riding condition we could have. Unfortunately, cities rarely have them. Pavements are bumpy, uneven often have slight (or not-so-slight) inclines. These surface conditions will affect the performance of any rideable, electric or otherwise. If you have a traditional bike, for instance, you’ll have to work harder to pedal through hilly downtown San Fran than you would the (relatively) flat local streets of Indianapolis.

• Keep a moderate, consistent speed.
• Rough terrains or slopes can decrease your Swagger 5’s performance.

Following these four simple tips will help you get the most out of your Swagger 5 Elite. From tire pressure to brake adjustments, maintaining optimal performance is as simple as keeping up on the scooter’s general maintenance.

Check out our full hassle-free maintenance video: