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Female, 32, India.
Height: 5 feet 5 inches.
Weight: 50kg

I ride Jupiter scooter. It takes me 35 minutes from home to office. The roads are not great nor is the traffic. My commute timings cannot be changed.

I experience noticeable fatigue after the journey.
What can I do to minimize the physical fatigue I get by driving scooter?

Aquarius_Girl
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  • Use Google Maps to check traffic before you start & plan alternatives routes if that is possible. Explore car pooling options – mvark Jan 06 '18 at 12:28
  • For back support: use a lumbar support back brace. Arm pain from your “grip” sounds like stress/fear. Try to be conscious of how hard you are gripping. Riding a scooter anywhere can be stressful because you’re so exposed. Keep situational awareness and relax a little. – M.Mat Nov 23 '19 at 03:43

4 Answers4

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This might be a medical issue - as the scooter is motorised, its clearly not the physical effort making you tired. There is mental effort, negotiating traffic on the way, but that wouldn't really explain your tiredness UNLESS you find the drive terrifying or it makes you feel panicked or very stressed every time. That would cause fatigue. Not sure how you could reduce your anxiety about the journey other than simply becoming accustomed to it over time.

If you're fatigued after the journey home as well as the journey to work, and the journey is always in heavy traffic, the next likeliest explanation is your intake of pollutants in the air on the journey. Even persons driving a car with the windows closed show high levels of pollutants in their blood after a 20 minute drive, mostly caused by all the traffic on the roads. Sensitive individuals may respond to air borne pollutants by unconsciously hyperventilating, and that alone can make a person feel tired, never mind the effort the body has to go to try to deal with the toxins in the system. In which case, I suggest you do some research and find a suitable and efficient mask you can wear to reduce or minimize the amount of fumes and pollutants you're breathing in to see if that helps.

The link below is for a pollution mask favoured by some cyclists in London, no idea if you can get it where you are, but its more comfortable to wear than most and fits better on female faces:

http://totobobo.com/

Respro is another brand much more commonly used though I can't speak for the efficacy of either of these.

If, though, you experience this fatigue at other times when you're not riding your scooter, a visit to the doctor is probably called for to eliminate other possible, health related reasons.

Bamboo
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You may consider reducing various environmental issues that could be fatiguing you while you ride:

  • Reduce the absolute level of noise with semi-permeable earplugs (enough blocking to keep you from being deafened, but NOT enough to make you deaf!)
  • Better padding on the seat
  • Better back support (not sure how this would work)
  • Pollution mask (as suggested by @Bamboo)
  • Make sure you don't grip the handlebars too tightly
Daniel Griscom
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    I am gripping too tightly actually. I can feel the pain in my arms. Can you suggest some? – Aquarius_Girl Jul 09 '15 at 00:30
  • What kind of back support can you recommend? – Aquarius_Girl Jul 09 '15 at 00:30
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    I'm not sure a better handlebar grip would help, but perhaps training yourself not to grip so tightly. I'll edit the answer correspondingly. – Daniel Griscom Jul 09 '15 at 00:35
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    I am a scooter rider too. To start with I was really tense about it and I often had sore muscles after my 15-minute commute. I had to force myself to sit up straight, not to hang on the handlebars, to be relaxed. Sit a bit further forward so your arms are not tense. – RedSonja Jul 09 '15 at 08:52
  • It is also good to concentrate on the road 50 metres in front of you, and not to look straight down. This helps you relax too, because you can see what's going on. – RedSonja Jul 09 '15 at 08:52
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Default Jupiter handlebar contains harder cover and this causes pain while using accelerator for 30+ minutes.

By changing handlebar grips with new foam or sponge material handlebar can reduce wrist and shoulder pain.

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karthik
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Exercise more.

It sounds like the hardest thing you do all day is ride the scooter twice for 35 minutes.

The one hardest thing you do, is going to be the most exhausting.

Increasing your overall body strength as well as focusing on muscles that get the most use on the scooter, will all help decrease the impact the ride has on you.

Exercise at home for 30 minutes each day, in time you will only be fatigued at the end of the exercise at home. It will make your ride to work, safer and more comfortable.

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James Jenkins
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