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Gotway 14 (MCMs2) - my first wheel! Another newbie's journal


johnc415

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I know there are many people who have posted their first days learning so I'm hoping this will entertain/inform anyone who takes the time to read!

Quick facts about me:

1. This is my first time ever on an EU

2. I consider myself an active person; I love to play basketball and love snowboarding! I enjoy hiking, road-biking, and other active stuff

3. Slim build, I weight approx 155 lbs (70kg)

4. Motivation for the EU was for commuting to work in NYC (see how I came to choose GW14 here) and it seemed like a lot of fun

Finally, I want to give shout-outs to Admin esaj, Gotway/Kingsong reseller Kevin Lee (kevin.lee@silverland.com.hk), and the many who gave helpful feedback on my post in #4 and the rest of this EU forum community!

Day 1

Like others here, I was like a child on Christmas day getting my package - couldn't wait! 

IMG_0889.thumb.JPG.a979822f0070a8c970cc6IMG_0885.thumb.JPG.2467dd57e5d1c04b2a8f5IMG_0887.thumb.JPG.ecd82b3b77a8f5f1b5dfc

Pics of Gotway 14 340 Hz just out of box and then with the pads. The whole process from order to door took 8 days! Ordered on 6/17 and received package in NJ from Hong Kong on 6/25.

During my waiting period, I continued to do research and made some preparations. I realized I would benefit greatly from the GW android app that is available as it is able to set the riding mode (soft medium hard), turn OFF first 2 levels of annoying truck-in-reverse-beeps, and show your speed in km (which is important so you know when the 'shut-off' speed hits and you don't faceplant). B/C I have an iphone and iOS isn't supported, I purchased a used 4.1 android smartphone on eBay for $50 to use for the previously stated reasons and as a wifi multi-media device (but no cellular service - I like my iphone very much :) ). For protection, I borrowed my fiance's dual-splint wrist guards she used while learning to snowboard this past winter. Finally, before heading out, I watched this Ninebot One tuturial a couple times.

I got to spend about 1.5 hrs outside. Luckily, I found an empty parking lot for a bagel-shop near my apartment complex just across from me and it even had a hand rail for me to utilize! Perfect as it was off to the side where I could practice without getting everyone's attention.

I spent a good 45-50 min trying to just stay on and go a few yards. I tried to simply go back and forth and get more comfortable with the feel of the wheel while relying heavily on the hand rail next to me. I couldn't get on without using the rail for the life of me and really, I felt like I didn't make much progress. I also wasn't sure which foot to use as my "lead" foot when mounting. The dude in the above tutorial uses his right foot to 'Control the vehicle by one foot' and that confused me b/c it felt unnatural (I just realized now that he suggests using your left if its more comfortable).

During this time, I kept thinking, in order to gain balance, you need to be relaxed and ensure your center of gravity isn't falling to any side too much. I then started thinking about snowboarding and back to when I first learned to carve. It made me remember how being scared always hampered my progress so I decided to stop using the rails. I then "lead" with my left foot, ditching the right foot "lead" approach. After a good 15 long minutes of frustration and no success, it occurred to me that carving in snowboarding requires you to lean your weight forward to maneuver your board. So I did just that, lead with my left foot, hopped on with my right, and immediately leaned slightly forward to move and gain balance and BAM! It all clicked!! The progress was very sudden, like Tellah learning to cast "meteor" all of a sudden (does anyone get that reference?). So for the next 25 or so minutes, I was cruising around in circles in the empty parking lot and it felt really nice. I saw my sister get off the bus stop a few good yards away so I tried to make my way to her and cross the street but sadly crashed my wheel to the ground and had to hop off. I def still have some ways to go but am very pleased after my first day! Can't wait to hop on tomorrow, I hope it doesn't rain...

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As it seems you now have a certain rudimentary ability you'll be better next time you go out to make it a short journey rather than going round and round a car park.

Try to set yourself a target of a coffee shop or cafe that's 2 or 3 miles away. Have a coffee and then head back. Try to choose a reasonably quiet time/route but don't be put off by pedestrians, you can always step off as they pass if your at all worried. They'll probably want to ask you about the wheel anyway.

You'll be surprised how quickly you improve when you actually get out travelling with a target destination.

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Good to hear you got your wheel and got going with it! Probably snowboarding and other activities that require more balance help you to get on with it fairly fast. Still, I wouldn't suggest riding in the streets in a more populous city like New York or Newark, NJ (I don't know if you live near the center or somewhere else with less people, but even Newark has around 4400 people/square km and NYC goes >10000/square km), until you at the very minimum can mount pretty much everytime without a hitch, dismount without the wheel going anywhere (with strap or not), do fast stopping without problems, crawl and do fairly tight turns. You should be able to follow your surroundings without needing to concentrate so much on riding, so you don't hit anyone/anything. I wouldn't rush it, until at least you feel you are in good control of the wheel.

I live in the outskirts of a small city (well, there aren't pretty much anything but small cities in Finland) with a population of about 135000, and fairly low population density (about 100/square km), but didn't dare to visit the town center until after about a month of training. Later at night, outside the town center, you can go for kilometers without seeing anyone, and even during the day/evening there aren't that many people. The busy days on the streets more uptown here are probably more like normal or quiet days there, with the exception of something like street festivals or the once-a-year marina event I rode through. ;) 

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Day 2

Started off in the same parking lot, trying to pick up where I left off. Definitely took a good 5-10 min to get going again and another 5-10 getting to the point of comfort I was at last night. Started earlier so thankfully the mosquitoes and other insects weren't out yet (this time I wore a long sleeve in anticipation of getting bit but forgot my wrist guards!). I then proceeded to try to practice my turning and figure 8's. I noticed turning right was a lot easier than turning left. I'd say I spent a good half hour just practicing the figure 8's. The first half felt like I wasn't really getting any better but by the next 15 min, it felt slightly more natural to turn (still a work in progress at the moment). 

After that session, I wanted to venture and found myself cruising down the roads in my small town. I began to go where the roads seemed most 'friendly' and void of busy traffic. I was riding down the street where the cars traveled and not the sidewalks at this point. I got to explore parts of my town I never bothered to see - I had no reason to wander to the back parts of the town where its just residential. Saw some nice houses I never expected to see! This was a lot of fun! This whole exploring town journey went on for 1.5 hrs and I had to come back when my battery was beginning to dip to 1 light (out of 4); during my ride, I unmounted to cross the busier streets as I didn't wanna end up in a hospital. Also, some of the streets that had more cars going thru it forced me onto the sidewalk which gave me good practice riding on a narrow path bracing the uneven sidewalk blocks. 

As for progress on my mounting, I'd say I am able to successfully mount with my foot in the proper comfortable position perhaps 60% of the time. It's taking me a couple/few times of leading with my left and hopping on with my right foot. 

Today's total distance traversed was 14.63 km with a top speed at 22.2 km/h! I simply started to back off with the initial warning beeps. I am curious to push it a bit faster but I want to be cautious and take my time with it. 

All in all, a great 2nd day! I'll post up pictures of my wheel after the few crash-stops I've had and perhaps a video of my run in a few days! 

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Day 3

Saturday was rainy for most of the day so I took the day off of riding and instead went to Home Depot to buy some anti-slip grippy tape today to apply to the metal pedals. It was a quick and simple process and today I was really glad I took the time to do that.

I took it out late afternoon. Once again, started with a quick practice session in the empty parking lot doing figure 8's - still not completely there in terms of making tight circles; this will be something I need to keep at and get more comfortable doing. I only continued these for a total of 10 min perhaps. Today I had a precise destination in mind that I knew was a couple miles away and it's a small neighboring town I hardly ever go to. Based on the google maps, it seemed like a simple route so off I ventured on the sidewalks to my neighboring town!  

I became more and more comfortable riding on the narrow sidewalks with lots of bumps and uneven surfaces. The directions there were very simple, just going straight for a decent while, turning right, and then proceeding straight again for a longer while. When I finally got near the destination, I realized there was a large hill to climb! It was quite steep but I was happy to experience first hand how well the GW handled the hill. Definitely felt a little different going up a hill than simple flat roads. I could sense the battery took a hit going up the hill as the next light on the battery gauge began blinking. Thankfully however, going back down the hill later caused some of the battery to recharge which was nice, seeing the brakes-charging the battery in action. I also got my first time ride on grass, a little mud, and on a rocky path - which I wonder if I should try to avoid. I imagine I should avoid rocky paths as the pebbles seem to kick up and my concern would be that it would enter the wheel and cause problems. 

As this was my first ride out in the public roads, I did get a lot of looks and head turns. One car even stopped a few yards ahead of me to ask me about what it is I was riding. Had a quick friendly chat and proceeded to make my way back in the drizzling rain. It was the longest ride I took yet and I feel I definitely did a lot, from hill climbing/descending, sidewalking riding, dirt riding, and riding in the rain. The project of applying anti-slip grippy tape to the pedals yesterday was a very good idea as it came in extremely handy today while riding in the rain. While I wasn't expecting it to rain again, it did halfway thru my ride and without the grip tape, I fear it would've proved a lot more difficult to mount on the wheel. A great 3rd session, I can't wait for the next ride!

Trip stats:

Total distance: 21.6km (13.4 miles)! 
Top speed: probably between 20-25 km/h according to the GW app (which I hear is inflated by 3 km/h or so)

0628152356.jpg

0628152356a.jpg

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Day 3

I became more and more comfortable riding on the narrow sidewalks with lots of bumps and uneven surfaces. The directions there were very simple, just going straight for a decent while, turning right, and then proceeding straight again for a longer while. When I finally got near the destination, I realized there was a large hill to climb! It was quite steep but I was happy to experience first hand how well the GW handled the hill. Definitely felt a little different going up a hill than simple flat roads. I could sense the battery took a hit going up the hill as the next light on the battery gauge began blinking. Thankfully however, going back down the hill later caused some of the battery to recharge which was nice, seeing the brakes-charging the battery in action. I also got my first time ride on grass, a little mud, and on a rocky path - which I wonder if I should try to avoid. I imagine I should avoid rocky paths as the pebbles seem to kick up and my concern would be that it would enter the wheel and cause problems. 

Sounds good, you're getting it fast! :)  Small pebbles and such shouldn't be much of a problem, as far as I've understood, Gotways battery and mainboard compartment are accessed from the outside (under the sidepads), so they shouldn't end up scraping the mainboard or battery pack. Also the motor itself should be pretty well sealed, I doubt anything can in there. Of course the small rocks might scratch the inside of the plastic in the shell, but I doubt they could puncture it... However, at least with my 14" generic, I've once had to open the entire casing for clean up, after enough hay, weeds and such had rolled around the axle and started making noise.

Only concern I've had riding over gravel/rocky ground has been that maybe a sharp enough rock could puncture the tire.

 

Trip stats:

Total distance: 21.6km (13.4 miles)! 
Top speed: approx 30km/h according to the GW app (which I hear is inflated by 3 km/h or so)

Don't know how far the 340Wh battery can take you, I get around 18-23km out of the 260Wh in Firewheel, but that battery has seen a lot of cycles (maybe around 300-400?), so it isn't at full capacity anymore. Your max speed sounds high, from what I've gathered, the GW 14" can do a (mainboard induced?) cutout at those speeds, especially on low battery or high load (going an incline or hill), so be careful. There doesn't seem to be any exact speed where it occurs, but rather it would seem to be related on the load on the motor (voltage/current).

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Don't know how far the 340Wh battery can take you, I get around 18-23km out of the 260Wh in Firewheel, but that battery has seen a lot of cycles (maybe around 300-400?), so it isn't at full capacity anymore. Your max speed sounds high, from what I've gathered, the GW 14" can do a (mainboard induced?) cutout at those speeds, especially on low battery or high load (going an incline or hill), so be careful. There doesn't seem to be any exact speed where it occurs, but rather it would seem to be related on the load on the motor (voltage/current).

​Haven't tested the full range on the wheel yet as I started heading home once the battery gauge was on the last of the 4 battery level lights. According to the app, it seemed to have more than the 25% suggested by the light meter on the wheel but didn't want to risk it. I will know later what the full range will be :)

And yes you are correct, taking a 2nd look at my stated top speed of 30km/h, something didn't look quite right. There were a few times where I had to pick up the wheel and cross a busy street and depending on how I held it, the wheel would spin really fast in the air. I think the Gotway app incorrectly "tracked" my top speed at 30km/h when this happened but it was probably actually closer to 20-25 during the ride. Updated the post!

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Day 4

I was waiting to get back on and was glad I had some time yesterday to venture on the wheel. I received my arm band in the mail and strapped my android phone (used only for the gotway app) on my right arm just below my elbow to have as my 'odometer' to glance at while riding to check speed and distance. I'll post pics of this later

I suffered my first spill not far from my apartment; it happened because while cruising on residential streets, I got distracted when I saw someone down the road who seemed to be walking out their driveway to talk to me (but they were far down the road). So seeing them, I tried to make my way to them but recklessly didn't realize how slow I was going and how close I was to the curb. My right pedal caught the curb and I fell forward onto my hands, elbow, and knees. I got up quickly, quite embarrassed, checked to see if I was bleeding and needed to go back home (I didn't thankfully) and proceeded to take a turn at the next street to avoid all who might've seen me crash. I got away with a bruise on my left palm (which took the most impact) - would've been bloody had I not been wearing my bike gloves and had I worn the wrist guards, I would've been scratch free on my hands. My elbow and knees got some road rash but nothing too bad. I resumed my ride and rode for a total distance of approx 20 something km. Saw relatively flat roads, decent number of sidewalk pavement, and a good amount of grass and dirt paths which the GW handled quite well thankfully.

I was followed by a police car for a short distance so I made sure to go at a slow pace. Shortly later, another police in an unmarked car parked ahead of me in the street and wanted to ask me about the EU. He told me he saw me the other day cruising down the street and was curious so he approached me today. He was being really polite - I think he wanted to reassure me that I wasn't in any trouble. He was just saying how he had never seen anything like it before and wanted to know how it worked. After a couple minutes of talking and answering questions, he went on his way and I resumed my trip down the road.

Unfortunately I didn't have enough time to kill the battery and see how far in terms of range I could've gotten (Sorry hobby16!). I might try again tonight, we shall see. I definitely have not talked to this many strangers in so short a time - but it's nice b/c its an excuse to meet your neighbors and have something to talk about without it being awkward I suppose. All reception has been friendly as of yet!

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Day 5-end

The next day was the day before July 4th holiday so I flirted with the idea of taking the wheel into the city for my commute as I knew the city wouldn't be as crowded as usual - most ppl take the day off just before holidays. I manned up and decided to take it for my first commute! and it was a blast!

Riding it in NYC is a lot of fun - definitely do have to think ahead of which course to take to your destination. getting stuck behind a crowd stinks and definitely have to avoid major traffic areas like times square, bryant park, etc. I rode down hells kitchen (9th ave) in the mornings and it was nice as there weren't too many pedestrians on the street. On the way back, I took it on the bike lane and it was awesome. Lots of heads turning, lots of ppl yelling "hey that's awesome!" or "Dude, that's effin cool" or some variation of that.

Since then, I've taken it daily to work! I've done maybe 3 days of commutes on it? (Didn't take it in today as I made plans to attend a concert after work). Just yesterday I had a cop tell me to come over and that it was illegal. He said he wasn't going to bust my balls about it but that I should keep that in mind - something I knew but pretended not to know. He said it probably won't be really enforced until some kid gets hit by a car - which I worry about. Until then, gotta enjoy it while I can I suppose, and find routes away from the nearby police stations haha.

Once I figure out how to film without holding my phone on my rides, I'll post videos of my NYC commute! I've been meaning to post vids but don't have a gopro or separate camcorder. I plan on using a phone lanyard necklace and recording while wearing it around my neck. I'll take suggestions too on how ppl make vids! (without too much effort). This will be my last "Daily" journal but I'll post pics/vids and continue other NYC commute related posts in my other thread (the one I initially started when deciding on whether to buy a wheel -> read here)

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Since you bought the android phone for ue, you could 'permanently' mount the phone on top (opposite side of start button) and have the USB port coming off the wheel to keep it powered!

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  • 2 years later...
On ‎26‎/‎06‎/‎2015 at 7:14 AM, johnc415 said:

I know there are many people who have posted their first days learning so I'm hoping this will entertain/inform anyone who takes the time to read!

Quick facts about me:

1. This is my first time ever on an EU

2. I consider myself an active person; I love to play basketball and love snowboarding! I enjoy hiking, road-biking, and other active stuff

3. Slim build, I weight approx 155 lbs (70kg)

4. Motivation for the EU was for commuting to work in NYC (see how I came to choose GW14 here) and it seemed like a lot of fun

Finally, I want to give shout-outs to Admin esaj, Gotway/Kingsong reseller Kevin Lee (kevin.lee@silverland.com.hk), and the many who gave helpful feedback on my post in #4 and the rest of this EU forum community!

Day 1

Like others here, I was like a child on Christmas day getting my package - couldn't wait! 

IMG_0889.thumb.JPG.a979822f0070a8c970cc6IMG_0885.thumb.JPG.2467dd57e5d1c04b2a8f5IMG_0887.thumb.JPG.ecd82b3b77a8f5f1b5dfc

Pics of Gotway 14 340 Hz just out of box and then with the pads. The whole process from order to door took 8 days! Ordered on 6/17 and received package in NJ from Hong Kong on 6/25.

During my waiting period, I continued to do research and made some preparations. I realized I would benefit greatly from the GW android app that is available as it is able to set the riding mode (soft medium hard), turn OFF first 2 levels of annoying truck-in-reverse-beeps, and show your speed in km (which is important so you know when the 'shut-off' speed hits and you don't faceplant). B/C I have an iphone and iOS isn't supported, I purchased a used 4.1 android smartphone on eBay for $50 to use for the previously stated reasons and as a wifi multi-media device (but no cellular service - I like my iphone very much :) ). For protection, I borrowed my fiance's dual-splint wrist guards she used while learning to snowboard this past winter. Finally, before heading out, I watched this Ninebot One tuturial a couple times.

I got to spend about 1.5 hrs outside. Luckily, I found an empty parking lot for a bagel-shop near my apartment complex just across from me and it even had a hand rail for me to utilize! Perfect as it was off to the side where I could practice without getting everyone's attention.

I spent a good 45-50 min trying to just stay on and go a few yards. I tried to simply go back and forth and get more comfortable with the feel of the wheel while relying heavily on the hand rail next to me. I couldn't get on without using the rail for the life of me and really, I felt like I didn't make much progress. I also wasn't sure which foot to use as my "lead" foot when mounting. The dude in the above tutorial uses his right foot to 'Control the vehicle by one foot' and that confused me b/c it felt unnatural (I just realized now that he suggests using your left if its more comfortable).

During this time, I kept thinking, in order to gain balance, you need to be relaxed and ensure your center of gravity isn't falling to any side too much. I then started thinking about snowboarding and back to when I first learned to carve. It made me remember how being scared always hampered my progress so I decided to stop using the rails. I then "lead" with my left foot, ditching the right foot "lead" approach. After a good 15 long minutes of frustration and no success, it occurred to me that carving in snowboarding requires you to lean your weight forward to maneuver your board. So I did just that, lead with my left foot, hopped on with my right, and immediately leaned slightly forward to move and gain balance and BAM! It all clicked!! The progress was very sudden, like Tellah learning to cast "meteor" all of a sudden (does anyone get that reference?). So for the next 25 or so minutes, I was cruising around in circles in the empty parking lot and it felt really nice. I saw my sister get off the bus stop a few good yards away so I tried to make my way to her and cross the street but sadly crashed my wheel to the ground and had to hop off. I def still have some ways to go but am very pleased after my first day! Can't wait to hop on tomorrow, I hope it doesn't rain...

Well done you. perseverance is the key word isn't it. I have just bought my Gotway Mcm2s and I have been trying it out in my passage through to the bedroom. I have had two fall offs and on each fall my lower leg caught on the Square red section. Stupid design. I now notice that newer models have a flatter side. So far this has put me off this machine so when I do eventually get out like you and do the business it had better not give me any problems hurting my legs. I believe this is a problem with other users, have you had any similar problems?

Thanks for your report, I enjoyed it as it's telling me to have a go. I must remember to use leg guards.

Regards.

                Ken Bland. UK.

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4 hours ago, Ken Bland said:

So far this has put me off this machine so when I do eventually get out like you and do the business it had better not give me any problems hurting my legs. I believe this is a problem with other users, have you had any similar problems?

Pretty much any wheel will hurt your legs in two ways. For one, regular riding is hurtful until you get some experience in how to limit the pressure to the lower legs (or you use padding or protectors). For me it took many months to figure this out and I doubt that there was a short cut of which I didn't know. Second, when you (involuntarily) step off, it will hit your legs. You will get used to separate yourself cleanly most of the times, but it won't work out each and every time. It happens to me even after two years and +5000km, though I never got seriously hurt.

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On ‎29‎/‎06‎/‎2015 at 5:58 AM, johnc415 said:

Day 3

Saturday was rainy for most of the day so I took the day off of riding and instead went to Home Depot to buy some anti-slip grippy tape today to apply to the metal pedals. It was a quick and simple process and today I was really glad I took the time to do that.

I took it out late afternoon. Once again, started with a quick practice session in the empty parking lot doing figure 8's - still not completely there in terms of making tight circles; this will be something I need to keep at and get more comfortable doing. I only continued these for a total of 10 min perhaps. Today I had a precise destination in mind that I knew was a couple miles away and it's a small neighboring town I hardly ever go to. Based on the google maps, it seemed like a simple route so off I ventured on the sidewalks to my neighboring town!  

I became more and more comfortable riding on the narrow sidewalks with lots of bumps and uneven surfaces. The directions there were very simple, just going straight for a decent while, turning right, and then proceeding straight again for a longer while. When I finally got near the destination, I realized there was a large hill to climb! It was quite steep but I was happy to experience first hand how well the GW handled the hill. Definitely felt a little different going up a hill than simple flat roads. I could sense the battery took a hit going up the hill as the next light on the battery gauge began blinking. Thankfully however, going back down the hill later caused some of the battery to recharge which was nice, seeing the brakes-charging the battery in action. I also got my first time ride on grass, a little mud, and on a rocky path - which I wonder if I should try to avoid. I imagine I should avoid rocky paths as the pebbles seem to kick up and my concern would be that it would enter the wheel and cause problems. 

As this was my first ride out in the public roads, I did get a lot of looks and head turns. One car even stopped a few yards ahead of me to ask me about what it is I was riding. Had a quick friendly chat and proceeded to make my way back in the drizzling rain. It was the longest ride I took yet and I feel I definitely did a lot, from hill climbing/descending, sidewalking riding, dirt riding, and riding in the rain. The project of applying anti-slip grippy tape to the pedals yesterday was a very good idea as it came in extremely handy today while riding in the rain. While I wasn't expecting it to rain again, it did halfway thru my ride and without the grip tape, I fear it would've proved a lot more difficult to mount on the wheel. A great 3rd session, I can't wait for the next ride!

Trip stats:

Total distance: 21.6km (13.4 miles)! 
Top speed: probably between 20-25 km/h according to the GW app (which I hear is inflated by 3 km/h or so)

0628152356.jpg

0628152356a.jpg

 

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Hi. Thanks for the experience tales. I have a Gotway mcm2c and I am having problems with the box section damaging my legs. I notice you don't have any protection on the Gotway, do you have any leg protection [ from the Gotway ]?

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On ‎03‎/‎08‎/‎2017 at 10:50 PM, Mono said:

Pretty much any wheel will hurt your legs in two ways. For one, regular riding is hurtful until you get some experience in how to limit the pressure to the lower legs (or you use padding or protectors). For me it took many months to figure this out and I doubt that there was a short cut of which I didn't know. Second, when you (involuntarily) step off, it will hit your legs. You will get used to separate yourself cleanly most of the times, but it won't work out each and every time. It happens to me even after two years and +5000km, though I never got seriously hurt.

 

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Hi. Thanks for the reply it has given me quite a lot of encouragement to know that others are experiencing this problem.

At the moment my legs are badly bruised so I cant ride for a while. I am waitinf for padding from Ebay which I hope will help. Thanks again. 

                        Ken.

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I have been (i) padding up the sides of the wheel with the white foam with which the wheel was delivered as packaging and (ii) wearing hard soccer shinguards in a way that the shinguards make the contact to the wheel (i.e. turned inwards). I am quite sensitive to pain induced by pressure.

I am not aware of paddings for the MCM2. 

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16 minutes ago, Ken Bland said:

Something is seriously wrong if one has to pad up quite a lot to ride their machine. I/E Bad design.

True, the design is quite some years old and hasn't given much thought on user-machine interaction. 

I used something like this

https://www.amazon.com/Elemart-Youth-Soccer-Shin-Guards/dp/B01CP0NNP6

which was a real life saver for me without which I am not sure I could have learned riding.

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  • 1 month later...
On ‎26‎/‎06‎/‎2015 at 7:14 AM, johnc415 said:

I know there are many people who have posted their first days learning so I'm hoping this will entertain/inform anyone who takes the time to read!

Quick facts about me:

1. This is my first time ever on an EU

2. I consider myself an active person; I love to play basketball and love snowboarding! I enjoy hiking, road-biking, and other active stuff

3. Slim build, I weight approx 155 lbs (70kg)

4. Motivation for the EU was for commuting to work in NYC (see how I came to choose GW14 here) and it seemed like a lot of fun

Finally, I want to give shout-outs to Admin esaj, Gotway/Kingsong reseller Kevin Lee (kevin.lee@silverland.com.hk), and the many who gave helpful feedback on my post in #4 and the rest of this EU forum community!

Day 1

Like others here, I was like a child on Christmas day getting my package - couldn't wait! 

IMG_0889.thumb.JPG.a979822f0070a8c970cc6IMG_0885.thumb.JPG.2467dd57e5d1c04b2a8f5IMG_0887.thumb.JPG.ecd82b3b77a8f5f1b5dfc

Pics of Gotway 14 340 Hz just out of box and then with the pads. The whole process from order to door took 8 days! Ordered on 6/17 and received package in NJ from Hong Kong on 6/25.

During my waiting period, I continued to do research and made some preparations. I realized I would benefit greatly from the GW android app that is available as it is able to set the riding mode (soft medium hard), turn OFF first 2 levels of annoying truck-in-reverse-beeps, and show your speed in km (which is important so you know when the 'shut-off' speed hits and you don't faceplant). B/C I have an iphone and iOS isn't supported, I purchased a used 4.1 android smartphone on eBay for $50 to use for the previously stated reasons and as a wifi multi-media device (but no cellular service - I like my iphone very much :) ). For protection, I borrowed my fiance's dual-splint wrist guards she used while learning to snowboard this past winter. Finally, before heading out, I watched this Ninebot One tuturial a couple times.

I got to spend about 1.5 hrs outside. Luckily, I found an empty parking lot for a bagel-shop near my apartment complex just across from me and it even had a hand rail for me to utilize! Perfect as it was off to the side where I could practice without getting everyone's attention.

I spent a good 45-50 min trying to just stay on and go a few yards. I tried to simply go back and forth and get more comfortable with the feel of the wheel while relying heavily on the hand rail next to me. I couldn't get on without using the rail for the life of me and really, I felt like I didn't make much progress. I also wasn't sure which foot to use as my "lead" foot when mounting. The dude in the above tutorial uses his right foot to 'Control the vehicle by one foot' and that confused me b/c it felt unnatural (I just realized now that he suggests using your left if its more comfortable).

During this time, I kept thinking, in order to gain balance, you need to be relaxed and ensure your center of gravity isn't falling to any side too much. I then started thinking about snowboarding and back to when I first learned to carve. It made me remember how being scared always hampered my progress so I decided to stop using the rails. I then "lead" with my left foot, ditching the right foot "lead" approach. After a good 15 long minutes of frustration and no success, it occurred to me that carving in snowboarding requires you to lean your weight forward to maneuver your board. So I did just that, lead with my left foot, hopped on with my right, and immediately leaned slightly forward to move and gain balance and BAM! It all clicked!! The progress was very sudden, like Tellah learning to cast "meteor" all of a sudden (does anyone get that reference?). So for the next 25 or so minutes, I was cruising around in circles in the empty parking lot and it felt really nice. I saw my sister get off the bus stop a few good yards away so I tried to make my way to her and cross the street but sadly crashed my wheel to the ground and had to hop off. I def still have some ways to go but am very pleased after my first day! Can't wait to hop on tomorrow, I hope it doesn't rain...

Hi. Were you using the training wheels? I am still using mine as I cant find anywhere where I can use it without the training wheels. I was told by an elderly lady, 88, that my tyre was nearly flat so I pumped it up to 40psi, what a difference. The training wheels were well off the ground and I could turn much easier. I must say though that it scared me a bit. Well, I am 81 but still enjoying the exitement of my little Gotway.

Regards.   Ken

 

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This is quite an old post from 2015, johnc415 hasn't been on here since April Ken, so you may not get an answer from him.

The general consensus is that training wheels are not really that good to use. They certainly don't speed up the learning process at all as riding with and without is totally different.

You must be a very fit 81 year old, I thought I'd taken it up late at 58, I'm now 61 by the way. Just be sure to pad up well, bones dont heal so fast for us older folk.

Do you have a couple of friends who can trot along either side of you to give some support? That seems to be the fastest way to learn, it's a bit like your father holding you up by the seat of your first bike, as soon as you've got going you fond the support isn't really needed.

You may still find getting on and off tricky for a while but if you have a wall or post for support so you can get on and settle your balance before you set off you'll find it easier to start with. I started my unaided riding by dashing the 4 yrds between two walls either side of my driveway.

Good luck, you're sure to enjoy it once the balance all comes together.

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