The Best Feeling After Riding Your Wheel

[Hunka Hunka Burning Love]

I like leisure trips with my Ninebot along the back pathways, but what's more satisfying I find is when I drop my car off at the service station for work, take out my wheel and ride home.  It's a subtle difference, but last night I rode all the way across my quadrant of the city along some new areas I've never been to.  I crossed busy streets where you never see people crossing and of course I got tons of stares.  I could feel the eyes tracking me as I rolled along.    I made sure not to overlean and do a faceplant in front of everybody.  Gotta keep your cool  and represent.    My city is quite heavily reliant on cars and buses for transportation so the sidewalks and pathways are mostly empty.  It's a little scary crossing large intersections where you normally drive across, but it's also cool to roll by all the stopped cars and know they are looking at you.

I snuck past a cyclist who was like "WTH is that..." and several cars slowed down to rubber neck.  It's so nice and liberating to have that little vehicle take you safely home without needing someone to give you a ride.  I still had half a battery charge at the end of the trip.   When I checked the map of my trip, I was simply amazed at how far my battery pack took me.  I know it's only about 12 kms, but when you see it one way with all the houses and streets zoomed out on Google Maps it's just mind boggling how much energy is stored in that pack when you compare to walking the same distance or even biking it.  It must be crazy with the longer distance wheels... so much range!

[kasenutty]

It's fun to feel the grooves in the pavement and feel the slight rise of the white crosswalk paint as you dadunk over them quietly. It's very good. I see things I wouldn't otherwise notice driving around. So cool.

[LanghamP]

I enjoy the elegance and apparent simplicity of walking around with a wheel. I've only had it for a month so I am still struggling on staying on and keeping things smooth (especially when starting--very hard). However, this is an amazing transportation device. Far far more compact than any bicycle and about the same weight. With the dolly handle I always push it into whatever place I am going. The VF5+ looks very much like luggage.

I would say one of the least fun (I know, thread hijack) is the inability of getting 95% of the population to even contemplate riding one, much less purchase one. Out of the countless people I've talked to, only three people even attempted to ride my (well-padded) wheel. Remarkably, two of those people were up and running on their second try.

My favorite thing to do on my wheel is to slowly climb grassy bumpy hills. Irritatingly, this is where the difference between a 14 inch and an 18 inch wheel is very apparent. The 14 inch wheel requires a lot of skill; the 18 inch wheel goes right past all the stuff the 14 inch wheel with little effort.

I suspect a 16 inch wheel would be, for me, the proper balance between the stuck-prone 14 incher and the lumbering 18 incher.

Oh, and yeah I've fallen in the intersection. Not showing off though; just cars not stopping for me in the crosswalk and having to hop off when they make a right turn in front of me. That particular scenario is common and impossible to stop if you're a bicyclist or on foot, so just accept cars will make a right hook on you.

[thefork]

Ah yes, I did quite alot of city exploring on my way home from work last summer and I expect I will do more of that this summer as well. It really struck me how little of the city I live in that I had actually seen before! Then I got my wheel. 

[LanghamP]

I've always had problems with cars making right-hand turns into the zebra stripes when I have the right of way. Cars really do hit and knock you out of there, and I did collide with the side of a pickup truck last week while walking.

However, yesterday I was going to the firing range on my unicycle carrying a black evil-looking compound bow (diamond infinite edge) and no car went into my space. Two cars slammed on their brakes and one back up to let me pass.

I should carry a bow more often in street traffic but I'd say what happened is a pretty good feeling on a unicycle.

[Mono]

The moment of transitioning from a tight backward turn into a forward motion is my current favourite.

[dpong]

Whenever I ride it feels to me that the tiny micro-muscles that involve balance and core are energized.  I always feel good after that.  No matter how far or short I travelled.