Joe Holliday Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 I recently got a Segway MiniPro, and the wife and I love it, but the knee bar is a tad high for my tastes at the lowest setting. Additionally, my kids had a Swagtron hoverboard, but despite meeting the prerequisite minimum weigh requirements, that thing vibrates like hell because they are a bit too light for it. If I have my older daughter where a backpack with about 15 pounds worth of books in it, she can ride it just fine and enjoys it (and she's 20 lbs over the minimum weight requirement). They love these sort of devices, but the Segway MiniPro seems so much more stable and safe than the hoverboards, and I tested and my kids are able to make it go forward and backwards perfectly despite being under the minimum weight. If the knee bar was shorter, they'd be able to use it perfectly. Does there exist a shorter knee bar for it, either third party or official? If not, has anyone come up with any mods of this nature? I don't really understand why Segway/Ninebot are so against kids riding their products when there are far more dangerous things out there kids are riding (hoverboards, skateboards, roller skates, etc.) Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RooEUC Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 Hi Joe, You're right about the MiniPro being much safer than hoverboards. Hoverboards are fun for kids but they are pretty unstable on uneven ground because of their steering mechanism. I do not think there is a shorter knee bar available for the MiniPro at this time. I don't think the knee bar is designed with the height adjustments it has for the reason of Segway being so against kids using their products, it's just that it can only accommodate a certain minimum and maximum height in its adjustment mechanism. They say the MiniPro is designed to be used by people aged 16 to 60 but they know that younger and older people will still ride them. They are very safety conscious though and stating a conservative minimum and maximum is one way to minimise law suits. If you are handy you could leave the curved part of the knee bar in place but remove the adjustable part by removing the 4 screws under the safety sticker on the front of the knee bar. Then you could make your own simpler version of the top part out of aluminium or wood and slot it in. Or, let them play with the hoverboards for another year or two until they are tall enough to use the Minipro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezman Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 How small are the kids? My daughter is 10 and pretty petite (50 lbs) and she rides the Mini Pro just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Holliday Posted April 26, 2017 Author Share Posted April 26, 2017 56 minutes ago, Pezman said: How small are the kids? My daughter is 10 and pretty petite (50 lbs) and she rides the Mini Pro just fine. 5 and 8, but they are both fairly tall for their age. They were both successfully able to ride it, though the younger daughter has a bit of trouble steering it whithout stopping first. The knee pad comes up to my 8 year old's mid thigh area, and my 5 year old is practically sitting on it when she stands over it. On a separate note, the remote control feature doesn't seem to work right. I can make it turn left and right with the remote, but it won't go straight forward or back more than .1 mph. It will tilt pretty far forward, but goes forward very slowly. If I press lightly on the front with my hand to manually tilt it slightly forward, it goes forward at a normal rate of speed depending on how far I manually tilt it, so it seems that the remote tilting it forward isn't really doing much. Does anyone know why this happens? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezman Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 The remote speed is very slow. There is an option to adjust it but it will not go full speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RooEUC Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 I think a good option would be for you to buy the handlebar and let the kids steer with that if it's not too tall for them. About the remote control; that's weird behaviour. Are you using it on level ground? And have you increased the remote control speed to the max? And I take it you are not using the remote with someone on the unit, are you? The remote feature works by tilting the unit, so there has to be enough weight in front or behind for it to work. The knee bar provides the weight as it is tilted forward and back. If you increase the knee bar height the remote feature works better because that allows more weight to be farther in front or behind when it tilts. If you add some additional weight, such as strapping a water bottle to the knee pads the remote gets much more powerful and the unit can even go up slight inclines that way. I use the remote all the time on mine, not as a toy but as a very useful way to move my MiniPro around grassy ground when I don't want to ride it for fear of getting a puncture or if the ground is too bumpy to be comfortable to ride. I walk(run) my dog every day on the MiniPro to a large grassy area by a lake, then I get off, strap my bottle of water to the top of the kneebar and use the remote to bring the MiniPro around with me as I walk my dog around the area. It also carries my bag for me. Without that extra weight the MiniPro gets stuck at the slightest incline or bump when using the remote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Holliday Posted April 26, 2017 Author Share Posted April 26, 2017 6 hours ago, Pezman said: The remote speed is very slow. There is an option to adjust it but it will not go full speed. The remote feature says it should go about 3mph, but it's barely moving at all. The app is reading it as 0.1mph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Holliday Posted April 26, 2017 Author Share Posted April 26, 2017 6 hours ago, RooMiniPro said: I think a good option would be for you to buy the handlebar and let the kids steer with that if it's not too tall for them. About the remote control; that's weird behaviour. Are you using it on level ground? And have you increased the remote control speed to the max? And I take it you are not using the remote with someone on the unit, are you? The remote feature works by tilting the unit, so there has to be enough weight in front or behind for it to work. The knee bar provides the weight as it is tilted forward and back. If you increase the knee bar height the remote feature works better because that allows more weight to be farther in front or behind when it tilts. If you add some additional weight, such as strapping a water bottle to the knee pads the remote gets much more powerful and the unit can even go up slight inclines that way. I use the remote all the time on mine, not as a toy but as a very useful way to move my MiniPro around grassy ground when I don't want to ride it for fear of getting a puncture or if the ground is too bumpy to be comfortable to ride. I walk(run) my dog every day on the MiniPro to a large grassy area by a lake, then I get off, strap my bottle of water to the top of the kneebar and use the remote to bring the MiniPro around with me as I walk my dog around the area. It also carries my bag for me. Without that extra weight the MiniPro gets stuck at the slightest incline or bump when using the remote. Thanks for the suggestion. With regards to the remote, I did set it at max (about 4.7mph if I recall) and it exhibits the same behavior. No one is on it when I use the remote. I haven't passed the 0.6mi needed to unlock full riding speed, but I'm not sure that would affect the remote usage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kasenutty Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 Have you considered getting stilts for the kids to wear while they ride? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Holliday Posted April 26, 2017 Author Share Posted April 26, 2017 2 hours ago, kasenutty said: Have you considered getting stilts for the kids to wear while they ride? I hope you're kidding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RooEUC Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 12 minutes ago, Joe Holliday said: I hope you're kidding. I'm pretty sure he's kidding ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezman Posted April 27, 2017 Share Posted April 27, 2017 I love my stilts. And my kids I guess..lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero4Z Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 On 4/26/2017 at 8:08 PM, RooMiniPro said: I think a good option would be for you to buy the handlebar and let the kids steer with that if it's not too tall for them. About the remote control; that's weird behaviour. Are you using it on level ground? And have you increased the remote control speed to the max? And I take it you are not using the remote with someone on the unit, are you? The remote feature works by tilting the unit, so there has to be enough weight in front or behind for it to work. The knee bar provides the weight as it is tilted forward and back. If you increase the knee bar height the remote feature works better because that allows more weight to be farther in front or behind when it tilts. If you add some additional weight, such as strapping a water bottle to the knee pads the remote gets much more powerful and the unit can even go up slight inclines that way. I use the remote all the time on mine, not as a toy but as a very useful way to move my MiniPro around grassy ground when I don't want to ride it for fear of getting a puncture or if the ground is too bumpy to be comfortable to ride. I walk(run) my dog every day on the MiniPro to a large grassy area by a lake, then I get off, strap my bottle of water to the top of the kneebar and use the remote to bring the MiniPro around with me as I walk my dog around the area. It also carries my bag for me. Without that extra weight the MiniPro gets stuck at the slightest incline or bump when using the remote. Hi...my son is 118cm, 25kg (just turn 6) and using the handle bar as a steering bar. He can ride the mini using his hands or just his feet but on rough surface he naturally would grab the steering bar. The height on the bar is right up on his crotch but that doesn't seem as a problem though. Here's a couple of picts on his 1st day riding the mini outdoor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Holliday Posted April 29, 2017 Author Share Posted April 29, 2017 3 hours ago, Zero4Z said: Hi...my son is 118cm, 25kg (just turn 6) and using the handle bar as a steering bar. He can ride the mini using his hands or just his feet but on rough surface he naturally would grab the steering bar. The height on the bar is right up on his crotch but that doesn't seem as a problem though. Here's a couple of picts on his 1st day riding the mini outdoor. Nice! That's a good idea, especially on grass since it's a bit safer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero4Z Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 12 hours ago, Joe Holliday said: Nice! That's a good idea, especially on grass since it's a bit safer. I was lucky there is a park which no motor vehicle is allowed and with jogging tracks and many grass fields which turned out to be a perfect place for a beginner to learn to ride outdoor. I also found out people seemed to learn quicker on grass, well below 5 minutes. Hope this could give people idea where they can bring their young kids to ride outdoor safely. Regards from Jakarta, Indonesia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetricUSA Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 Sorry your kids are too young, they are going to have to wait, stop spoiling your children, have a backbone man... A five year old should be on a balance bike.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Holliday Posted April 30, 2017 Author Share Posted April 30, 2017 20 minutes ago, MetricUSA said: Sorry your kids are too young, they are going to have to wait, stop spoiling your children, have a backbone man... A five year old should be on a balance bike.... The kids already know how to ride a bike, but they can't keep up with me when I'm on my EUC. I'm trying to find something they can use that can go at least 10-12mph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jojo33 Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 order an N3M240 steering bar.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve454 Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 7 hours ago, Joe Holliday said: they can't keep up with me when I'm on my EUC. I'm trying to find something they can use that can go at least 10-12mph. What about an electric scooter like a Razor? You can get them at Walmart and PepBoys for less than $200 I think, and some of them can go 12 mph if you get the good ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jojo33 Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 For your Kids security I wrote about "HOW TO PREVENT AN ACCIDENT FOR YOUR CHILD WITH A MINI?" https://mini-j.jimdo.com/home/news/mini-advices/ I suggest you each time you change type of user , adulte or Kids, do a Factory reset because your mini keep in memory weight and riding attitude and sometime cant feel à kid s weight You can ask member @smallexis his daughter get accident serious with a Mini Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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