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My first EUC! MSuper 3


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Well, I finally decided on what to buy ... and to my surprise, it wasn't a Kingsong 18.  It's an MSuper 3 with the 1600 wh / 1500 w motor at 84.2 volts.  The higher voltage was one of the key things that sold me.  I sprang for the seat too, since frankly I think riding a EUC seated looks as awesome to me as some say it looks dorky to them, and because it should provide some relief for my back on longer rides.  I'd be surprised if it really works for me since I'd have to squat really low, but there's only one way to find out ...

I made a deposit with Jason and am going to put some more money on my card in the next day or two and finish up the process.  

Time to go buy some protective gear!

Hopefully soon I will be sharing my enthusiasm more than my injury photos. :D 

Boy is this gonna freak out the dogs ... 

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Ok, went to Amazon and ordered a rearview mirror (thanks Marty Backe's videos for the idea), a Triple Eight certified hard helmet, and wrist guards.  Still have good knee guards from rollerblading days.  

Also, my first smartphone ever, a super-cheapie, just to go with the app.  I'm not a big phone guy.  Love my kindles Fires but they use the Amazon-specific operating system that doesn't have access to the Android store without jailbreaking, and I'm not going to go through all that.  Plus I don't want to crash with them; too valuable to me.

Thinking about elbow pads but haven't pulled the trigger on that yet.

Oh ... and I read Marty saying he uses Slime in his tires preventatively to help deal with punctures, so I'll go get some of that too.

My hobbies are usually dirt cheap, so this is an unusually expensive deal for me ... but it does look like it'll be the most fun I've had in many years.

Thinking of using one of our many spare dog leashes as a tether while I learn, lasso-style around the handle ...

Oh, and ya know what ... I don't have anything to inflate the tire with ...

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Blimey, you've done your research. 

With the tether, don't use it tight, it's only to catch the wheel if you fall off - not as a balancing aid. 

You don't tend to 'fall off' and go splat (especially at learner speeds), you're more likely to step/jump off and the wheel bounces out of control 
Have fun with your new wheel! 

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20 minutes ago, Dingfelder said:

Oh, and ya know what ... I don't have anything to inflate the tire with ...

This is what I got, which I like because it has the digital pressure display.  Make sure you get the "1000" series if you want the digital display...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BNGIGEQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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39 minutes ago, Maximus said:

This is what I got, which I like because it has the digital pressure display.  Make sure you get the "1000" series if you want the digital display...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BNGIGEQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Done and done!  Thanks for the recommendation ... I really like that built-in digital display too.  I guess I'm just a dope, but somehow I often feel like I'm getting it wrong when I check my tire pressure, but with the gauge right on the inflator, problem solved!

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51 minutes ago, Scully said:

Blimey, you've done your research. 

With the tether, don't use it tight, it's only to catch the wheel if you fall off - not as a balancing aid. 

You don't tend to 'fall off' and go splat (especially at learner speeds), you're more likely to step/jump off and the wheel bounces out of control 
Have fun with your new wheel! 

Thanks!  Can't wait! :D

I was reading about tether use here the other day, and saw a tip not to put the tether in front of your leg, because then if you fall forward you will trip over it.  Put it in the back instead, and consider just stuffing the end in your pocket so it's kinda secure but ... I guess if you have a violent fall, you won't have the machine get yanked by the cord and come crashing down on top of you.

So I'll try it that way.

I'm going to try to take every precaution and I'm sure I'll fall off plenty anyway ... but at least I'll be doing my part to contain my own initial foolishness :D 

 

 

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Wait, you haven't ridden a wheel yet?

The MSuper is probably not user friendly in the sense that the great mass damages itself if you drop the wheel while learning. I suppose you could get lots of foam and canvas, and then it would be a crash-worthy first wheel.

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Would you even want to tether that flimsy looking handle? Maybe some Msuper owners can chime in, but most of those handles are zip tied and duct taped from what I've seen. A fragile case for sure. 

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Just now, LanghamP said:

Wait, you haven't ridden a wheel yet?

The MSuper is probably not user friendly in the sense that the great mass damages itself if you drop the wheel while learning. I suppose you could get lots of foam and canvas, and then it would be a crash-worthy first wheel.

Nope, never ridden one.  

I asked Jason about the posts I've seen here saying the monster and the Msuper don't have their shell strength built up enough to compensate for their weight and impact potential.  There are a great many posts warning against Gotway here, and I had been set on Kingsong because of what I perceived to be its better reputation in general.

Jason confirmed that the KS18 is built like a tank, but said that shell replacement is pretty cheap and very easy to do on your own, and that with padding I would probably be fine.  He's got a very good reputation here on the forums, so I decided to take a leap of faith and trust that he wouldn't steer me wrong.  He was very confident in the overall high (and much improved) quality of the latest MSuper 3's.

He did offer to toss in two rolls of protective foam, and I took him up on it.  I anticipate padding the bejesus out of the wheel with as much foam or tape or whatever it takes ... before I take even my first ride .... and probably leaving it on forever.  

I'm generally a very safety cautious person, but I've been hurt plenty on bicycles and rollerblading  and even taken nasty skateboard crashes, so I know I'm kinda taking my life and health into my hands with this hobby ... I'm just going to be as careful as I can and wrap my machine up a lot.

 

 

 

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1 minute ago, kasenutty said:

Would you even want to tether that flimsy looking handle? Maybe some Msuper owners can chime in, but most of those handles are zip tied and duct taped from what I've seen. A fragile case for sure. 

You know, I have no idea.  I have never even seen a EUC in real life, much less this model.  

You really think a good yank would snap the handle?  That sounds much more fragile than I had anticipated ...

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I'd just be careful from the pics/stories I've seen on here. I bought mine (14c not Msuper unfortunately!) without ever seeing one either. I still have never seen one besides mine. Makes for an interesting learning experience :D

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36 minutes ago, Dingfelder said:

You really think a good yank would snap the handle?  That sounds much more fragile than I had anticipated ...

no way - it's solid. mine only came apart because it smashed ridiculously hard into the ground multiple times in a row. i mean, REALLY hard... don't let it get away from you!

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The shell, assuming the rubberized version sold now is like the ACM's, is virtually bombproof (the screws are the weak point). These wheels are much sturdier than you think. If you want to use a leash, obviously fix it to the real handle (not the retractable one).

You need to worry about scratches mostly, the wheel won't fall so hard while in training, it will just spin out. Underside of pedals and especially the pedal brackets (had to metal file mine clean) is in most danger, as well as any protruding corner (like the side panel extrusions' corners, side panel corners, and the top parts of the wheel, especially the front and back "corners"). The only place where you realistically need to protect against impact are the front and back corners on top.

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1 hour ago, meepmeepmayer said:

The shell, assuming the rubberized version sold now is like the ACM's, is virtually bombproof (the screws are the weak point). These wheels are much sturdier than you think. If you want to use a leash, obviously fix it to the real handle (not the retractable one).

You need to worry about scratches mostly, the wheel won't fall so hard while in training, it will just spin out. Underside of pedals and especially the pedal brackets (had to metal file mine clean) is in most danger, as well as any protruding corner (like the side panel extrusions' corners, side panel corners, and the top parts of the wheel, especially the front and back "corners"). The only place where you realistically need to protect against impact are the front and back corners on top.

After riding the new MSuper a couple of weeks ago, side-by-side with my ACM, I can say that the MSuper's shell is similar to the ACM, but the ACM still has a more rubberized texture. They are not the same materials. But it does appear to be an improvement over the original MSuper.

Having now put over 800 miles on my original MSuper V3 820wh wheel, and dropped quite a few times, I can say that the MSuper is not a fragile wheel. I don't feel like I have to baby it at all. Of course you can always have a freak fall where it spins out of control and hits in just the wrong place, causing serious damage. The same could probably be said about most wheels.

Being a wheel that you're going to learn on, I think it's a good idea to add padding on the various corners. When I learned on my ACM I went to Home Depot and bought a 8' length of rubber copper pipe insulation (not the foam type). About $5.  Then buy a roll of 3M Low Residue Duct Tape (leaves no residue if removed within 6 months). It's an inexpensive alternative to Gaffers Tape. Use that to attach the rubber to the wheel. The tape is also available at Home Depot.

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On 5/14/2017 at 0:58 PM, Dingfelder said:

Well, I finally decided on what to buy ... and to my surprise, it wasn't a Kingsong 18.  It's an MSuper 3 with the 1600 wh / 1500 w motor at 84.2 volts.  The higher voltage was one of the key things that sold me.  I sprang for the seat too, since frankly I think riding a EUC seated looks as awesome to me as some say it looks dorky to them, and because it should provide some relief for my back on longer rides.  I'd be surprised if it really works for me since I'd have to squat really low, but there's only one way to find out ...

I made a deposit with Jason and am going to put some more money on my card in the next day or two and finish up the process.  

Time to go buy some protective gear!

Hopefully soon I will be sharing my enthusiasm more than my injury photos. :D 

Boy is this gonna freak out the dogs ... 

Congratulations :cheers: You'll going to love it, and I think the MSuper is a good wheel to learn on (it's more stable than the smaller wheels).

Get ready to become addicted. Be patient with yourself. You may be lucky, but more then likely you will have some frustrating days at the beginning, but you'll soon be good enough to have fun while learning to get better. As one point of reference, looking at my log book, it took me about 2 hours (not in one day) before I could ride down a deserted street in a wobbly fashion. It took me about 10 hours before I wrote, "Today it finally clicked", meaning I could turn effortlessly and ride wherever I wanted.

Let us know how you progress.

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23 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

Congratulations :cheers: You'll going to love it, and I think the MSuper is a good wheel to learn on (it's more stable than the smaller wheels).

Get ready to become addicted. Be patient with yourself. You may be lucky, but more then likely you will have some frustrating days at the beginning, but you'll soon be good enough to have fun while learning to get better. As one point of reference, looking at my log book, it took me about 2 hours (not in one day) before I could ride down a deserted street in a wobbly fashion. It took me about 10 hours before I wrote, "Today it finally clicked", meaning I could turn effortlessly and ride wherever I wanted.

Let us know how you progress.

Will do, thanks Marty!  And for the tape and tubing recommendation.  Specifics like that really help a lot.

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1 hour ago, meepmeepmayer said:

The shell, assuming the rubberized version sold now is like the ACM's, is virtually bombproof (the screws are the weak point). These wheels are much sturdier than you think. If you want to use a leash, obviously fix it to the real handle (not the retractable one).

You need to worry about scratches mostly, the wheel won't fall so hard while in training, it will just spin out. Underside of pedals and especially the pedal brackets (had to metal file mine clean) is in most danger, as well as any protruding corner (like the side panel extrusions' corners, side panel corners, and the top parts of the wheel, especially the front and back "corners"). The only place where you realistically need to protect against impact are the front and back corners on top.

Thanks meep!  I'm definitely going to err on the side of caution since I won't know what the heck I'm doing.  There's not even much in the way of walls or fences to grab onto here, since our walls have furniture up against them and everything else outside is just the random shapes of nature with no fences to speak of.  I will be learning on grass, which may be a big help or may be too bumpy ... I'll have to wait and find out.  

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2 hours ago, kour said:

no way - it's solid. mine only came apart because it smashed ridiculously hard into the ground multiple times in a row. i mean, REALLY hard... don't let it get away from you!

Awesome, good to hear!  

I'm going to try to start out super slow and be over-protective (of both the machine and my face!), so hopefully it will be a while before the issue of smashing at a good speed even comes up.

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2 hours ago, kasenutty said:

I'd just be careful from the pics/stories I've seen on here. I bought mine (14c not Msuper unfortunately!) without ever seeing one either. I still have never seen one besides mine. Makes for an interesting learning experience :D

Absolutely will be careful.  I'm over 50 and have never been a daredevil anyway, so I'm well into my "cautious years."  

I would have loved to have started off on a smaller, more maneuverable, and less expensive wheel, but at over 200 pounds, in an area with lots of steep hills, it seemed sensible to go big or go home.

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And don't be over-confident while learning and going slooow. One of my most painful and slow recoveries occurred at approximately 0mph, when I under-steered while attempting a turn. I fell off the wheel like a lead weight being dropped from a 2nd floor window. Bloodied my knee (ruined my pants), road rash on one of my palms, and sprang my wrist. I wasn't wearing my gloves or knee pads, "because I wasn't riding fast".

When the wheel is moving and you fall off there is forward momentum which can help you to recover. When going real slow you can hit the ground hard.

Just a friendly heads-up :)

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7 minutes ago, Dingfelder said:

Absolutely will be careful.  I'm over 50 and have never been a daredevil anyway, so I'm well into my "cautious years."  

I would have loved to have started off on a smaller, more maneuverable, and less expensive wheel, but at over 200 pounds, in an area with lots of steep hills, it seemed sensible to go big or go home.

Just my personal opinion, but I think learning on a smaller wheel, especially something like the 14c (which I own and ride almost every day), is harder than the wheel you bought.

I learned when I was 56 - and I'm still 56 ;)   I'm certainly more risk adverse than my younger years, which is probably why I gear-up relative to a lot of guys that don't :unsure:

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1 minute ago, Marty Backe said:

And don't be over-confident while learning and going slooow. One of my most painful and slow recoveries occurred at approximately 0mph, when I under-steered while attempting a turn. I fell off the wheel like a lead weight being dropped from a 2nd floor window. Bloodied my knee (ruined my pants), road rash on one of my palms, and sprang my wrist. I wasn't wearing my gloves or knee pads, "because I wasn't riding fast".

When the wheel is moving and you fall off there is forward momentum which can help you to recover. When going real slow you can hit the ground hard.

Just a friendly heads-up :)

Thanks, I'll take it to heart!

I bet I'll learn my share of things "the hard way," though. :D  

By the way, Marty, there are so many sizes of Slime bottles ... how many ounces do you think I should use in the MSuper's tube?

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11 minutes ago, Dingfelder said:

Thanks, I'll take it to heart!

I bet I'll learn my share of things "the hard way," though. :D  

By the way, Marty, there are so many sizes of Slime bottles ... how many ounces do you think I should use in the MSuper's tube?

I bought this from Amazon: http://a.co/6228sN4 and put 4 ounces in my MSuper. 3oz in my ACM and 14C, and 8oz in my Monster.

I also bought this for removing and reinstalling the valve stem: http://a.co/0DPFdjK   The Slime bottle cap has a built in tool, but it's plastic and I prefer to have a dedicated metal tool. This one is perfect.

And finally, I have an air compressor for filling my tires. If you have a Harbor Freight near you, they sell a great tire inflator with a very accurate gauge and valve attachment that works on all of my wheels. Can't beat the price. https://www.harborfreight.com/dual-chuck-tire-inflator-with-dial-gauge-63049.html

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8 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

Just my personal opinion, but I think learning on a smaller wheel, especially something like the 14c (which I own and ride almost every day), is harder than the wheel you bought.

I learned when I was 56 - and I'm still 56 ;)   I'm certainly more risk adverse than my younger years, which is probably why I gear-up relative to a lot of guys that don't :unsure:

That's going to be my approach too.  I'm just a few months shy of 56, and I figure what used to bend and bounce by now might break ... but I sure don't want to find out.

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As your elder (barely), I recommend that at first it is better to learn to ride slow than fast.  To ride slowly is to demonstrate a great deal of control.  It is very challenging, as it is far easier to ride fast at first.  Until 'it' happens.  To ride slow is to gain control and be in charge.  I ride so slow sometimes that it seems as if I have almost stopped.  Almost.  These are very fulfilling moments.  Imagine stopping (almost) on a thingie such as this.  Control. 

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