Jump to content

My first EUC (KS16s) - My first day.


Don M. Schiewer

Recommended Posts

So I've watched a ton of videos in anticipation of receiving my KS16s - everyone warns about the steep learning curve. I live in Toledo, OH and was thrilled that this week is predicted to be mild temperatures...all week to learn to ride!

In 30 minutes I was zipping up and down the road (I think being a car-free bicycle commuter helps tremendously) and already needed to take the limiter off the speed...starting/going/straight lines are going wonderfully. 

However, turning is causing me a great amount of problems...I know that being able to ride within 30 minutes is atypical but I'm really frustrated with the turning piece...any suggestions? I think I must tend to lean back while turning...I end up slowing down too much and get wobbly.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

Noob Don.

 

Edited by Don M. Schiewer
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Don M. Schiewer said:

So I've watched a ton of videos in anticipation of receiving my KS16s - everyone warns about the steep learning curve. I live in Toledo, OH and was thrilled that this week is predicted to be mild temperatures...all week to learn to ride!

In 30 minutes I was zipping up and down the road (I think being a car-free bicycle commuter helps tremendously) and already needed to take the limiter off the speed...starting/going/straight lines are going wonderfully. 

However, turning is causing me a great amount of problems...I know that being able to ride within 30 minutes is atypical but I'm really frustrated with the turning piece...any suggestions? I think I must tend to lean back while turning...I end up slowing down too much and get wobbly.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

Noob Don.

 

depends on what curves you try to do...

on higher speed you just do it by hip movement, on lower speedand sharp turns you press the wheel wigh the opposite leg into the direction you want to go. no leanback needed! hard to describe...just take some time, it will come by itself

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think you'll just learn with time. No need to get impatient after the first day.:efee47c9c8:

For now, forget completely what your legs are doing and how they push on the pedals, do everything with the upper body. Simply turn your upper body.

As an explanation: stand on the spot (on your feet) and turn your head (keeping the feet where they are all the time) to look behind you until your upper body automatically starts turning with it once you turned your head enough. Now add your arms to the movement (when riding, they are probably already not hanging down loosely, but held out to help with balance, just where you want them to be for this). That's the kind of movement to do curves on the wheel. Turn the upper body and the wheel follows.

EUCs kind of go in the direction you look. They're very intuitive. In doubt, stop thinking about what you are doing and how you're doing it, and just act instinctively. The rest comes with training.

  • Like 1
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are many ways to turn, and often it's a combination of techniques.  I tend to try to remember the "joystick" method where you're a human joystick swiveling at your ankles.  Once you get used to that you can also add in an upper body turn at the waist in the direction you want to go.  Also you can shift the weight on the pedals by bringing the outer knee up to lighten that pedal resulting in a tilt towards the other side where you want to turn.  At slower speeds you can also add a twist motion.  Optional is the hand flapping motion that I used to do as a newb, but sometimes it still helps:whistling:

 

  • Like 1
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This may sound silly but when i learnt I found  having something to turn around was easier than just trying to turn in the middle of an empty undefined space. This doesn't have to be a tall object i could just be a drain grate. Anything really that gave me something to focus on going around. Start with bigger items for easier and wider turns (islands in a parking lot) and slowly work your way to smaller ones (drain grate). If there was nothing of note on the ground then i would look for cracks and try to make a shape out of them to go around. Eventually i didn't need anything at all.

As you also note you need to overcome slowing down as you turn. Especially in tight turns. Speed helps counter balance your inward lean. Don't go into the turn fast but accelerate through it.

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

As others have said,there are several ways to turn.  You will learn them all in time, with copious amounts of practice. You can pivot the wheel from side to side with the ankles, knees, hips, torso, shoulders, and to some extent the head, and various combinations.  You can tip the wheel left or right by shortening the appropriate leg and keeping the other one longer ( Not necessarily straight, although straight works on smooth to mostly smooth surfaces)  Your body will learn how much to lean to compensate for centrifugal force (think bike)

Try this:  while going in a straight line, pivot below the hips to create a slalom effect (or shorten one leg, then the other), left then right rinse and repeat.  Each curve of the slalom is a turn of sorts.  Fast riding, the curves are shallow, slow riding, you can calve much more aggressive turns.  Eventually you will be zig zagging 180 deg across the straight course you were riding.  Turning all the way around is simply a matter of doing two in the same direction, back to back.  Throw the wheel about with your legs and get used to the feel.

As @meepmeepmayer said, to do a 180 to go back where you came from, lead with your head and follow with your shoulders and arms, then your hips.  Try to turn your head and torso to look where you want to go, and your legs and feet and wheel will follow.

This is just the Cliffs notes version, you have to try lots of stuff and see how it works.

Q "Excuse me, how do you get to Carnegie Hall?" Ans. "Practice, Practice, Practice"

Edited by Smoother
  • Like 1
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It also depends on the wheel. Not sure where the 16S stands in that regard.

With my ACM (heavy, wide stance, stable), I do full upper body turning because that actually does something, while subtle weight shifts of the feet aren't. With a bigger wheel like the Monster, you basically have to use your upper body or nothing will happen.

When I tried the V8 (light, narrow stance, twitchy) I had to to precise shifting of the weight on foot, any upper body turning was WAY overkill (oversteering) and I did go snake lines for 5 minutes until I got used to only using the feet and slight balance changes there, instead of the much more involving upper body I'm used too.

Edited by meepmeepmayer
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It sounds like you are on your way. If you were up and running in 30 mins, that's good. 

From me, I've been doing most of my turning by just simply pushing down on the pedal for the direction I want to turn, keeping my knees slightly flexed. I also turn sometimes by slight movements of my waist and arms. It's all just part of the learning curve.

I am betting though, that since you have cycling experience, the looking back thing won't be a problem for you (something you have to do a lot on bikes, right?).

After more than 6 months (more than 3 months on my KS16S), turning tightly is NOT a problem. In fact, I now play Ingress regularly on my EUC and have to go in circles sometimes 5 or 10 times to finish hacking a portal...to the point of getting dizzy!

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Circuitmage said:

I now play Ingress regularly on my EUC and have to go in circles sometimes 5 or 10 times to finish hacking a portal...to the point of getting dizzy!

 

 

1 hour ago, Smoother said:

When did we stop speaking English?:huh:

Made sense to me, I got turned on to EUCs by some Ingress players recently so not a big surprise.

(Ingress is Pokemon/Harry Potter's forefather game). I suspect he was Glyph hacking though to take that much time on one portal.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Smoother said:

Never heard of Ingress, except as a word describing getting into a place.  I'll just pretend I know what finish hacking a portal means.

That's what you do to get off a sinking ship when you've been locked in your stateroom by the evil master villain... Don't you ever watch movies? 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

all good advice but at the end of the day your struggling with one basic thing right now... trust.

you have to learn to trust the wheel to move under you so that it catches you as you shift your weight. hardest part for all new riders.

your resisting shifting your weight in the turn because you don't yet trust the wheel to catch you. it will come with time, as all trust does. 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Learning to trust the wheel is the first 15 minutes, tops.

Remind me again, did you buy a GotWay?  If so, trust is very important.  Otherwise, stop trying to second guess it.  It's always moved appropriately so far, right? So accept it as given.  It will do the same thing every time, in the same situation.  Practice your skills and stop thinking about the wheel.  It will do its job, you do yours.  Do you need to watch all those videos again?  Not one of us would ride a wheel that didn't do what its supposed to do when it's supposed to do it (not for long anyway) :efee47c9c8:

Oh a 16s.  Its as trustworthy as they get.  I trust mine explicitly.

Edited by Smoother
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

59 minutes ago, Smoother said:

Here.  You've obviously had your faith shaken by something, probably a fall or two.  Tell me if you think this guy has lost any trust in the 16s

 

 

1 hour ago, The Fat Unicyclist said:

That's what you do to get off a sinking ship when you've been locked in your stateroom by the evil master villain... Don't you ever watch movies? 

Egress.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, The Fat Unicyclist said:

That's what you do to get off a sinking ship when you've been locked in your stateroom by the evil master villain... Don't you ever watch movies? 

 

28 minutes ago, steve454 said:

 

Egress.

No... HACK THE PORTHOLE!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Smoother said:

Here.  You've obviously had your faith shaken by something, probably a fall or two.  Tell me if you think this guy has lost any trust in the 16s

 

l love watching this video... But every time I see it, I can't help but wonder what happens when a wheel fails the quality control? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Smoother said:

Learning to trust the wheel is the first 15 minutes, tops.

laf ... it took me a little longer. a couple of days in fact. Don is well ahead of me if he's zipping along in 30 minutes.

i started on an ips 16 inch, about 600w. soft pedals. limited to about 10 mph top speed. it took me a couple days to convince my brain that the signals my inner ear was sending were acceptable and to be expected. i had to work a bit at believing the wheel would be where it should be when going straight forward, and more so in a turn. it's completely natural now but in the beginning ... well, lets just say i had to argue about it with my reflexes.

he says he's slowing in turns which says to me he's not turning his shoulders into the turn and following with the wheel. he's holding back, leaning back... following with the shoulders. harder to stick your chin in if your not sure your getting it back out. sounded like me which came down to i didn't trust the wheel to catch me. i'm not very trusting i guess. i had to teach myself that it would.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, stevedig said:

he says he's slowing in turns which says to me he's not turning his shoulders into the turn and following with the wheel. he's holding back, leaning back... following with the shoulders. harder to stick your chin in if your not sure your getting it back out. sounded like me which came down to i didn't trust the wheel to catch me. i'm not very trusting i guess. i had to teach myself that it would.

6

Yeah - I'm definitely not trusting it. It is strange because logically I understand how it works...but convincing my body to behave my logic is not nearly as easy as it seems it should be. :/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Don M. Schiewer said:

Yeah - I'm definitely not trusting it. It is strange because logically I understand how it works...but convincing my body to behave my logic is not nearly as easy as it seems it should be. :/

Get lots of miles under your belt.  Miles and time at the helm breed trust, and familiarity.  Experiment during those mile, a little of this, a little of that, take it easy at first, no sudden changes of direction except at very low speed.  At low speed stepping off is non dramatic (mostly) use a loose leash to keep the shiny side up while you're stumbling about.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I love seeing the testing videos companies put out. Last year I saw Suzuki uploaded a video of their test processes to youtube for their anniversary. I knew my Katana was "tested in a wind tunnel" but I did not know all the details of the other testing they put their bikes through. Made me even more confident in the Suzuki name brand.

And yes, I typically glyph hack. If it's one portal, I can go in a straight line. If there are multiples, I have to start circling. :)

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...