My First Day with my new KS 16S - DISASTER!!!!

[tommybayshore]

How about we start with something that sums my first experience up:  DISASTER!

This is the first wheel i have ever ridden and unfortunatly i bought a fairly expensive one not thinking that i could not possibly cause too much damage to the device!  It is what it is and i can't return it so im stuck with it!

Maybe i tried to hard too fast?  I had no rails or fence to hold onto, just my truck sides and a big parking lot.  I would let go of the sides of my truck, go about 5-15 feet max and have to jump off, which at the same time the wheel would get my chins in its sites and go full throttle till it hit me extremely hard, to the point of black and blue and bleeding everywhere when i finally gave up after 25 minutes.

Am i expecting too much too soon?  Do most folks fall all over the place when they first start?  I had a helmet, elbow pads and wrist guards on but no shin protection, i will buy shin guards and use them from now on.

Oh i forgot to mention my wheel looks like it's 5 years old and i only used it for 25 minutes.  Have a look at the pics, at this point i'm very frustrated and ready to drop the thing in my garbage bin.  I have a Ninebot mini (which i know is totally different) and was able to ride that fine and saw so many videos of people having fun on a wheel i decided to review all the wheels and the 16S is what i picked because of the range and battery and stability (or so they say).

My weight is 260 lbs but im not fat, i'm about 6"1 and solid build but i'm wondering if a heavier weight makes it harder vs someone that is much lighter?

Attached are some pics, and also my KS16 sounds like a bolt is rattling around inside!  GRRRRRR

Any words of advice/encouragement would be appreciated.  I can't buy a cheap one and practice on it either, my wife is ready to file divorce papers because i bought this one so another one is completely out of the question.

 

[dmethvin]

Welcome! Don't worry about the scratches. Once you get good you can always replace the leg pads. For now you can clean it off and put some duct tape on it. Honestly, every one of my wheels has scratches so it was going to happen sooner or later.

Yes, it can take a while to learn this compared to a hoverboard or segway two-wheeled device. Take a look at some of the video tutorials on Youtube and practice a LOT. If you actually got decent after only 30 minutes I would be very jealous. It took me about 5 days of 30-minutes-a-day practice before I felt comfortable with even basic riding, and even at that I bailed off the thing several times while doing my first longer rides at probably 5 miles an hour. 

[tommybayshore]

Thanks, as i was writing this my right shin is swollen like a softball, im just looking at it and laughing, im trying to research some shin guards but like i said before, i hope these things are made really solid, because this thing is in for a beating until i get good lol.

[Rob Valley]

When i was learning i tought about putting protective padding on mine, but since there was not any lying around i decided just to go out and start training, i ultimately used a belt around the handle to "catch" the wheel when i came of, this saved me from most the shin damage and nasty cuts on the wheel.

Im sorry to see these pics, it is a shame this is not more than a dew days old wheel, the only little comforting thing i can tell you the more you ride the wheel the less these scars will bother you, when you pass the 1k km line you will be so proud, and the look of your wheel if still working will tell the story, and you will say, what a great machine!

Mine looks now like a wreck, but becouse its black i think you cannot easily see the damage (from 3rd person view) so i dont think about it anymore.

 

My advice would be to either pad it up, or buy new outer cover, or use the belt (but carefully the belt might distract your learning) but wathever you do, Dont stop riding!
You will not regret it!

[tommybayshore]

Thanks for the info, where would i buy a outer cover?

[Keith]

14 minutes ago, tommybayshore said:

Any words of advice/encouragement would be appreciated

All of the words and advice you need are already contained in this forum but THE two most important ones are:

Protect the wheel, use carpet, underlay, proper bumper, foam or anything just give it a good covering for those early weeks - it doesn’t matter what it looks like.

Use a leash, tie it to the handle and hold it loosely, don’t pull on it like a rein, it will screw your balance. You need to be able to move your arms freely for balance. If you come off then lift the wheel off of the ground it cannot fly about and hit you once it is off the ground and it will shut down shortly afterwards.

[Rob Valley]

1 minute ago, tommybayshore said:

Thanks for the info, where would i buy a outer cover?

just to be sure you dont understand wrong, i mean the two plastic side covers you have already scratched, they basically cover the batteries.
I Have seen some sell them in europe, and you can probably get them fairly easily in the US

[Bambino]

14 minutes ago, tommybayshore said:

How about we start with something that sums my first experience up:  DISASTER!

This is the first wheel i have ever ridden and unfortunatly i bought a fairly expensive one not thinking that i could not possibly cause too much damage to the device!  It is what it is and i can't return it so im stuck with it!

Maybe i tried to hard too fast?  I had no rails or fence to hold onto, just my truck sides and a big parking lot.  I would let go of the sides of my truck, go about 5-15 feet max and have to jump off, which at the same time the wheel would get my chins in its sites and go full throttle till it hit me extremely hard, to the point of black and blue and bleeding everywhere when i finally gave up after 25 minutes.

Am i expecting too much too soon?  Do most folks fall all over the place when they first start?  I had a helmet, elbow pads and wrist guards on but no shin protection, i will buy shin guards and use them from now on.

Oh i forgot to mention my wheel looks like it's 5 years old and i only used it for 25 minutes.  Have a look at the pics, at this point i'm very frustrated and ready to drop the thing in my garbage bin.  I have a Ninebot mini (which i know is totally different) and was able to ride that fine and saw so many videos of people having fun on a wheel i decided to review all the wheels and the 16S is what i picked because of the range and battery and stability (or so they say).

My weight is 260 lbs but im not fat, i'm about 6"1 and solid build but i'm wondering if a heavier weight makes it harder vs someone that is much lighter?

Attached are some pics, and also my KS16 sounds like a bolt is rattling around inside!  GRRRRRR

Any words of advice/encouragement would be appreciated.  I can't buy a cheap one and practice on it either, my wife is ready to file divorce papers because i bought this one so another one is completely out of the question.

 

Dont worry too much, cheats happens... My KS 18S is all scratches. lolololol...

You will learn to ride and enjoy your wheel

 

[houseofjob]

@tommybayshore Don't give up! 

I'm probably one of the slowest learners ever, and it took me ~ 10 days of dedicated proper practice sessions out in the open to get riding.

 

Yes, your shins will be sore!

The counter-balance of a.) the foot on the pedal & b.) the shin leaning against the side pad, is a key important concept for mounting/dismounting.

 

If you can go a few feet already, the best tips I can give from when I learned are to:

• Use your out-stretched arms (like a circus tight-rope walker) and twist of your hips to try to correct your balance and stay on the EUC longer
• Don't worry about going in a visually perfect and straight line. Since you won't be riding too fast when first learning, focus more on stringing together right and left tendencies to fall over (twist/turn left when falling right, etc), resulting in more of an s-curve, by utilizing the above-mentioned hip twists + out-stretched arms.
• Do not lock your legs! Keep your lower half loose with slight bend in the knees. Only the lower half is really active during EUC riding.
• Your upper torso should be relatively straight up. Think of balancing a pencil upright on the palm of your hand. The pencil (upper torso) remains relatively straight up, while the palm/hand it's balanced on (lower body) is the one that is in motion.

 

Black 2M Baby Furniture Bumper Strip: http://amzn.to/2BFbTmb

 

@Hirsute has a great set of videos via InMotion France on how to learn, just turn on the subs / CC to auto-translate to English:

 

This video is pretty good too. Unfortunately it's only in Korean with no English subs, but you can get the idea from the visuals:

 

[US69]

@tommybayshore

Sorry, i had to smile when reading your post.

At least you have a lot of selfconfidence, to think you just jump on and then it works ;-)

Sorry the mini pro will not help you anything, as on this device you dont balance at all, while on a EUC you do nearly all balance yourself.

But dont let go...there will come the time when it makes click and you can go for more then 5 meters/15feet

But please exspect this to happen perhaps onlöy after about 4-8 sessions of 30 minutes, not before!

And even after the click you need about 2-4 weeks to look "that cool" as it does with the experienced riders.

 

The most important is-never give up-others can do it-you can to!

(and protect your Ks16 better, haha)

[Circuitmage]

YES! DOn't give up!

I even started for 2 months on a easier to ride and slower EUC  (Inmotion V3Pro), but you are OK with starting the KS16S. Don't worry about the cosmetics! AND STICK WITH IT. It won't be long till you are riding like a pro...or at least a good looking beginner!

The scratches in your pics can be easily touched up/covered with cool stickers. You WILL drop it , but what's more of a concern is you getting hurt. 

1) Take care  (safety gear and safe driving)

2) Watch / Read all the information you can

3) Have Fun!

As for the grinding sound...is something lodged in the wheel? Turn it off and put it sideways, look on both sides of the wheel. I once got a piece of wood caught in there and it sounded really bad. Took a good whack to dislodge it. Maybe check on the warranty if it keeps up? 

[LanghamP]

Also, I would buy a learner wheel. You'll always need two wheels. Not want; need, because you can stick one in your car or somewhere. 

The Segway 14 incher is $300 on Amazon right now. 

[J.T.]

5 - 15 feet is good for just 25 minutes.  Perhaps I'm one of the slower learners around here, but it took me a couple of hours before I could go just a few feet without falling.  Some people have suggested learning to ride holding a shopping cart in front of them.  I didn't do that (I read the suggestion after I had already learned to ride), but it seems like a good idea.  It took me another couple of weeks before I felt comfortable riding out in public, and I still hadn't learned to start and stop without holding onto anything (I just memorized where all the poles were at each intersection).  It took me another couple of weeks of regular riding beyond that before I got good at starting and stopping without holding onto a pole.  It's been 2 years since, and riding is second nature at this point.  Don't give up, you'll get there!

[Marty Backe]

Honestly, your wheel doesn't look that bad from my perspective. I'm a somewhat experienced rider and you should see some of my wheels (of course I take them into the mountains where they fall sometimes). Nothing wrong with some battle scars .

I learned on a nice new ACM. After the first few falls I went to Home Depot and bought a 8-foot length of rubber (not foam) copper pipe insulation. Less than $10. I used low-residue Duct Tape (also available from Home Depot) and taped pieces on the wheel. They were on the wheel for about a month until I got good enough riding.

If you've read this Forum for any length of time you know that it's rare to learn to ride super quickly. You have to go slow (maybe 30-minutes a day) and take progressive steps in riding, not propelling yourself from a wall out into the open and hoping for the best 

It took me about 2-hours before I could wobbly ride down the street (without turning). It took about 10-hours before it 'clicked' and I could ride decently. It took many more hours before I could ride truly effortlessly.

260-pounds (whether fat or muscle, doesn't matter) is certainly on the heavier side, but the KS16S should be fine. As long as you are physically capable I don't think weight will affect your ability to learn to ride.

So hang in there and keep the long view. You'll be riding like those guys in the videos, but it may take a few months. And once you get over the initial hurdle, you'll be having a blast learning to ride better.

[who_the]

Welcome to wheel world.

Yes, there's a learning curve, pretty steep one for most. Don't give up. Keep at it. Do that and I promise you it will 'click' before too long.

Wrap your wheel in whatever while you learn. Duct tape an old sweater or bubble wrap. Don't worry about it being ugly.

CHEERS

[Circuitmage]

This is good stuff;

 

AUCH Extra Dense Furniture Table Wall Edge Protectors Foam Baby Safety Bumper Guard Protector, 2 Meters (6.5 Ft) Long * 8 CM Wide https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0177755FI?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

[tommybayshore]

Very good advice from you all and i appreciate it.  It's just frustrating as hell to see all these videos of people whisking around, it looks SO easy but i have a new respect for this wheel that is for sure!

I went out looking for shin guards and all i could find was youth sizes and tiny little guards that barely fit on my legs.  Not sure why but i was walking about Dicks sporting goods and went into the baseball section and found some home plate catchers gear, i didnt need all the gear but the leg pieces completely guard my shins from top to bottom, as an added bonus i also have some knee protection!  Have a look at the pic, only $79.00!  Ill wear this gear while learning!

Ill try again tomorrow but i think i really i need to find a area with a wall and or some poles to make this a little easier, in so much pain right now, hope i can walk tomorrow haha.

 

 

[Gakky]

It is my first post here and I will give it to you.

I am also a new EUC owner and it has been lass than a month since I first rode on one. As many have pointed out, the learning curve is really steep but almost everyone eventually gets it.

For me, I was literally holding on to a handrail for the first 3 days of practice, tapping along it for balance and as I get better, I tapped less. The practice is to allow your body to get used to balancing on an EUC and even though I looked silly. Past that stage, I proceed to practice on an open flat field to get myself accustomed to turning. Then comes mounting the EUC without holding on to rails. Soon, I was riding it around my neighbourhood and now, I do frequent 20km trips into the town and it has become my last mile transportation for working commute.

Keep practicing and don't give up. It may take a few days, or a few weeks but with enough practice, I am sure you will be able to ride it.

[IPS Malta]

My wife doesn't want to ride the EUC but she says it will not be long for our coming younger one to be riding it. She will stick to a bike (for now until I convince her to ride as she never mastered it when I got the first EUC). Back to when I bought my 4th, she was happy that I was happy riding it, so she's not complaining any time to the EUC anymore (and I end up carrying more stuff as I am mobility assisted)

As for your training time you're pretty much normal to other people learning it. I do emphasize that you should not overdo it on training. Every time you stop and ride it again next day (or after a good break at least), you will see plenty of improvement. I think its something to do with the mind being more prepared for it on the next time. giving training, I only trained a skateboarder who left alone in 30 mins, a younger one took 2 hours and normally they take an average of 5 hours (1hr per day over 5 days). Beyond that hour in training, it normally gets difficult and all sorts of pains.

[Hirsute]

Whaou @houseofjob i didn't know that an auto translater is available on youtube! Great! Thank you!

how is the translation? Is it understandable? Does it seems correct?

[Demargon]

You are doing well, the EUC scratches and some shins hurts is something what every EUC rider can deal. See mine, have a lot of work in it and keep doing his job

[IPS Malta]

we should do a scratch count competition!

[Bambino]

38 minutes ago, IPS Malta said:

we should do a scratch count competition!

[tommybayshore]

@Hirsute translator is pretty good, just very fast, about 60% accurate usually...

[tommybayshore]

Well bummer, after smashing my shins up yesterday i can barely walk today, my right leg is swollen bad and that is just from the wheel whipping back and hitting me, i didnt actually fall down at all.  Probably be 2-3 days before i can practice again, totally bummed