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My KS-14D wiggles when going fast and straight


DaniMon

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Hi all, I just got a KS-14D a few days ago. Since I had been practicing with my son's InMotion V3C (two small tires on one central wheel) I could get the grasp of this "real" monocycle pretty fast, and I can drive it already around town.

However, I have noticed that when going straight on flat roads and over 20 km/h the wheel kind of wiggles or shakes a little side to side, like it's going to loose balance. I can handle it but it's uncomfortable and I don't understand why it's happening. I have moved the riding settings in the app from medium to hard/experienced, but still happening.

Is it me not riding it properly? Is it some kind of calibration that needs to be made?

Any help is welcome. Thanks! Daniel.

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User error:efee47c9c8:

The (unconfirmed) theory goes like this:

Your body manages the sideways balance on a EUC. If you're tired, have tense muscles (after a long ride or just due to unrelaxed stance), or are just insecure (e.g. because you're a new rider) and riding is harsh (going fast, gusty wind, ...), your body reacts too slowly, and instead of dampening the sideways oscillation, you amplify it - which is the wobble.

If you search for "wobble" here you'll find the discussions.

It should go away on its own with experience.

You can always brake, or shift weight to one foot, which should make it go away.

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On 2/12/2018 at 8:58 AM, DaniMon said:

Well that's a relief meepmeepmayer! Thanks a lot for the encouragement! :)

Your legs have to get used to the wheel and get conditioned. If I ride everyday, I never get the death wobble. If I don’t ride for 3 weeks, I will get the death wobble back until I ride for over an hour to recondition my legs. 

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4 hours ago, GoinPostal said:

Your legs have to get used to the wheel and get conditioned. If I ride everyday, I never get the death wobble. If I don’t ride for 3 weeks, I will get the death wobble back until I ride for over an hour to recondition my legs. 

Yep, I had the wobble at the beginning of my career last year, going faster than 12mph or so. Had a three week break due to weather this winter and, although I didn't quite wobble, my legs hated me after a shortish ride.

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On 2/12/2018 at 10:26 AM, DaniMon said:

Hi all, I just got a KS-14D a few days ago. Since I had been practicing with my son's InMotion V3C (two small tires on one central wheel) I could get the grasp of this "real" monocycle pretty fast, and I can drive it already around town.

However, I have noticed that when going straight on flat roads and over 20 km/h the wheel kind of wiggles or shakes a little side to side, like it's going to loose balance. I can handle it but it's uncomfortable and I don't understand why it's happening. I have moved the riding settings in the app from medium to hard/experienced, but still happening.

Is it me not riding it properly? Is it some kind of calibration that needs to be made?

Any help is welcome. Thanks! Daniel.

I own this same wheel, have had it for about 2 months now . I had the same issue for about about a week.As @meepmeepmayer has pointed out it’s us, not the machine . I found for me personally moving my feet to a slightly more forward position. Meaning more heel on the pedal with more toe overhang helped remedy the situation but it’s all kind of down to muscle memory and fatigue. I sometimes still experience this after riding  longer distances , ~15mi which for me is getting close to the max range of the 14D. 

So don’t worry . Over time, once you get more used to riding it should resolve itself . 

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14 hours ago, Scott Henley said:

I found for me personally moving my feet to a slightly more forward position. Meaning more heel on the pedal with more toe overhang helped remedy the situation

I'm not ashamed to admit that I still get wobble, and I've ridden over 1500Km over all kinds of terrain.  At low speed, it's no biggie, but at speed, it could @Rehab1 you right to hospital. so I can't bring myself to ride much faster than 15mph.  It comes unexpectedly, which is bad because I fear it can strike me at any moment.  Moving feet forward is an obvious remedy, but I'm already hanging off the front of the pedals, and I've noticed that emergency braking is compromised when you can't put a good amount of leverage into your heels because they are closer to the axle( in this forward-footed stance).  I once descended a long hill in Javia, Spain with the balls of my feet flapping above the pedals because I was leaning back so much, in order to maintain an acceptable amount of braking.  That was not comfortable. I've also noticed that in this forward position, when I need to power over something, or up a sudden incline, I'm rolling off the front lip of the pedals rather than, applying force to the pedals.  I once approached a steep uphill driveway at a low speed.  There was an added raised ridge across the bottom of the driveway, so the climb started with an amp spike to climb this ridge (I should have been going faster, but it was really steep)  after the bump I rocked forward, balanced on the front lip of the pedals, and proceeded to "wind the windows down" all the way to the top of the driveway, all the time almost toppling off the front.  I still don't know how I didn't face plant; good window winding skills I guess.

In fact, wobble was the main reason for my recent 2.5" tire upgrade.  It hasn't helped yet. Ironically, because of the peculiar characteristics of my new tubeless tire, I have found that I have to move my feet back from my normal position, in order to reduce the strange turning characteristics.  On a positive note, my breaking has become more powerful. :D

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1 hour ago, Smoother said:

I'm not ashamed to admit that I still get wobble, and I've ridden over 1500Km over all kinds of terrain.  At low speed, it's no biggie, but at speed, it could @Rehab1 you right to hospital. so I can't bring myself to ride much faster than 15mph.

Definitely a conundrum. Even your previous tire caused a wobble. EUC motors/tires are not balanced like on automobiles and motorcycles but considering this is a higher speed wobble issue something is either unbalanced or out of round. If a car/ motorcycle tire is out of balance there usually is no vibration at slower speeds but it increases in intensity the faster you go. Did you ever hit anything hard while riding on your KS 14D that could possibly alter the shape of the rim?

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7 hours ago, Smoother said:

I'm not ashamed to admit that I still get wobble, and I've ridden over 1500Km over all kinds of terrain.  At low speed, it's no biggie, but at speed, it could @Rehab1 you right to hospital. so I can't bring myself to ride much faster than 15mph.  It comes unexpectedly, which is bad because I fear it can strike me at any moment.  Moving feet forward is an obvious remedy, but I'm already hanging off the front of the pedals, and I've noticed that emergency braking is compromised when you can't put a good amount of leverage into your heels because they are closer to the axle( in this forward-footed stance).  I once descended a long hill in Javia, Spain with the balls of my feet flapping above the pedals because I was leaning back so much, in order to maintain an acceptable amount of braking.  That was not comfortable. I've also noticed that in this forward position, when I need to power over something, or up a sudden incline, I'm rolling off the front lip of the pedals rather than, applying force to the pedals.  I once approached a steep uphill driveway at a low speed.  There was an added raised ridge across the bottom of the driveway, so the climb started with an amp spike to climb this ridge (I should have been going faster, but it was really steep)  after the bump I rocked forward, balanced on the front lip of the pedals, and proceeded to "wind the windows down" all the way to the top of the driveway, all the time almost toppling off the front.  I still don't know how I didn't face plant; good window winding skills I guess.

In fact, wobble was the main reason for my recent 2.5" tire upgrade.  It hasn't helped yet. Ironically, because of the peculiar characteristics of my new tubeless tire, I have found that I have to move my feet back from my normal position, in order to reduce the strange turning characteristics.  On a positive note, my breaking has become more powerful. :D

Are you sure the wobble isn't caused by your technique? I only experience periodic wobble when traveling above 25-mph, and only when traversing uneven pavement, etc.

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8 hours ago, Rehab1 said:

Definitely a conundrum. Even your previous tire caused a wobble. EUC motors/tires are not balanced like on automobiles and motorcycles but considering this is a higher speed wobble issue something is either unbalanced or out of round. If a car/ motorcycle tire is out of balance there usually is no vibration at slower speeds but it increases in intensity the faster you go. Did you ever hit anything hard while riding on your KS 14D that could possibly alter the shape of the rim?

 

No, it's not a constant wobble.  I can be riding along at speed, just fine, smooth as silk, then suddenly, a wobble develops.  It could be a small disturbance in the road surface, or something else, I'm not sure.  As you know only too well, we often don't know what causes our disturbances unless we go back and analyze the scene.  Who goes back to analyze a spot that may have caused a wobble that didn't throw them down the road? Maybe I should.

It's not the speed per se, its fear of it happening at speed, that prevents me from enjoying speed for any amount of time.  Maybe it's a blessing, keeping me down in the sane speed zone.  But I would like to explore the 35kph ability of the 16s from time to time.  My 14c rim is fine, no heavy hits.  I'm looking at it right now, a rim with a new 2.5" tire on it and nothing else (the motor is in pieces, as you know)

2 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

Are you sure the wobble isn't caused by your technique? I only experience periodic wobble when traveling above 25-mph, and only when traversing uneven pavement, etc.

 

No, I'm not sure it's not my technique, but I can't explain why, when nothing changes in me, a wobble suddenly pops up.  Almost everything around here is classified as "uneven pavement".  ALL our utilities are underground (yes, even electricity).  So every time work has to be performed, the road/sidewalk is dug up and unevenly replaced afterwards.  Also, most of our sidewalks area patchwork of paving stones, or tree root upheaved, or any combination.  Add in drive way dips, utility work, and unlevel manhole covers, and you have a rollercoaster ride everywhere you go. But I don't ride that stuff too fast obviously.  It's the smoother (Smoother, get it!) stuff where I up the speed.  I'm relieved to hear that even you get wobbles but I can't ever hit 25mph on my Nanny Songs (that's not a complaint  :) )  I think part of the problem is the infrastructure here is so old.  H.G. Wells was born a few blocks from here and Charles Darwin, lived about 2 miles away. Similar conditions for New Englanders I guess, but not those from Cal-e-forn-i-a.  It's not the sort of thing one wants to experiment with.  "I'm just popping out to practice my high speed wobbles" is not a sentence I'll be uttering anytime soon.

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8 hours ago, Smoother said:

No, it's not a constant wobble.  I can be riding along at speed, just fine, smooth as silk, then suddenly, a wobble develops.  It could be a small disturbance in the road surface, or something else, I'm not sure.  As you know only too well, we often don't know what causes our disturbances unless we go back and analyze the scene.  Who goes back to analyze a spot that may have caused a wobble that didn't throw them down the road? Maybe I should.

It's not the speed per se, its fear of it happening at speed, that prevents me from enjoying speed for any amount of time.  Maybe it's a blessing, keeping me down in the sane speed zone.  But I would like to explore the 35kph ability of the 16s from time to time.  My 14c rim is fine, no heavy hits.  I'm looking at it right now, a rim with a new 2.5" tire on it and nothing else (the motor is in pieces, as you know)

No, I'm not sure it's not my technique, but I can't explain why, when nothing changes in me, a wobble suddenly pops up.  Almost everything around here is classified as "uneven pavement".  ALL our utilities are underground (yes, even electricity).  So every time work has to be performed, the road/sidewalk is dug up and unevenly replaced afterwards.  Also, most of our sidewalks area patchwork of paving stones, or tree root upheaved, or any combination.  Add in drive way dips, utility work, and unlevel manhole covers, and you have a rollercoaster ride everywhere you go. But I don't ride that stuff too fast obviously.  It's the smoother (Smoother, get it!) stuff where I up the speed.  I'm relieved to hear that even you get wobbles but I can't ever hit 25mph on my Nanny Songs (that's not a complaint  :) )  I think part of the problem is the infrastructure here is so old.  H.G. Wells was born a few blocks from here and Charles Darwin, lived about 2 miles away. Similar conditions for New Englanders I guess, but not those from Cal-e-forn-i-a.  It's not the sort of thing one wants to experiment with.  "I'm just popping out to practice my high speed wobbles" is not a sentence I'll be uttering anytime soon.

Earlier on in my "career" I would transition onto some rougher pavement on a bicycle path and get some wobbles that scared the crap out of me. Now I always slow down when I see that I'm leaving smooth pavement (when I'm going over 20-mph). But even on apparently very nice paths I still get a little wobble sometimes when traveling at higher speeds, but it's never uncontrollable or worrisome. I just relax the legs a bit, reduce the speed a couple mph, and all is fine. I never get the severe wobbles any more because I keep the speed down in those circumstances.

It's too bad England doesn't have hundreds of miles of beautiful bicycle paths like I get to experience here. But at least you get to experience "history" :P

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2 minutes ago, Smoother said:

Oh yeah.  Why just this morning I wheeled right over Wordsworth's grave.  It was poetry in motion.

:laughbounce2:

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When I get the wobbles it is usually something I can get control of. Slowing down is the first way to stop them, and moving in a more forward backward motion with the euc helps too. Kinda like switching the axis of the pendulum from side to side to forward backward.

I think it comes from my feet reacting or overreacting to regain steady balance. If my feet a positioned askew or too far forward or backward while askew, this seems to happen more. Probably because the effects of me trying to steady the wheel with my feet askew by balancing my feet to conteract the wobble which makes it worse because of the alignment of my feet. Whew, that was a mashup of words, but it is an accurate description of the action.

When you feel it the next time, try to see where your feet are positioned - if they are too far forward, or askew. There is still a lot to learn with regards to skill in riding, and I hope there always will be.

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@Stan Onymous yes that all makes sense.  I always correct my feet if they are not even with each other or too far forward or back.  When ones feet are not the same distance from the front an asymmetric triangle is created with the contact patch of the wheel; every change in force creates asymetric reactions from the feet, which I assume helps create a wobble, but I don't ride like this.  I'll even come to a complete stop to make my feet even.

I don't want you guys to think I can barely ride.  This afternoon a went out to a local park and chased down every tree root, every bump, every pot hole just for the fun of it.  And I did it at speed.  I had very few wobbles and all of them barely perceptable.

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53 minutes ago, Smoother said:

@Stan Onymous yes that all makes sense.  I always correct my feet if they are not even with each other or too far forward or back.  When ones feet are not the same distance from the front an asymmetric triangle is created with the contact patch of the wheel; every change in force creates asymetric reactions from the feet, which I assume helps create a wobble, but I don't ride like this.  I'll even come to a complete stop to make my feet even.

I don't want you guys to think I can barely ride.  This afternoon a went out to a local park and chased down every tree root, every bump, every pot hole just for the fun of it.  And I did it at speed.  I had very few wobbles and all of them barely perceptable.

Oh, it's way to late - we've known for a long time now that you can't ride. Do you read some of the stuff you write here :laughbounce2:

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Lol, wobbles are not a measure of skill. We all get them as Marty said. I dumped my KS18s getting some crazy wobbles coming down a really steep hill. The fact that you want to do something about them speaks more to your skill in a good way than in a deficient way.

Thing is, its so hard to deconstruct the moment it happens, and it is fun to figure out solutions to this problem. There was a discussion in another thread about dominant foot mounting and dismounting. I am wondering if this dominant foot style creates a laziness unconsciously in my stance. Almost like I ride mostly while balancing on one leg. I do stand that way a lot, with one leg being more of a brace than a support. Come to think of it I rarely stand like a Superhero on both feet firmly planted beneath me. :huh:

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37 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

Oh, it's way to late - we've known for a long time now that you can't ride. Do you read some of the stuff you write here :laughbounce2:

I'm going to intercept that grainy VHS that @Rehab1 is sending you and substitute it with some ISIS radicalization training video,  then drop a dime on you. :roflmao:

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On 2/21/2018 at 12:56 AM, Rehab1 said:

Definitely a conundrum. Even your previous tire caused a wobble. EUC motors/tires are not balanced like on automobiles and motorcycles but considering this is a higher speed wobble issue something is either unbalanced or out of round. If a car/ motorcycle tire is out of balance there usually is no vibration at slower speeds but it increases in intensity the faster you go. Did you ever hit anything hard while riding on your KS 14D that could possibly alter the shape of the rim?

I've jumped over a couple of sidewalks or three ;)  no more than that, no "unexpected" use or crash :D

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On ‎21‎/‎02‎/‎2018 at 1:56 PM, Rehab1 said:

Definitely a conundrum. Even your previous tire caused a wobble. EUC motors/tires are not balanced like on automobiles and motorcycles but considering this is a higher speed wobble issue something is either unbalanced or out of round. If a car/ motorcycle tire is out of balance there usually is no vibration at slower speeds but it increases in intensity the faster you go. Did you ever hit anything hard while riding on your KS 14D that could possibly alter the shape of the rim?

So here's a question... With EUC performance (power & speed) increasing, should wheels be balanced? 

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13 minutes ago, The Fat Unicyclist said:

So here's a question... With EUC performance (power & speed) increasing, should wheels be balanced? 

Definately with speed. I am trying to figure out what piece of equipment could be modified to accurately perform this task. The wheel would need to be be held statically in a fixture during the run up/ balance test . You could then  use stick on weights on the hub to balance the wheel.  :confused1:

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41 minutes ago, Rehab1 said:

Definately with speed. I am trying to figure out what piece of equipment could be modified to accurately perform this task. The wheel would need to be be held statically in a fixture during the run up/ balance test . You could then  use stick on weights on the hub to balance the wheel.  :confused1:

Have you seen this... 

 

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