Eucalyptus Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 Hi all, I am new to this forum and this strange fascination, so I thought I might provide some background. A couple of years ago, on my way to a boat show, I stopped in disbelief at the roped-off part of the parking lot. I couldn't believe my eyes: here were people (or maybe robots or remote-control show-room dummies ?) gliding around without any apparent body movement ! As I watched closer, I saw they were standing on some kind of car battery sized box mounted on a single tyre, very strange. It turned out they were real people, demoing and selling a novel transportation method, allegedly easy to store on boats and fun to use in and around marinas. After I waited and watched, this guy asked me if I wanted to try. Yes, for sure, and I felt both elated and a bit ashamed of being walked like a dog, astraddle a one-wheeled car battery with encouragement of skimpily clad members of the opposite sex. The magic evaporated when we got to the little matter of price, no way I could spend more than 1500 € on something I wasn't sure I could either master physically or justify as a worthwhile investment. Fast-forward to last Saturday, the local supermarket has this parking-lot clearance sales with lots of stuff to look thru. I guess the boat show test ride somehow rewired my reptilian brain as I can not remember anything except coming back home with a unexpected piece of alien technology. Alien ? Star Trek for sure. When I try to get on top of the box, I really need to Klingon. It also gives a new insight to the standard Klingon greeting of "Today is a nice day to die." I have tried voice control, thought control, nothing works except the exquisite, detailed and (mostly) learned advice on this wonderful forum. Thanks, I will experiment and report back when I have something worthy of mention... Here are the specs and a picture, please don't laugh... Battery 132Wh Charger 67.2V 2 A Motor 300W Tyre 14x2.125 Range 15-18 km Max Speed 10 or 12 km/h Weight 10 Kg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmethvin Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 That's very similar to my first wheel. Just be careful with them, they really don't have a lot of power but they're a great first wheel to learn on and see if you like to ride. If you do like it, expect to be looking at that big price tag again and thinking, "Hey it's not that bad for something that's so fun!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoinPostal Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 Welcome to the greatest hobby ever! Pad yourself! Helmet, elbows, and knees at a minimum. There are a ton of videos with training advice both here and on YouTube. They will help a lot. Good luck! stay safe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 @Eucalyptus clever name ?. Welcome to the forum and good luck with your new EUC. If it was a cheap buy it will make a great training wheel that you will not worry about if it gets scratched, etc. However, If you do read through this forum you will realise that there are things to be aware of with small motor/battery wheels and also with EUC specifications. For example you can reckon on 132Wh being good for nearer 8-10km, (less if you are more than 80kg) not the 15-20 that the manufacturer gets by seemingly having someone as light as a trained chimpanzee ride it. So don’t worry if the range seems a lot less than you expected. a small single bank of 16 cells, as here, very much limits the maximum power of the wheel as, indeed, does a 300W motor. Not a problem whilst learning, but, unless you are very light in weight, you will need to be cautious once you reach the point where you are starting to go at the maximum speed of the wheel as there will be no power in reserve, a small pothole or crack in the road may send you flying off the wheel without warning. The battery protection system on these wheels can also be a much greater friend to the battery than you, by switching the battery off if it sees an overload or the voltage getting low, again leaving you to fly. So. Do not try to accelerate or brake too hard, I.e. do not lean backwards and forwards aggressively. Get some protection, at the very least wristguards and a cycling helmet, in case you do have a problem and, if/once you are hooked, think about getting a much more capable wheel and using this one to introduce your friends to the fun too ?. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xoltri Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 Nice! Learned on a wheel like that myself. Welcome to the club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meepmeepmayer Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 You're going all in on the EUC puns, nice! Nothing much to add other than: get a real wheel soon. This one is perfect for learning without worrying about damage, but I would not consider it safe for much more (when you really need to brake or so). Also, wrist guards!!!!! Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meepmeepmayer Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 5 hours ago, Eucalyptus said: It also gives a new insight to the standard Klingon greeting of "Today is a nice day to die." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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