Noob first try - meh

[LanghamP]

1 hour ago, Marco Stahlmann said:

I totally agree with you, except, for the time frame. From  my experience I was able to teach 5 people to ride an EUC within 30 minutes max. Fastest was 5 minutes with unicycle and slacklining background. All I did was walk the whole time beside them, so they can hold on fast for the first couple minutes and then just lean on my outstretched arm to barely touching my arm if necessary after a short time. With that help, all of them were able to ride straight within 30 minutes and do some large radius turns. 

If you had two EUCs and used your EUC to increase the pace beyond walking, then do you think the new rider would drop their time from 30 minutes to a few minutes or less?

In my opinion, a walking pace is quite difficult, and indeed to this day I find it easier to do pendulums or ride backwards than to go very slow.

My direct experience is for us to use two EUCs, I hold them up for mere seconds, and then within a hundred feet they are riding on their own, at which point they either 1. Freak out and they jump off, or 2. Keep going.

Amusingly, new riders ask, "how do I steer?"

I've tried several ways and my conclusion is to just tell them to look at where they want to go. If they look at the ground thats exactly where they'll end up <crashing>!

[LanghamP]

7 minutes ago, eddiemoy said:

I'm still doubtful as I've never seen this done.  I don't see how being along side them would work, but then again, I didn't see how you can learn how to ride a bicycle a proven method in 1 hour or so until I used it on my kids and saw it with my own eyes.  It just hasn't been my experience that you can learn that quickly, or be taught that quickly. 

 

Have you used the hand holding method on a new rider yet?

To be very clear, both you and the new rider must be on their own EUC.

Rhetorical question. @eddiemoy will go out and find some fortunate victim, do the hand holding method, then come back and say daaaamn you are totally right.

 

[eddiemoy]

3 minutes ago, LanghamP said:

If you had two EUCs and used your EUC to increase the pace beyond walking, then do you think the new rider would drop their time from 30 minutes to a few minutes or less?

In my opinion, a walking pace is quite difficult, and indeed to this day I find it easier to do pendulums or ride backwards than to go very slow.

My direct experience is for us to use two EUCs, I hold them up for mere seconds, and then within a hundred feet they are riding on their own, at which point they either 1. Freak out and they jump off, or 2. Keep going.

Amusingly, new riders ask, "how do I steer?"

I've tried several ways and my conclusion is to just tell them to look at where they want to go. If they look at the ground thats exactly where they'll end up <crashing>!

I don't understand what you are saying.  You mention before a method of a moving wall beside the noob and now you mention using two EUC's, how do you hold them up and ride?  Normally a new rider is very awkward and riding while holding a new rider is very difficult.  Plus you mention you still have difficulty going slow.  

The look where you want to go is from motorcycle class.  The looking where you want to go is not really learning what makes you turn.  

I'm extremely interested in the 40-120 sec because I hope it is true, but from my experience, it isn't and I can't see how it is done.  Would love to see a video or a demonstration of how that is done.  If you come up with a actual system that allows people to pick up at least going forward in 40-120 seconds then we can get this to mass adoption.

 

[eddiemoy]

8 minutes ago, LanghamP said:

Have you used the hand holding method on a new rider yet?

To be very clear, both you and the new rider must be on their own EUC.

Rhetorical question. @eddiemoy will go out and find some fortunate victim, do the hand holding method, then come back and say daaaamn you are totally right.

 

why victim, you don't seem to sound like someone who is looking to advance EUC adoption.  got plenty of people who want to learn.  as much as I want to believe you, this is probably just BS.

[LanghamP]

4 minutes ago, eddiemoy said:

I don't understand what you are saying.  You mention before a method of a moving wall beside the noob and now you mention using two EUC's, how do you hold them up and ride?  Normally a new rider is very awkward and riding while holding a new rider is very difficult. 

You on your EUC are the moving wall which the new rider leans upon.

This isn't hard to comprehend! 

If I'm going to troll my neighborhood tonight with a video camera then by God I expect some reciprocity, like you find ten yahoos and teach them to ride using the aforementioned method.

[Esper]

@eddiemoy How long did it take you to learn the manual unicycle anyways? I remember you posting a story about it. I want to compare the time it took you to learn that to an EUC.

[Esper]

2 minutes ago, LanghamP said:

You on your EUC are the moving wall which the new rider leans upon.

This isn't hard to comprehend! 

If I'm going to troll my neighborhood tonight with a video camera then by God I expect some reciprocity, like you find ten yahoos and teach them to ride using the aforementioned method.

What is a moving wall? I'm imagining a small wooden platform with a 4x6 wall of bricks on 4 cart wheels. 

[eddiemoy]

1 minute ago, LanghamP said:

You on your EUC are the moving wall which the new rider leans upon.

This isn't hard to comprehend! 

If I'm going to troll my neighborhood tonight with a video camera then by God I expect some reciprocity, like you find ten yahoos and teach them to ride using the aforementioned method.

Don't you know lots of folks who want to learn to ride or did you already teach all of them already, the dozen you talk about?  

Not easy to ride beside someone when they are leaning on you.  Even holding a bag changes your ride, not to mention a noob leaning on you for support since they are fighting to stay up right.  

Talk about trolling, is this what it is, you just trolling?  Also, if you have a proven method, why not share it on the learn how to ride thread?  

[LanghamP]

7 minutes ago, eddiemoy said:

why victim, you don't seem to sound like someone who is looking to advance EUC adoption.  got plenty of people who want to learn.  as much as I want to believe you, this is probably just BS.

You have people available to learn to ride an EUC but do not know how to?

Perfect. Can you contact them now?

[eddiemoy]

2 minutes ago, Esper said:

@eddiemoy How long did it take you to learn the manual unicycle anyways? I remember you posting a story about it. I want to compare the time it took you to learn that to an EUC.

It took me about 4 hours to learn manual unicycle vs 2 hours to learn EUC.  

[LanghamP]

3 minutes ago, eddiemoy said:

Don't you know lots of folks who want to learn to ride or did you already teach all of them already, the dozen you talk about?  

Not easy to ride beside someone when they are leaning on you.  Even holding a bag changes your ride, not to mention a noob leaning on you for support since they are fighting to stay up right.  

Talk about trolling, is this what it is, you just trolling?  Also, if you have a proven method, why not share it on the learn how to ride thread?  

I'm a troll, I actually have never ridden an EUC, and I admit I've never taught anyone to ride an EUC. Everything you suggest about me is absolutely true, I'm so sorry for having subjected you to my experiences, imaginary as they are.

[eddiemoy]

4 minutes ago, LanghamP said:

I'm a troll, I actually have never ridden an EUC, and I admit I've never taught anyone to ride an EUC. Everything you suggest about me is absolutely true, I'm so sorry for having subjected you to my experiences, imaginary as they are.

LOL, someone is butthurt?  Did I step on your ego?  There are plenty of folks who want to learn on this forum.  If you have a proven method to learn in 40-120 seconds, less time than it takes for me to type this reply to you.  Then why not share it?  A video would be lovely.  Why keep it to yourself this magical formula.  

Have you shared this method with anyone here?  You bet I will be trying this with people that want to learn.  

[Seware74]

In response to some (or all) of you, I may see if I can get my teenage son on a bike beside me... I do think that would do some good, but like my spouse's shoulder, he is not always available. 

It might be worthwhile to divide the topic into two sections:  learning to ride with the help of another -AND- learning to ride on your own. Dunno. 

 In any case, don't spend your day arguing over silly stuff when you both already KNOW HOW TO RIDE. Go have fun already! 

Thanks for all the contribution, in any case. 

[eddiemoy]

16 minutes ago, Seware74 said:

In response to some (or all) of you, I may see if I can get my teenage son on a bike beside me... I do think that would do some good, but like my spouse's shoulder, he is not always available. 

It might be worthwhile to divide the topic into two sections:  learning to ride with the help of another -AND- learning to ride on your own. Dunno. 

 In any case, don't spend your day arguing over silly stuff when you both already KNOW HOW TO RIDE. Go have fun already! 

Thanks for all the contribution, in any case. 

Just be careful when you are learning and riding next to others.  You may lose control of the EUC and they may get hurt.  

In some instances, when dropped, they react violently.  They are 2kw motors, when they struggle to keep upright, they can spin up something awful   

 

[cg]

5 hours ago, LanghamP said:

I estimate it should take between 40 to 120 seconds to learn to ride an EUC.

Typically, what happens is a new rider hops on, using a wall or otherwise, wobbles for a few feet, then hops on. Total time: 2 seconds. 

Instead, have a moving wall next to you so each time you wobble you can still stay on. My direct observation is people will typically wobble but still stay up for around 15 seconds, and by 40 seconds it clicks and off they go!

I have seen people learn it in negative seconds, that is where wheel was sucked under their feets, and they where just riding!

Personally, I started with about one hour of training wheels, then couple of hours with a strap before being able to ride for a few meters... I was even able to ride unicycle as a child

[cg]

50 minutes ago, Seware74 said:

In response to some (or all) of you, I may see if I can get my teenage son on a bike beside me... I do think that would do some good, but like my spouse's shoulder, he is not always available.

just hold his hand, then shoulder while he is running / walking, then you can let go, it actually sound like a bad idea to go high speed while holding someone, I wouldn't even do that now after more than 1700km !

[Flying W]

I was an anomaly,  took my super powerful 132wh 350 watt motor ($150 on craigslist, NIB too yay) to a baseball field for little league.  There was about 4 feet of dirt between the grass and the home run fence and it looked like as good place as any to give it a try. The night before I was standing on it in the house idling to get a feel for it. 

I got on using the fence and when I went forward I turned right (not by choice) and went out into the grass. The grass was very thick and the EUC is very slow. I almost made it back to where I started before I jumped off. 

The thick grass was no fun so I used a rail on a slop that goes up to the parking area and started up the hill. WAY easier on concrete! Been having a blast ever since, ordered a Ks16s about a week after my first day and started commuting to work the day after it arrived. 

I can believe the 40 to 120 seconds for some odd ball people like me, but I did a lot of things as a kid that require balance and I always had freak balance. I can stay still on a bicycle leaving my feet clipped in at stop lights, I played hockey, I roller bladed in empty pools and on half pipes and also skate boarded (but not in pools or on half pipes.  

My dad who is 68yrs only picked it up pretty fast. I jogged next to him to get him off and going in grass. He would make it about 50ft and then come off, no turns or he was done. That was day one. About a week later we tried again at a different park with thick grass that wouldn't work (remember. Super crazy powerful 132wh wheel here!) So he went for it on the sidewalk. He rode all the way around the park, arms flailing a little but a damn good go of it. He even somehow got going without a wall or pole while holding the top of the euc with both hands (hell I cant even do that!) and he only had to tuck n roll once. 

Today was the third time he tried one, put him on the 16s on a soccer field. Showed him the "A" method of starting off and that was that. He rode that thing around for almost 2 hrs taking breaks every ten min or so. 

I must confess that safety gear was not used. My dad and I never were very smart when it comes to safety gear. 

The common part in all of this is that even though it took him longer we both just went for it, tried very hard to "ride it out" and only came off as a last resort. 

After teaching my dad I do feel that having someone to jog next to you to get you moving is key. You gotta get going more than walking speed. My dad wasnt holding my arm or shoulder but when he needed it he could grab on and regain his balance without having to jump off. 

I would love to test this with more people but saddly no one I know wants to try it. 

To anyone wanting to learn how to ride one of these things....dont be a dumb ass like me or my 68yr old father and wear some safety gear!

[RayRay]

On 9/18/2018 at 8:10 AM, Mmhmmm said:

People who are right-handed usually kick a soccer ball with their right foot. We become used to planting our weight with our left foot to make actions with our right/dominant foot. Right-handed skateboarders usually ride using "regular" stance with their left foot forward, steering with their right/rear foot.

Mounting an EUC, most people should find it easier to place the non-dominant foot on first and then push off with the dominant foot.

I'm not sure how unusual this is, but I developed a habit of placing my right (dominant) foot on first. Now it feels weird to to go left first. I'll need to work on this I think...

[Cumulus Libre]

Be patient, like lot's of people allready mentioned, try to put a goal , but a  realistic one.. 

My goal with a knee issue was to be able to ride on the grass two weeks after I bought it, the first days only back and forth riding, gradually you get more confidence, then your muscle memory will kick in, hopping on and off will become more easy once you understand where your knee has to be placed to keep your KS18L balanced.. 

Through setting that goal a bit further down the line, in my case two weeks, you don't get frustrated, and secondly you'll notice you will ride faster than those weeks and you'll be happy with your achievements.. 

Not all of us are 18 , or have the physical capabilities of our fit neighbour etc... just set realistic goals. 

I hear too often i was able to ride in just half an hour or so.. in my perspective that's nice, but does that really matter? It's about fun, you progressing and learning something... 

 

It's about the journey, not necessary getting fast on your destination... 

cheers

CL