Why am I calling electric unicycle "euc" for short?

[John Eucist]

(Copied and pasted from a Facebook post I made back in January 12th.)
Why am I calling electric unicycle "euc" for short? (Counter-arguments welcome after you read this to the bottom)

EDIT: This is actually more of an explanation of WHY *I* use it and not as a way to try to persuade everyone else to follow suit. You can call it "sosbeu" ( @John Chew reference ) for all I care as long as people know what you mean.

Note 1: Yes, I/we will continue to casually say "wheel" when not trying to emphasize "electric unicycle" specifically. e.g. "After the wheel was completely charged I went wheeling!".  EU is fine too when used in a way where there's NO CHANCE of ambiguity.

1) E for Electric, U for Uni, C for Cycle. I'm perfectly aware "unicycle" is one word but there are two "roots" within the word. "uni" and "cycle" each means something by itself.

2) "electric unicycle" is the direct translation for the standard name that everyone in China uses (电动独轮车) where it represents probably around 95%+ of the current world market share in electric unicycle adoption/usage. (电动=electric (electrically moving) 独轮车=unicycle)
EDIT 2016-10-28: That 95% figure is most likely no longer true (if it were true at the time).

3) It's one-syllable. Verbally can be pronounced like the "euc" in "eucalyptus" ("eu" as in EUrope, "c" as in Cat).

4) It's 3 characters and quick to type without needing to press shift to capitalize without any ambiguity as there are no other common acronyms or words that are spelled this way.

5) With a consonant as the last letter you can easily change it to different "parts of speech" and sounding good verbally e.g. eucist (an electric unicyclist), eucing (electric unicycling), euced (having ridden an electric unicycle), etc. (pronounced "yewkist/yewking/yewked")

Q1) Why not call it EU instead of euc? A) Often confused with "European Union". B ) EU is two-syllable verbally unless you say "ewww!" which sounds like the meaning of "disgusting". C) People tend to capitalize it to emphasize the fact it's an acronym hence having to hold the SHIFT when typing.

Note 2: That said, I'm still fine with EU and I may still use both EU and euc interchangeably.

Q2) Why not call it "eWheel" or EW? (Hi Jason) A) Any wheel-based PEV (Personal Electric Vehicle) existing today and developed in the future can be called that hence possible future ambiguity. B ) eWheel is 6 characters and two-syllables C) EW is four-syllables verbally and if pronounced as one-syllable it would sound like "ewww!" too (refer to Q1- B ). D) EW will contribute to the perpetuation of the common mistranslation of "Electric Wheelbarrow".  With all that said, ewheel is my second choice if euc doesn't catch on.
EDIT 2016-10-28: For those speculating a domain name ownership bias, for the record, I've owned (and still own) the ewheel.org domain (which gets forwarded to electricunicycle.org) for longer than this post has been around.

(added 2016-11-30)
Q3) Why "unicycle" when there's no "pedaling"?  A) For the same reason why a motorcycle is called a motorcycle.  

Edited November 30, 2016 by John Eucist
added Q3

[lucsan]

While your reasoning and english are impeccable, might I throw in my pennyworth.

 

I call them cogies (singular cogy) as I was riding mine through the palace gardens in Brighton I past some Japanese language students.  A girl in the group pointed at the machine and said (I think) what is that? (She said it in Japanese and I don't speak Japanese so badly they might have been korean for all I know), and he said what sounded to me like, 'its a cogy', which could for all I know be Japanese for I don't know, or I have one, or anything really.

 

However I noticed recently the French are calling them gyroroue (literal trans. Gyro wheel, or gyrowheel), now this is still too much of a mouthful for the British, which leads to possible portmanteau and term familar, how about gywhee ( I like the whee bit, like wha hay whee of we go etc), or gwhee, or gywe (pronounced  guy we, or goo we)

 

PS. the electric wheelbarrow thing, this at least provides a legality, as the gywhee is (or rather may technically be claimed to be) an electric wheelbarrow, (it only has one wheel and is clearly designed to take a payload), it can be classified under UK law as a pedestrian controlled vehicle for which no vehicle licence is required, a k on your driving license (and therefore a driving license is required) to operate a pedestrian controlled vehicle on the highyways and by-way (local laws apply).

 

EW should perhaps be dismissed not for the wheelbarrow thing, but that it is the sound kids make when they smell something nasty (as in pe ew, what a stink, etc) 

[StridAst]

I like the gyro wheel name, but it is a mouth full. When someone asks me "What is that?". Or " what do you call that?". I don't like calling it an electric unicycle just because it sounds so dorky when you call it that. Problem is an online search won't help them any if I call it something else.

As for forum abbreviations, I agree on euc as an abbreviation. EU makes me think "European Union".

[Gimlet]

Only problem I see with euc as an abreviation is that when spoken it sounds exactly the same as uke the abreviation for ukulele.

[KaleOsaurusRex]

I have been calling it a "uni" for the shortest form, but I really like the logic around "EUC." Good point about the ukelele though; but that's kind of a positive if people think you're riding a magic ukelele eh?

[dpong]

To all the folks who yell out at me: "What is that?" I have taken to saying it is an electric unicycle.  If I only have a couple of seconds to give them some information (as I ride by), this seems to give them a lot of info in a small verbal package.  They understand enough.  

[Jason McNeil]

IMO, eWheel is the easiest, most concise & best descriptive name, this is in no way related to the fact that I own the ewheels.com domain...

[EDL]

EUC makes a great abbreviation here, but out in the wild I use the full "electric unicycle".  Despite the dorkiness implied by "unicycle", the "electric" seems to counterbalance that in people's minds.  And once I've given them a 60 second demo I don't think anyone thinks negatively about it.  "Like a Segway, but with only one wheel." gets the message across quick also.

Edited August 4, 2015 by EDL

[Mono]

I wonder whether "gyrocycle" has any implied meaning for native English speakers? 

[bleu9mm]

In Canada, it wouldn't be EUC but : You see eh ?? So, I vote for sosbeu !!!!!

Bleu9mm

[EDL]

I wonder whether "gyrocycle" has any implied meaning for native English speakers? 

I think most Americans would think of the Greek sandwich when they hear "gyro".  Otherwise in my mind a gyro is a similar concept to the EUC, but it spins horizontal not vertical.  I know it can spin vertical, but that's not the image that jumps to mind.  Although gyrocycle is a much cooler word.

[cg]

in Danish, EUC makes no sense, (and to me it is also close to the sound yak)

electrical wheelbarrow,  it makes no sence to me, but I love the word, I wouldn't even know how to translate it

electrical unicycle translated to totally unsexy: 'eletrisk ethjulet cykel'

gyro-cycle translates to gyro-cykel, sound way more sexy.

Edited August 3, 2015 by cg
added wheelbarrow

[RichieV]

How about StEUc for Stand-up Electric Unicycle (as opposed to the sit-down varieties such as the SBU or RYNO)?  It would be pronounced "stuke" which rhymes with "Luke".  Or maybe even drop the last "c" for StEU and pronounce it as "stew"?

Edited August 3, 2015 by RichieV
StEU afterthought

[Daan]

IMO, eWheel is the easiest, most concise & best descriptive name, this is in no way related to the fact that I own the ewheels.com domain...

 Actually, I also like "eWheel" best. Sounds also slick, eco-friendly, and modern -- a bit like a 'laptop-wheel' or something  let's hope Apple comes out with an "iWheel" soon and shows some slick design with magic Tesla batteries 

[John Eucist]

Is there a standard name for the hovertrax / chic-smart clones yet?

[Mistagear]

Have had people comment a few times that "electric uni / electric unicycle" is such a geeky name for such a cool thing.

Have changed to calling them 1Wheelers , which so far has not caused the negative looks associated with the other names. Seems to work for Aussie's 

[RichieV]

John,

On reddit there's a subreddit called /r/minisegway which discusses these things.  Mini segway seems to be one of the more popular names.

--Richard

[EDL]

Ugh.  I hate "minisegway".  It seems to diminish the worth of these devices as their own thing.  Related to the segway?  Sure.  But "minisegway" takes away their unique qualities and very different riding experience and ties what in my opinion is an interesting and exciting device (the EUC) to what is semi-considered a silly albeit technologically innovative device (the segway).  Minisegway makes me think of just a small 2 wheel segway, not a single wheel device.

Someone needs to get on reddit and set them straight.

[RichieV]

 

Ugh.  I hate "minisegway".  It seems to diminish the worth of these devices as their own thing.  Related to the segway?  Sure.  But "minisegway" takes away their unique qualities and very different riding experience and ties what in my opinion is an interesting and exciting device (the EUC) to what is semi-considered a silly albeit technologically innovative device (the segway).  Minisegway makes me think of just a small 2 wheel segway, not a single wheel device.

Someone needs to get on reddit and set them straight.

Well I only mentioned the subreddit because John had asked specifically about those small 2 wheel segways:

Is there a standard name for the hovertrax / chic-smart clones yet?

I agree that the name "minisegway" should not be applied to all personal transportation devices, especially not EUCs.  There is a subreddit called /r/electricunicycle but it's not very active.

[dhlee3]

I call them glidewheels for a few reasons: 

1. The term euc sounds clinical. It's like calling a skateboard a "four wheel balance plank" - not quite the same resonance.

2. When riding, it actually feels like you are gliding - the term gives you a sense of what it is like to ride it.

3. In transparency I do own the glidewheel.org domain. Haven't done anything with it yet though. Was thinking of creating a review site, but there are more and more of those already. Haha.

 

[Hunka Hunka Burning Love]

Is there a standard name for the hovertrax / chic-smart clones yet?

I started calling them TWEBS (Two Wheel Electric Balancing Skateboard) just because there seemed to be no general agreement on a good, short name for these mini-Segway hoverboard self-balancing scooter thingies.  It sort of caught on in the thread I created on Redflagdeals, but I don't know if anyone else uses the term.  Doing a Google search, the term TWEBS also refers to some defunct aviation acronym.  People always ask me what it is that I'm riding, and I always have to do a double take not to say "It's a TWEBS," but instead I go for the easy self-balancing scooter name or mini-Segway.  Those are easier to remember and search for I think for most folks.

[BobbyDee]

Electric gyro_wheel. Just sounds cool to me. Which sounds better- asking a good looking woman if she wants to learn how to ride my EUC, or if she wants to learn how to ride my electric gyro_wheel? *Half kidding/half not. :-)

Edited September 1, 2015 by BobbyDee

[Kevin]

I can't help but ask... John, is your last name really EUCist? Because if so, I'd have to call you biased

Naming wise:

1. 'EUC' works for stuff like legal definitions, but I can't see it becoming common in popular culture.
2. If there were a brand that became hugely dominant and gained significant awareness in the general public, I would use that (sort of like 'kleenex').
3. Otherwise, any more general name needs to have either 'wheel', 'unicycle' or 'segway' in it otherwise it will have nothing to do with the product. I prefer 'wheel' because 'unicycle' sounds dorky.
4. Some possible 'wheel' names, branded or not: MonoWheel, SoloWheel, AirWheel, GlideWheel, eWheel

Personally I think AirWheel is the best combination of descriptive and non-dorky, but I don't want to support the brand - so as runner up I'd prefer eWheel or glidewheel. A quick google search shows that 'eWheel' is already being used for electric unicycles (there's actually another community ewheels.org), whereas 'glidewheel' turns up some electronic components, so in my opinion eWheel is the clear winner.

 

[John Eucist]

I can't help but ask... John, is your last name really EUCist? Because if so, I'd have to call you biased

Naming wise:

1. 'EUC' works for stuff like legal definitions, but I can't see it becoming common in popular culture.
2. If there were a brand that became hugely dominant and gained significant awareness in the general public, I would use that (sort of like 'kleenex').
3. Otherwise, any more general name needs to have either 'wheel', 'unicycle' or 'segway' in it otherwise it will have nothing to do with the product. I prefer 'wheel' because 'unicycle' sounds dorky.
4. Some possible 'wheel' names, branded or not: MonoWheel, SoloWheel, AirWheel, GlideWheel, eWheel

Personally I think AirWheel is the best combination of descriptive and non-dorky, but I don't want to support the brand - so as runner up I'd prefer eWheel or glidewheel. A quick google search shows that 'eWheel' is already being used for electric unicycles (there's actually another community ewheels.org), whereas 'glidewheel' turns up some electronic components, so in my opinion eWheel is the clear winner.

 

Of course eucist isn't my last name.  I prefer using a term that is not associated with a brand.  ewheel works for me if and when people stop calling it eucs.  Currently it's the main term used in all the electric unicycle Facebook groups.  I just hope no brand comes out being called "ewheel".

[esaj]

Of course eucist isn't my last name.  I prefer using a term that is not associated with a brand.  ewheel works for me if and when people stop calling it eucs.  Currently it's the main term used in all the electric unicycle Facebook groups.  I just hope no brand comes out being called "ewheel".

I think I saw a generic called E-Wheel sometime in the spring already.