Seeking advice

[leonleejx]

Hey everybody, I'm a beginner who's just bought a Kingsong 14M and have been trying to learn to ride for 3 days now. I've put in about 45min to 1h of practice but I don't feel like I'm making much progress, and the flood of videos of people who can ride like a pro after 15 minutes isn't helping my ego a lot.

A few problems I've noticed:

1. As soon as I mount, I tilt to one side. I mount using the skateboard-like method, and I've concluded that this problem is caused by me putting uneven pressure on the pedals, and the only way I can see to fix it is to just...... not.

2. I can't ride straight. Even if I don't tilt to the side right away, I end up zig-zagging. The furthest straight-line distance I can go (while zig-zagging) is only about 10 metres.

I'm feeling the slightest bit discouraged especially looking at the time it's taking me compared to some others, and the only way I can comfort myself is the excuse that everybody learns at a different pace. How long did it take you guys to be able to ride smoothly? Any advice for a beginner like myself will be much appreciated too. Thanks!

[meepmeepmayer]

Hey. Don't stress yourself too much. It's supposed to be fun to learn. Just don't give up

1. Tuck the knee in, just like shown in this video.

In the same vein, have your second foot next to the wheel, not in front or behind it, so it won't go forward or backwards as soon as you put pressure on the first foot while your second foot leaves the ground.

The entire video is very good and shows both, as well as much more.

2. Speed. You're too slow. You cannot balance on a EUC while it's still or barely moving forward, you need to gain speed quickly. Like 15kph. Forget the skateboard kick start, that's hard to do.

Instead, do it like in this video. Use a wall or pole to get used to standing on the wheel while holding on very lightly, standing straight, looking forward, being relaxed. Stay in place and move the wheel under you with toe and heel pressure. Go along the wall slowly while occasionally pushing yourself to balance with your hand.

Once you can do that, just start riding from the position holding on to something. Just lean forward, gain speed, don't be too slow. Don't be afraid of speed (wear wrist guards and make sure the the wheel is protected so you're not afraid to damage it).

After a few times, just combine that with starting in the open with no help. Try that a few times, then start from a pole again, etc.

Riding straight is easier than stepping on in the open. So this is how you learn the easier thing and then the harder thing. I think that works best, at least that's how it worked for me.

Also:

Finally, one thing that's always good to understand: a EUC goes where you look. You look forward, you go straight. Look a little to the side, this is where you go. You look down, you go down (because you're not standing straight and relaxed). You look up, you go flying (because you missed an obstacle)

[LanghamP]

Stop trying to mount! Mounting is ridiculously hard, and I would not only classify it as an intermediate skill but also doing it incorrectly results you jamming your feet or shin in places where it hurts.

Mounting using a fence or pole, make sure your feet are symmetrical, and push off. 

[Master Ong]

After a few seasons of riding. I suggest teaching people how to 'skate' on one foot. First find the balance point when you lift one foot and one foot on the the EUC, even for a split second. 2nd try to skate an inch or two using that method. And once you can get a few inches, its easier to mount. 

 

[Hapsflaps7laps]

I spent 2x 1 hour sessions riding along a fence as a railing.  At first I had to ride along the fence...  Eventually I was letting go for a few feet at a time.     Tinally I was able to ride long distances.  It was weeks before I could mount without holding a pole or tree.  This was 2 years ago.  I was not involved in any forums and had not read or even seen videos.  I just did it.  It was a 14 inch a"Step and Go"  which I am currently using as my profile pic.  I spent a year with that wheel and am so grateful that I bought that wheel and learned to ride.  You will get it.. Just keep riding!

[MincerRay]

I can relate!  It’s taking me much longer to learn than I thought it would!  I initially mounted the wheel while supporting myself on something. After mounting this way for a few weeks, I tried mounting without the support and found I was able to do it 1out of 3 times.  Now I can mount it reliably. It still took me a few weeks to ride with any accuracy as I zig zagged all over the place while flailing my arms wildly 😄. It was a bit discouraging that I wasn’t making the progress as quickly as I thought I should but I was making steady progress. I’m much less wobbly now but still have some trouble with tighter turns. Every time I think about reaching out to local riders to help, I find that I am better than I thought. 

TLDR: it just takes practice practice practice!   You will get better and don’t compare yourself to others. We all learn at different rates. 

[leonleejx]

On 11/18/2018 at 12:01 AM, meepmeepmayer said:

Hey. Don't stress yourself too much. It's supposed to be fun to learn. Just don't give up

Thanks for your advice! I didn't want to quote the entire reply, but I'll try it out

On 11/18/2018 at 2:05 AM, LanghamP said:

Stop trying to mount! Mounting is ridiculously hard, and I would not only classify it as an intermediate skill but also doing it incorrectly results you jamming your feet or shin in places where it hurts.

Mounting using a fence or pole, make sure your feet are symmetrical, and push off. 

On 11/18/2018 at 6:14 AM, Master Ong said:

After a few seasons of riding. I suggest teaching people how to 'skate' on one foot. First find the balance point when you lift one foot and one foot on the the EUC, even for a split second. 2nd try to skate an inch or two using that method. And once you can get a few inches, its easier to mount. 

 

 

It is more comforting to know that I'm not getting the mounting part right because it's probably too far ahead for me. Thanks!

On 11/18/2018 at 8:08 AM, Hapsflaps7laps said:

I spent 2x 1 hour sessions riding along a fence as a railing.  At first I had to ride along the fence...  Eventually I was letting go for a few feet at a time.     Tinally I was able to ride long distances.  It was weeks before I could mount without holding a pole or tree.  This was 2 years ago.  I was not involved in any forums and had not read or even seen videos.  I just did it.  It was a 14 inch a"Step and Go"  which I am currently using as my profile pic.  I spent a year with that wheel and am so grateful that I bought that wheel and learned to ride.  You will get it.. Just keep riding!

 

On 11/18/2018 at 8:47 AM, MincerRay said:

I can relate!  It’s taking me much longer to learn than I thought it would!  I initially mounted the wheel while supporting myself on something. After mounting this way for a few weeks, I tried mounting without the support and found I was able to do it 1out of 3 times.  Now I can mount it reliably. It still took me a few weeks to ride with any accuracy as I zig zagged all over the place while flailing my arms wildly 😄. It was a bit discouraging that I wasn’t making the progress as quickly as I thought I should but I was making steady progress. I’m much less wobbly now but still have some trouble with tighter turns. Every time I think about reaching out to local riders to help, I find that I am better than I thought. 

TLDR: it just takes practice practice practice!   You will get better and don’t compare yourself to others. We all learn at different rates. 

Phew, at least I'm not alone in taking a loooong time. Thanks for your sharing!

I'll try out the different methods you guys have pointed out tonight, and I'll update any changes here! Again, thanks everybody for the encouragement and for sharing your own experiences. Nice to know that there's a supportive community out there.