failing The Mullings of a Beginner

[LanghamP]

2 hours ago, meepmeepmayer said:

 think it may be the snaking/weaving/skiing movement that some people are instinctively taken with. 

(Btw, what is the official name for that movement?)

😁

Slalom? Slaloming? I don't ski but I do know slaloming is extremely important to slow down your downhill speed.

Interestingly the converse to slaloming is "bombing", which is kinda odd hearing out of a German's mouth.

"Und den ve go zide to zide like dis, und dat is called slaloming, but if ve vish to get down ze hill quick den ve must bomb zee hill."

[Flying W]

[meepmeepmayer]

Weaving and slaloming have the connotation of weaving between or through things (things like pedestrians), or slaloming around things. That's why I wonder if there is a better word if you just do curves in the open.

20 minutes ago, LanghamP said:

Interestingly the converse to slaloming is "bombing", which is kinda odd hearing out of a German's mouth.

"Und den ve go zide to zide like dis, und dat is called slaloming, but if ve vish to get down ze hill quick den ve must bomb zee hill."

If you go down the hill in a straight line, it's called Schußfahrt (Schuß = shot, Fahrt = ride). And there is indeed runterbomben (bomb down).

[LanghamP]

18 minutes ago, meepmeepmayer said:

Weaving and slaloming have the connotation of weaving between or through things (things like pedestrians), or slaloming around things. That's why I wonder if there is a better word if you just do curves in the open.

Carving.

I had to look that up.

[meepmeepmayer]

Hmm, not bad! You're not cutting into anything like into the snow with your ski edges, but it sounds nice!

[seage]

You guys want to hear a funny story? 

So i've been away from the forums for a bit as we've been dealing with the polar vortex weather out here, but that's not the only reason. I also had a leg injury. Or more accurately, both my knees were shot. Listen to this shit, yall, because this is wild levels of stupidity and just chance, lol.

Okay, so I've always had bad knees. But most of my life i was pretty small, so it never bothered me. It wasn't until i hit like 27 when they started getting worse due to my weight increasing, and my lack of maintaining muscle, lol...aka, atrophy, aka, i was a lazy ass. So fast forward, i'm even heavier now, rockin' a dad bod with no kids, and I get my EUC. Great! Go to ride it and practice, and i'm busting a sweat. Need to sit down every 3 seconds. I realize "Oh yeah, not only is this using muscles i don't ever use, i also don't leave my house outside of cycling!!". So instead of crying about it, I start to work out and stretch! Hows that for motivation? Figured there's a lot of muscles I'm not activating when I cycle, and i barely walk. Now, add one more thing. I'm also a dancer. I pop and do house badly, but I'm pretty timid with the leg moves outside of rolls.. Never any real heavy impact on my knees because i just don't have the energy for it. Well, I was live streaming my art on twitch as I do, and a dope ass song comes on, so I jump up and get down. I barely realize it but i'm not getting tired like i normally do. So i keep dancing. I'm doing all these moves i haven't been able to do in AGES. My body is just rockin'! Yeah...it was that working out i've been doing. But you know what these workouts weren't doing? Strengthening the joints in my legs, lol. So i'm jumping higher, popping harder, tons of impact on my knees. Then the next day our temp drops insanely low and both my legs just....ow... they're popping and cracking like i've had arthritis for generations and just now decided to fight against it. And that was it for me. With the pressure changes and the cold, my legs just stayed wrecked. and I was bound to my chair for weeks. Everytime they cracked there was a sense of relief for a moment before they would just get so sore. There was one point I felt that it was a wrap. I wasn't gonna walk normally again.

Welp, today I was able to go downstairs and stand on my EUC again! This is the first time i've touched it since calibrating it correctly, as I didn't even ride it after that. It felt so good! I was able to balance it under one leg with ease. Move around swiftly. And even mounted at slow speeds pretty easily! (I also realized that I was keeping my knee locked when i pushed the wheel forward so id stand on it and it would be tilted hard to the right and id have trouble balancing, so I started to loosen the grip and let it stand straighter on my pushoff before stepping on, and that seemed to help! ((But that pedal bite when i messed up and went off the other side, yikes))) Forgot a few things but they clicked after a while (look where you're going, not down). Its a bit too cramped to do a wide turn and I'm not good enough for a tighter one, so i wasn't able to do much. But gosh, it felt like I was riding a brand new wheel. I think though, some of what I learned before kinda.....sunk in subconsciously. Mixed with the complete lack of fear or doubt, because ever since those pedals stopped dipping, literally all lack of confidence in the wheel disappeared. i'm not worried at all. Not like before. And thats my story! The end, lol. 

 

PS, didn't want to start a new thread for my stories, lol. Figured I'd just keep this as my home unless I come across some issue that warrants a new thread. 

Hope you guys are well! And all you in the states and cities affected by the polar vortex, i hope you're staying safe and warm! Its been one crazy winter!

[meepmeepmayer]

Keep your stories coming

Since you mention stretching, you should see this fantastic thread:

Also, in doubt, go to a doctor. So many later afflictions can be prevented if people don't delay or skip getting something checked out. A few days would be something else, but if you're limited for weeks... I would have that looked at.

[seage]

2 minutes ago, meepmeepmayer said:

Also, in doubt, go to a doctor. So many later afflictions can be prevented if people don't delay or skip getting something checked out. A few days would be something else, but if you're limited for weeks... I would have that looked at.

You're probably right. Its something i'm pretty used to on a lesser scale. But it may be good to get it checked. I really hate the drs but i suppose being stubborn does nothing for me.

And thanks! Im gonna check out the thread. And glad you like the stories XD

[seage]

Reading a little on my symptoms, its probably Osteoarthritis. Which im pretty sure my dr told me ages ago. She also said "Lose some weight, it will help" lol. I'm currently shifting my diet to get said weight down and eating less foods that lead to inflammation. Whenever i cheat, i feel it. I had some chocolates and sugary pop/soda the other day and my whole body felt it. I guess this is aging, huh? I don't need to be eating like a highschooler anymore. I really need more self control. 

[Flying W]

8 hours ago, seage said:

Reading a little on my symptoms, its probably Osteoarthritis. Which im pretty sure my dr told me ages ago. She also said "Lose some weight, it will help" lol. I'm currently shifting my diet to get said weight down and eating less foods that lead to inflammation. Whenever i cheat, i feel it. I had some chocolates and sugary pop/soda the other day and my whole body felt it. I guess this is aging, huh? I don't need to be eating like a highschooler anymore. I really need more self control. 

I hear ya. I've lost 20 lbs since I started riding EUCs but I still need to drop another 30. If I can drop the other 30 I'll still be a little overweight haha. 

I doesnt help that my chic can eat anything and stays skinny. She makes a lot of carb heavy dinners that taste too good to pass up!

Portion control took the 20 away, but to go further will require a diet change. My best friend did it, lost 50lbs and has a 6 pack again at 40yrs old. He lives alone though so he can do what ever it takes without having to consider anyone else. Still an inspiration though!

[seage]

14 hours ago, Flying W said:

I hear ya. I've lost 20 lbs since I started riding EUCs but I still need to drop another 30. If I can drop the other 30 I'll still be a little overweight haha. 

Eyy! Good on ya! Thats a ton! I don't remember the last time I've lost that much weight. But i can tell yout he next time is gonna be damn soon! 

 

14 hours ago, Flying W said:

I doesnt help that my chic can eat anything and stays skinny. She makes a lot of carb heavy dinners that taste too good to pass up!

I cant tell you the amount of ladies i know who are like this...its so unfair. I used to have a made of gold. But my late 20s took that away and slapped me in the mouth. 

 

14 hours ago, Flying W said:

Portion control took the 20 away, but to go further will require a diet change. My best friend did it, lost 50lbs and has a 6 pack again at 40yrs old. He lives alone though so he can do what ever it takes without having to consider anyone else. Still an inspiration though!

Ah, yeah, okay good. Im super single, so this should work to my advantage! Hopefully I can get it all down. Im just 32. I have no excuses. Time to shed this nonsense! 

[seage]

Okay, so new video! After forever of none. Sorry for the quality. I was using this wide angle lens for my phone i ordered, and as you can see, its trash, lmao. Never again. I have a super wide angle for my DSLR which I paid good money for. I 'll use that next time.

Anyways. Learned so much this session. 1. Practicing while fully rested up deems the best results. Once my legs get tired, i get super squirrelly and lean hard left and right. 2, slow speeds are still hard, but im getting better at them. I tried to ride another session after this, whilst totally pooped and the case of my wheel (well the pads on the side) were creaking a bit on the side with the locked leg. Figured I was putting way too much pressure on it (especially since you basically only keep that pressure to get up on the wheel then release) so i hopped off and called it a night. I was so tired, when i stepped on..i just..rode leaned to the side. And the only thing keeping me on the wheel was that locked leg, and not my balancing the wheel properly. Yeeaah. I need to be careful on that before i'm out there buying a new case. 

But yeah. Looking ahead, standing up straight. All things that really helped at these low speeds. When I got tired, i noticed id be in a lower stance again, which really helped with the whole leaning to one side and not being able to straighten up thing. I also noticed, in the video, stepping up accurately became easy. In the tired off camera session, i fell back into some bad habits. Like my foot being too far off the edge and stepping on with my toes (like when you go up stairs) and i think again it was because i had locked the wheel up too much. I think that was due to it being a little harder to control the wheel when its straighter for the moment before I step up. So I naturally keep it heavily tilted and don't straighten in time, or at all when stepping when my legs are done. With the wheel still tilted to the right, i wasn't able to then place my foot comfortably on the pedal due to my leg hitting the top of the wheel first. So I need to straighten up, relax and step up calmly to get on this thing. Good things to note... know thine limits and stop being stupid and inpatient, lol. 

Sorry, these notes are kinda for me, but public so I can be fact checked by you more experienced riders in case I make a big mistake. XD. 

Hope you guys like the video XD

 

[Smoother]

@seage looking good.  Your mounts look smooth and controlled.  I know you're house bound by the Polar Vortex right now, but it has been said before; riding in a confined space like that is not easy, even for experienced riders, unless they have mastered idling, 3 point turns, or riding backwards.  So please, don't beat yourself up.  You are doing great given your climate challenges. Please don't start practicing backwards down there; there's nowhere to fall safely, and you might smack your head on something hard.

[seage]

1 minute ago, Smoother said:

 looking good.  Your mounts look smooth and controlled.  I know you're house bound by the Polar Vortex right now, but it has been said before; riding in a confined space like that is not easy, even for experienced riders, unless they have mastered idling, 3 point turns, or riding backwards.

Thank you! And yeah. I figured if i am confined, may as well still play around. Get comfortable being on the wheel. Stepping up and down and so on before getting back outside. For a bit i just stood on the wheel, holding the wall and reading my phone. Just to feel that comfort of being up on those pedals.

 

3 minutes ago, Smoother said:

So please, don't beat yourself up.  You are doing great given your climate challenges.

I appreciate that, my friend. And no worries! Not beating myself up, just observing some of the inconsistencies i've faced and analyzing why. If anything it'll make for a safer ride, because I won't push past my limits on a real ride. Id rather just walk home if i know im getting tired, than try to push it and eat dirt, haha. 

5 minutes ago, Smoother said:

Please don't start practicing backwards down there; there's nowhere to fall safely, and you might smack your head on something hard.

And actually, I thought the same thing. I wont practice backwards in such a confined space and not without being fully geared up. Idealy even having something to protect my spine and tailbone. Id rather not take that risk.

Thanks again, smoother! I'm really enjoying having this wheel, even if i cant take it outside, haha. Currently waiting on my replacement handle and new pedals!

[RoadRunner]

2 minutes ago, seage said:

And no worries! Not beating myself up

That’s what i thought, read my story.

 

[seage]

36 minutes ago, Roadrunner said:

That’s what i thought, read my story.

 

That was such a great read and watch! Thank you for sharing that! Its so interesting to hear and see that you finally got it. Even in your first ride, you were super smooth compared to my own videos. But then again, I had some pretty bad calibration issues at that time. But still. And seeing you jet along over bumps and all types of terrain in your later video is pretty inspiring to me, because even though I'm getting better, those doubts are still there, like "will i ever truly get used to this to the point that its comfortable?" Now I can say yes, haha.

And luckily my injury wasnt EUC related (this time), but either way, I will use that as a clear reminder to wear my safety gear. 

After seeing your video, i was scouring the weather network to see the next day with decent weather. All the warmer days have rain, haha. Im so done with this province. 

[RoadRunner]

2 hours ago, seage said:

Even in your first ride

That wasn’t my first ride, it was after the first week of riding with the ks16.

The first three weeks where really hard, a few times i wanted to give up but iam happy i didn’t.

Best hobby ever.

Edit: And in my opinion the easiest trick on how to learn to ride an EUC is go out and put miles on that thing, to me it felt really good at about 400km, after that it’s just pure fun, no more thinking.

[Flying W]

@seage your mounts are making me want to practice mine more! Like @Roadrunner said, get those miles under belt once the weather gets better.

My commute is very short at just over 3 miles one way. I was commuting for 3 weeks before I took my first real ride and it was eye opening. I should have rested more often, couldn't properly adjust my feet when they got tired,  and at about mile 12 the wobbles would start at only 10 to 12 miles per hr. 

My legs and feet were tired and stiff and being stiff causes wobbles. Even just a 5 min break had me back up to smooth cruising. Once you can get outside and take good proper ride hop off and get the blood flowing frequently.  

I just hit over 1200 miles total (and saddly I'm pretty sure you mount smoother than me haha) and the wheel feels like it's part of me. One of my favorite things about this hobby is there is always something that can be improved. I still only mount with my left leg on the wheel. This makes adjusting my right foot easy but the left is much harder. Kinda wish I'd practiced both ways, I just wanna go for a ride when I get out now so practicing mounting the other way is forced haha. I keep trying to mount the other way on my commute but unless I keep thinking about memory takes over and mount my normal way. 

Keep it man, your doing great!

[Marty Backe]

14 minutes ago, Flying W said:

@seage your mounts are making me want to practice mine more! Like @Roadrunner said, get those miles under belt once the weather gets better.

My commute is very short at just over 3 miles one way. I was commuting for 3 weeks before I took my first real ride and it was eye opening. I should have rested more often, couldn't properly adjust my feet when they got tired,  and at about mile 12 the wobbles would start at only 10 to 12 miles per hr. 

My legs and feet were tired and stiff and being stiff causes wobbles. Even just a 5 min break had me back up to smooth cruising. Once you can get outside and take good proper ride hop off and get the blood flowing frequently.  

I just hit over 1200 miles total (and saddly I'm pretty sure you mount smoother than me haha) and the wheel feels like it's part of me. One of my favorite things about this hobby is there is always something that can be improved. I still only mount with my left leg on the wheel. This makes adjusting my right foot easy but the left is much harder. Kinda wish I'd practiced both ways, I just wanna go for a ride when I get out now so practicing mounting the other way is forced haha. I keep trying to mount the other way on my commute but unless I keep thinking about memory takes over and mount my normal way. 

Keep it man, your doing great!

I made a point of practicing all the mounts so now I have no favored leg, etc.

 

[Flying W]

2 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

I made a point of practicing all the mounts so now I have no favored leg, etc.

 

You also got me to practice mounting and riding backwards.... but still on my favored leg 

[LanghamP]

3 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

I made a point of practicing all the mounts so now I have no favored leg, etc.

 

People who don't ride EUCs do not know how exceptionally hard these mounts are. Maybe some of these can click but to get those mounts down requires both practice and a very clear understanding of how wheels behave.

[seage]

18 hours ago, Roadrunner said:

That wasn’t my first ride, it was after the first week of riding with the ks16.

The first three weeks where really hard, a few times i wanted to give up but iam happy i didn’t.

Ah sorry! I meant to say first video, haha. But I see. I guess i have 9 days total of riding in. Some days only getting 5 minutes, and a few in the basement. So i really dont have much REAL ride time. Actually probably none since I havent actually stayed on the wheel and just zipped around yet. But hey, my dismount is fire, haha. I'll try to power through the uncomfortable rides with the hope that it gets better!!

18 hours ago, Roadrunner said:

Edit: And in my opinion the easiest trick on how to learn to ride an EUC is go out and put miles on that thing, to me it felt really good at about 400km, after that it’s just pure fun, no more thinking.

Thats what everyones saying. I'll get back out there soon! Once this weather lets me. 400km huh? How long did it take you to get up tho that? I have 17km clocked so far LOL. 

[seage]

14 hours ago, Flying W said:

@seage your mounts are making me want to practice mine more! Like @Roadrunner said, get those miles under belt once the weather gets better.

Haha, thank you XD. And yep! I'll be out there soon. I think, thanks to my practice and general comfort with the wheel, i'll be able to ride a bit better than my last outdoor sessions. Plus, not needing a wall to start is really going to help. I think its mainly that im not really scared of the wheel anymore thats really gonna help. Even though Im a BIT nervous about going faster. But i think once i start, it'll be just like when i cycle, and I wont really think about it/it wont feel too fast. 

14 hours ago, Flying W said:

My commute is very short at just over 3 miles one way. I was commuting for 3 weeks before I took my first real ride and it was eye opening. I should have rested more often, couldn't properly adjust my feet when they got tired,  and at about mile 12 the wobbles would start at only 10 to 12 miles per hr. 

My legs and feet were tired and stiff and being stiff causes wobbles. Even just a 5 min break had me back up to smooth cruising. Once you can get outside and take good proper ride hop off and get the blood flowing frequently.  

See, on regular days, I don't have a commute as im a freelancer. But there is one cafe ive been dying to go back to, but the hills to get there...plus its a 10km ride.... I cant wait to take the wheel out there, because its just ridiculous. Its in the middle of nowhere on an apple orchard! On tuesdays I have to travel into the city, and was planning (once im better) to take the wheel to get to the train station. Ride the train, then use the wheel to get to my office in the city. Saves SO much money, its actually unbelievable. 

And im glad that I wasnt imagining the wobbling due to my legs fatigue. I will keep that in mind. I felt some of that feet cramping (probably because i was hopping up and down so much though) but yeah, a little walk around really goes a long way. 

14 hours ago, Flying W said:

I just hit over 1200 miles total (and saddly I'm pretty sure you mount smoother than me haha) and the wheel feels like it's part of me. One of my favorite things about this hobby is there is always something that can be improved. I still only mount with my left leg on the wheel. This makes adjusting my right foot easy but the left is much harder. Kinda wish I'd practiced both ways, I just wanna go for a ride when I get out now so practicing mounting the other way is forced haha. I keep trying to mount the other way on my commute but unless I keep thinking about memory takes over and mount my normal way. 

Keep it man, your doing great!

Damn! 1200, haha. With my 10.5 miles of riding thus far, i feel like an actual infant compared to you and everyone else on the forums! LOL. I cant wait to report in after my first 100km to tell you how it feels, haha. (And thank you, haha!). I know what you mean by the adjusting thing. I was able to adjust both legs once, when i was pretty well balanced on the wheel, but its still kinda early for me, haha. I know even from cycling, everything on my bad side is terrifying. One side is pure confidence, the other i feel like lady death is standing behind me. Once I start attempting to mount the other way, it'll be like im learning all over again LOL. 

Thanks so much, my friend!

[seage]

14 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

I made a point of practicing all the mounts so now I have no favored leg, etc.

 

I watched this like 14 times, lmao. I was watching your videos even before I decided to commit and get my EUC. I was impressed before. But now that i'm riding myself and realize just how hard everything is, im doubly impressed. I cant even fathom getting good!

[seage]

Tonights 8ish minute basement session. Just want to keep stepping on this thing at least once per day, even if i cant get outside yet. That comfort is there. Even when I dont mount properly or lose balance, i'm a lot more content. Im reacting to it quickly but calmly rather than getting scared and totally losing it. Again, of course, super slow speeds. Confined space. I'm ready to get back outside! Happy i'll be able to forego any street furniture to get on the wheel. Opens up more doors as by my house theres almost nothing to hold on to to initially get up on the wheel. And houseofjob was suggesting to try to get a little ride in everyday, even to the mailbox. But from my house to the mailbox theres nothing to hold on to, so i was kinda in a pickle. Now im cool! Im the infant version of one of you guys! LOL. (Watch me fall on my face the moment I try outside XD)