Ande Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 Today was the day when I was all set to learn, being the first chance I’ve had since purchasing the KS18L. Spent a good thirty minutes or so, indoors, trying to simply get both feet on the pedals. I just couldn’t do it without massive help from the door frame. I honestly thought I was a lost cause. So I half-heartedly took it out into the yard, and started repeating the excercise. Suddenly, something just clicked, and I was able to get my feet on, with reasonable balance. However, every time I climbed aboard, I was in a completely neutral position, meaning no forward momentum. And by the time I leant forward my balance was gone. So I persevered, and tried giving the wheel a little push forward, but never thought I’d be able to catch it. But I did! Managed a few on-off hops of a couple of feet or so, then found that I could manage to get across the yard a few times. Maybe about 18’ or so. I couldn’t believe it! Completely spurred on by my relative success, I decided to take it to the park behind the house. It was raining, which I was grateful for, as it meant very few people around to witness my ineptitude . Tried kicking off a few times, and went a matter of a few yards. Climbed aboard again, and was able to follow the cycle path for about a kilometre without falling off. Even managed to stop my arms windmilling about for a short section . There was a bit of a dip, in the middle of the ride, which meant I had a short downhill, and uphill section to traverse, which I managed in both directions without disaster. Only lost my balance when I started to think about slowing down and stopping. It wasn’t the actual mechanics of it, merely the thought of it screwing with my tiny brain, lol. But I stayed upright, and managed to catch the wheel, so that was a result Decided to quit while I’m ahead for the day. Partly because I’m knackered, and drenched in sweat (Who knew stepping up 4 inches and just standing was so strenuous? Lol), and partly because I think I might be pushing my luck now that my mind is racing, and my body tired. But Wow! I cannot believe that I did it! Okay, so I wasn’t exactly at one with the machine, and really had to work hard at staying upright. But I am so pleased. I’m no spring chicken, at 56, and thought I might be pushing it a bit, trying to fall back on my old skateboarding skills of the late 70’s, lol. I guess the real learning starts now, eh? And my app now reads 3km. Barely worth a mention, but it felt like an epic distance to me, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Girth Brooks Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 @Ande you will be much further along the next time you ride. My first successful day was similar to yours. After sleep and rest I felt 5 times more confident and competent the next time I rode. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ande Posted January 22, 2019 Author Share Posted January 22, 2019 Thanks GB. I’m hoping I’ve not forgotten it all next time I jump on. At least I’ve proven to myself that I can do it. After a fashion, lol 😂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Circuitmage Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 Great job! Speed is a major factor in accidents, so as long as you start off slow and don't get too over confident in speed, you'r fine. And, exactly what I was saying. It's hard to describe all the little things needed to learn balance, maneuvers, and good riding. It all becomes muscle memory. Take frequent breaks and you will see improvement without even knowing it. And finally, you mention rain. My #1 all time enemy is MUD. I usually leave for work in the morning before the sun comes up, even if there is a slight mist, I have frequently been caught on the unseen patch of mud. On these things MUD is my worst enemy. I no longer rider EVER if there is any morning rain or moisture. Also, watch out for loose sand. Always be looking in front of you for pot holes, debris, people, cars, everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 Well done Ande you'll be still riding the wheel while your trying to go to sleep tonight 😀 , just keep riding it everything becomes so natural after a while , just don't go to fast for now try encounter those little bumps on purpose just to get the feel keep legs bent ,when you staighten them and hit a bump youll fly up like a pogo stick😂 but for now just keep riding ,your legs will adapt and your brain ,,,,well done and also thx for the progress update Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ande Posted January 22, 2019 Author Share Posted January 22, 2019 Thanks all. I’m hoping for another sneaky go tomorrow, but haven’t actually got another break until Thursday afternoon. Currently overdosing on YouTube clips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Girth Brooks Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 @Ande I'm not sure if you've read this whole thread or not, but it helped me more than I can express as a beginner. https://forum.electricunicycle.org/topic/1707-how-to-ride-an-electric-unicycle-understanding-the-dynamics/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ande Posted January 22, 2019 Author Share Posted January 22, 2019 Thanks GB. I’ll have a peep later, when I go to bed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meepmeepmayer Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 Looks like you are a fast learner Going outside quickly helped because there you were no longer afraid of obstacles and crashing into something like you'd be indoors. As you say, fear or no fear is everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ande Posted January 25, 2019 Author Share Posted January 25, 2019 On 1/24/2019 at 7:52 AM, meepmeepmayer said: Looks like you are a fast learner Going outside quickly helped because there you were no longer afraid of obstacles and crashing into something like you'd be indoors. As you say, fear or no fear is everything. Skateboarder back in the day I think it also helped me having to follow a cycle path, rather than just a big, open car park, whereby the wheel would have dictated the course. Managed to have another go along the same path yesterday, and went about twice as far without incident. Got a few strange looks mind. I think my wheel looks even more bizarre to people than normal as it’s wrapped in blue foam, and brown parcel tape. Looking forward to being confident enough to dispense with the packaging Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 Ooooh the unavailing 😊 you know your getting somewhere once you decide to take the wrapping off 😊 well done ande Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ande Posted January 26, 2019 Author Share Posted January 26, 2019 I’m back home on Tuesday, so shall have a lot more time to practise. Hopefully, get the foam off in about a week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unventor Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 On 1/26/2019 at 12:11 PM, Ande said: I’m back home on Tuesday, so shall have a lot more time to practise. Hopefully, get the foam off in about a week A small tip. Practice in small time sessions. My first 8-10 times was about 10 min each up to anout 20min at a time. Your brain and muscles needs to adapt. If you (as in general ) get too tired you tend to make more mistakes. This leads to frustration and raise the risk of accidents. Now I had my issues while learning, so I only did like 1 session ebery day or so. I would expect you can do more sessions in a day if you are generally fit. I am/were now fit myself, so I had to build up balance and body strength too while learning. Which is why I picked up EUC riding in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ande Posted January 27, 2019 Author Share Posted January 27, 2019 Thanks Unventor. I have been doing short spells so far, and things are going quite well. On an unrelated topic, watched some of your videos on YouTube....... You don’t hang about do you? 😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unventor Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 42 minutes ago, Ande said: Thanks Unventor. I have been doing short spells so far, and things are going quite well. On an unrelated topic, watched some of your videos on YouTube....... You don’t hang about do you? 😀 Well I am not sure I get this right, as English is a secondary language to me. But I am but a mere rookie still. I only have like 1500km so far of EUC riding in my legs. I do however try to share my learning experience as good as I can. Right now I need to find a better way to film my rides. That is why I have not posted new films for a while. And this weekend winter dug in here in Gothenburg so I fear I don't get to ride much the next 4 to 8 weeks due to show and icey conditions here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ande Posted January 28, 2019 Author Share Posted January 28, 2019 Oops! Sorry. “Don’t hang about”, means you go really fast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unventor Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 Well I am not parking 😏 But I don't go superfast. But most of time I am riding as bicycle speed plus 10% 😄 about 20-35kmh. Here in Sweden you could get cashback if you bought a electric bicycle about 25% up to a max of 1000€. This means we have a lot of ebicycles on bike lanes doing about 25ish kmh, as it is the speed limit of the assist motor. But it is soooo fun to slowly push passed these going uphill. Sunce arear about Gothenburg have mountain ridges right in the city center some ateas are really hilly here. But since my knee is damaged due to inflammation and Arthritis, I can ride a normal bike without getting swollen knee and knee pains. But the EUC allow me to get about more and has improved my knees a lot. So to me it is kinda PEV. That is why I want to buy a 2nd unit to always have in my car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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