What makes EUCs so enjoyable?

[zentype]

I remember the first time I got on a regular non-electric kick scooter, YEARS ago... Thought it was great. Fun, I could go where I wanted with ease. Much more fun than walking. 

Then I moved to longboards / skateboards. A lot harder than a kick scooter. It was difficult at first. Struggled with staying on them for a while but after some practice, it became second nature and carving on one along the beach boardwalk was great fun and relaxing.

After getting very familiar with riding a longboards I remember jumping back on a kick scooter and found it extremely boring to ride... Why? I think it was directly tied to the amount of skill required to ride one. The longboard was much more challenging and as a result, more rewarding to ride once you finally learned how to do it. The kick scooter required almost no skill to ride at least compared to a longboard / skateboard. So compared to a board, the scooter wasn't fun to ride anymore.

So what is it about EUCs that make it so damn fun to ride? I'm thinking a big part of it is the skill required to learn how to ride one..  Much more difficult than anything else out there that came before... More than skateboards, bikes, skates, etc. But once you do learn how, it's *addicting*

Another thing that I enjoy about it is how once you learn to ride, it almost seems to read your mind. The ride is both effortless (you think "go right" and you "magically" go right) and challenging at the same time (I like taking winding downhill paths because you actually have to actively navigate and pay attention)...

So fun that as much as I wanted a Segway when I first rode one years ago, there's no way I'd trade my wheel for one now. Best part is it's much cheaper too 

So what about EUCs makes them so fun... or for most forum members here, addicting? Would like to hear opinions on this..

 

[Paddylaz]

Good idea for a thread.

My two cents:

I first tried a Segway with my then-girlfriend in Madrid back in 2007. I was instantly smitten with it. It was part of one of those euro-city Segway tours that are now very popular. This may well have been the very first one. We segwayed (is that a verb?) round the whole of the city in only a couple of hours seeing all sorts of sights/sounds/places. 

I enjoyed seeing everyone gawping at us like we were riding aliens or something.

I remember thinking at the time - if ONLY someone can take this tech and put it into something less clunky and (more importantly) cheaper. No prizes for why I am so obsessed with the euc movement. ?

[Tom]

I think part of the fun comes from the initial learning curve, it's so unusually steep to begin with then you quickly gain a good grasp of riding which is awesome. I'd say learning to ride an EUC is easier than learning to ride a skateboard (to the same level of proficiency).

I've never cared to learn anything other than riding a bike (I don't drive either), so I'd be interested to know how riding an EUC 'feels' in comparison to skating/longboarding/blading/motorbiking, is the sensation of weight balancing and speed the same? I'm still learning but the amount of power and fun I get from this cheap generic wheel keeps surprising me!

[dmethvin]

Riding my EUC definitely feels good. I think its simplicity and lack of complex controls adds to the enjoyment. You just lean to make it do whatever you want to do. The more I ride, the more it feels like a part of me and very natural. I can now recover a lot better from things that used to scare me like bumps and quick maneuvers. I want to keep riding so I can get better.

Yep, it's also awesome that people are so blown away when they see an EUC. Literally every time I ride, I am asked about it. People can't believe that I can ride at 10mph up to the door of the Starbucks, pick up the EUC and get in line for a Vanilla Frap, then ride off. (Yeah, sometimes I ride with a cup in my hand now.) A $800 EUC has a higher cool factor than a $80,000 Tesla. 

 

Edited September 23, 2015 by dmethvin

[Jag_Rip]

Its like surfing on tarmac, whats not cool with that? 

[Chrisxr2]

I remember the first time I got on a regular non-electric kick scooter, YEARS ago... Thought it was great. Fun, I could go where I wanted with ease. Much more fun than walking. 

Then I moved to longboards / skateboards. A lot harder than a kick scooter. It was difficult at first. Struggled with staying on them for a while but after some practice, it became second nature and carving on one along the beach boardwalk was great fun and relaxing.

After getting very familiar with riding a longboards I remember jumping back on a kick scooter and found it extremely boring to ride... Why? I think it was directly tied to the amount of skill required to ride one. The longboard was much more challenging and as a result, more rewarding to ride once you finally learned how to do it. The kick scooter required almost no skill to ride at least compared to a longboard / skateboard. So compared to a board, the scooter wasn't fun to ride anymore.

So what is it about EUCs that make it so damn fun to ride? I'm thinking a big part of it is the skill required to learn how to ride one..  Much more difficult than anything else out there that came before... More than skateboards, bikes, skates, etc. But once you do learn how, it's *addicting*

Another thing that I enjoy about it is how once you learn to ride, it almost seems to read your mind. The ride is both effortless (you think "go right" and you "magically" go right) and challenging at the same time (I like taking winding downhill paths because you actually have to actively navigate and pay attention)...

So fun that as much as I wanted a Segway when I first rode one years ago, there's no way I'd trade my wheel for one now. Best part is it's much cheaper too 

So what about EUCs makes them so fun... or for most forum members here, addicting? Would like to hear opinions on this..

 

You need a trikke, to go with your euc, way more challenging than a kick scooter, i have the t12

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2yEYLAVk6Y

 

To answer your question as to what makes them so fun, for me the learning is very fun, but also the effortlessness of getting around on one, is very addictive too.

[Guest]

For me riding the electronic unicycle is so enjoyable for two reasons. It’s a skill that keeps you fit because you have to constantly balance your body and watch and anticipate pits and obstacles in your way. The other reason for me is that it’s like experiencing the world through a smooth "traveling camera shot", much better than walking. 

The two downsides are that you depend on a rather short battery life and that the thing is far too heavy (mine weights 10 kg) to carry it around. 

[Michael Vu]

 

So fun that as much as I wanted a Segway when I first rode one years ago, there's no way I'd trade my wheel for one now. Best part is it's much cheaper too 

Not to also mention much smaller, lighter, and faster.

Its like surfing on tarmac, whats not cool with that? 

I would describe it not as surfing, but more like skiing on the road. And it really feels like skiing when I slalom or turn into a corner at high speeds.

https://instagram.com/p/7jlC4AlzAd/

 

[RichieV]

I would describe it not as surfing, but more like skiing on the road. And it really feels like skiing when I slalom or turn into a corner at high speeds.

And it's much more convenient than skiing.  No need to wait until winter and go to a ski resort.  No waiting in line at the ski lift.  And you can go uphill!

[dmethvin]

I would describe it not as surfing, but more like skiing on the road. And it really feels like skiing when I slalom or turn into a corner at high speeds.

Section 21-538 of the International EUC Code: "If you ride within 10 feet of any series of poles, bollards, or cones you must slalom through them."

[zentype]

 The more I ride, the more it feels like a part of me and very natural. I can now recover a lot better from things that used to scare me like bumps and quick maneuvers. I want to keep riding so I can get better.

Agree 100%! I want to keep riding because the feel that the wheel "is a part of you" or an extension of yourself is something that really is addicting. My goal is to never have to get off the wheel when I'm commuting .. just ride forward and backwards repeatedly to stay up if I need to stop for a while. Not there yet.

Makes me want to ride whenever I can so I keep making progress until it really is an extension of me. 

[Gimlet]

Whilst idling on the wheel can look cool it uses up huge amounts of power and so heats up your motor and control board and runs down your battery so not a good idea to do it very often, much better to just grab a handy lamp post or stay at the back of the pavement and put a hand on a shop front window for support.

[Jag_Rip]

I for now am happy if I can roll to a stop and dismount cool and relaxed withouth any flailing arms.
 

[Rick McWilliams]

The electric unicycle is certainly enjoyable. It makes handy ground transportation when traveling in a small plane or helicopter. Flying a helicopter is even more fun.  It is also much harder to learn than a unicycle.

[PedalFaster]

It’s a skill that keeps you fit because you have to constantly balance your body and watch and anticipate pits and obstacles in your way.

Mentally perhaps, but you're fooling yourself if you think it has any actual exercise value

 

[Daan]

Mentally perhaps, but you're fooling yourself if you think it has any actual exercise value

 

 agree -- but then, it *is* much better if you would have used the car instead... I notice I often do groceries now with my wheel instead of the car; beside helping out the environment and congestion, it is also more fun for me, relaxing, and I surely work harder than sitting in the car 

[zentype]

 agree -- but then, it *is* much better if you would have used the car instead... I notice I often do groceries now with my wheel instead of the car; beside helping out the environment and congestion, it is also more fun for me, relaxing, and I surely work harder than sitting in the car 

Wow! Good to know, I haven't yet tried  picking up groceries using one. Or carrying anything for that matter while on my wheel. Being still fairly new.

So I'm guessing your grocery stints don't include gallons of milk or water? Or if you do, you have one in each arm for balance.  Or maybe you're just that good, which I won't doubt especially if you've been riding for a while. 

[MarkoMarjamaa]

Wow! Good to know, I haven't yet tried  picking up groceries using one. Or carrying anything for that matter while on my wheel. Being still fairly new.

So I'm guessing your grocery stints don't include gallons of milk or water? Or if you do, you have one in each arm for balance.  Or maybe you're just that good, which I won't doubt especially if you've been riding for a while. 

Just get a proper backpack and you can carry anything

http://forum.electricunicycle.org/topic/831-ewheels-future-of-urban-transportation/?do=findComment&comment=9108

 

[MetricUSA]

I think a car is more dangerous and more expensive, I'm sticking to my one wheel....

I wanted a segway some ten years ago but bought the honda insight instead (had to travel highway 25 km), either way I was ahead of the crowd, but can you get a segway on a bus? will never know.... Yes I gave up on the car....

Edited September 24, 2015 by MetricUSA

[MrBump]

Inspired by this thread, I picked up some groceries on my euc* earlier.

Got some comments as I was passing a pub.

 

* - though I prefer the term "whirlypede"

[PedalFaster]

So I'm guessing your grocery stints don't include gallons of milk or water? Or if you do, you have one in each arm for balance.  Or maybe you're just that good, which I won't doubt especially if you've been riding for a while. 

Just with some care test rode one wheel while carrying another in one hand, so I wouldn't anticipate a skilled rider having a lot of difficulty with a gallon of milk.

Though it does mean a hand/arm that is not free and a potential complication to think about if any other challenge pops up during the ride.

 

[MrBump]

Who buys milk by the gallon except restaurants and hotels? 

[Jag_Rip]

I did a stint with two bags on each side and a full backpack, no large liquid containers though. It was tough, but the wheel didnt flinch at all. So I decided to get small amounts of grocery, but more often on my way home for my own comfort and safety.

[esaj]

How about this then:   https://www.facebook.com/solowheelberlin/videos/329816870561925/

 

[noisycarlos]

I haven't taken a couch with me, but I have carried around 55lbs of stuff with me (my full backpack and groceries, including 2 watermelons). I weighed myself with all that stuff and totaled 240lbs (108kg).

My Ninebot E+ was fine, just a bit harder to handle, the wheel also felt harder on bumps, I'm guessing with the extra weight the tire pressure increases and makes it less absorbent of impacts.