Electric Unicycle Wins Over a Big Onewheel Enthusiast

[Dzlchef]

19 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

Very cool - what are the odds?

I'm showing my ignorance here, but what are OW's?

One Wheelers 

[Dzlchef]

9 minutes ago, Jambo said:

Is that the one on Ventura?

No, the one in WeHo on Santa Monica and Robertson.   Great people watching!   Nothing better than sitting there eating ice cream and watching the show!

[Rywokast]

28 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

Very cool - what are the odds?

I'm showing my ignorance here, but what are OW's?

 

[Marty Backe]

1 hour ago, Dzlchef said:

One Wheelers 

Duh 

I was thinking that he saw it through some social app, website, newspaper, etc. called "OW"    What you meant was that he literally saw me "through" the group of OWs.

So confused 

Edited April 2, 2019 by Marty Backe

[IRK]

3 hours ago, Dzlchef said:

@Marty Backe I wheeled into Salt & Straw this afternoon and the young man helping me asked if Tesla makes wheels.  I tell him no but there is a model of wheel named a Tesla.  He said that he saw a picture of a guy riding one in Griffith Park a couple days ago.  I told him that I was there with the group...small world.  He saw it through the OW’s.  Spreading the word!

Too funny. I wheeled into the one on Ventura today!  Ha. 

[Dzlchef]

40 minutes ago, IRK said:

Too funny. I wheeled into the one on Ventura today!  Ha. 

So freakishly delicious!

[Mmhmmm]

3 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

Very cool - what are the odds?

I'm showing my ignorance here, but what are OW's?

OW is the unintuitive, but widely-used, abbreviation for Onewheel.

Unfortunately, it probably contributes to people writing "OneWheel" or "One Wheel", both of which are not correct.

[tenofnine]

have two words that are paired gives me a chance to satisfy my object-oriented coding OCD and type it....

oneWheel

Awwwww heck yea 

On these boards it's name should just be "that other PEV" like Voldemort, don't speak it's name.

[Dzlchef]

11 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

Duh 

I was thinking that he saw it through some social app, website, newspaper, etc. called "OW"    What you meant was that he literally saw me "through" the group of OWs.

So confused 

Well, guess my communication skills suck.  He saw it on the oneWheel FB (faceBook) social media page.

[LanghamP]

Future motions calls it a "onewheel", as a noun yet not proper. I rather like OneWheel as camel case, abbreviated as OW.

We have a rather arbitrary short hand of all these single wheeled vehicles.

--Monowheel: a wheel that enclosed the rider and engine, that is, the rider is inside the very large wheel.

--Riot wheel: the rider is to the front of the wheel, and entirely outside it.

--Solowheel: the Seattle EUC brand.

--EUC: our generic unicycles that self balance.

--OneWheel: the branded Future Motions self balanced unicycles.

--Segways: the 2-wheeled balancers, even though they make unicycles when we say Segway we mean the 2 wheeled balancers like the mini pro.

I have no idea what we can the real unicycles. Trads? Mechs?

[Jimmy Chang]

Progress report: I'm having a ton of fun with this thing. Went for a 3 mile ride today. Was hoping to go farther but I got called to run an errand that needed a car and had to cut the ride short. Anyway, I found an ice skate rink that had no ice in it and was totally empty except for some hockey nets. I decided to ride around and I had a blast. I kept getting these alerts to decelerate. I guess I'm ready for the next level! It took a while to figure out how to unlock more speed, but I think I did it.

Can someone direct me to where I can figure out what the speed settings mean and where I should set them to? I will also need real safety gear as I am going faster now. I'll peruse this forum for safety gear recommendations, but if you guys have any favorites, I'd love to hear it. I think Jason also said I should use the WheelInfo app on my Android, so I'll do that later.

[tenofnine]

49 minutes ago, Jimmy Chang said:

Progress report: I'm having a ton of fun with this thing. Went for a 3 mile ride today. Was hoping to go farther but I got called to run an errand that needed a car and had to cut the ride short. Anyway, I found an ice skate rink that had no ice in it and was totally empty except for some hockey nets. I decided to ride around and I had a blast. I kept getting these alerts to decelerate. I guess I'm ready for the next level! It took a while to figure out how to unlock more speed, but I think I did it.

Can someone direct me to where I can figure out what the speed settings mean and where I should set them to? I will also need real safety gear as I am going faster now. I'll peruse this forum for safety gear recommendations, but if you guys have any favorites, I'd love to hear it. I think Jason also said I should use the WheelInfo app on my Android, so I'll do that later.

I am clueless concerning the above, but don't you have a KingSong?
Isn't the speed limited until you ride 200-300 miles or whatever? Or do you have a model that doesn't have that limitation?
That's one of the things that keep me from getting a KS, that and the 50% throttling. I don't use an Apple phone so I can't do darknessbot or w/e it's called.


On another note I've decided I really like the moniker "monocycle" for these EUCs....not sure if that will change, but for now it's what I tell people when they ask. It quickly sums up the gap between being like an actual electric unicycle and being more like a self powered single front wheel off a motorcycle. I know it's already a name of that ridiculous clumsy motorcycle in a wheel invention but I don't think the name fits for that device.

Edited April 3, 2019 by tenofnine

[seage]

1 hour ago, Jimmy Chang said:

Progress report: I'm having a ton of fun with this thing. Went for a 3 mile ride today. Was hoping to go farther but I got called to run an errand that needed a car and had to cut the ride short. Anyway, I found an ice skate rink that had no ice in it and was totally empty except for some hockey nets. I decided to ride around and I had a blast. I kept getting these alerts to decelerate. I guess I'm ready for the next level! It took a while to figure out how to unlock more speed, but I think I did it.

Can someone direct me to where I can figure out what the speed settings mean and where I should set them to? I will also need real safety gear as I am going faster now. I'll peruse this forum for safety gear recommendations, but if you guys have any favorites, I'd love to hear it. I think Jason also said I should use the WheelInfo app on my Android, so I'll do that later.

Yeah, usually after 200km i think it was, the wheel unlocks letting you go the max 35kmph. But, as you found, theres a built in override. Pedal Tilting is your top speed. You currently have it at 30kmph, but you can set it to 35 max. Any higher and it'll give you an error and revert back to what you had previously. Once you put it up, you'll hear your wheel beep. At 35, that literally means, once you hit it, the pedals will tilt you backwards. If you're accellerating aggressively, be careful. It'll push you back with the same force you're pushing forward, if not more. And if your legs are straight and locked, you're going for a scary ride backwards. (If you havent already, put your tilt back really low, like 10kmph and practice riding it to feel what the wheel will do. You dont want to learn about it for the first time at 35kmph, trust me, lol.

And the grade 3 alarm is the last alarm you'll hear on the wheel before you hit tiltback. Set it to whatever you want. Mines set to 32 just so i know im going that fast and can kinda judge just how much more i can/want to push before hitting tiltback. Thats up to you. The other alarms you dont need. Personally i have a pebble watch (android) and use wheel log and have alarms set on there so i can feel the vibrations on my wrist rather than hearing the wheel beeping. 

[seage]

24 minutes ago, tenofnine said:

Isn't the speed limited until you ride 200-300 miles or whatever? Or do you have a model that doesn't have that limitation?
That's one of the things that keep me from getting a KS, that and the 50% throttling. I don't use an Apple phone so I can't do darknessbot or w/e it's called.

Manual unlock is built right into the app now. You dont need any third party to unlock it like before. 

And from what i know at least about the bigger wheels, like the 18xl is that because of the bigger battery, you dont get throttling until like 20% or something? I cant remember exactly and I don't have the wheel yet, so im just going off what i've heard in review videos. 

[Jimmy Chang]

41 minutes ago, tenofnine said:

I am clueless concerning the above, but don't you have a KingSong?
Isn't the speed limited until you ride 200-300 miles or whatever? Or do you have a model that doesn't have that limitation?
That's one of the things that keep me from getting a KS, that and the 50% throttling. I don't use an Apple phone so I can't do darknessbot or w/e it's called.


On another note I've decided I really like the moniker "monocycle" for these EUCs....not sure if that will change, but for now it's what I tell people when they ask. It quickly sums up the gap between being like an actual electric unicycle and being more like a self powered single front wheel off a motorcycle. I know it's already a name of that ridiculous clumsy motorcycle in a wheel invention but I don't think the name fits for that device.

I'm digging the name "monocycle." Is this term widely used in any other circles? Just wondering if I should start using this more in my videos.

[Dave U]

1 hour ago, tenofnine said:

I will also need real safety gear as I am going faster now. I'll peruse this forum for safety gear recommendations

Safety Gear Recommendations:

Helmet (Full face): Bell Super DH Mips, for faster high speed trail rides, it also has a removable Chin Bar for city slower rides.

Wrist Guards: Flexmeter or Triple 8

Knee Pads: Triple 8

Elbow Pads: Triple 8

Mirror: Round for wrist guard or helmet mirror or both.

Extras:

VUP Running Armband for cell phones, "get the armband" not the wristband, armband fits perfectly over your wrist guard.

Lezyne 1500XXL White Light with multiple functions for riding at night or day

Zecto MAX 250 Rear Red Light with multiple functions for riding at night or day

 

Edited April 3, 2019 by Dave U

[Marty Backe]

1 hour ago, Jimmy Chang said:

Progress report: I'm having a ton of fun with this thing. Went for a 3 mile ride today. Was hoping to go farther but I got called to run an errand that needed a car and had to cut the ride short. Anyway, I found an ice skate rink that had no ice in it and was totally empty except for some hockey nets. I decided to ride around and I had a blast. I kept getting these alerts to decelerate. I guess I'm ready for the next level! It took a while to figure out how to unlock more speed, but I think I did it.

Can someone direct me to where I can figure out what the speed settings mean and where I should set them to? I will also need real safety gear as I am going faster now. I'll peruse this forum for safety gear recommendations, but if you guys have any favorites, I'd love to hear it. I think Jason also said I should use the WheelInfo app on my Android, so I'll do that later.

 

There's a separate Riding Safety and Protective Gear section of the Forum with great content. Way to much to repeat here. 

[erk1024]

On 4/3/2019 at 12:37 AM, Dave U said:

Zecto MAX 250 Rear Red Light with multiple functions for riding at night or day

Hey Dave! @Dave U

How did you mount those lights on the wheel?

I was thinking of getting a GoPro surface mount with a pivot and then a tripod adapter. I could cut a short section of a wooden dowel that would be the size of a bike seat post and epoxy that to the tripod adapter. Then I could mount any bike tail-light on it. I was wondering if you found an easy off the shelf solution.

I figured out which light Tishan's friend was using to project laser lights on the ground at night--that would be pretty cool (as well as providing safety)

 

Edited April 5, 2019 by erk1024
added text

[LZMutant]

On 3/30/2019 at 7:26 AM, Jimmy Chang said:

Another reason people gravitate towards the OW is because it looks familiar and different at the same time. A lot of the guys buying it used to be skateboarders as kids and they see it as a way of having that same skateboard feel but with a twist.

EUCs are completely foreign, at least to me when I first heard and saw them and even the name "unicycle" implies something very different that belongs in a circus act with clowns and juggling bears. I have only known a few people that ride traditional unicycles. When I tell people I bought an electric "Unicycle" I get a lot of raised eyebrows. I know it seems trivial but I do think it is another reason for lack of adoption.

I was just in Seattle last week and I saw 5 EUCs for every 1 Onewheel. The locals showing me around always called them "Solowheels" when they zipped past. I guess it had to do with marketing and some store that sold them in Seattle before InMotion bought them. The point is, when I said they are called "Electric Unicycles" everyone laughed at me. Maybe we should reconsider rebranding the name.

Hey Jimmy -

So I'm reading this thread formulating a post and you basically said exactly what I was thinking here.  Well done, only now I have to come up with an entirely original thought...  Well this post, like my wit, will be only half...

Here on the "mean streets" of Westwood (Los Angeles) and down the bike path to Santa Monica beach I see mostly rental scooters (the new craze is a seated scooter branded "Wheels"), bikes, skateboards, e-skateboards and OneWheels.  Honestly I have never seen another "monocycle," to use your turn 'o phrase.  And yet there I go like a duck in a shooting gallery, back and forth waiting for the elusive "other" EUC rider to whiz by...

In the meantime I've seen 5 or 6 OneWheels in my months of tracing that route, and they do look cool.  While stopped at a light one afternoon this guy asked if we could trade PEV's - and I wanted to give the OneWheel a shot so I agreed.  After a wobble or two I was fine.  I used to skateboard a bit and the skill did translate (slightly).  

He didn't do so well.  My poor pedals...and the sight of my wheel flopping all over the pavement like a tuna was depressing...thank God for my InMotion cover.  One time when he fell, my wheel did the Curly Shuffle.  "Hey, Moe!"  

My point is that the skateboard form factor is a much better sell.  I was able to ride almost immediately whereas he couldn't even stand up.**  It's relatable and accessible.  Everyone has tried skateboarding or knows someone who can manage it.  Can we make the same claim for a unicycle?

The EUC has a stiff learning curve for most folks as well as the dorky "unicycle" association.  The EUC lacks the "jump on and try!" factor that the OneWheel has.  Also, with The Pint, the OneWheel will be even easier to ride and can serve as a gateway to more expensive models.

There's a comparison out there that OneWheels are to Snowboards what EUC's are to Skiing.  I think that's a cool place to start and an upgrade to the "unicycle" concept.  When folks ask what the EUC is like I tell them it's like "skiing on land," and they totally get it...

Maybe we should rebrand EUC's as the "Land Ski" without poles!  Oh, wait...Landski sounds Polish...  

Never mind.

I learned from youtube videos.  Marty, Duf and Michael Paolini were my "online instructors."  I think the best thing for the EUC community would be more EUC's in the field, inspiring people.  You mentioned you'd like to teach people and that is a wonderful calling.  I'm sure given your experience across platforms you'll find your voice and help folks along.  And nothing beats riding around your neighborhood putting your skills on display to wow ladies, gentlemen and children of all ages.

**  Of course I helped the OneWheel guy out and spent some time making sure he could ride a few feet on my V10F without falling.  I didn't lord over him like Ali over Sonny Liston.  We all have to be good ambassadors and he really tried hard.  Good egg, that guy!  

 

[tenofnine]

Skiing on land might be a close analog, but I still feel it's so much more different than just that. Saying it's like you are riding on a blade seems just as apt a metaphor. (Also skiing isn't seen as cool where snowboarding is...)

 

What I tell people is that it's like riding on the front row of one of those standing roller coasters, but you control it. After a week or 2 it feels like it starts reading your mind and you don't even think about having to control it.

I think the EUC has the same learning curve as learning to ride a bike, but it has a much higher ceiling for mastering it's movement, tricks, and skills. Problem is people don't remember learning to ride a bike since they were kids, but you take an adult that hasn't learned to ride a bike yet and ask them to learn both I think it will take the same amount of time. It's definitely FAR FAR far easier to learn than an actual unicycle.

I think the OW is more of an overpriced toy, and if you want to use it in a serious capacity you need to hack it, add stuff to it, or modify it. EUCs for a much cheaper price have utility right out of the box even with the lower end models. They can be toys, but they have the specs to take on pretty much any  serious task or terrain.

The general populace has a bad track record of picking the path of least resistance,  usually picking the worst fads and tech that are clearly inferior but look more accessible (or *insert celebrity/influencer* used it so they will too). Hoverboards for instance are one of the dumbest pieces of tech to have spread....and they stain it's left has almost ruined PEVs legitimacy.  I think EUCs are clearly one of the best forms of personal transport, but they won't catch on since they actually require more than 2 seconds of attention span. Meanwhile you get every idiot on an e-scooter breaking all the laws and acting like morons ruining the chances for all PEV usage, yay!



 

[Dzlchef]

7 hours ago, LZMutant said:

Here on the "mean streets" of Westwood (Los Angeles) and down the bike path to Santa Monica beach I see mostly rental scooters (the new craze is a seated scooter branded "Wheels"), bikes, skateboards, e-skateboards and OneWheels.  Honestly I have never seen another "monocycle," to use your turn 'o phrase.  And yet there I go like a duck in a shooting gallery, back and forth waiting for the elusive "other" EUC rider to whiz by...

Funny, I thought the same for quite a while and last week a guy on a 9b1E+ was cruising down the sidewalk on Faifax and went across the road right in front of me.  He looked very startled and confused at first.  I assume he doesn’t see others riding either and I’m in commute gear with full face helmet and pads.  As guys go, we did a “what’s up” nod and both continued onward.  

I do cruise Westwood and the SM area but not frequently enough that you’re likely to see me.  I prefer to use the Culver City trail to the coast, then cruising the beach. 

[Smoother]

14 minutes ago, Dzlchef said:

As guys go, we did a “what’s up” nod and both continued onward.  

Exactlly. I rarely see another EUC but I give and get your "what's up" nod to/from eskateboard riders; "Brothers in Amps"

[meepmeepmayer]

41 minutes ago, Smoother said:

"Brothers in Amps"

That's a great way to say it

[Marty Backe]

A couple of days ago I came across my first sighting of a self-balancing vehicle in my town. I was riding around a corner and there was a guy in front of me waiting at a light, with his Onewheel. We both smiled and nodded as I rode by.

[Dzlchef]

1 hour ago, Marty Backe said:

A couple of days ago I came across my first sighting of a self-balancing vehicle in my town. I was riding around a corner and there was a guy in front of me waiting at a light, with his Onewheel. We both smiled and nodded as I rode by.

I'm now seeing about 2-3 Onewheels a week in front of the Walt Disney Concert Hall.   Everyone of the wheels I've seen has had serious customization, and all different.   They must spend lots on the extras!