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State of the EUC industry?


erk1024

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3 hours ago, erk1024 said:

I do think that having local dealers, and having those dealers give some basic lessons on how to ride would be a big help. You see people in videos trying to learn and doing things that are obviously counter-productive, and there is nobody to point them in the right direction. The learning curve could be dramatically shortened for a lot of people with some instruction. But I think the good news is that as more people get into e-scooters, skateboards, and OW's they will bump into e-wheels, and hopefully be intrigued. Everybody wants to do the "cool new thing" and e-wheels definitely have cool factor. Just watching somebody ride one makes you want to do it.

Exactly... "Back in the day" when I learnt (about 4 years back), there was no-one easily accessible to teach me to ride, and the YouTube videos of the time weren't much more useful. 

But now, with a bit of guidance and subtle suggestion, we see most new riders up and rolling in under an hour.

Perhaps we should be charging for the privilege?   :D

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5 hours ago, The Fat Unicyclist said:

That is 100% correct!

My approach was that I have a wheel here for you to learn on and then you can take you own one away in the box once you have a basic idea of what you are doing.

And I have to say that we have had customers fly on from other parts of New Zealand so that they can see / try before they buy! This is what we are doing to deepen the penetration.

Nice strategy. If we can widen programs that allow people to learn without the financial risk, while limiting the injury risk during the learning period EUCs can take off in every market.

I work with data all day. It definitely has its value,  bit it also has its context. Sometimes, we forget that we are the ones that make market data relevant.

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7 hours ago, The Fat Unicyclist said:

That is 100% correct!

My approach was that I have a wheel here for you to learn on and then you can take you own one away in the box once you have a basic idea of what you are doing.

And I have to say that we have had customers fly on from other parts of New Zealand so that they can see / try before they buy! This is what we are doing to deepen the penetration.

That is the exact strategy that made it “popular” in Paris.  It works.  

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2 cents about ex-riders. That is how I got my first wheel. I bought it from a guy who bought it from a guy... Anyways, he wore no protection and took it to a party. Drank too much and had a bad crash on the way home. Any new beginner that has a bad experience in the first couple months (or whose significant other does not approve) will likely drop it. At least for a while. 

Funny enough I then sold that wheel to someone who tested a wheel many years ago but didn't like how poor quality it was. Now he has gotten back into the "club"

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15 hours ago, lioku said:

 I usually see at least one of these if I go out for a ride for a couple hours by myself on the weekend.

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That is awesome! I'm pretty much the only person that rides one regularly around here. However, I am known by my wheel, people stop to talk to me whenever I go out and tell me that they saw me riding on their way to work or something similar.

I feel if we had a store sell them locally there would be a lot more people trying it out. 

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31 minutes ago, Lutalo said:

 

Attached is a photo of a neighborhood kid who showed interest in the wheels so, I taught him to ride on one of my old wheels.

After only 4 days of teaching and he is riding with confidence, and maneuvering with skill; including seated riding. Now,  when the kid gets home from school, he rings my doorbell and I hand him the wheel and off he goes.

When I check on him, I see that he is helping his two brothers and one other teenager how to pendulum using a wall as support. The proliferation of favorable behaviors will take time to gain the momentum to be virtually self-sustaining, and hopefully, in time this is the way most people will be learning to ride.

 

Wow that's a really heart warming story Lutalo. Great read, and a real nice gesture loaning out your wheel.

Although a newbie, I am the sort of person that will happily stop, chat and advise people if I get anyone interested in my wheels whilst I am out. Unfortunately the only people I have helped to ride so far are my two kids, but I hope to expand on that in the future. I will likely keep my V5 forever, and have pretty much relegated it to a learner wheel so that is what I will offer out to anyone who shows an interest (despite it not being an easy wheel to learn on!)

 

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2 hours ago, Planemo said:

Wow that's a really heart warming story Lutalo. Great read, and a real nice gesture loaning out your wheel.

Although a newbie, I am the sort of person that will happily stop, chat and advise people if I get anyone interested in my wheels whilst I am out. Unfortunately the only people I have helped to ride so far are my two kids, but I hope to expand on that in the future. I will likely keep my V5 forever, and have pretty much relegated it to a learner wheel so that is what I will offer out to anyone who shows an interest (despite it not being an easy wheel to learn on!)

 

Appreciate that man. At this stage of the game, most of the kids that I see riding have been taught by their parents. That's the best start. I have three sons, and all of them ride. 

I think that one of the reasons that I keep my old wheels around is because I intuitively view them as an opportunity to bring new riders in. 

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11 minutes ago, Lutalo said:

Has someone found their calling?

Lol I would if I had the spare $$$ laying around. :efee612b4b: But, I'm no salesperson. I have thought about riding to the local scooter store and trying to get them on board. 

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13 minutes ago, NylahTay said:

 

Lol I would if I had the spare $$$ laying around. :efee612b4b: But, I'm no salesperson. I have thought about riding to the local scooter store and trying to get them on board. 

The local scooter store carrying at least some lower cost smaller wheels might help you recruit more riders when your current main becomes your extra beater. You could teach them to ride and then send them to the local store. Pretty soon you will have crew of steady riders around town.

I am sure if you live in a more rural environment there are plenty of scenic, virtually car-free places to ride and have fun outings with your wheels; especially, with a group. 

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1 hour ago, Lutalo said:

I am sure if you live in a more rural environment there are plenty of scenic, virtually car-free places to ride and have fun outings with your wheels; especially, with a group. 

yeah, I own an electric scooter as well so I do try and get out with a friend every once in a while. I'm trying to convert her to the EUC side. Maybe once my KS18XL comes in, I can then let her borrow the old Segway S1.

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23 hours ago, lioku said:

I should also mention that there's a local store that sells InMotion wheels so that could be one reason why they are over-represented. Also their marketing features SF prominently.

Ah, I had no idea, what's the name of the store in SF?

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13 hours ago, Lutalo said:

I have three sons, and all of them ride. 

That the kids jump on the opportunity and stay with it without exception is a pretty good indicator of what the future will bring, unless they felt social pressure to do so :efee6b18f3: or inherited this rare gene :ph34r:

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On 4/10/2019 at 4:13 PM, NylahTay said:

That is awesome! I'm pretty much the only person that rides one regularly around here. However, I am known by my wheel, people stop to talk to me whenever I go out and tell me that they saw me riding on their way to work or something similar.

I feel if we had a store sell them locally there would be a lot more people trying it out. 

I think the best way to bring in new people would be if you could rent EUCs. Would it be that expensive to have it shipped to you, keep it for 1 or 2 weeks and then ship it back?

A lot of people here are buying electric scooters because of Lime. Most people try it because it's something new and end up buying one to have fun or to get around.

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22 minutes ago, walsus said:

I think the best way to bring in new people would be if you could rent EUCs. Would it be that expensive to have it shipped to you, keep it for 1 or 2 weeks and then ship it back?

A lot of people here are buying electric scooters because of Lime. Most people try it because it's something new and end up buying one to have fun or to get around.

I see what rental cars go through. If you don't own it, you don't respect it. That's just human nature.

I don't want to be riding an EUC that has been through God knows what. The consequences from a failure are too consequential. 

And for nearly the same reasons, I wouldn't want to be the owner of EUCs that I would rent out.

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5 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

I see what rental cars go through. If you don't own it, you don't respect it. That's just human nature.

I don't want to be riding an EUC that has been through God knows what. The consequences from a failure are too consequential. 

And for nearly the same reasons, I wouldn't want to be the owner of EUCs that I would rent out.

if I was a dealer I wouldn't want to take the legal risk that could come with shipping someone a wheel to rent and try out and who knows what they do with it.  Go bombing down a hill, fall off and the wheel keeps going and flies through some stores front window hitting a kid.  Then they claim the wheel malfunctioned and I get sued, no thanks.

But if I had a physical storefront I would probably try get a store in an area with a plot that had a semi closed in zone in the parking lot area with some parallel bars in one section,

V8C2fwX.jpg

and a padded raised 6 inch curb around the perimeter.

then I would get a couple ninebot c+ and let people who sign a waiver use those in that specific area to learn how to ride.  The ninebot c+ are super durable with their inner metal magnesium frame and can take a huge beating and keep going and are plenty powerful to learn on and are cheap.  The fact that they are beat up doesn't matter cause they would be beater wheels, I wouldn't trust them riding around the city but in a 40x40 foot plot, sure why not.

Want to ride for 3 hours in that area, sure have at it, you can ride all day in that area for all I care, eventually you will want to leave that area and to do so you'll buy a wheel, hopefully from me.

Sounds like that works well for @The Fat Unicyclist

Also, because I'm immature:

On ‎4‎/‎9‎/‎2019 at 10:14 PM, The Fat Unicyclist said:

…..

This is what we are doing to deepen the penetration. 

That's what she said.

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41 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

I don't want to be riding an EUC that has been through God knows what. The consequences from a failure are too consequential. 

Imagine the horror of having a wheel that has been doing the rounds and ridden by people like Chooch, for example. Luckily that's a problem you'll never hav... oh wait:efefa6edcf:

That was just in jest, I agree 100% with what you say. Rentals = abuse. Don't even want to think about it... those poor wheels. People would probably do overheat/hill/fry tests or whatever they wouldn't do with their own wheels.

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23 minutes ago, meepmeepmayer said:

Imagine the horror of having a wheel that has been doing the rounds and ridden by people like Chooch, for example. Luckily that's a problem you'll never hav... oh wait:efefa6edcf:

That was just in jest, I agree 100% with what you say. Rentals = abuse. Don't even want to think about it... those poor wheels. People would probably do overheat/hill/fry tests or whatever they wouldn't do with their own wheels.

:D

Hey, I look at like this; I have a wheel (KS18XL) that was broken-in and proven to be reliable. I did have to replace the pedals, side panels, a bunch of broken brass inserts with wood screws, and patch two holes in the inner tube. But now it's "just like new" :facepalm:

Edited by Marty Backe
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5 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

Hey, I look at like this; I have a wheel (KS18XL) that was broken-in and proven to be reliable. I did have to replace the pedals, side panels, a bunch of broken brass inserts with wood screws, and patch two holes in the inner tube. But now it's "just like new" :facepalm:

Oh wow! Didn't think it would be that bad.

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19 minutes ago, meepmeepmayer said:

Imagine the horror of having a wheel that has been doing the rounds and ridden by people like Chooch, for example. Luckily that's a problem you'll never hav... oh wait:efefa6edcf:

That was just in jest, I agree 100% with what you say. Rentals = abuse. Don't even want to think about it... those poor wheels. People would probably do overheat/hill/fry tests or whatever they wouldn't do with their own wheels.

That's a scary thought! I try to avoid loaning out any conveyances. I got burned by people that have used my car, boat, jetski and snowmobile.  I had a chance to rent out my helicopter years ago to an qualified instructor but quickly back peddled.

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22 minutes ago, walsus said:

You guys are making very valid points, I guess renting EUCs wasn't a good idea. But I still feel that not being able to try it keeps a lot of people away.

You have the right intentions. Renting seems like a bad idea, but letting people try wheels is the way forward. That might be a shop giving out a beater wheel or just Joe Everydayrider letting people try.

Two advantages:

  • It's supervised, letting people do less dumb stuff.
  • You can do the "hold my hand and we ride together" trick. As soon as a person can stand on the thing while holding on to a wall, they can ride while holding the hand of another (skilled) rider. Much faster learning than tackling it alone, and a pretty much immediate sense of achievement for the learner.

Letting people try under supervision is the best thing. Right after that comes just riding and being seen so people think "Hey, what is that, that looks nice!".

Maybe some "Wanna try?" events where people can be shown the ropes? And focus on the "You can try alone, but it will be much faster if you hold my hand" thing.

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