chrisjunlee's first wheel log: Gotway mten3

[chrisjunlee]

Just journaling my progress on the mten3. This is my first wheel, and I'm 11 days in. Did take notes day to day. 

 

What I was looking for in a wheel: something compact I can easily carry. And enough power to have a wide safety margin from nosediving.

== Day 1 - Mon, 6/24/2019 ==

Watched Kuji's tutorial a dozen times, and headed out to work parking lot. Could not for the life of me stand on this thing. Did a lot of cosmetic damage to the wheel. After 2 hours, able to go 10 feet post between support pillars.

 

== Day 2 - Tues, 6/25/2019 ==

Able to ride around slowly for 5 minutes at a time. I'm turning by counter weighing (motorcycle track style).

4 hours in. Able to clumsily free mount.

 

== Day 3 - Wed, 6/26/2019==

I'm convinced I've either received a defective unit, or I've somehow damaged it.

I just can't stop this thing from wobbling. I've tried different foot positions, wide/narrow stance, varying foot angles, different shoes, bent/straight knees, etc.

No matter what I try, there is no straight line steady state. Yes I'm looking straight ahead. Yes, I'm relaxed and not fighting this thing. There is no way I'm able to navigate this thing within a 5 ft wide path.

When I watch videos of the mten3 getting loose, it's able to continue gliding on for a while. Mine just death pivots, slamming that metal pedal into my shin with the might of 800 watts. Frustrated and about to give up

 

== Day 4 - Thurs, 6/27/2019 == 

I take a leap of faith and decide to commute to work.

1 minute out the door: "I have made a huge mistake"
2 wobbles in: "I have kneepads on, I can do this"
2000 wobbles later: "oh, I forgot to put them on"
Terrifying but I made it 🥳

After work, I decide to play around with tire pressure. And that was the missing element! 

40 psi: *mten wobbles in maniacal laughter* 🔥🔥🔥
30 psi: manageable
20 psi: like I'm on solid ground - too easy, stabler than a onewheel 🐌

This led me to a deep dive through engineering papers on tire pressures. There is no 'right' or 'optimal' tire pressure - that's an oversimplified fallacy. For this wheel, anything from 3psi to 100+psi is fine - but there are tradeoffs. Fascinating. Absolutely fascinating.

I'll be running 30psi for now, since that's manageable at my skill level. Tempted to drop it to 20psi.

== Day 5 - Fri, 6/28/2019  ==

Took it downtown to meet up with a old friend. Rode it around Caphill in the midst of a busy pride Friday night. Rode it all the way back to Fremont. 

I am hooked. 5th day on my first unicycle that isn't meant for stability, and this still feels 10x safer than the onewheel.

 

== Day 6 - Sat, 6/29/2019 ==

Warmed up in the morning on slow speed maneuvers. Increased tire pressure to 35psi to challenge myself. Had an epiphany and now I can gracefully do 5" radius 180°s.  This wheel is amazing.

After topping off, went up to Greenlake. Did a precarious mile through the outer gravel path before realizing there's a paved loop closer to the lake 🤣. Did 2 brisk 15mph laps. I'm in love 😍.

I'm amazed at this wheel's versatility. It handles 1" cracks/bumps, lumpy grass, and even potholed gravel roads just fine.

 

== Day 8 - Mon, 7/1/2019 ==

Zipping through Greenlake this evening, and a random fellow chases me down. He says it's been a couple years since he's given up EUC's, but be sure to check out Jason from e-wheels.

That's a whole another level of customer satisfaction 🤣 @Jason McNeil

 

== Day 9 - Tues, 7/2/2019 ==

First time riding in the rain. Meet up with another wheeler for a long ride. He has a kingsong 18XL, and I can't for the life of me ride it. It feels like a freight train compared to my mten3, so nimble unicycles are now the biased norm to me. 

We do a 15 mile loop, and it was definitely a taxing and skill growth ride to me. I'm just impressed with how capable this mten3 is.

Edited July 5, 2019 by chrisjunlee

[chrisjunlee]

== Day 11 - Wed, 7/4/2019 ==

Doing laps around Greenlake to gain experience. I love wowing people as I pass by them. Kids and adults are equally jaw dropped: "WOAAAH, WHAT IS THAT?!".  

I try out the different ride settings available in the gotway app:

• leisure mode: there is inertia in the pedals when accelerating/decelerating. I don't like it.
• medium mode: didn't try it (I wanted to just try out the extremes)
• sport mode: instantly responsive, what I'm used to.

At this point, I'm comfortable enough to be taking screenshots at this speed and load while weaving past cyclists. 

I'm in love with this wheel 😍

 

Edited July 5, 2019 by chrisjunlee

[beast@tanagra]

55 minutes ago, chrisjunlee said:

40 psi: *mten wobbles in maniacal laughter* 🔥🔥🔥
30 psi: manageable
20 psi: like I'm on solid ground - too easy, stabler than a onewheel 🐌

This led me to a deep dive through engineering papers on tire pressures. There is no 'right' or 'optimal' tire pressure - that's an oversimplified fallacy. For this wheel, anything from 3psi to 100+psi is fine - but there are tradeoffs. Fascinating. Absolutely fascinating.

I'll be running 30psi for now, since that's manageable at my skill level. Tempted to drop it to 20psi.

Sounds about right. I generally shoot for the low 30s when I inflate mine.

57 minutes ago, chrisjunlee said:

== Day 9 - Tues, 7/2/2019 ==

First time riding in the rain. Meet up with another wheeler for a long ride. He has a kingsong 18XL, and I can't for the life of me ride it. It feels like a freight train compared to my mten3, so nimble unicycles are now the biased norm to me. 

We do a 15 mile loop, and it was definitely a taxing and skill growth ride to me. I'm just impressed with how capable this mten3 is.

The MTen3 was also my first wheel. Like you, I, too, found my first experience with a larger wheel utterly foreign. "Freight train" puts it well. Turning a ~17-incher felt like I was asking a giant slab of metal to come crashing down onto my ankles.

But you will want a bigger wheel sooner than you might have thought, especially if you're already doing trips where you're actually trying to get somewhere. Beyond straight-line balance, the skills you learn on the MTen3 may not seem to transfer, but your patience and confidence of ultimately mastering the beast will. (A 14" wheel will not be as challenging a jump as 17"+.)

Always fun reliving the newbie ups and downs. Thanks for sharing!

[meepmeepmayer]

== Day 13, Fri 7/6/2019 ==

Had a big crash because I was zipping around overexcitedly at 30kph on an mten3 while taking screenshots and missed a pothole.

-

Make sure this doesn't happen This was a real fun read so far so keep it that way

[houseofjob]

@chrisjunlee cool first accounts!

 

Quote

I just can't stop this thing from wobbling.

Also, I'm not sure if the MTen3 is still shipping with that God awful Mini/Mini Pro tire (this tire tread pattern was meant for 2 wheel pair in-tandem, not by itself; pulls artificially one way if used alone), but if it does, I would highly recommend swapping it out for the "Type/Version II" variety.

 

Quote

Tempted to drop it to 20psi

Proper PSI is largely based on the elasticity of the tire compound, your rider payload that is pushing down on it, and overall personal preference.

I'm sure you've come across this, but too low a PSI, and you're liable to bend your rim on hitting a bad enough pothole.

I personally aim for a PSI that is firm, but has a taste of bounce, when I'm mounted on the wheel, and this number is not absolute, will vary with the wheel setup.

 

Quote

5th day on my first unicycle that isn't meant for stability, and this still feels 10x safer than the onewheel.

Interestingly, this is the prevailing notion of the growing number of eboard-to-EUC converts here in NYC.

I think in general, facing forward is just a more natural and versatile position, as none of the sports we do off a wheel or board have our bodies facing predominantly sideways.

The only caveat to all this, is that, on EUC, we must lean forward to move forward, which can encourage faceplanting. But remember, you don't have to lean with both sides of your body, nor do you have to lean with the wheel fully upright. Thus, there are ways to accelerate the wheel while still staying relatively stacked and center of the wheel vertical plane, thus avoiding the unsafe Michael Jackson/Superman lean.

 

Quote

He has a kingsong 18XL, and I can't for the life of me ride it. It feels like a freight train compared to my mten3, so nimble unicycles are now the biased norm to me.

LOL, the first time I discovered this is what prompted me to always have a stable of at least 2-4 EUC's of different sizes, as even if you learn to ride different size/width wheels, you lose the feel really fast if you don't mix them in your daily ride IMHO.

In general, when hopping on an unfamiliar wheel, I find the wider feet you go, the more it negates the unfamiliar wheel physics.

Also, bigger diameter wheels mean higher center of gravity, so you must utilize maneuvering from the hips and torso, as opposed to the much smaller MTen3, where you can get away from maneuvering knee down.

[chrisjunlee]

10 hours ago, meepmeepmayer said:

== Day 13, Fri 7/6/2019 ==

Had a big crash because I was zipping around overexcitedly at 30kph on an mten3 while taking screenshots and missed a pothole.

-

Make sure this doesn't happen This was a real fun read so far so keep it that way

OMG. I did a double take "Wait, did I crash so bad that I forgot about it 😨". You got me there XD

[chrisjunlee]

9 hours ago, houseofjob said:

Also, I'm not sure if the MTen3 is still shipping with that God awful Mini/Mini Pro tire (this tire tread pattern was meant for 2 wheel pair in-tandem, not by itself; pulls artificially one way if used alone), but if it does, I would highly recommend swapping it out for the "Type/Version II" variety.

I did my homework and ordered that a week ago! We're on point. 

The main thing I'm worried about is the battery failure that Marty ran into. It's always in the back of my mind whenever I'm cruising faster than 10mph.

9 hours ago, houseofjob said:

Proper PSI is largely based on the elasticity of the tire compound, your rider payload that is pushing down on it, and overall personal preference.

I'm sure you've come across this, but too low a PSI, and you're liable to bend your rim on hitting a bad enough pothole.

I personally aim for a PSI that is firm, but has a taste of bounce, when I'm mounted on the wheel, and this number is not absolute, will vary with the wheel setup.

Yup yup. I spent a night deep diving into engineering whitepapers on tire pressure. It is fascinating. The whole concept of tire deflection is so elegant.

In order to mitigate the increased deflection of lower pressures, I've pre-emptively ordered that type II tire.

9 hours ago, houseofjob said:

remember, you don't have to lean with both sides of your body, nor do you have to lean with the wheel fully upright. Thus, there are ways to accelerate the wheel while still staying relatively stacked and center of the wheel vertical plane, thus avoiding the unsafe Michael Jackson/Superman lean.

Wow. I think that's something I'll be able to understand and pick up on a bigger wheel. I'm barely able to adjust my foot position on the mten3 without it going out of control.

 

9 hours ago, houseofjob said:

I find the wider feet you go, the more it negates the unfamiliar wheel physics.

Also, bigger diameter wheels mean higher center of gravity, so you must utilize maneuvering from the hips and torso, as opposed to the much smaller MTen3, where you can get away from maneuvering knee down.

Your insights are screaming for a series on unicycle kinematics.

[meepmeepmayer]

37 minutes ago, chrisjunlee said:

OMG. I did a double take "Wait, did I crash so bad that I forgot about it 😨". You got me there XD

The point is, wear wrist guards and be aware every tiny bump is out to get the mten3 at high speeds

25 minutes ago, chrisjunlee said:

The main thing I'm worried about is the battery failure that Marty ran into.

They strengthened that connector in response to Marty's failure on his first batch (I think) mten3. And even that just happened as he blocked the motor/tire completely. I know of no other such failure, especially after Gotway's improvement, or a technical mten3 cutout in general.

As always, don't worry about the tech, the tech is very fine. Worry about what is really going to get you (bumps and cars and excited overleaning).

[chrisjunlee]

By the way @houseofjob, as a former content creator myself, I absolutely love your content. Your youtube channel is the only euc channel I've subscribed to.

Things you're doing that are best in class among all unicycle vloggers:

• sheer value per minute. You just drop technical insights in a conversational manner. You don't waste time rambling. It's very casey neistat focused.
• great analogies that vividly stick. For instance, I've watched a bunch of videos on the ninebot z10, but yours is the only one I remember. Why?  "with the z10, you steamroll 🐘"
• Neistat style ADDHD elements (sound effects and overlays) without it being obnoxiously Neistat. As presenters, it's our job to entertain and captivate the audience. You strike that balance without it coming off as try hard.
• bringing in other "storytelling" structures. Out of all the 16x videos I've watched, none hold a candle to your KING SONG KS16X NYC DEMO. Part I found brilliant? Getting the perspective of every rider. That single episode delivers the nuanced multi-faceted understanding that would've traditionally required watching 10 other videos. You do it in a single episode. That's the episode that won my sub.

As a technical person, I understand and appreciate your content. However, my type is just a tiny fraction of the viewerbase. 

With that said, there is one low hanging fruit you can tap into to explode your channel: clickbaity thumbnails and titles. On one of Casey's vlogs, he admits his youtube success is mostly due to his clickbait. That's of course, assuming you want to take things to the next level. You're already doing the hardest part - delivering value in an engaging manner. You just need the 10x volume that a well polished thumbnail and title can bring in. The best in class for that direction, is of course the Asian Neistat, @Kuji Rolls.

[houseofjob]

53 minutes ago, chrisjunlee said:

Yup yup. I spent a night deep diving into engineering whitepapers on tire pressure. It is fascinating. The whole concept of tire deflection is so elegant.

Interesting, haven't come across this term before but I know it in concept 

 

53 minutes ago, chrisjunlee said:

The main thing I'm worried about is the battery failure that Marty ran into. It's always in the back of my mind whenever I'm cruising faster than 10mph.

Interestingly, I haven't heard of this issue coming up ever since. Perhaps Gotway is spot welding their packs better or using better strips now(?)

 

53 minutes ago, chrisjunlee said:

Wow. I think that's something I'll be able to understand and pick up on a bigger wheel. I'm barely able to adjust my foot position on the mten3 without it going out of control.

Ride everywhere now I think. 

Once you get super comfortable, start playing around with foot positioning, opposing heel-toe readjustment of feet, which is key to advancing one's technique IMHO.

I would say also mount bigger pedals, but it seems in your video you already have(?)

 

53 minutes ago, chrisjunlee said:

Your insights are screaming for a series on unicycle kinematics.

Woah, big word 

I wish I had a magic video editing robot to do my bidding.... then this video would already be out there in the Youtube-o-sphere 

 

28 minutes ago, chrisjunlee said:

By the way @houseofjob, as a former content creator myself, I absolutely love your content. Your youtube channel is the only euc channel I've subscribed to.

Things you're doing that are best in class among all unicycle vloggers:

• sheer value per minute. You just drop technical insights in a conversational manner. You don't waste time rambling. It's very casey neistat focused.
• great analogies that vividly stick. For instance, I've watched a bunch of videos on the ninebot z10, but yours is the only one I remember. Why?  "with the z10, you steamroll 🐘"
• Neistat style ADDHD elements (sound effects and overlays) without it being obnoxiously Neistat. As presenters, it's our job to entertain and captivate the audience. You strike that balance without it coming off as try hard.
• bringing in other "storytelling" structures. Out of all the 16x videos I've watched, none hold a candle to your KING SONG KS16X NYC DEMO. Part I found brilliant? Getting the perspective of every rider. That single episode delivers the nuanced multi-faceted understanding that would've traditionally required watching 10 other videos. You do it in a single episode. That's the episode that won my sub.

LOL, thanks!

 

28 minutes ago, chrisjunlee said:

As a technical person, I understand and appreciate your content. However, my type is just a tiny fraction of the viewerbase. 

With that said, there is one low hanging fruit you can tap into to explode your channel: clickbaity thumbnails and titles. On one of Casey's vlogs, he admits his youtube success is mostly due to his clickbait. That's of course, assuming you want to take things to the next level. You're already doing the hardest part - delivering value in an engaging manner. You just need the 10x volume that a well polished thumbnail and title can bring in. The best in class for that direction, is of course the Asian Neistat, @Kuji Rolls.

Yes, Kuji is definitely doing his thing, going for that Casey Neistat thing / appeal.

But I kind of selfishly don't wanna go that direction, wanna be a bit different from the many-many Casey Neistat copy-cats, wanna be me (80's baby here, would rather be original than popular).

And if that means less subs, so be it. I really only do it for the love, and try to make stuff that I myself might click/watch myself (and I have severe ADD / intolerance for videos that drag, even watching everything at 1.5X speed).

Oh, and I really hate blatant clickbait; will quickly un-sub channels that do this to me too often.

If you're into the sneakerhead thing at all (which I was more into at one point), I always appreciated Nightwing / Weartesters, because he's the only one who I ever learn anything from, describing the technical nitty-gritty of sneakers, materials, etc. Thus, he's the only sneaker YouTube I'm still subbed to.

In a way, I'm trying to do, like you say, that technical, nuanced viewpoint for EUC YouTube (just my nature), but combine it with random non-sequitur cat/dog/pop culture humor that pops into my head because I"m terrible on camera, all wrapped in a video editing style that is probably copying somewhat the Korean celebrity TV variety show production I frequently watch.

Anyways, thanks for the thanks and feedback! (BTW, I Am trying to up my thumbnail game a bit, realizing more and more how important that is)

[houseofjob]

@chrisjunlee BTW, why "former" content creator?

[Marty Backe]

17 hours ago, chrisjunlee said:

I did my homework and ordered that a week ago! We're on point. 

The main thing I'm worried about is the battery failure that Marty ran into. It's always in the back of my mind whenever I'm cruising faster than 10mph.

Yup yup. I spent a night deep diving into engineering whitepapers on tire pressure. It is fascinating. The whole concept of tire deflection is so elegant.

In order to mitigate the increased deflection of lower pressures, I've pre-emptively ordered that type II tire.

Wow. I think that's something I'll be able to understand and pick up on a bigger wheel. I'm barely able to adjust my foot position on the mten3 without it going out of control.

 

Your insights are screaming for a series on unicycle kinematics.

It's been a long time, but at one point I did talk to Jason about this and he confirmed that Gotway modified how the Mten3 battery pack was fabricated, to avoid what happened to me.

So you're safe. I wouldn't worry about.

I've enjoyed reading your story here. Glad that you are loving the Mten3  I'm beginning to believe that it's a great wheel to learn on, but when moving to a bigger wheel you'll feel like a beginner again   But the Mten3 will always be a super fun wheel to have.

[gr8ps]

Congrats on learning on what I consider to be one of the hardest wheels to learn on, the other being the Luffy which is the much cheaper, lower powered version of the Mten3. 

I learned on the Luffy and I almost gave up. In retrospect, the short height of it and the inability to securely brace it against your legs made learning to ride so much more difficult. 

[chrisjunlee]

1 hour ago, Marty Backe said:

It's been a long time, but at one point I did talk to Jason about this and he confirmed that Gotway modified how the Mten3 battery pack was fabricated, to avoid what happened to me.

So you're safe. I wouldn't worry about.

I've enjoyed reading your story here. Glad that you are loving the Mten3  I'm beginning to believe that it's a great wheel to learn on, but when moving to a bigger wheel you'll feel like a beginner again   But the Mten3 will always be a super fun wheel to have.

Marty! Your videos and posts gave me the courage to plunge into EUCs with the mten3! I wasn't even sold on the idea of EUCs until I saw your mten3 clips - it was eye opening seeing how maneuverable an EUC can be in such a tiny space.

I got a chance to try out the 18XL, and you're right, I couldn't even nudge forward an inch on it.

[Marty Backe]

16 minutes ago, chrisjunlee said:

Marty! Your videos and posts gave me the courage to plunge into EUCs with the mten3! I wasn't even sold on the idea of EUCs until I saw your mten3 clips - it was eye opening seeing how maneuverable an EUC can be in such a tiny space.

I got a chance to try out the 18XL, and you're right, I couldn't even nudge forward an inch on it.

Thanks 

Lots of fun times ahead for you. EUC's can be life altering 

[chrisjunlee]

== Day 11 - Wed, 7/4/2019 ==

Did a late night ride and was assaulted on the way back home.

I was tired so wanted to roll down the sidewalks at a slow pace, and a huge guy (6'0+ 300+lbs) was hulk walking his way up towards me. I slowed down to a crawl, and moved far right, and he veers into me, shoulder checking me hard in the chest. It was one of those bodywide winding hits, but I managed to land on my feet. He marches on telling me to stay on the road. 

I call 911 and trail the guy, operator tells me to not pursue. Ok? The police take over 30 minutes to arrive. Guy is long gone, they can't do anything. It is so easy to get away with crime, where's my tax money even going to?

Edited July 6, 2019 by chrisjunlee

[chrisjunlee]

== Day 12 - Thurs, 7/5/2019 ==

I'm hesitant to ride out in the streets after the last night's incident. I want to get my daily practice in, so I head over to my work's garage to practice some drills.

Not feeling too motivated - a can of red bull changes that 💥

I'm finding myself so much more agile and bold tonight - probably the redbull. That leads me to trying to see what happens when you try to drift the wheel sideways at speed - you do a 180 and carry speed! Before I would always slow down to a crawl before turning - this is fun! It feels as if my body is leaning 30° and the weight is all in the inner heel. 

🍍 Tip: I cross my arms to promote good form and not rely on them as balancing levers. 

I want to work on going backwards, since @Marty Backe mentioned it as a synergistic skill. I start off with push off wall technique, and after a hundred iterations, I find it's easier to have two side supports. This is the progress after 3 hours: 

 

[Marty Backe]

17 hours ago, chrisjunlee said:

== Day 12 - Thurs, 7/5/2019 ==

I'm hesitant to ride out in the streets after the last night's incident. I want to get my daily practice in, so I head over to my work's garage to practice some drills.

Not feeling too motivated - a can of red bull changes that 💥

I'm finding myself so much more agile and bold tonight - probably the redbull. That leads me to trying to see what happens when you try to drift the wheel sideways at speed - you do a 180 and carry speed! Before I would always slow down to a crawl before turning - this is fun! It feels as if my body is leaning 30° and the weight is all in the inner heel. 

🍍 Tip: I cross my arms to promote good form and not rely on them as balancing levers. 

I want to work on going backwards, since @Marty Backe mentioned it as a synergistic skill. I start off with push off wall technique, and after a hundred iterations, I find it's easier to have two side supports. This is the progress after 3 hours: 

 

You found a nice place to help with the backward riding training. Just keep doing it and build up the muscle memory.

Regarding your turns, you should just about never get a pedal scrape. Work on adding more of a body twisting motion to get the Mten3 to turn. In this way the pedals will barely tip. This does require firm tire pressure. I run mine at the maximum listed tire pressure which allows me to almost spin on a dime. The lower the pressure the less agile the Mten3 becomes and the more pedal dip you'll get.

[Marty Backe]

18 hours ago, chrisjunlee said:

== Day 11 - Wed, 7/4/2019 ==

Did a late night ride and was assaulted on the way back home.

I was tired so wanted to roll down the sidewalks at a slow pace, and a huge guy (6'0+ 300+lbs) was hulk walking his way up towards me. I slowed down to a crawl, and moved far right, and he veers into me, shoulder checking me hard in the chest. It was one of those bodywide winding hits, but I managed to land on my feet. He marches on telling me to stay on the road. 

I call 911 and trail the guy, operator tells me to not pursue. Ok? The police take over 30 minutes to arrive. Guy is long gone, they can't do anything. It is so easy to get away with crime, where's my tax money even going to?

This is really bizarre. I've never experienced any aggression like this, and it's sad to read about   I do think I'd continue trailing the guy from a distance if possible.

Let's hope this is your one and only bad experience. I thought Seattle was more friendly towards the e-crowd.

[houseofjob]

On 7/6/2019 at 6:11 PM, chrisjunlee said:

Did a late night ride and was assaulted on the way back home.

Oh 💩, that's f*'d up, but unfortunately not the first story I've heard.

Glad you're ok, and I would recommend staying the maximum distance away from pedestrians, cyclists, cars obviously, etc, and use speed and their blindsides to quickly pass them and avoid confrontation. Also, this is reminding me I really need to finally up and buy a dashcam-like solution 

On 7/6/2019 at 6:45 PM, chrisjunlee said:

That leads me to trying to see what happens when you try to drift the wheel sideways at speed - you do a 180 and carry speed! 

I learned from @Citi Wheel that you can swing your arms and literally twist-pivot the tire on pavement even harder to achieve a bigger degree of instantaneous turning, ala how tires slide on pavement when drifting.

Then, once you get the hang of backwards, you just do a fast and short 90 degree turn, then twist-pivot harder in the same turn direction at the tail end of the turn, so that you do a kind of manufactured 180 into backwards, still rolling in the same original forward direction when flipped backwards.

On 7/6/2019 at 6:11 PM, chrisjunlee said:

I want to work on going backwards, since @Marty Backe mentioned it as a synergistic skill. 

Good! Now cock back more with your bum to keep going backwards, like you are just about to initiate a back squat.

And don't be dainty about keeping the wheel going in a straight line; s-curve as much as needed.

And also, be light with your feet if you can. Being able to alternately raise your heels and toes on the pedals (no flat Frankenstein-plodding feet) will give you more fine control / error correction with EUC riding in general.

Edited July 8, 2019 by houseofjob

[greentung]

Sorry to hear about the assault. I'm also a rider in Seattle. Been riding on the Burke from Gasworks to work since last September on an mten3. Twice a woman on a bike going the opposite direction tried to run into me and threaten to knock me off my wheel. I think some people have it out for electric scooters or unicycles. I try to be careful and stay low key when there are bikes or people around. No weaving, carving, or anything that could antagonize the bicycle folks. There are some militant bikers in Seattle. 

Good luck. Glad to see another mten3 in Seattle. I had to give mine up to my seven years old. Apparently the Luffy was too 'underpowered' for him. Now riding mcm5 to work.

[chrisjunlee]

== Day 13, Sat 7/5/2019 == 

Crashed at 18.6 mph.

Decided to put some serious mileage on the mten3. Woke up early morning, and went out to Discovery Park. It's such a gorgeous place, with beach and lots of wild blackberries.

Headed back home, charged the battery, and back out to check out another park.

Took the Burke Gilman bicycle trail, and somewhere along the way there was a 2" tall patched bump hiding blending within the dappled shadows.

Before I know it, I've caught a bit of air, landed, and my heels are asymmetrically jolted far forward - at that moment, I realize I'm going down, no way about that. I do what I can to shift my weight back and down. Back in order to brake, and more importantly bias a fall backwards (best case fall) vs tumbling forward (worst case fall). Down in order to lower the impact of fall (y-axis potential energy - yes, I'm still a physicist at heart).

Next frame, I'm down, y-axis kinetic energy absorbed by my thicc butt, x-axis energy scrubbed off by my jacket.

RIP favorite pair of jeans. No skin broken, just a sore butt.

I ride on sporting my fresh assless chaps.

Mileage: 42 miles. Twas a great day.

 

Edited July 13, 2019 by chrisjunlee

[Michael Tucker]

+1 for assless chaps in the park!

[giggidditygiggiddity]

On 7/6/2019 at 12:11 PM, chrisjunlee said:

Did a late night ride and was assaulted on the way back home.

Stranger danger!  Whenever I noticed I am being approached by people I don't know or recognize, I glance and avoid them and don't make eye contact if they are even closer. I tend to fail since most of the new batch of female jehovah witnesses have been looking mighty attractive lately, trapped! yes, yes, god will judge yadda yadda yadda..15minutes of my life taken yet again.

 

On 7/8/2019 at 1:52 AM, houseofjob said:

Also, this is reminding me I really need to finally up and buy a dashcam-like solution 

I'm still awaiting my wheel, but I intend to use my 2 extra 1080p action cams making some sort of  mount for front and rear since its small cameras (keep it stealth, discreet too for that matter).  Shit happens everyday on the street, and nevertheless even with my intention to avoid traffic congestion/random ppl  there's always gonna be that one 2 second incident where having it recorded justifies the trouble.  I'm thinking I'll probably 3-D print an enclosure to match and hide the camera blending in with part of the wheel.

[beast@tanagra]

4 hours ago, chrisjunlee said:

== Day 13, Sat 7/5/2019 == 

Crashed at 18.6 mph.

Glad you're ok. Could have been a lot worse. I've probably only taken my mten3 up to those speeds a couple of times for short bursts on known, smooth terrain. It's a wheel without rival in the slow game -- tight turns, backwards tricks, mingling with pedestrians and such -- but it's just not a good cruising wheel. It's unforgivably bouncy when taking bumps at speed, and it loves to pull into ridges and grooves. With more riding experience, the suspension system that is your feet and legs will improve and give you a larger buffer against the sort of encounter that threw you -- but for the kind of riding you're doing, I would strongly suggest getting a wheel with a larger diameter.