Beginning Wheel

[ir_fuel]

The problem is that people are thinking this through too much. Let's be honest. Getting either a:

- MSX

- Mten3

- KS16X

- Z10

- V10(f)

- Nikola

- Tesla

 

All those will be a good choice to start with and will end up giving you lots of fun. They all have their quirks and features ( and a Doug Score ) but they'll do the job.

The only wheels I wouldn't get as starters are older generation ones such as the V8 or the V5F as you will grow out of them rather quickly IMO, or the Gotway Monster because of its size/weight.

 

What will be interesting: once you learned on the Mten3 and are used to it, to hop on a 16 or 18" wheel to see what you think about them. My experience is you forget how nervous that Mten3 is after a few weeks of riding it exclusively, until you hop on a bigger wheel.

Just be careful off road with that small diameter tyre, and wear full protection! Bones don't heal as fast and break faster at your age (even at my age compared to a 20 year old ...). Don't forget the protection for your hips! (I have some 3DO padded shorts that I wear under my normal pants, for this).

And to conclude: anyone who's a bit serious about this means of transportation will end up owning more than one, so .... 

[mike_bike_kite]

I never thought I'd see MSX, Mten3, KS16X, Z10, V10(f), Nikola and Tesla listed as beginner wheels! The V10 looks like an exception though as I could actually see that working for larger beginners. Was there a reason you left out the Gotway Monster from your list? 

[Planemo]

The Z is the easiest wheel to learn on bar none. It's only at speeds above 10mph or so where it needs a different technique to other wheels.

Lower the tyre pressure to 15psi and you can virtually stand stationary on it.

[Ek.]

FWIW I learned to ride my KS14D recently without any real falls (stepped off a few times, but always kept myself upright). I had a go on a Onewheel Pint the other day and was on my arse within minutes! It's the way the Onewheel drags your leg away as soon as you think about it the wrong way that seemed to cause the potential for injury. I never even had an ankle bash with my EUC while learning—I think the trick is to take it slow and be conservative until properly comfortable. I guess what I'm getting at is that, although people say the Onewheel is faster to learn (I don't disagree) it's not necessarily safer or easier. YMMV!

[ir_fuel]

On 12/16/2019 at 12:44 PM, mike_bike_kite said:

I never thought I'd see MSX, Mten3, KS16X, Z10, V10(f), Nikola and Tesla listed as beginner wheels! The V10 looks like an exception though as I could actually see that working for larger beginners. Was there a reason you left out the Gotway Monster from your list? 

If you limit the speed of those wheels to 15mph they can all be used to learn. I see no reason why not, unless you are a 10 year old  

 

20 hours ago, Ek. said:

It's the way the Onewheel drags your leg away as soon as you think about it the wrong way that seemed to cause the potential for injury.

Never step off with 1 foot!

Edited December 19, 2019 by ir_fuel

[mrelwood]

11 hours ago, ir_fuel said:

If you limit the speed of those wheels to 15mph they can all be used to learn.

Unless the learner lacks any self preservation instincts, I don’t think top speed limiting is important at all. After every wheel purchase I’ve had to fight my fears to pass the previous top speeds, to which I already got up very slowly as my confidence grew.

Or am I alone with this, being such a scary-pants?

[Planemo]

26 minutes ago, mrelwood said:

Or am I alone with this, being such a scary-pants?

Nope!

I nearly wet my pants whilst learning on my V5F when I hit 10mph. As you say, self preservation kicks in. That said, speed limits are great for kids. I let my 12 y/o daughter have a go on my Z10 and said to her the immortal words 'be careful, don't go faster than you do on the V5' which was about 15mph. She went straight to 22mph on the Z and then had a bit of a shock when trying to stop in the same distance she would have done on the V5 at 15. No dramas thankfully, but I should have limited the Z.....

[Darrell Wesh]

1 hour ago, mrelwood said:

Unless the learner lacks any self preservation instincts, I don’t think top speed limiting is important at all. After every wheel purchase I’ve had to fight my fears to pass the previous top speeds, to which I already got up very slowly as my confidence grew.

Or am I alone with this, being such a scary-pants?

Same here. From msx 84v to Nikola 100v, not sure if it was because the tire was less stable at speed (nikola) but the first day I struggled to get past my 36mph MSX speed record. Now I’m going almost 40 every day. 

[ir_fuel]

10 hours ago, mrelwood said:

Unless the learner lacks any self preservation instincts, I don’t think top speed limiting is important at all.

That's a choice to make. You have people here (we had someone like this join the forum about 6 months ago) that immediately go full chat with their high performance wheels  

But ok, I still think you can learn to ride on any wheel you want. Except for the Monster (don't think that shell or your back are built to drop and pick it up every 2 minutes).

[mike_bike_kite]

On 12/14/2019 at 3:54 AM, MDMason said:

I just ordered a MTen 3

Has the wheel arrived yet? How's it going? Have you realised that fleeting glory of staying on board for 5 seconds yet?

 

Edited December 20, 2019 by mike_bike_kite

[MDMason]

Received it today and already questioning my choice. It's so small I can't get the leverage with my legs that everybody depends on while learning. At this point I can't imagine I'll ever be able to ride it.

[Planemo]

You dont need any leverage because your calves should never be placing any real force onto the wheel at low speeds. That applies to all wheels, not just the mTen.

You will get it. Just as we all did. Please persevere.

[Aneta]

5 minutes ago, MDMason said:

Received it today and already questioning my choice. It's so small I can't get the leverage with my legs that everybody depends on while learning. At this point I can't imagine I'll ever be able to ride it.

Try this. You'll need a baby stroller and a chair or bench. Sit on the chair, put your feet on the pedals, hold on to the stroller, shift your weight forward symmetrically and stand up. Now you can ride while easily maintaining the balance.

Note, this is just an idea, I never tried it (and once you learn, it's pointless to try this anew). But the idea is to relieve legs of the pain when trying to freemount and maintain balance without assistance. No pain = quicker learning.

[meepmeepmayer]

You do not press against the wheel with the inside of your lower leg. You turn (rotate) the knee inside and press with the front of your lower leg (the shin with the mten3). This gives great leverage! I think it should work even with such a low wheel.

Rest is practice, but going from side-pushing to rotate-pushing greatly helped me.

[Mono]

22 hours ago, MDMason said:

Received it today and already questioning my choice. It's so small I can't get the leverage with my legs that everybody depends on while learning. At this point I can't imagine I'll ever be able to ride it.

Leverage you need for certain mounting techniques, but you don't need to worry about mounting at all for the first weeks, unless you wanted to, but mounting is difficult. First things first: learn to stand on it (it must be turned on) while firmly holding onto something, like a handrail. Don't worry, take your time with getting comfortable standing on it first. That is doable for sure.

Edited December 23, 2019 by Mono

[Mookie]

On 12/14/2019 at 9:32 PM, mrelwood said:

 

So nice to hear this! My story is very similiar. These can indeed be life changing devices! All the new places you can go without much effort at all, no longer have to plan ahead if the shortest way has stairs, etc. In a year or two your riding distance may also reach heights you couldn’t have dreamed of, even with a healthy body on a bicycle! I can now ride for 60km with just one short break in the middle! Riding is also a perfect kind of excercise if you can’t stress your joints or muscles very much, so it may increase the quality of your life overall as well.

Protective gear is of course even a lot more important for us with physical issues, since recovering even from an easy crash could take a devastatingly long time. And most of all, keep you from riding!

My friends landlord split his pelvis doing powerlifting 10 years ago.  He is also getting mild Parkinson's.  He still does power training in the gym, but he does not walk well at all.   We are going to try to teach him how to ride my VB/Glide 3 and see if he can do it.  He would have mobility back and be able to go places and do a lot of things again.

[MDMason]

I tried a old pair of crutches, which allowed me to mount and go slowly forward. This might be the answer.

[Brandin J. Mercer]

On 12/4/2019 at 11:16 PM, MDMason said:

My understanding from other members is that it provides more stability on the gravel road and trails that I will be operating it on. I live in a rural area of Nebraska. 

In Lincoln by chance? I've been on the struggle buss trying to find local riders. I normal stick to bike trails

 

[Brandin J. Mercer]

21 hours ago, MDMason said:

Received it today and already questioning my choice. It's so small I can't get the leverage with my legs that everybody depends on while learning. At this point I can't imagine I'll ever be able to ride it.

If your in lincoln I can help teach you I've trained 2 people already!. on n33rd st  lincoln campus has a tractor test track that is amazing for learning to ride. Hit me  up if you want some help, got a kingsong 14m, and a inmotion v8 as well if you wanna try different wheels in the future

[Mono]

13 hours ago, MDMason said:

I tried a old pair of crutches, which allowed me to mount and go slowly forward. This might be the answer.

AKA as broomstick approach. It may indeed be largely undervalued.

[Satoki Nagata]

On 12/22/2019 at 12:50 PM, MDMason said:

Received it today and already questioning my choice. It's so small I can't get the leverage with my legs that everybody depends on while learning. At this point I can't imagine I'll ever be able to ride it.

Congratulations for your EUC arrived!

I am a two-month-old beginner too and remember well about the feeling and ”I don’t think I can do it” moments.

The exciting thing I discovered is that my conscious brain thinks it is impossible for me to learn because of negative thought about many reasons such as age, little or no experience with a skateboard or other activities those balance involved, and physical disabilities that I can not walk more than two blocks because of joint pain. However, my muscles and motor neurons of my body magically react with these challenges and I am able to ride now. This is actually an amazing experiences.

I just pick up some practices which I can do. I do not push limit too much. If I feel unsafe or scared during certain practices, I just stop and think I am not ready and fine to postpone later. This is a kind of mindset for my learning EUC and works well for me.

I practice two to three sessions per day and each session is between 20 min - 1 hr.  Initial couple of weeks, I practiced at mainly tennis court in my apartment, then I start riding on the streets.

And as everyone suggests safety gears are must be used even if it is slow riding. Using them is good for physical safety as well as mental security.

 

On 12/22/2019 at 8:22 PM, Mookie said:

My friends landlord split his pelvis doing powerlifting 10 years ago.  He is also getting mild Parkinson's.  He still does power training in the gym, but he does not walk well at all.   We are going to try to teach him how to ride my VB/Glide 3 and see if he can do it.  He would have mobility back and be able to go places and do a lot of things again.

@Mookie, from my experience, if we have no problem with standing by our foot and shift center of gravity by upper body, I think there might be a chance to be able to ride EUC. Other people might disagree, but give him (and his body) a chance to try. And he is fortune to have friends @Mookie working together.

(He could try Segway mini Pro as well which is much easier to learn. For Segway mini Pro, however, we need to be more careful on the streets because of instability on road conditions such as bumps. For that matter, actually EUC is much more stable, feel safe and fun! once become able to ride, at least for me. I use both for different occasions)

[Ek.]

On 12/20/2019 at 12:23 PM, ir_fuel said:

Never step off with 1 foot!

You never mean to, but if you start to fall it'll start a chain reaction that drags your foot away regardless! Most of the time you can manage to push the thing away with both feet, but it's just that one time that puts you on the ground...