Popular Post HuskerDawg Posted February 27, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted February 27, 2020 I am 55 years old and wanting to ride a EUC. I am just wondering how hard it really is? Most videos I watch the dudes make it look simple. From all the reading etc. I believe I'd need a 18" wheel. I am 6ft and weigh 235. No real physical issues other then I am not as flexible as I once was. I'd consider this a hobby thing, is part of the requirement for safely riding that you be in outstanding physical shape? Comments? Suggestions? 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Unventor Posted February 27, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted February 27, 2020 @bigwave started just recently. He has a thread asking what to choose and also one on how his first rides is going. I think there answer your questions. You might skip this at first, but eventually you will have this question too. Aslo have a look at this video. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Marty Backe Posted February 27, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted February 27, 2020 Age is meaningless. I learned when I was 55. I tell people that riding EUCs is a contact sport. You will fall periodically, especially when learning. And after you have learned you will continue to fall, but at a much reduced frequency. But you will fall. So if you're fit enough to survive falling as if you tripped and lost your balance, or someone came up behind you and pushed you to the ground, then you'll be OK. Minimally wear quality knee pads and wrist guards, and that'll go a long ways towards minimizing injuries. Riding EUCs is a life altering experience that is worth all the minimal risks. You will begin to experience life in a new refreshing way and will see much more of the world, if only it's your local world. 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post JustChris Posted February 27, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted February 27, 2020 I also think that appropriate wheel choice has a lot to do with safety. I chose to start with a higher weight capacity wheel (KS-16X), because I weigh 260 lbs, and want a comfortable margin between my weight and the max rating of the wheel. This is important during acceleration, braking, and navigating road and trail hazards. During events such as these, the motor will have to work hard to maintain speed and balance, and you want to have sufficient "reserves" to draw upon. I also set my warning limits lower than the rated max speed, despite preferring high speed, because I don't want to "outrun" the capacity of the wheel. If that happens, you might get a right-back warning, or the wheel might just cut out. In my mind, buy a little more capacity than you think you need, as a safety margin. I think Marty is exactly right. You have to understand that you WILL fall occasionally while learning, and rarely after that. As long as you do your best to use recommended safety gear, and not push your wheel too hard, you should be fine. Marty's also right that getting an EUC will change your life in a positive way. It has improved the way I look at life. It's become my primary hobby and recreation, now. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Lefteris Posted February 27, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted February 27, 2020 +1 for the KS16X, it's a great wheel but there are people that buy a ninebot c/e for like $200 just to get started, and it's what i suggest for new-comers. About the age and weight, it's not something to consider, for example at this video (Greek company that closed) at 0:09 you see a white-haired guy that is ~70years old that rides the wheel.. Everybody can ride an EUC, it's just a matter of wanting to ride one, nobody should push you to ride one. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gasmantle Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 You are not too old to learn at 55, I'm 59 and learnt to ride my first wheel last year. I'm a similar height and weight to yourself and had no problem in learning to ride, I had a few falls for the first few days but only minor scrapes that I'd kinda expected. My first wheel was a Inmotion V5F, it was a cheap entry level model that I bought knowing my first wheel would inevitably get scratched during the learning process but it was fine to learn on. I've since upgraded to a KS16s and I ride most days so it's been well worth the effort of learning. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post travsformation Posted February 27, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted February 27, 2020 6 hours ago, Marty Backe said: Riding EUCs is a life altering experience that is worth all the minimal risks. You will begin to experience life in a new refreshing way and will see much more of the world, if only it's your local world. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Seba Posted February 27, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted February 27, 2020 Stanisław (Stanislav), 74-years old (at the time of photo was taken). He accompanied me several kilometers during first day of my last year trip from North to South of Poland. And he was way faster and agile than I was (I'm "only" 43). I was scared that he wasn't wearing any protection. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Unventor Posted February 27, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted February 27, 2020 (edited) I learned to ride 2 years ago. I the time I were 46...but at hospital they called my body age 80-100 due to rheumatic diagnoces that limkited my use of my body. When I started I couldn't stand on one leg putting on a sock or shoe. I didn't have the balance on both knees and not the strength on my right knee. That was when I decided it could not keep going in the direction my health was taking me. We had snow outside, so I started in basement.... I few weeks later I moved outside.... On the 19 of april I rode first time to work less than 3 weeks after my first indoor training. Then I upgraded like 3 months after my first training. Got a new bigger wheel, and this is first ride....and off-road too. Nothing but epic to me. Last autum I went to Stockholm to join other riders fr a few group rides. I rode 80km in 2 days. I am the guy in blue jacket with yellow helmet.I justr upgraded to a new wheel the week before. So since I started I have now ridden just about 4000km. I hardly use my var anymore. This has been total life altering expireance. All wat work say I am a much happier person now ( as I don't ache all over anymore) It might not be gym training for olympics, but it works just perfect for me. I do think most will be able to do this. Age might be a limitation, but only if you let it. To me it was more a guestion of motivation. None should tell me what I can do or not. I guess that is the underdog dane-gene in me resisting being told what I can do. Ohh almost forgot, yes I had a few bumpb on the road, but I spare you those details for now. If you want to know more I have my accident thread with more details. I do think I have been very luck to have tohose accidents too, because it gave me much more respect of what I am doing and for speed. I chose to share videos used before, as they tell their own story, better than I can write. Edited February 27, 2020 by Unventor My size data. 176cm (5'9") 81 kg (178lbs) with gear 90kg (198lbs) 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post meepmeepmayer Posted February 27, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted February 27, 2020 Like half of this forum is 55 or older. No reason to worry you're too old. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Scubadragonsan Posted February 27, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted February 27, 2020 I learned at 56 on my own and taught my 65 years old wife to ride it also. Now we traverse the world with them on our vacations. Favorite city: Singapore, beautiful city trails with scenic ocean view. Best is still San Francisco! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EkW Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 I started just after turning 59. Started with a V5f but it has a hard time going up the hill to my house. Waiting for new Version of V8 to help. At your weight you do need a big motor and most of those are on 16 or 18” wheels. The first couple of hours learning are hard. I practiced on the grass in a soccer/baseball park. Made the falls soft and help me learn how to ride over uneven ground. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..... Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 (edited) Age is just a number of reference. The real question is, do you feel young enough and is your mind clear enough? Ive met some 20 year old where the answer is no and some 60 yr old that is yes. For a point of reference, I learned am not in good shape. Somewhat of a potato for years. Aside from knees, ankles and thighs and hips being a little sore for a week, its not OVERLY demanding. If you can walk a couple blocks, Id say you can give a try, just pace yourself. Fwiw, its not as easy as they make it look. I would compare it to the difficulty of learning to ride a bicycle the first time. Im about 200 miles in and still not rock solid on mine. Its been about 2-3 months. Edited February 27, 2020 by ShanesPlanet 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Marty Backe Posted February 27, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted February 27, 2020 6 hours ago, Unventor said: I learned to ride 2 years ago. I the time I were 46...but at hospital they called my body age 80-100 due to rheumatic diagnoces that limkited my use of my body. When I started I couldn't stand on one leg putting on a sock or shoe. I didn't have the balance on both knees and not the strength on my right knee. That was when I decided it could not keep going in the direction my health was taking me. We had snow outside, so I started in basement.... I few weeks later I moved outside.... On the 19 of april I rode first time to work less than 3 weeks after my first indoor training. Then I upgraded like 3 months after my first training. Got a new bigger wheel, and this is first ride....and off-road too. Nothing but epic to me. Last autum I went to Stockholm to join other riders fr a few group rides. I rode 80km in 2 days. I am the guy in blue jacket with yellow helmet.I justr upgraded to a new wheel the week before. So since I started I have now ridden just about 4000km. I hardly use my var anymore. This has been total life altering expireance. All wat work say I am a much happier person now ( as I don't ache all over anymore) It might not be gym training for olympics, but it works just perfect for me. I do think most will be able to do this. Age might be a limitation, but only if you let it. To me it was more a guestion of motivation. None should tell me what I can do or not. I guess that is the underdog dane-gene in me resisting being told what I can do. Ohh almost forgot, yes I had a few bumpb on the road, but I spare you those details for now. If you want to know more I have my accident thread with more details. I do think I have been very luck to have tohose accidents too, because it gave me much more respect of what I am doing and for speed. I chose to share videos used before, as they tell their own story, better than I can write. I love your story and videos as you've written it here 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuskerDawg Posted February 27, 2020 Author Share Posted February 27, 2020 Thank You very much!!!! I appreciate all the comments. I will be moving forward with this project First things first I will look around for a good pair of gloves/wrist protectors and elbow/knee pads. Not sure where to buy a starter wheel, I'll look on Amazon first. I really do appreciate all the encouragement. I am certain I can learn this and I know I'll enjoy the heck out of it. I'll keep posting here on progress and if anyone has starter wheel suggestions let me know. Thanks again 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..... Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 (edited) FlexMeters for wrists get my vote. You will open a can of worms if you ask opinions about first wheels. Head over to bigwave's topic about it and youll see many. Just remember, theres only ONE wheel holding you up, so perhaps to err on the side of quality over cost is a healthy consideration. Edited February 27, 2020 by ShanesPlanet 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 32 minutes ago, HuskerDawg said: First things first I will look around for a good pair of gloves/wrist protectors and elbow/knee pads. I highly recommend a casual motorcycle jacket/hoodie ... will make you feel invincible. Don't forget a helmet and some eye protection. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..... Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 I found a mesh jacket from olympia (bicycle) that shocked me at how breezy and useful it is. Very minor protection for the supermoto, but its gna be perfect for summer euc. Good advice on browsing the bicycle line of gear. I use a heavier moto jacket with liner in winter. The newer CE type armor can be VERY comfy, if you go that route. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Unventor Posted February 28, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted February 28, 2020 3 hours ago, Marty Backe said: I love your story and videos as you've written it here Thank you. Yet this is my road to EUC riding, not so much a story but my rebooted life. So right now I like many others are waiting for spring so we can enjoy long rides again. 😁 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockyTop Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 It does take time for most people to learn, yet I have not found anyone that could not learn to ride. Some people like my daughter can learn in 15 minutes and never look back. I wish I had a video of her hopping on for the first time. It was kinda freaky. She started out rough and wobbly and 50 feet ( 5 seconds later ) smooth as can be. My wife was not so lucky. It took her weeks but she loved... almost every minute. In the beginning it is important not to push too hard for too long. It takes time for your lower brain to process the new feedback information. I suggest just 15 minutes at a time with at least an hour in between. With just 15 minutes each day you can become a pro in a few months. Your feet and calves will very likely get sore but that mostly goes away once you learn to ride. Speaking of that I hit a new personal record. My daughter is training for a triathlon. I rode as her support vehicle last weekend. I rode 38 miles at an average speed of 18 mph without putting my feet down. At the 38 mile mark my old MS3 was down to 38% and would not likely make another 12 mile loop at speed, so I had to race 100 yards back to the car, swap out to the KS18XL and catch back up to her. I then completed 25 more miles without putting a foot down. In the end I was sore and frozen. It was 45 degrees Fahrenheit 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Eaglecott Posted February 28, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted February 28, 2020 Hi there @HuskerDawg. If you want it, go for it. I ordered my first EUC yesterday and I'm 52. Wheel see how it goes, but I'm sure I can make it work after some frustration in the beginning. I believe the same for you :-) I'm also a believer in protection for head, knees, wrists and elbows! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post JustChris Posted February 28, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted February 28, 2020 59 minutes ago, Eaglecott said: I ordered my first EUC yesterday and I'm 52. Wheel see how it goes, but I'm sure I can make it work after some frustration in the beginning. Welcome to the club! You're going to love this new lifestyle. For the 1st week after my new wheel arrived, I was afraid I'd made an expensive mistake. I just had to keep at it, though, and now I'm loving it. It's changed my outlook on everyday life. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post rainystateguy Posted February 28, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted February 28, 2020 55 darn well better not be too old. I'm 73, will be 74 this fall, and I am gonna learn to ride this machine. I"ve got a Inmotion V10F, that I am slowly working on taming. lately I took some time off from learning to ride just to work on getting myself in slightly better shape. Here is the history that led me up to this. I have what the doctor calls a "severe" case of COPD, which means that I screwed my lungs up pretty bad by smoking for 50 years. I quit smoking 7 or 8 years ago. I had let the COPD throw me into a downward spiral. My breathing was so bad that often I couldn't reliably walk a block or two and have the strength and breath to return to my starting point. So I basically gave up walking, which of course made my physical condition worse (use it or lose it). I moved to a different living situation about 5 years ago which didn't help. In my old home I had to climb stairs several time a day, the new one is all on one level, so I even lost that bit of exercise. I was getting fatter and weaker. About 4 or 5 months ago I bought myself an ebike, just to have a way to get out of the house and still have the ability to get home again if I ran out of strength. That bike was a life changer. Not only could I get out of the house, but I was getting more exercise than I had in years, while having a lot of fun. Once I found myself out and riding and seeing how much better that made me feel, I set some goals for myself. One of those goals was to use as little pedal assist from the bike motor as I could, so as to start building up my muscles again, and the other was to lose weight. At the time I was about 225 lbs, (103 kg) I changed how I eat and today I weigh 193 lbs (87.5 kg) I've gone from wearing pants with a 38" waist to pants with a 34" waist (I lost 20 pounds after I started riding the bike, and an additional 10 after I started trying to learn the wheel- I return drenched in sweat after every session) My ebike has 9 levels of pedal assist, with "9" requiring the least amount of effort from the rider (think electric motorcycle), and "1" requiring the most effort. I have worked my way down to "2" and am switching to "1" on a fairly regular basis. For the last few weeks I have been working on building up my strength. I had discovered that somewhere over the years I had lost the ability to balance at all on one foot, and that while bike riding had gotten my legs in fairly good shape, the rest of my body needs some work. After buying and practicing on a boso ball I can now balance on either foot for a reasonable length of time, and I can bend, twist and reach in ways that I haven't been able to in years. I have to admit that I wasted far too many of the very limited dry days that we have had in in the Pacific Northwest by riding along fences or walls but not letting go. No more of that. I went out a couple of days ago to a parking lot that I had been avoiding just because it doesn't have anything to hold onto, and began shoving myself unsupported. I did this several times, each time getting a few feet further and further. I did fall once, straight back onto my butt, which was good for me. as I had been afraid of falling, and this showed me that it was nowhere as bad as I had feared. I got up and kept trying until I once again had to stop because of my breathing issues. I get really worn out after 15 or 20 minutes. But on this forum, which I read and reread often, I am encouraged by those who advocate limiting one's learning session to about that long. I am going to start taking my gopro and videoing each of my practices so I can see what I am doing. For example I would really like to know why I fell off the machine backwards - this is actually the second time I have done that. The first time was the day I received the wheel, and tried mounting it while standing in my hallway. That time I landed right on my tailbone and it was sore for about 3 weeks. Maybe the video will show me what has caused me to fall backwards. (Murphy's Law - my butt is the only place where I am NOT wearing protection) So while I am a slow learner, I am learning. I am so looking forward to "getting it". I know that is coming sooner rather than later. My thanks go out to all those who have learned to ride before me and then took the time to share their experiences here and on YouTube. Anyway, back to the original question:, 55? You are still a kid. Go for it! 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eaglecott Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 1 hour ago, JustChris said: Welcome to the club! You're going to love this new lifestyle. Thank you. The wheel (Tesla V2, 2k, 1480) should arrive in a month or two from China, but it's too cold to ride now anyways :-) Found a helmet that I liked from England that will get here in a week, and knees, elbows, wrists I have from inline skates since before. 1 hour ago, rainystateguy said: ...but I was getting more exercise than I had in years, while having a lot of fun. I share that philosophy. I think the joy in itself is healing for the body! (might be needed after scratches after an unplanned grounding...) And regarding your whole story: Sir, you are an inspiration to anyone, me included obviously. When in darkness, light a candle! :-) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post pico Posted February 28, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted February 28, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, rainystateguy said: 55? You are still a kid. Love that one!😂 I wish(sometimes only) I was still 55. Edited February 28, 2020 by pico 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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