Mten3 arriving today! Any tips?

[Chad]

So, I’ve heard from some that the mten3 is the hardest EUC to learn and from others that it is easy. 

This is my first EUC. Any tips on learning to ride the mten3 specifically?

[PennBruce]

Welcome,

You can certainly learn to ride with the MTen3 but I believe the learning curve will be steeper and longer.  The primary reason is that everything happens much faster on the MTen3 which is why experienced riders like it so much.

If you can afford it, buy a cheaper 16" like a Ninebot One E+ to learn on (and scratch up) and then tackle the MTen3.  IMHO the MTen3 would have frightened me off EUC's If I had started with it.  

Bruce

 

 

Edited April 5, 2020 by PennBruce

[Roadpower]

This is a personally very funny topic to me because of my experiences to date. My first wheel which I could not successfully learn to ride is a KS18XL, so eight or nine months go by and I get inspired to buy a Mten3 because I wasn't ready to give up. For me the Mten3 has been a much easier introduction, I believe because of its size and weight. However I know that due to the physical condition of my feet the Mten3 is a stress monster because it is so reactive and appears to demand fast responses. So while I am kind of quick my feet are quite simply weak AF and have little in the way of stamina. (again really weird since I don't have a problem walking for hours..in boots..)

This came as a shock to me considering all the walking I do, I realized that it must be because of wearing boots for decades that has allowed my feet to weaken so. I just wasn't aware of it.

So I'm a noob rider and can't really provide any great insight for you. I can only describe my experiences up to this moment. I think learning to ride is just going to be highly subjective. Your base line isn't going to be my base line and vis versa. Oh and one last thought, probably the most important thought here. Just pick something and go with it, if you are as inspired and intrigued by this hobby as many of us likely are, you will not stop with one wheel. You will find a wheel that fits your wants and abilities.

Good luck and have fun.

[Chad]

24 minutes ago, Roadpower said:

This is a personally very funny topic to me because of my experiences to date. My first wheel which I could not successfully learn to ride is a KS18XL, so eight or nine months go by and I get inspired to buy a Mten3 because I wasn't ready to give up. For me the Mten3 has been a much easier introduction, I believe because of its size and weight. However I know that due to the physical condition of my feet the Mten3 is a stress monster because it is so reactive and appears to demand fast responses. So while I am kind of quick my feet are quite simply weak AF and have little in the way of stamina. (again really weird since I don't have a problem walking for hours..in boots..)

This came as a shock to me considering all the walking I do, I realized that it must be because of wearing boots for decades that has allowed my feet to weaken so. I just wasn't aware of it.

So I'm a noob rider and can't really provide any great insight for you. I can only describe my experiences up to this moment. I think learning to ride is just going to be highly subjective. Your base line isn't going to be my base line and vis versa. Oh and one last thought, probably the most important thought here. Just pick something and go with it, if you are as inspired and intrigued by this hobby as many of us likely are, you will not stop with one wheel. You will find a wheel that fits your wants and abilities.

Good luck and have fun!

 

I’m definitely having fun! Thanks for the insight. Spent a couple hours playing on it today. I was able to ride about 25 feet or so a few times without holding on to anything. I think I’ll catch on quick. Two things that seem like they will be really difficult is mounting the wheel without assistance of a wall and riding backwards. 

[Roadpower]

8 minutes ago, Chad said:

 

I’m definitely having fun! Thanks for the insight. Spent a couple hours playing on it today. I was able to ride about 25 feet or so a few times without holding on to anything. I think I’ll catch on quick. Two things that seem like they will be really difficult is mounting the wheel without assistance of a wall and riding backwards. 

In my experiences so far, things start coming pretty quickly after the initial mounting and stability issues. But honestly as difficult as it has been I'm thrilled I can finally ride. I still have a mountain of skills and physical issues to tackle but just being able to ride is the most fun I've had in a long time.

[xorbe]

40 minutes ago, Chad said:

Two things that seem like they will be really difficult is mounting the wheel without assistance of a wall and riding backwards.

The little MTen3 puts a lot of pressure on the one leg when mounting, yeah.  I just kinda got the hang of riding about 12' backwards today on the MTen3.  The trick is to not spend too much time reversing, do it quickly to maintain better balance during the transition.  I've had the best results on the MTen3 so far trying to ride backwards.

[tenofnine]

It depends very heavily on 2 things - Weight and Height.

If you are short and light it will be super easy and intuitive since the small wheel and torque will make balancing and correcting near-instant.

But if you are tall and heavy the Mten3 can feel very weird and cumbersome. Your longer leg won't be able to get easy leverage against the small side profile to allow easy mounting/dismounting (causing spin outs and donuts) and being heavier and taller will just amplify all the normal EUC issues.

For the latter you get used to it and adapt after a while.

[Chad]

1 minute ago, tenofnine said:

It depends very heavily on 2 things - Weight and Height.

If you are short and light it will be super easy and intuitive since the small wheel and torque will make balancing and correcting near-instant.

But if you are tall and heavy the Mten3 can feel very weird and cumbersome. Your longer leg won't be able to get easy leverage against the small side profile to allow easy mounting/dismounting (causing spin outs and donuts) and being heavier and taller will just amplify all the normal EUC issues.

For the latter you get used to it and adapt after a while.

I’m 6’1” 170 lb. 
 

I experienced a spin out today. Had no idea it was a thing. I slipped off and it spun so quickly it went airborne. Kind of scary tbh.

[Roadpower]

10 minutes ago, Chad said:

I slipped off and it spun so quickly it went airborne. Kind of scary tbh.

Seeing how fast the thing can take off I decided to invest in combination shin & knee guards.

[.....]

The mten can bite you in a heartbeat! Much worse than the larger wheel imho. FUnny tho, with the big pedal upgrade, i can stop on the mten and rest on the pedal without removing my feet. THEN you simply lean up to go. It happened by accident once, now i do it out of laziness. TBH, im more scared of my mten than I am the 18L. My advice... run like hell away from the mten when it goes bad. The mten is so low to the ground, it likes to fall over, pop up, spin around and never realize it should have stopped itself. Again, my 18 seems to more readily know when things went fubar.  As suggested, rolling backwards is easier when you spend very little time in the change of direction. Once near a stop (and evenly or abort), sit down in a make believe chair for a moment to get that mten to start rolling backwards w/o hesitation. Resist the urge to stop from fear and dont look down. Youll find its more a mind game as its so damn similar to going forwards... I found that bending the knee A LOT and mounting it like you are getting on the 'front' of it, helped.  I have a pretty bad video that shows me as a total hack, riding my mten thru a field and momentarily backwards. I also demonstrate the 'mten stall' (i like to call it). Nothing as good as Marty's (or most peoples vids), but shameless self promotion seems to be my thing lately. Good luck, be careful and have fun!

Edited March 25, 2020 by ShanesPlanet

[xorbe]

2 hours ago, Chad said:

I experienced a spin out today. Had no idea it was a thing. I slipped off and it spun so quickly it went airborne. Kind of scary tbh.

It's called the Gotway Dance!

[bigwave]

20 hours ago, Chad said:

This is my first EUC. Any tips on learning to ride the mten3 specifically?

Congratulations getting your first EUC. 

I learned on a KS=18XL (300 mi so far). It's a heavy but very stable wheel. Once I learned the technique ,starting(and stopping) is very predictable . Using the same technique , my first efforts with Mten3 were very disappointing . Even standing on the Mten3 beside a wall was awkward . Since you are starting with a small wheel , a couple things that have worked for me are, correct foot position for your dominant leg. By trial and error , pay attention to where you put your foot on. Do the one leg circle drill which will develop control of the wheel with your dominant leg. You will see quickly if your foot is in the right place by how much control you have with the wheel.

A key thought when stepping on to the Mten3 ,was a feeling of, over exaggerating my knee bend (my knee feels that it is very much inside my big toe). With the 18XL, its the same as the Mten3 but less bend, the wheel comes much further up my legs no need to exaggerated the move.

You will accomplish this in no time! The Mten3 is very easy to balance for a couple seconds or more as your skill set improves. Another thing I find ,is having my feet positioned slightly toward the outside of the foot plates, not tight against the wheel while riding. For me its a smoother ride, less twitchy. Experiment !

Good Luck and be safe!

Edited March 25, 2020 by bigwave

[PennBruce]

16 hours ago, Chad said:

.........Two things that seem like they will be really difficult is mounting the wheel without assistance of a wall and riding backwards. 

I made little progress in learning to ride until I watched a video by Kuji Rolls in which he teaches a person to ride in about an hour.  His approach is to not concern yourself with mounting without assistance but concentrate on learning to ride.  You will first learn to dismount and then to be able to ride.  Once your muscle memory knows what to do to ride you will be able to get rid of the wall. 

When you start to learn to mount unassisted, don't get stuck using your dominant leg.  Alternate so you can do it with either.

As bigwave said, practice the circle drill.  The drill helps you to learn to control the wheel when you dismount intentionally or unintentionally.  Also, don't look down when mounting.  Look up where you want to go.

Ankle and shin guards are a good investment.  They'll add real value when you start to learn to turn.  I still use them on long rides.

Bruce

[Roadpower]

With watching a video this morning I realized that I was making probably a very common mistake in my mounting technique and now I'm thinking that mistake handicapped me. Basically the idea goes that you want to get on the thing with forward motion, this probably seems like just common sense or intuitive to a lot of people but I suspect that there are many noobs like me who failed to realize this.

So I think the next question becomes one of if you have enough strength in your feet and legs for this maneuver. This simple question probably sets the entire stage for a given person's learning development or course.

Edited March 25, 2020 by Roadpower

[bigwave]

9 minutes ago, Roadpower said:

Basically the idea goes that you want to get on the thing with forward motion

I find that very true when I'm riding the 18XL. A slight push similar to a skateboard start. On the Mten3 , I find I just step on it without a forward push most of the time. It has instant torque and it actually balances very well at a stand still. Use what ever works for you best!

[.....]

Reduce the mten tire pressure to around 15psi if you are having really hard time starting. I did this by accident on the mten and it was rediculously easy to stand in place. I find that trying to 'push off' with the mten, never works for me. I must do this a little on the 18, because coming from it to the mten, I 'push off' and promptly fell off the wheel. I had to laugh about it as it must have seemed comical watching me address the mten like i knew what i was doing, and then quickly fall off.  I learned to ride WAY before i learned to get on/off. Probably a good thing, as it kept it enjoyable long enough.

[Roadpower]

I got the Mten3 delivered with 20psi, I'm thinking to bring it to 25 just so I can start feeling out differences. Currently it feels like the wheel is compressing a bit under my weight but I can't really tell. Most of my riding has been on low pile carpet so I know that is having an influence. I want to go out more but the weather here is cool and wet and I have a pain in my knee that makes me think that cool and wet weather isn't going to make for pleasurable riding, tomorrow afternoon should be better though.

[.....]

Carpet probably is similar to riding with VERY low pressures. I only suggested 15psi as a temporary thing, as Im pretty sure its compressing a little much for dependable travel use. Fwiw, I keep my mten around 25-30psi (135lb guy). Such a small tire, even checking the pressure, seems to lower it by 2-3psi from the escape of air. I bet youll be a LOT further along than you think, once you get back on flat and smooth concrete.  Your knee, my hip, are we getting old or just wimpy? Have you tried to HOP on it yet? Give a try, you'd be surprised at how NOT an issue it is.  Living in cities, I assume learning to HOP is very important, for all the curbs.

Edited March 25, 2020 by ShanesPlanet

[Roadpower]

Both :p

Yeah not hopping yet, I really want to go out and start going around the block.

Edited March 25, 2020 by Roadpower

[Chad]

Well, today learned to mount without help of a wall and I can ride pretty much as far as I want, now. I’m able to make small turns, too. Practiced for about 3 hours today. So much fun!

Fell twice but landed in the grass both times luckily. It also spun out again and bruised my ankle real bad. My Mten3 is full of scratches and nicks now.  

It was a lot of fun. Is it normal to feel like the world is spinning once you get off? Lol. 

[.....]

Scratches, gouges and nicks are MY custom color scheme on the mten too. Tis a good thing, now i can focus on the rider being scratched. Wait until you cruise near top speed for about 5-10 miles, youll  feel very stoned.

[Roadpower]

lol, yeah I decided with the Mten that I simply wasn't going to bother with protecting it. When I got my 18XL I bought one of those covers from NZ. Anywhoo I just went down stairs and made it almost all the way around the block but the feet just aren't up to it yet. I also tried going over a cable ramp but I couldn't make that yet. I noticed that I kind of have to tilt pretty far forward make it pick up more speed, so I think I may have a calibration issue. And after riding on pavement I definitely think that I need to kick up the tire pressure, it feels rather squirrelly.

It's no longer wet out but the wind is present so that made things a little more interesting. I can already sense that my 18XL will ultimately be a far more comfortable ride but I'm going to cut my teeth on the Mten.

[.....]

The mten makes me feel like a hoodlum, the 18L makes me feel like a king. Who you want to be today?! Ive found the mten to be VERY picky about calibration. It also doesnt have the same ability as the 18, to keep itself just right. Wait until you drag toes as the mten cant decide how to handle a cowfield. Have you tried starting and stopping on the mten w/o removing any feet? If it has BIG pedals, you can comfortably 'stall' it and rest on the pedal on the ground. Then just lean up and go.

Edited March 25, 2020 by ShanesPlanet

[Roadpower]

26 minutes ago, Chad said:

Is it normal to feel like the world is spinning once you get off? Lol. 

It has been a number of years but now that you mention it I think I recall a similar sensation when I first started riding a motorcycle. I haven't experienced that yet on a EUC.

[Chad]

21 hours ago, ShanesPlanet said:

The mten can bite you in a heartbeat! Much worse than the larger wheel imho. FUnny tho, with the big pedal upgrade, i can stop on the mten and rest on the pedal without removing my feet. THEN you simply lean up to go. It happened by accident once, now i do it out of laziness. TBH, im more scared of my mten than I am the 18L. My advice... run like hell away from the mten when it goes bad. The mten is so low to the ground, it likes to fall over, pop up, spin around and never realize it should have stopped itself. Again, my 18 seems to more readily know when things went fubar.  As suggested, rolling backwards is easier when you spend very little time in the change of direction. Once near a stop (and evenly or abort), sit down in a make believe chair for a moment to get that mten to start rolling backwards w/o hesitation. Resist the urge to stop from fear and dont look down. Youll find its more a mind game as its so damn similar to going forwards... I found that bending the knee A LOT and mounting it like you are getting on the 'front' of it, helped.  I have a pretty bad video that shows me as a total hack, riding my mten thru a field and momentarily backwards. I also demonstrate the 'mten stall' (i like to call it). Nothing as good as Marty's (or most peoples vids), but shameless self promotion seems to be my thing lately. Good luck, be careful and have fun!

While Marty’s Mten3 video are great, I’ve seen all of them. Lol. If you don’t mind, link your vid. I’m enjoying getting inspiration from other videos.