How it started, and where it is taking me ...

[Scottie]

A Like-Minded Journalist {note that I am not a journalist}

In case you cannot read the pasted article https://www.greenfieldreporter.com/2022/02/02/stephanie-haines-immerse-yourself-in-experiences-daily/

When I read this human interest article yesterday, I instantly thought about the wheel! So much of what Stephanie writes about also directly equates to the experience we get on the wheel. Judging by her writing, I think she would enjoy a wheel herself. Am I thinking, "recruitment of a new rider"? hmmm. 

The article highlights are: immersive experience ... did not get dizzy (true most of the time ) ... musical soundtrack matching the experience ... wondering why people do what they do, especially faces constantly buried in phone screens ... up close and personal with nature ... and so on. All these things run through my mind when on the wheel.

My main thing about riding the wheel is that it gets me 'out and about'. The whole point of being out is to be immersed in the world, nature, and the people. The people are not always enjoyed, but they are experienced!

I am a big fan of Jay Leno's Garage. One comment he made in a video was something like this, "Lots of people do not look up from their phones often enough to notice if anything odd is happening"!   

[Scottie]

Snow Allows Fresh Perspective

We had our share of snow recently. We are mostly dug out now with the major roads clean and dry now. The side streets and quieter neighborhoods like mine are passable for cars, but there is still so much snow in the roads along the sides, and the sidewalks are blocked by the snow having to go somewhere.

So it was 40F, which is very comfortable after the deep freeze. I had to get some wheel time for a perspective reset. Being inside is cozy and all. But eventually you have seen the walls. So I ventured out just to ride up and down my street for the fresh air and to exercise those stabilizing muscles. I could not get around town like usual since the snow is piled high everywhere which would force me into busy streets ... not a fan.

I just road up and down the quiet street in front of my house. I road down to the intersection of another fairly quiet street where it was clear and started doing figure 8's, figure S's, figure O's, and figure ---'s. Doing all these figures in the morning sun down the street from my house was just as entertaining as riding across town. Even though I was in a familiar area, I was seeing it in a new light, figuratively and literally. There is an effect that plays on me at times. Sometimes I will go down a familiar highway at a different time of day than usual, and just the sun lighting the world from a different angle than what I am used to will make me feel like I am in a new place. I had that happening during my figure session. And since I was constantly changing direction I was constantly seeing that area from a different angle and changing perspective and it started to look new again.

I have to get ready to go to work now. Hopefully the perspective reset will last through the day.

[Tawpie]

9 minutes ago, Scottie said:

Doing all these figures

Last time I was out doing figures I thought... they used to have to do figures in competitive figure skating but that requirement was dropped a while ago. Maybe in the EUC games there should be a figures competition! They could even use the same ones they used to do in skating, including the 180° turns at the center of a figure 8. Of course, that'd eliminate me immediately, but there are some that could do it.

12 minutes ago, Scottie said:

make me feel like I am in a new place

Funny, I get the same feeling. There's a section on my night route where I come around a corner and am presented with a panoramic view of our city's skyline... it's breathtaking nearly every single night. Like—wow, humans are quite something, and I get to actually see this. In the car you get the same view, but for some reason being inside the cabin makes it all feel less "real".

[Scottie]

Chasing Abrams

Yesterday I went on a group ride with the Indy crew. I was lucky enough to have an Abrams sighting. This was my view as I spent about 20 miles chasing this guy. He sits on the body most of the time without a cushion seat. The shape of the body looks pretty round, smooth and comfortable.

@c5flybyu posted the ride video. It is a couple of minutes long if you can spare the time. There was an S18, 100V MSX, RS Tq, Abrams, Nik AR+, an ebike of some kind (with hub motor), a few OneWheels, and a few boosted boards.

The Abrams rider started riding 3 years ago on a S1. Then he moved to an MSP >> EXN >> and now the new Abrams (about 2 weeks old). He was a cool cat to talk too.

Two of my long time riding buddies (measured in EUC years ) were there, and I met a few more riders for the 1st time. I like the way the ones I had not met, just came up and started making friends instantly. I let a young OneWheel rider try the Nik, since he said he was looking to get one. He said he had some training. He managed to get on and roll around without much problem at all. In about 20 or 30 minutes he would have been rolling large. He reminded me of Clint.

We got the important things done 1st. We rode to an old Coca-Cola plant that had been abandoned for years and recently converted to a nice food court. While calories were going into bodies ... electrons were going into wheels. There were lots of available electrical outlets so there were wheels of all kinds being charged.

 

A Great Standard Day

You aviation and weather types will recognize that temperature as Standard Day ... 15C | 59F. I cannot tell you if the barometer was 29.92 or not, but it felt like it! Behind the automated sign is some remnants of snow. My route around town is now clear of all those pesky snow piles and the town is now open for the EUC rider to make his rounds.

Since it was a special occasion, it was time to let the V11 out. Getting up on that skyscraper always feels funny if it has been a while. And since I only ride it when I have been good, or on a special occasion - like rare nice winter weather ... it has been a while. It helps preserve the bearings too. Maybe they will last a while or maybe not. They sound great for now. Anyway, it takes a couple miles to feel like I belong on the skyscraper. After that the reflexes re-tune and it feels like I belong up there again. I do enjoy the way the soft tail lets me forget about nuisance bumps that bother me on the hard tail. 

 

[Hellkitten]

@Scottie that sounds like a great time! I’ve yet to meet any locals. Mind you I have made that much of an effort besides posting here. Lol. It’s cool that riders on different devices get to try out something new. Did the one wheel rider say why they were looking to switch? Did seeing the Abrams in action make you want one?

[Scottie]

3 hours ago, Hellkitten said:

Lol. It’s cool that riders on different devices get to try out something new.

Yes, that is the nice part of a group ride. The RS-Tq rider got to try the Abrams also. That is a rare opportunity for sure! I usually roll around in my smallish town east of Indianapolis by myself most of the time. But it is nice to run with the pack once in a while.

3 hours ago, Hellkitten said:

Did the one wheel rider say why they were looking to switch?

He was talking a bit about the range of the OneWheel XR not being as much as he wanted. The new GT is not that available yet. I basically got the feeling that he was impressed with EUC range and wants a piece of that. He is focused on getting the 100V 1800wh Nikola, which is why he wanted to try mine.

He was there with his father and they both ride there own OneWheel. So I see a future possibility that his father will be rolling on an EUC. It was neat to talk with the father also. I like to see older folks that still have game. It might not be "A" game ... but it is game!  Everybody is so enthusiastic about rolling on whatever they are on.

3 hours ago, Hellkitten said:

Did seeing the Abrams in action make you want one?

My biggest problem is that I never met a wheel that I didn't like!! So, yes I wanted one. I do not always succeed, but I do try to mix some logic into my decision. I was thinking to myself that it would be nice to have one. But I am a slowpoke by nature so the Monster fits the bill for me for that size wheel. The Abrams and old Monster have the same size tire and step over | bridge over bumps the same, and have the same gyro effect. If I had become a speedster (which would require that I be 20+ years younger) I would probably have to get one.

Edited February 22, 2022 by Scottie

[Hellkitten]

@Scottie pfft! Logic. You thought it was a good idea to ride a single wheeled electrical device as an activity. You forfeited that ages ago my friend. 

[Scottie]

Agreed. That was one of the times logic did not succeed. I am glad that it didn't! 

[Tawpie]

42 minutes ago, Hellkitten said:

You forfeited that ages ago

ages, and 8 wheels ago methinks.

[OldFartRides]

That’s twice today I got the message from the Goog (Borg) that I can’t look at your photos unless the Goog (Borg) has access to my photos. 
Sinister, or just paranoia on my part ?

[Scottie]

10 hours ago, OldFartRides said:

That’s twice today I got the message from the Goog (Borg) that I can’t look at your photos unless the Goog (Borg) has access to my photos. 
Sinister, or just paranoia on my part ?

That doesn't belong there yet ... editorial mistake! It will show up again soon in a more positive light! 

Edited March 7, 2022 by Scottie
grammer

[Scottie]

STANDARD DISCLAIMER: This post is not suitable for younger viewers due to extremely boring content. You may try to read this if you cannot sleep and it is guaranteed to put you right out. My fellow Geritol crew members may grab their tonic and a wheel so we can take a little ride. As always, right-click any stray links and 'open in new tab' to preserve the boring flow. 

My OLD Buddy

I may have mentioned that I befriended a 92 year old gentlemen last Summer. When I was 1st able to get around on the wheel in the Summer of 2020, I would occasionally ride by his house and sometimes he would be sitting on his front porch and give me a wave as I rolled by. I thought, "What a fine old guy" and kept rolling. Then last Summer I noticed he would be out checking out the town on his mobility wheels. I would see him stopped just about anywhere soaking up conversation with other old cats, or he would just be watching the world go by. Then one day ... I stopped to check out his action and say a few words. Of course, at first, he was interested in the contraption I was riding and the first few visits where related to his astonishment about the wheel. After a few more of these meetings he got used to seeing the young, old dude on a wheel and conversation transferred to more common old codger | coot | geezer subjects, like loose manhole covers, poorly timed traffic lights, dead trees that need cut down, how far he can ride his scooter, and so on. When a cool car drove by, it reminded him of his son's car collection ... etc. I learned that I liked listening to whatever he had to say, good or bad, or whatever. He has earned the right to say whatever comes to mind.

Now that the winter weather is loosening it's grip, I have been watching for him as I make my patrol around town. There is no telling where he would turn up since I usually saw him anywhere! After a while, I was getting a bit concerned ... he is 92. But yesterday I saw he is still with us, as I spotted him at his house in his daughter's car. He waved and I rolled his way and got caught up with him. He is anxious to get out there rolling again. I totally understood that and I am looking forward to our regularly scheduled anytime anywhere meetings!

New Perspectives

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Most of us are fully aware of how the wheel enables us to easily explore the nooks and cranny's of our hometowns due to the ease of darting here and there, and stopping to look at things. This lets us see our places in a new light as we endlessly make little new discoveries of things we never noticed as we sped by in our cars or less able bicycles.

I was doing my favorite thing, other than wheeling around, which was taking a break. I sat on that swinging bench in the background. It is part of a new little trail-side park. Then I looked over this way and thought that mailbox looked a little odd. "Is that a chainsaw sticking out of it?", I wondered. So I rolled over to the mailbox to confirm my suspicion. It was another new little discovery enabled by the wheel's ability to give us a look at things from a different angle. I am continually amazed at people's creativity. It makes our daily world seem fresher, longer. I must have rolled past this mailbox about 273 times and never noticed it. Sometimes we need to stop to get a good survey of an area. When we are rolling, there is more concern about the intended path and traffic so that we are less able to notice the odd thing ... things as odd as ourselves. It is a little bit like what Jay Leno said, "People rarely look up from their phones anymore to notice if anything odd is happening" ... or something like that.

Human Interest News

 

When that new little park was being built, the downtown area was being repaved also. Back in the day ... horse and buggy days ... paving bricks were used. For some reason they did more than the usual road planing and resurfacing. They went deep and removed a couple hundred meters worth of bricks near the courthouse. The bricks were saved because of their rarity. There is a nice read about it here, if you are inclined. It will help you sleep!

The wheel is parked where the old bricks are being cleaned and sorted for use in future projects.

 

 

Here is a pile of rocks that the town uses for decoration here and there. For right now I like to find a comfortable spot and sit on them when I am doing my favorite thing other than wheeling around. You guessed it ... taking a break and aimlessly staring at stuff.

Sometimes when I am feeling more bold than old, I like to walk around on top of them like a 16 | 61 year old kid using my new re-found balance re-given to me by the wheel. When I do this, I keep telling myself that I am more 61 than 16. Sometimes I listen!

The wheel is hiding behind a rock at the left.

 

 

Learn to Ride While Sleeping

Just don't sleep while you are riding or you will miss all the fun. Along with all the hometown nook and cranny discovery mentioned on the Forum here, it is also common knowledge around here that sleeping will help you lock in what you learned during your practice sessions. Even after we are up and rolling well enough, we are still learning and getting better. Like the sign says, "It never gets easier, you just get better".

A Sleep Researcher backs up this sleep learning condition. It is actually more of a processing of what you learned while awake. I call it sleep learning as a fun twist to the truth. We are all familiar with twisted truth, I think!

So when I 1st saw this video yesterday, why did I instantly think about learning to ride an EUC? Maybe I am ate up with it. Anyway, the fun starts at 7:10 where he talks about learning to ride ... or anything ... but I always think riding!

 

Speaking of learning, I would like to describe the learning phases that I went through, if I can spit it out properly. It is actually more of a varying gradient or curve with major plateaus. Maybe this will resonate with some of you. I will keep it short.

1st phase: "Damn, I think I wasted my money again. I will never learn to ride this thing", I said to myself for two or three weeks (middle of winter too did not help). I would roll 1 meter ... crash. Roll 2 meters all wobbly ... crash. Try to mount ... smash ankles / bleed / get stubborn and get back on (several times). YouTube makes it look so easy ... on and on. Two weeks later after almost daily practice at crashing I got a magic roll going. The wheel went where it wanted to, but at least I was going with it! Okay, now what?

2nd phase: Okay, sometimes I can stay on this crazy thing now. How do I go where I want to? More YouTube videos to drive the knowledge into my brain and someday maybe the feet. I am old and out of shape with legs too mushy for this. Stubbornness kicks in again to save me. I figure out how to turn right a little and can now ride laps around my circle in front of the house for a while before the inevitable crash. At least I am getting wheel time now. I don't have a clue how to turn left yet. My thinking now is to keep getting more wheel time until it gets better, and try to hop off the wheel and catch it to save it from crashing every time. By now I have physically fell down about 4 times and still managed to get back up and look around to see if somebody saw me fall ... hopefully not!

3rd phase:  Turning left a little now. Right turn is still better. Can ride every time now with the help of something to hang onto while I situate my feet absolutely perfectly. Can stop and hop off but not pretty. I am the chick flapping its wings at the edge of the nest with big dreams. I look down the road and think, "not yet ... but soon".

4th phase: It is a month now. I can turn left now almost as good as right. Can ride straight too. Cannot mount yet, but dismount is okay. I must plan to stop near something I can hang onto to get going again. I head down the street like the chick that took the 1st leap of faith. I head for mailboxes when I need to stop so I can use them to get me mounted again.

5th phase: I finally manage to mount and ride around week 5. It is nowhere near pretty and barely effective. But at least I can launch and then worry about whatever happens later. I take my 1st intrepid ride away from my neighborhood, still looking to stop near something to grab whenever I can, but I can mount if I have too.

6th phase: This is a big long phase of about a year. At the end of the year I am riding reliably. Mounting is working but nowhere near YouTube quality. Still making some balance errors and miscalculations in a turn on occasion. Legs are getting much stronger with greater endurance. The feet get tired 1st and I thoroughly enjoy a break every 15 or 20 minutes. I am hitting the grass fields fairly often to get used to the unpredictability of the surface hiding under the grass.

7th phase: At two years of riding and several thousand miles, reflexes still learning and refining. As long as I can see the obstacle I am good. I can pour myself smoothly through a turn and feel good doing it ... I don't know how I look ... maybe like a clown ... but it feels good. Grass riding is instinctive even though the surface is hidden ... I try to think like a ninja and just react and not analyze. The feet are coming along, and I enjoy a break more for the break itself rather than as an absolute requirement. I used it to extend MY range! Mounting is finally no big deal and I stop without the concern of getting going again ... all casual now.

8th phase: I will never be a great rider, and will never catch any air under the wheel. Ok with that!

[rcgldr]

3 hours ago, Scottie said:

1st phase: ... 8th phase: 

Old guy here, 70 years old. I started August 2021, when I was only 69 1/2 years old. Things went a bit quicker for me:

Pre phase - before I ordered my V8F, and while waiting for my V8F to arrive, I watched a lot of how to ride EUC videos and other videos. The other videos included using yaw steering via arm flailing (flail left to steer right, flail right to steer left) for slow speed riding, which was missing from the how to ride EUC videos, and turned out to be very helpful for me. Also planned to follow Kuji Roll and Wrong Way's advice to learn how to ride using support to mount and launch before learning how to free mount.

1st phase - yaw steering -  15 minute session using rail to rock back and forth, some short 10 foot runs, advice from another rider, steer left and right rather than trying to go straight. Later that day at a tennis court, after 3 or 4 minutes using fence to mount and travel a bit, ventured away from fence using yaw steering via arm flailing to steer into direction of fall | lean for balance and to guide my V8F. Able to do laps around a tennis court around 3 to 5 mph on my first attempt, as this was somewhat instinctive to me and some other beginner riders.

2nd phase - V8F becomes stable at sufficient speed - tilt steering - on 2nd day with a bit under 1 hour total time on m V8F, I moved to a long straight with two trash bin enclosures I could use for supported mount and launch about 500 feet apart. Discovered my V8F became stable at around 6 to 8 mph, where I no longer had to focus on balance. This wasn't some "it just clicked moment", but instead similar to a bicycle, an EUC becomes stable at sufficient speed. Leaning forwards | backwards to accelerate | brake was also instinctive. Experiment with tilt steering (move inner foot down, outer foot up) to get an idea of how V8F would respond. Next mild weave pattern and a few passes later, large radius turns. 

3rd phase - free mount - tilt steering improves - Learned to free mount, my only time on grass. Since I could basically ride, rather than one foot glide drills, I mounted like a skateboard, one or two steps and hop on. Didn't lean enough forwards on first two tries to compensate for grass, got it on third try.  Free mounting allowed me to ride at other nearby places, such as a long and wide pathway and a bike trail. Did tilt steering drills to coordinate body lean and and tilt steering, depending on speed and turning radius: lean body, tilt enough to hold the lean, or tilt more to return to vertical (counter-steering). Over time, using feet to steer feels natural. Able to move arms and|or look around without upsetting balance. While on the bike trial, discovered my V8F has a sort of cruise control that attempts to maintain speed on inclines and declines by auto-tilting forwards | backwards.

 

Edited March 7, 2022 by rcgldr

[Scottie]

On 12/12/2021 at 10:47 PM, Tawpie said:

Oceans 14? You could do a group ride that splits up with the loot. Some escape through the city catacombs, others through the hills, decoys on the streets (bystander safety always first and foremost). Quick application of a power drill to the escape vehicles and poof... evidence is ash.

It would be a fun scene!

(did that video come out before parkour? Actor/stunt person was pretty adept)

Sometimes I like to go back and haunt the early Forum posts just see about the early wheels and what people were saying about them. Even back in the day, people thought to put Secret Agents on them!

Go check this very similar imagination. Just goes to show ya' ... or something.

Edited March 20, 2022 by Scottie

[Planemo]

1 hour ago, Scottie said:

Go check this very similar imagination. Just goes to show ya' ... or something.

 I clicked the link just to see what things were being talked about back in the day....most interesting was the members list of wheels ranging from a whopping 850Wh down to 132Wh 

I tell you what, people speak of having balls doing 50mph on a wheel these days, I would poo my pants doing anything at all on a 132Wh wheel!!!!

[Scottie]

A New Town

 

Last week the weather was perfect for me and the wheel. I explored a new trail in a new town (to me). The trail follows a small river that passes through. It is a picturesque place to ride with lots of nice river overlooks and other finery.

 

 

 

 

Near the beginning of the ride was this is a nice rest stop ... and I do like to stop and rest  ... where a weary old fart can stop and chill while soaking up some great atmosphere. I took the wheel down and stood on end of the dam there and pondered life while watching and listening to the water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most of the river view along the trail was about this quality since the trail hugs the river very closely, rarely veering far from it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Further along were several nice river overlooks that were designed to make people wonder about their existence. I wondered.

 

 

 

 

 

And a little further along the trail was a nice surprise on the opposite side of the trail from the river. It was some kind of fancy place for fancy people to do fancy things. I think it has something to do with the college or some other fancy establishment. I was not fancy enough to do much more than stare  and wonder about life.    

 

 

 

 

And just a little bit further on, I was treated to another display that was too fancy for a "bum on a wheel", if I may borrow a description from @Mike Sacristan . And so I ogled another sight to see and considered my lack of worthiness. But I was happy with what I came up with, since I was on the wheel.

 

 

 

The rest of the ride was through natural areas and a playground or two. I crossed an old railroad bridge that was converted to bicycle and pedestrian use ... but also available for someone on a wheel when necessary. It was necessary.

And so I was out and about in a fancy new place, soaking up some atmosphere, pondering life ... mine and all the others ... fancy or not. And the sun was out. 

[Mike Sacristan]

Bum life is great!
All we need is a wheel and somewhere to sit and think about our sins.
In time... all our sins will be washed away and then we can create new ones.

Sometimes it's fun to be as unfancy as possible. After a whole life of trying to be fancy.

Yesterday I woke up late. Checked YouTube, Instagram, FaceBook and WhatsApp.
Then I checked for any new tickets and orders for Lazyrolling.
I wrote to Sergei and told him I was up and ready to roll soon.
Got the EXN with the TPads One foot locks. Tried the Grey Hoodie with the Level 2 Armor but it felt too tight on my sleeves because I was wearing a thin sweater underneath. Wore the Black Hoodie with the Level 1 Armor instead. Chill cruised over to iWheel, chatted with Sergei a bit, had a coffee. Then off we went. He was on the EXN Sport and I was on my EXN. We rode through the city and headed up north. He was zipping along with me behind him. He took a turn at what I find a bit of an unusual speed... I was going too fast and overshot the turn. He did a sharp turn and went sliding out on gravel. There was no gravel on the path except for the exact area where he did a sharp turn. He went McSliding, head did not touch the ground, a bit of blood on his hand from scraping through the glove. I picked up his EXN and we put the front and rear light back in as they had popped out. After this he slowed down a bit. His gear saved him. His head did not touch the ground. He does wear a full face though.

We kept on rolling and exploring a bit and then headed back to the city the long way. Ended up in Tanto and had to weave through hundreds of pedestrians. A sunny Sunday. Nothing will stop them from enjoying the sun... it was like traffic in Cairo but with pedestrians. So we weaved and weaved and it was great to practice some slow speed riding. Tunes at low volume playing but people just walk and don't turn back to see if anything is coming. Even if bicycles are allowed there.. people just go there to walk.

A few hours later I met up with François. Erik joined us and we played on some technical bits. He told us how often he hits the amp beeps on his MSP HT. I let him try my EXN and he went full metal donkey on it... doing things I didn't know it could do. I am too aware of the limitations and have way too much respect for them. He is the opposite. So he treated it like an HT wheel although it is an HS. He skipped a magnet a couple of times but the wheel quickly recovered. We did some more technical parts and I had to bail gently off of the EXN during a climb. Erik did it easily on his MSP HT. Then he did it a few times on my EXN. I stopped trying and admitted defeat. François measured the rocky incline to be 36 degrees. Erik did it again on the EXN and this time flicked the pedals while climbing... it grunted and skipped a magnet and recovered.

At home a few hours later after eating a fancy McDonalds dinner with François. I weighed myself and saw I was past 70kg now. 8 kg more than last year. I guess I have become big boned. Can't climb a hill either. Must have been my shoes. Checked social media and Lazyrolling stuff again. Wondered who I was anymore... 

As a particularly untalented person everything takes me more time to learn and upkeep is time consuming. So practice, practice, practice. And if you want to be good at everything you have to practice everything. Lucky me... I enjoy it and have all the time in the world. 

 

Thanks for sharing your adventures in this lovely thread! Just wanted to check in after a little over three years of riding and let you know how things go for us other guys who have been riding for a long time.

 

Edit: Just saw that Sergei posted a clip from yesterday. McFallen at 8:34.

 

 

Edited March 21, 2022 by Mike Sacristan

[Scottie]

@Mike Sacristan I am retiring by the end of May if all goes well. Then I am going to try to perfect the art of being a bum, at least for a few months anyway. After that I may look for something useful and mentally rewarding to do part time, that will still leave plenty of bum time! My wife wants to bum around with me now, so I got her a nice little electric scooter to ride around on since she is a bit older and more sane than I am. It just arrived today and I put it together and tested it out a bit. Then we took a ride to a local fast food (Dairy Queen), with her getting the maiden voyage on the Stigo. She loves that little scooter! I was on the trusty 16X.

My wife was with me again yesterday to prove that she does want to learn how to be a bum. We took a ride around the trails of yet another new town close by. Again, there was a small river for me to stare into and see if I could figure anything out.

She went old-school on her bicycle ... not knowing that her Stigo was on the way yet! I took the Fat Nik. She made it 8 miles (~13 km) before she started to get tired. The Stigo should be able to take her 25 miles (40 km) for better bumming around. She deserves some good bum time. She has worked hard all her life. 

 

 

 

On that ride I saw this sign and somehow instantly thought of someone on the other side of the planet! If anybody has been addicted to EUCs for more than a month, they probably know who I thought of. 

 

 

 

Gravel perfectly in the wrong spot ... that sounds like my luck. The odds are astronomically against that happening and it happens anyway. Why does the universe hate us? Is it because we do not contemplate our sins hard enough?

But in another opposite way, it makes sense. Maybe the universe loves us. The odds were astronomically against us even being here as a species, or as an individual. And yet here we are. Whatever the universe does seems to beat the odds as much as go with the odds. I will never figure it out, but it is a fun thought experiment. This is the crap I think about when I stare into the water!

My wife still stops what she is doing to watch when I am playing your channel on the television. She still loves your humor, and of course the wonderful scenery going by pleases her.

Edited March 24, 2022 by Scottie

[Tawpie]

41 minutes ago, Scottie said:

I am retiring by the end of May if all goes well

very, very envious. I do hope all goes well!

[OldFartRides]

Used the s18 to run shuttle twice today. Once to get the Samurai from the mechanics’ back to the farm (1 1/2 mi.) Once to get out from town to the farm to get my truck (~6 mi.) after taking a tractor to town.  Very handy.

[Barefooter]

Hello fellow older riders from a recently retired* Arkansan.  I got the EUC bug when watching a JimmyChang video about the OneWheel and he mentioned a thing called an electric unicycle....  BOOM!..  i need one of those.  I don't get to ski anymore due to family health issues but I figured with an EUC  i could get the joy of carving without being away from home.  So, talked to the finance committee, presented my case, promised i would always wear protective gear, and ordered a V8S from ewheels.

I identify with the various posts about phases of learning.  I watched a bunch of learning videos and adapted them to a rural, not many flat places plan.  Where there was flat ground there wasn't anything to hang on to so I used my ski poles.  After about 2 hours (over a few 20-40 minute sessions) with the poles I put them up and worked out free mounting and put the poles up for good.  After about 12 hours of ride time I feel somewhat confident on pavement and have done some off road things around the place.  I REALLY hate moles now...

In the 'experience is what you get right after you needed it' frame...   I tried to carry my trash can up from the road at the end of my last ride.  I carried it with both hands in front of me.  About the time i patted myself on the back for now being able to do this i noticed i was accelerating in a way i couldn't control it very well because ya' know... i was carrying something in front of me...  off the side of the drive way...  pedal digs in and down i go...  first riding wreck, not going very fast, fell in dirt/grass so all in all not too bad.  Did pull several muscles in my chest somehow.

 

*I was laid off in 2019 shortly before my wife's health got a lot worse to the point she needed support throughout the day.. so...  Retired it is...

[OldFartRides]

Welcome to the forum ! This is the friendliest forum I’ve ever joined. Yeah, falling sucks. Choose your “useful” euc tasks wisely.

[.....]

9 hours ago, Barefooter said:

Hello fellow older riders from a recently retired* Arkansan.  I got the EUC bug when watching a JimmyChang video about the OneWheel and he mentioned a thing called an electric unicycle....  BOOM!..  i need one of those.  I don't get to ski anymore due to family health issues but I figured with an EUC  i could get the joy of carving without being away from home.  So, talked to the finance committee, presented my case, promised i would always wear protective gear, and ordered a V8S from ewheels.

I identify with the various posts about phases of learning.  I watched a bunch of learning videos and adapted them to a rural, not many flat places plan.  Where there was flat ground there wasn't anything to hang on to so I used my ski poles.  After about 2 hours (over a few 20-40 minute sessions) with the poles I put them up and worked out free mounting and put the poles up for good.  After about 12 hours of ride time I feel somewhat confident on pavement and have done some off road things around the place.  I REALLY hate moles now...

In the 'experience is what you get right after you needed it' frame...   I tried to carry my trash can up from the road at the end of my last ride.  I carried it with both hands in front of me.  About the time i patted myself on the back for now being able to do this i noticed i was accelerating in a way i couldn't control it very well because ya' know... i was carrying something in front of me...  off the side of the drive way...  pedal digs in and down i go...  first riding wreck, not going very fast, fell in dirt/grass so all in all not too bad.  Did pull several muscles in my chest somehow.

 

*I was laid off in 2019 shortly before my wife's health got a lot worse to the point she needed support throughout the day.. so...  Retired it is...

Don't feel too badly. I learned about how bad an idea it is to toss a trash can from an euc. Shoulda been obvious, but doh...

Shake it off, heal up a bit and hopefully we'll be hearing more from you as the summer wears on. Arkansas is nice for sure! No shortage of trees or water out there! Welcome to tne nuthouse..

Edited March 28, 2022 by ShanesPlanet

[Scottie]

9 hours ago, Barefooter said:

In the 'experience is what you get right after you needed it' frame... 

Sounds about right!

9 hours ago, Barefooter said:

so I used my ski poles.  After about 2 hours (over a few 20-40 minute sessions) with the poles I put them up and worked out free mounting and put the poles up for good.

I wish I had done it that way.

Welcome to the Forum.

Edited March 28, 2022 by Scottie

[Scottie]

On 2/9/2022 at 12:18 PM, Tawpie said:

Funny, I get the same feeling. There's a section on my night route where I come around a corner and am presented with a panoramic view of our city's skyline... it's breathtaking nearly every single night. Like—wow, humans are quite something, and I get to actually see this. In the car you get the same view, but for some reason being inside the cabin makes it all feel less "real".

@OldFartRides I had to get this out while it is fresh in my mind.

At 17:10, Lex describes approaching the view of a city almost exactly the same as Tawpie did here. The video is set to start playing just before ... just click it.

But, you heard it here first, from Tawpie!   When I heard Lex say that in the video, I said to myself, "Wait, that sounds very familiar. Where did I hear that before?" 

 

Edited March 28, 2022 by Scottie