Trouble with slowing down to stop

[Marcho]

I still have trouble with stopping my MCM5. I can step on OK, set off and get my balance. I've overcome enough mental barriers to speed up to about 15 km/h, stand up straight, take some deep breaths and enjoy the fresh air and the birds and the bees as I go along. 
But then the trouble starts. As soon as I decide it's time to slow down and stop, it starts to veer all over the place. When I lean back or sit back to stop, away it goes, sharply to the left or right, usually ending in a crash and falls and bruises, or having to save the situation by stepping off too soon and doing the splits, and the machine starts pirouetting all over the place between my legs, with the pedals bashing my shins and ankles.  
When riding at low speed, if I really concentrate I can just about keep it straight while coming to a halt and step off in a civilised way. But I can't seem to get over that nasty moment when you have to switch from normal-speed, carefree riding mode and lose speed - and hence stability - before stopping.
Any tips?

Edited May 13, 2020 by Marcho

[RockyTop]

It sounds like you are still in the very early stages of learning. As you said, psychology plays a giant role in learning to ride these things.  You are probably still convinced in the back of your mind that these things require a magical skill of sorcery that you don't possess. Don't worry you got this. It just takes time. 

I would suggest more turning or carving back and forth while riding. This is a quick way to get a better feel for the wheel and develop more control.  Do what you can do comfortably. following a winding trail or having to navigate around polls is a way to trick your mind into just doing it without having to think about it. The worst thing you can do is tell yourself that you are about to slow down and crash in the process because that is what you will do.  

Quick tips: look forward not down. Look in the direction that you want to go. Don't over do it. Just 15 minutes every few hours or each day. At least once every day helps. 

Foot position - The front of your shin should be in the center of the wheel front to back.  ( maybe just slightly further back) 

[.....]

Stop faster. I know it sounds wrong, but it works for me on wobbly days. SInce you probably arent going so fast anyhow, do a sit down style stop. You will slow down so quickly, that not only are you more likely to walk away (dont toss yourself off the back) and grab the wheel, but you are also not in that narrow window of : so damn slow it gets tougher, for long. On days i'm having no slow speed luck, I accelerate quickly and stop quickly. ON the really bad days, I too get off before the ride is entirely over. Above all else, just be patient. Make sure to enjoy what you are good at, and don't hyper focus on what you arent. Altho stopping is kind of unavoidable it seems..

[BarrettJ]

How often are you stopping?  Are you trying to go as long as you can without stopping - or are you actively practicing it?

If you've never set out and just practiced stopping - mount up, go 10 feet (or some easy to measure distance - 3 squares of sidewalk) and stop and dismount trying to have the contact patch of the tire exactly on the line.   Repeat.  Mix up which foot you mount/dismount with.  Vary the speed you go for the short distance.  Do that for like 20 minutes.  

 

20 minutes of stopping without the pressures of a stop sign, possible cross traffic, etc. will probably do wonders.

[Chriull]

10 hours ago, Marcho said:

Any tips?

Maybe you have an unfavorable stance on the pedals? Like way to far forward, so one has increased instability while braking?

Slow decelarations/adjusting speed to just a bit lower lead to the same problem?

Maybe it helps making a video and watch it to analyze your "braking behaviour". Sometimes the body in new situations performs strange movements/"cramps/stiffens"/behaves counterproductive one one does not really notice oneself.

Of course some external things like pedal calibration, bad pedal mounting, etc should be visually checked too. They do not necessarily lead to your problems, but can make learning much harder!

Another point could be from the wheels setting the pedal stiffness. I could not ride/absolutely do not like soft mode. Others only drive in the softest mode.

And maybe most important - practice, practice, practice! 

Here you also find an imho great step by step tutorial from @Hirsute:

Don't be afraid because it's in the "advanced skills&tricks" section - it starts with the absolute basics for EUC riding!

There are also instructions for english (autotranslated) subtitle:

 

[Marcho]

On 5/14/2020 at 3:21 AM, RockyTop said:

It sounds like you are still in the very early stages of learning. As you said, psychology plays a giant role in learning to ride these things.  You are probably still convinced in the back of your mind that these things require a magical skill of sorcery that you don't possess. Don't worry you got this. It just takes time. 

I would suggest more turning or carving back and forth while riding. This is a quick way to get a better feel for the wheel and develop more control.  Do what you can do comfortably. following a winding trail or having to navigate around polls is a way to trick your mind into just doing it without having to think about it. The worst thing you can do is tell yourself that you are about to slow down and crash in the process because that is what you will do.  

Quick tips: look forward not down. Look in the direction that you want to go. Don't over do it. Just 15 minutes every few hours or each day. At least once every day helps. 

Foot position - The front of your shin should be in the center of the wheel front to back.  ( maybe just slightly further back) 

Thanks RockyTop, I must admit it's difficult not to tell myself that I'm about to slow down and crash, when I've done it so often. Must get out of the mental habit. What you say about carving back and forth sounds like exactly what I need to do. I'll concentrate on that. I think my foot position on the pedals is about right.

[Marcho]

On 5/14/2020 at 5:39 AM, BarrettJ said:

How often are you stopping?  Are you trying to go as long as you can without stopping - or are you actively practicing it?

If you've never set out and just practiced stopping - mount up, go 10 feet (or some easy to measure distance - 3 squares of sidewalk) and stop and dismount trying to have the contact patch of the tire exactly on the line.   Repeat.  Mix up which foot you mount/dismount with.  Vary the speed you go for the short distance.  Do that for like 20 minutes.  

 

20 minutes of stopping without the pressures of a stop sign, possible cross traffic, etc. will probably do wonders.

I spent quite some time actively practicing stopping - from slow speeds - and only recently started riding longer distances at a greater speed. It's slowing down from the greater speed that gives me trouble. I need more control over veering left and right.

[Marcho]

On 5/14/2020 at 4:06 AM, ShanesPlanet said:

Stop faster. I know it sounds wrong, but it works for me on wobbly days. SInce you probably arent going so fast anyhow, do a sit down style stop. You will slow down so quickly, that not only are you more likely to walk away (dont toss yourself off the back) and grab the wheel, but you are also not in that narrow window of : so damn slow it gets tougher, for long. On days i'm having no slow speed luck, I accelerate quickly and stop quickly. ON the really bad days, I too get off before the ride is entirely over. Above all else, just be patient. Make sure to enjoy what you are good at, and don't hyper focus on what you arent. Altho stopping is kind of unavoidable it seems..

Thanks! Yes, as you say, learning to stop is obviously important even if it's not what I'm good at! Sit-down stops work OK some of the time, but still give me trouble.

[.....]

Great advice about carving. During higher speeds on uneven pavement, carving prevents and stops wobbles for me. Not big carving, just small shifts in weight. Shift your feet around and try not to worry about exactly where they are. I oddly find myself with very staggered footing and riding with a twist sometimes. I think it helps lock the wheel in for sweeping turns. I dunno, it just happens. Sounds to me like you don't need much advice, only time and moral support! Ride baby ride!

Edited May 16, 2020 by ShanesPlanet

[Marcho]

On 5/14/2020 at 11:09 AM, Chriull said:

Maybe you have an unfavorable stance on the pedals? Like way to far forward, so one has increased instability while braking?

Slow decelarations/adjusting speed to just a bit lower lead to the same problem?

Maybe it helps making a video and watch it to analyze your "braking behaviour". Sometimes the body in new situations performs strange movements/"cramps/stiffens"/behaves counterproductive one one does not really notice oneself.

Of course some external things like pedal calibration, bad pedal mounting, etc should be visually checked too. They do not necessarily lead to your problems, but can make learning much harder!

Another point could be from the wheels setting the pedal stiffness. I could not ride/absolutely do not like soft mode. Others only drive in the softest mode.

And maybe most important - practice, practice, practice! 

Here you also find an imho great step by step tutorial from @Hirsute:

Don't be afraid because it's in the "advanced skills&tricks" section - it starts with the absolute basics for EUC riding!

There are also instructions for english (autotranslated) subtitle:

 

Thanks Chriull, these videos are really useful! 

[PennBruce]

On 5/13/2020 at 4:59 PM, Marcho said:

As soon as I decide it's time to slow down and stop, it starts to veer all over the place. 

Are you experiencing discomfort with your ankles or shins that is keeping you from gripping the body of your MCM5?

Bruce