FLRocketMan Posted August 7, 2020 Share Posted August 7, 2020 I am another old guy(56) in Florida learning to ride. My first wheel is a Tesla. I was able to free mount and ride after about 3 hours, but since then progress is very slow. I have just over 50km on the wheel now after about 30 minutes a day of riding for just over a week. I seem to ride much better (more aggressively) on a nicely manicured soccer field than on the road. Fear of gravity maybe...suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidvanhorn Posted August 8, 2020 Share Posted August 8, 2020 61 years young here. Just getting started myself; and wanted to say hello. I'll keep us posted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UniMe Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 (edited) Welcome, I'm a relatively old guy -- turning 50 in a few weeks. I've been riding for a few weeks now, approaching 100k on the wheel. I'm not sure aggressive riding is good riding... perhaps you mean more willing to attempt corners and practice technique? One of the things I worked on early is getting my endurance on the wheel built up so I can ride for an hour or more during each session. This was a combination of learning how to relax, becoming more efficient in managing the wheel and likely a small improvement in endurance for the muscles involved. There seems to be zero cardio involvement and I think the big gains were in relaxation and technique though. Once I crossed the 30 minute mark I started to clock more distance and to progress with my technique a lot faster. For example, today I went out for about an hour over lunch and practiced cornering and riding in circles. Then I drove down to drop off my car for repair about 10k away and rode it home. These days I tend to alternate my riding sessions between technique and distance runs. I'm slowly, very slowly, inching up the speed and today barely hit the beeper one time at 34kph. I was at 29 for the last couple runs and was bumping against the beeper constantly, 34 feels fully functional for now and I can run away from bikes on the our regional trails enough to keep space and stay safe. reducing time in danger is a key motorcycle skill, it also makes a lot of sense on the EUC. Edited August 11, 2020 by UniMe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLRocketMan Posted August 12, 2020 Author Share Posted August 12, 2020 Close to another week and things are improving. Control and confidence are both on the rise. I do think it will be a few months before I feel fully comfortable to ride anywhere I please. I find that a lot of it is becoming aware and taking command of muscle groups little used in other activities. I am upgrading my safety equipment and I think this also has helped. As you get older, you do not fear the injury, you fear the recovery! Bumps you might have gotten over in days when younger are now weeks. However, I am fully hooked! Once you experience the feeling of the wheel no other vehicle even comes close, not even my beloved MTB! I also love the diversity of the community. So happy YouTube somehow decided to recommend one of Hsiang’s videos to me. Just a couple of months ago I was totally unaware of the EUC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UniMe Posted August 13, 2020 Share Posted August 13, 2020 (edited) Day 1 LOL -- I'm fully geared up now though! wrist, elbow, knee shin and full face helmet I was doing at most 15kph when I did this, was rolling so well in the field next to my house I decided to ride a couple blocks and bailed on the pavement. I'm in a very quiet suburb though, and there was zero traffic. I have stepped off the wheel many times since then but I haven't actually fallen since! the mistake I made was trying to stay with the wheel too long, now I just run away from it at the first sign of trouble You'll be rolling in no time! like I said, try for longer sessions. It seems to take an hour to get anywhere useful and back and knowing you have the endurance for the trip is the fist step Edited August 13, 2020 by UniMe 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..... Posted August 13, 2020 Share Posted August 13, 2020 (edited) 18 minutes ago, UniMe said: I have stepped off the wheel many times since then but I haven't actually fallen since! the mistake I made was trying to stay with the wheel too long, now I just run away from it at the first sign of trouble You'll be rolling in no time! like I said, try for longer sessions. It seems to take an hour to get anywhere useful and back and knowing you have the endurance for the trip is the fist step Stepping off only works when you are still riding slower than you can flat out run. Hanging on for dear life is a skill Im developing, as Im always undergeared (none) and going faster than I can run. Im riding this pig until it throws me off. Glad to see you guys are figuring/figured it out. That rash sure looks like it stung in the shower.... Ah, fun times, fun times! Edited August 13, 2020 by ShanesPlanet 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UniMe Posted August 13, 2020 Share Posted August 13, 2020 the rash was a bit refreshing actually, it had been a long time! I've simply met too many people who's lives have been devastated in an instant not to wear a helmet. As for the other gear, I'm with the OP in that I don't want to be laid up in recovery or have a preventable injury that sidelines me from my new EUC hobby. I've had enough injuries in my life to know what difficult rehab and recovery is like, the minute it takes me to strap on gear is well worth the effort! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLRocketMan Posted August 13, 2020 Author Share Posted August 13, 2020 I rode 6.5 miles this morning without a step-off! It is getting better! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UniMe Posted August 13, 2020 Share Posted August 13, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, FLRocketMan said: I rode 6.5 miles this morning without a step-off! It is getting better! Nice!!! how's the cornering and stuff going? I've started practicing crouching once in a while, found that for some reason the wheel wobbles less if I put my hands out in front of me... probably just better balanced or something. Can you continuously ride in circles yet? Edited August 13, 2020 by UniMe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WebDev Posted August 14, 2020 Share Posted August 14, 2020 On 8/12/2020 at 10:49 PM, UniMe said: the rash was a bit refreshing actually, it had been a long time! Yes! I felt the same when I crashed mine on the pavement and scraped up my elbow. It had been so long since I scraped some skin doing something fun that it brought smile to my face! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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