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My first day and first challenges with the MTen3... Did I make a mistake?


rexdelmolvo

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I just got my used MTen3 in the mail. Got it off this forum, other than some scratches it's in amazing condition. I practiced twice tonight for a total of a little more than hour of messing around. I wonder... did I make a mistake buying an MTen3 as my first wheel?

I don't have many great places to practice (like those giant, smooth parking garages all the YouTube tutorials are in) so I started on the street in front of my house, using my car as my support when I needed it. I started with the whole rolling the wheel under the dominant foot in half circles back and forth, this doesn't feel amazing on the MTen3. I tried the whole one footed ride & hop exercise, and that feels absolutely IMPOSSIBLE on the MTen3. No matter what, my foot tries to slip off the pedal. I think it's too small to do this exercise compared to taller wheels.

I tried mounting with support and wheeling back and forth a bit and am totally comfortable wheeling back and forth & around with one hand on my car. I can actually kinda free mount with an awkward little hop sometimes! But I'm not trying to push it. Then, I tried to ride in a straight line. This is where I started to have more issues. I can stay on without support for a little bit more than 3 seconds before I have to bail. I can't really go in a straight line, but that problem is exacerbated by my attempts to brake. I could not for the life of me brake properly. Out of the numerous time I tried to ride a short distance and then brake, I think I only got one instance where I felt like I actually stopped. Every other time, when I try to lean back, I start turning. Hard. And I immediately lose ALL confidence when that turn begins, I either have to jump off or ride in a circle for a second, and then jump off. If that doesn't happen, my attempts to brake actually end up in me *accelerating*. I think I was leaning back but my hips were going forward, and my center of gravity was more forwards than back causing the wheel to speed up.

So I wonder if the MTen3 is not the best starter wheel for me. I'm a biggish guy, 6'0 at around 215lb, and I wear a 12 size shoe. I feel like a heavier, taller wheel will end up being easier, but I'm not sure. I'm going to keep at it. While it was all hard as hell, it was also super fun. Do you guys see any red flags from my descriptor as to something I could be doing wrong that might've caused my braking/going straight problem? Foot placement, maybe? They might have been too far forward, but any further back and I feel like my legs wouldn't be making much contact with the pads... Thanks in advance!

Edited by rexdelmolvo
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Have you ever stepped on any EUC other than the MTen3?  I think what you're feeling is just a new experience that you're not used to.  I've watched TheBlackCobra ride the MTen3 on Youtube and he's a big guy.  I would think that if he can do it you could too with some practice.  Standing on it for 3 seconds before needing to bail with only an hour of practice sounds reasonable.  Perhaps you set your expectations too high?

I'm learning to ride too.  I can tell you that foot placement is absolutely critical.  I'm still making small adjustments to try and find that sweet spot.  Ideally, you want to have the balls of your feet the same distance from the front of the pedal as the heel of the foot is to the back of the pedal.  If you're having problems braking, your foot may be too far forward, but typically, new riders have their foot too far back (I did).

If possible, find a place with railing on both sides that you can grab on to and get a feel for it.  Another option is to use a shopping cart or have someone hold your hand.  Try different terrain  like grass and see if that makes any difference.  I feel like riding on grass helped me maintain balance a little better in the beginning.  If you don't have any good places close by to practice, start looking at Google Maps and find some you can drive to.

Take your time, don't give up, and you'll get it.  I'm sure of it.

Edited by WebDev
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11 minutes ago, WebDev said:

Have you ever stepped on any EUC other than the MTen3?  I think what you're feeling is just a new experience that you're not used to.  I've watched TheBlackCobra ride the MTen3 on Youtube and he's a big guy.  I would think that if he can do it you could too with some practice.  Standing on it for 3 seconds before needing to bail with only an hour of practice sounds reasonable.  Perhaps you set your expectations too high?

I'm learning to ride too.  I can tell you that foot placement is absolutely critical.  I'm still making small adjustments to try and find that sweet spot.  Ideally, you want to have the balls of your feet the same distance from the front of the pedal as the heel of the foot is to the back of the pedal.  If you're having problems braking, your foot may be too far forward, but typically, new riders have their foot too far back (I did).

If possible, find a place with railing on both sides that you can grab on to and get a feel for it.  Another option is to use a shopping cart or have someone hold your hand.  Try different terrain  like grass and see if that makes any difference.  I feel like riding on grass helped me maintain balance a little better in the beginning.  If you don't have any good places close by to practice, start looking at Google Maps and find some you can drive to.

Take your time, don't give up, and you'll get it.  I'm sure of it.

Yeah, it's my first time riding any EUC. The 3 seconds of riding pre-bail isn't what I was stuck on, but rather my inability to brake/maintain a straight line. I will definitely fiddle more with feet positions and try to find some more spots. I'm absolutely not giving up, lol. All I can think about after getting off is getting back on, I'm very excited to get better.

Edited by rexdelmolvo
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Can you bring it in the house?  I brought mine in the kitchen and had the counter on one side of me and the washer/dryer on the other side which kind of acted like rails.  I did dent the dryer a bit but it did give me some good little practice sessions, lol.  Maintaining a straight line is all about balance and that's pretty much all you're learning when you first start.  It took me several hours over a couple days to finally start feeling some decent sense balance.  Before that, I was flailing my arms everywhere like a madman just trying to stay on for as long as I could.  If you want to learn faster, you have to be willing to commit and take the risk of falling or your EUC tumbling.  If you wear full gear and go to an area with grass, you can mitigate the potential damage to you and your ride.

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Is grass not a great deal harder? My wheel fell hard onto the asphalt many times, it takes a hit very well. That's one of the reasons I went for the MTen3. I've yet to fall, just stumble. Even on some really bad unexpected hard turns lol. My balance isn't great but I'm like a cat when it comes to falling, somehow. I always land on them feets.

I've got on in the house a few times, but I don't have even remotely enough space to make it worth while.

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19 minutes ago, rexdelmolvo said:

Is grass not a great deal harder?

Technically, it's softer than pavement, ;).  But seriously, that's probably subjective.  It might also depend on the wheel.  For myself, I found the grass to be easier to stabilize on when I started losing balance (at very low speeds).  It's softer so it's going to be a little more forgiving I would think.  It depends on the grass too though.  If you find something too bumpy it might just be worse.

Also: Check your tire pressure.  Make sure it's high enough for your weight, but low enough to give you the stability you need to learn.  I would guess you'd want around 40+ psi but I'm not sure.  Experiment with it as it can make quite the difference.

Edited by WebDev
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imo 10inch wheel is not a good learner - much easier on a 16" - but u hv the mten so ur gonna hv to mk the best of it. u need a spotter to walk/run beside u as u devlp some comfort lvl. u use the spotters hand/wrist to help u stabilize while getting some more comfort. dont go too slow as will mk things much harder. this is fastest way to get over initial hump. wean urslf off the spotter as u strt getting ur balance. i hv taught many newbies to ride like this and it works without fail!

shopping cart or other such roll-aid will not wrk as it does not allow u to devl any of the balance subtleties needed ( cld actually slow down the process ). relax - get a spotter for a couple of sessions and you will be fine!

Edited by amelanso
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Had someone to spot me for a bit today and it worked pretty well. I still cannot wrap my head around braking. It worked when I was holding someone’s hand but when I am on the wheel with no support I cannot put the weight/pressure on my heels that’s necessary to brake. It feels like I can’t do it without losing my grip on the pedals. Tomorrow or later tonight I’ll see if my spotter can help me out for longer than 5 minutes to work on going in a straight line.

Still struggling with the exercises too. I can do the halfmoons with my right foot, but the one footed hop & rides have to be impossible on an MTen3, right? Should I just not try those on this wheel?

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Braking is hard at first.  Think of where your upper body position is relative to the wheel. While keeping your back straight, bend the knees a bit more like you're going to sit down, with the wheel in front of you a bit.  Holding your arms out and to the side while doing so can help.

Edited by WebDev
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get a spotter for 30mins - time on wheel with a spotter will produce much quicker progress. the spotter puts arm out in constant position and you can use that as a support as needed but shld try to decrease reliance as u progress. regular braking is only a subtle shift towards bk of foot. practice slow bk n forth with a spotter . euc is feel based - try not to overthink. until u can go in a straight line and mk wide turns unassisted no point wrking in more difficult drills. the basics will become self-evident with time and practice. relax and it will come tgthr quicker. and enjoy the process!

Edited by amelanso
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On 8/15/2020 at 7:13 AM, WebDev said:

I did dent the dryer a bit

:laughbounce2:

That happens to everyone who first tries to learn inside. My wall plastering has a nice hole in it;)

On 8/15/2020 at 7:58 AM, rexdelmolvo said:

Is grass not a great deal harder?

Grass is Evil (capital E) and should be avoided by learners. Especially with such a small tire. My opinion.

12 hours ago, rexdelmolvo said:

Still struggling with the exercises too. I can do the halfmoons with my right foot, but the one footed hop & rides have to be impossible on an MTen3, right? Should I just not try those on this wheel?

Not sure if the typical excercises work well with the mten3. You could just get on the wheel (pole/wall assisted probably) and simply ride from there (speed up and just go - speed is your friend and stablilzes your ride!) and forget about al the excercises for now.

For braking, imagine you just sit down. Bend knees and "sit down". If you do it quick enough (instead of slow, hesitant braking) in one fast dynamic move, maybe you're stopped before and direction changes or wobbles can happen?

You can try and see if these work.

Edited by meepmeepmayer
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On 8/16/2020 at 1:27 PM, rexdelmolvo said:

I can’t believe I figured it out in like, less than 3 hours total on the wheel.

You did a lot better than me. I had training wheels and it took me 1 week to be able to go straight, then another week to get rid of the training wheels.

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