Forum setup just changed?

[.....]

Umm... did I just break something, or did the forum setup just change? Oh how I abhor any kind of change. Nothing against the newer format, but change is change. So... is this new setup intentional, or is my computer broken... again?

[RockyTop]

We need some contrast on the bell. I can't see it. 

[John Eucist]

I upgraded the forum to the latest version a little over an hour ago. Have to update due to bug and exploit fixes.

[stephen]

3 hours ago, ShanesPlanet said:

Umm... did I just break something, or did the forum setup just change? Oh how I abhor any kind of change. Nothing against the newer format, but change is change. So... is this new setup intentional, or is my computer broken... again?

Lol I thought my phone had changed settings😁

2 hours ago, John Eucist said:

I upgraded the forum to the latest version a little over an hour ago. Have to update due to bug and exploit fixes.

Looks pretty good ,ill update if I see any problems 👍

[Lefteris]

3 hours ago, RockyTop said:

We need some contrast on the bell. I can't see it. 

About that @John Eucist why not installing a dark theme too?

[Planemo]

8 hours ago, Lefteris said:

About that @John Eucist why not installing a dark theme too?

Second that, me likey dark themes

This current one does seem less obvious in terms of certain areas I have to say. Hopefully it will get tweeked a little.

[mike_bike_kite]

I'll admit I find the top bar quite hard to read now. Not impossible but I just find it more difficult.

[meepmeepmayer]

I'm sure the color theme can be tweaked. Some places the contrast is bad.

We have collapsible quotes now! Look:

On 11/6/2020 at 3:22 PM, travsformation said:

I received my Sherman today and thought I'd share my first impressions.

 

For anyone who doesn't know me, my name is Travis and I'm an EUC-aholic 😁 

 

First impression, pre-riding:

 

Videos don't do this wheel justice, it really does look intimidating in person. It just exhudes power and temperament (and... malice?), like a bull that's just standing there placidly but you know might try to kill you at any given time, especially if you try to ride it (but possibly also if you don't), so you'd better not turn your back to it. And that tire...in person it really causes an impression and adds to that "I mean trouble" look.

 

Build quality, as has already been pointed out by every Sherman owner before me, feels very solid. I was even impressed by the trolley handle, which, although not coimparable to KS ones, is very springy, requires a little force for it to click back into place, and isn't quite as terrible as I'd imagined it. Or maybe my expectations were just extremely low. I'll update that impression once I've actually used it a little.

 

The weight...you can see it...you don't even have to pick it up to sense how heavy it is. 

 

The pedals feel a little loose, but I don't know if that's the way they're supposed to be and I'm just used to stiff, non-magnetic KS pedals.

 

Oddly, the headlight it came with is the blue flashing one, while firmware version is 4.31, so I'm taking that as proof of true GW heritage:, they only switched the headlight for the models shipped to eWheels and are using up their remaining stock of "police headlights" for their other wheels. 😂 

 

The headlight felt like it was pointing a little too low (which I later confirmed when riding) and the tail light was sitting on the back more horizontally than I figure it should. Easily correctable, but a testament to production line workers' devotion and attention to detail 😆

 

I haven't opened it up yet but will do so soon. 

 

After waiting for a couple of hours for it to stop pouring (which it didn't; weeks of nothing but sunshine...until I received my Sherman, of course...😤), I decided I couldn't take it any more, checked the tire pressure (it was at 28 PSI so I left it like that for my test ride), geared up and took it for a spin. 

 

Note: I set the alarm for 46 km/h (my max. cruising speed on the 16X & 18XL) and tiltback to 50 km/h. Every reviewer I've watched has mentioned how stable it is at speed and how easy it is to end up going faster then you intended, and cruise faster than you're used to cruising. Thought it wise to let the wheel keep my enthusiasm in check in case I got carried away. 

 

First ride, first impressions:

 

Straight off the bat, as you're mounting, you can feel how heavy it is. I hopped on it with a more than healthy dose of respect, and after the first dozen meters, found myself pleasantly surprised by how docile it felt. The minute you start moving the weight ceases to feel like something that you might have to fight to control and starts to act in your favor. I rode up to the other end of the village, about 1 km away (it's a small town 😅), gently getting a sense for how it turns, accelerates, brakes and grips (it was pouring so I was extra cautious...needlessly, it would appear 😁).

 

Low-end acceleration wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. You can feel it's fighting against the weight during the initially slow build-up, but once you reach about 10-15 km/h, the power starts to come through in a delayed, springy kind of way (like KS wheels in soft mode) and acceleration is way more effortless than I thought it would be (I haven't installed pads yet).

 

The pedals are very comfy, nice and long, and the grippiest I've ever tried. I wouldn't mind if they were a bit wider, but I figure it would become a clearance issue, so they're perfectly fine the way they are (not an opinion I share about the 18(X)L's stock, non-XL pedals). I actually think I like them better than the 16X's, which are a tad short for my taste. 

 

2nd km was back down to the other end, slightly downhill. Kept my speed at around 30-35 km/h, started making long, gentle turns, getting a feel for it, and I have to say, it's incredibly planted and balanced.There's something about the way it moves and reacts to input that's unlike any other wheel...I can't quite put my finger on what it is. It's definitely connected with the weight and how well balanced it is, and it somehow feels like no matter what you do, it's acting in your favour: When you turn, you don't feel you have to fight it, it goes along with you nicely, but in a more mellow, graceful (yes, I just used the adjective "graceful" to refer to this tank of a wheel), less immediate/twitchy way than with any other wheel I've ridden---more like a car with softish shocks, where the weight shifts as you go into a curve and settles as you go around it. It feels like a more mellow experience in that sense. You get a whole different level of feedback from the wheel, you feel it much more, it seems to add a new layer of interaction/synergy I hadn't had before (now I understand what Marty was talking about, but I've only had a taste, I reckon' the emotional part will come on my next ride 😁 ). And when you straighten out, it almost feels like there's a counterweight helping it spring back upright (not in an unpleasant way).

 

Braking feels excellent (at least at the speeds I was doing, = <30 km/h), and going down a fairly steep hill, I found it much more controllable than either the 16X or the 18XL. 

 

I intentionally rode over cracks and irregularities, which it didn't seem to even notice, and found it didn't much mind small potholes either. It takes speedbumps with a confidence-inspiring nonchalance and overall is extremely comfortable to ride.

 

Looking for comparisons in the automobile world I first thought of a Cadillac. But no, it's more like a 500 HP turbo-diesel (turbo-lag included) Range Rover that's a beast on-road and off it. Just don't try to follow a Suzuki Jimny up the narrow trails and steep hills cause you're carrying a trailer and the air suspension is locked into the low highway setting 😉 

 

And just as I thought of that, I passed a dirt trail and swiftly turned around to go down. And there...WOW!

 

I found myself riding down a muddy trail, in the rain, after only 2 km on the Sherman, with a degree of comfort and confidence I wouldn't dream of on either of my Kingsongs out of fear the wheel would slide out from under me. So I started riding a little less conservatively, turning and slaloming a bit more aggressively, and realized it would really take an effort to break traction. On mud. And gravel. Mud on gravel. 2 km into my first ride... That's when I started to see its potential and fall in love with it.

 

After the mud, bumps (if you take them straight on or at a slight angle, it feels like the wheel's doing the balancing for you) and rocks (which it just steamrolls over and displaces as if they weren't even there), I had full faith in the wheel's grip and stability so the wide, deserted streets that previously seemed dangerously slippery felt like an open invitation to relax, turn off overcautious mode and let go.

 

And WOW, is this a fantastic wheel to cruise on...because that's definitely what it is: a cruiser. You don't need to be a speed demon or a fast rider to enjoy the Sherman experience, it's extremely pleasant and easy to ride at 20 or 30 km/h. It goes where you want it to go, turns how you want it to turn...it feels like it'll do anything you want or expect it to do as long as you bear in mind what it was designed for: comfortably eating up miles on the open road or (or riding on the streets, among and keeping up with cars in a city). Just don't expect it to turn on a dime like a 15 kg 16" wheel or be as agile in dense areas involving a lot of tight turning. 

 

Just yesterday I watched MADpack's review of the wheel, where he mentions the Z10 effect, how you have to put a lot of effort into turning, and how it's terrible at quick, sharp turns (see min. 1:04), and I have to say I disagree with all of the above. Either he wasn't riding it at the right pressure, or he was trying to make the wheel adapt to his riding style instead of the other way around, because I'd clicked with the wheel before I hit the 4 km mark and felt the wheel was very clear about what it can and cannot do, and will / will not put up with. If you try to ride it like a 16X, making tight turns by rotating it on the vertical axis with your knees and ankles and shifting weight aggressively with your lower body, not only will it take a lot of effort (that's a lot of weight he's trying to move around from pedal-height), but the wheel will most definitely tell you to go f* yourself and try to throw you off. If you respect the riding style it demands and turn with your hips and upper body, it flows very gracefully and effortlessly (at least in my experience) and deals with aggressive riding just fine. Yet again, you can't drive a Land Rover or a Cadillac as if it were a Mini Cooper S.

 

I will say, on the subject of pedal dipping (as seen here) , that it definitely does dip and it doesn't help at all in the aggressive carving department. On low-speed  tight turns and 180's the pedals dip noticeably forward, bringing the pedal on the inside of the curve uncomfortably close to the ground, and then tilt back rather abruptly as you straighten out the wheel (when you don't particularly need/want it to do so). It feels like an overly eager and badly-timed, delayed response on the part of the algorithm, and it'll definitely throw you off balance if you don't expect it. The first time. If you insist on doing it again, that's on you. When the Sherman speaks, one listens or faces its wrath, it's that simple 😂 

 

I'm not excusing it or overlooking what does feel like a poorly implemented algorithm (this is a very premature "diagnosis"), but I will say that the only situation where I noticed it was when doing a tight 180, taking a tight, 90º or less turn or intentionally slaloming in a way that the Sherman clearly isn't meant to. 7 km in, I don't feel like it'll pose a problem if the wheel is ridden according to what it was designed for, but I do look forward to seeing how it does on long, sustained curves or wide curves that tighten as they go so I can get a sense of what the "issue" is and what not to do if I don't want to enrage the beast and risk being thrown off 😅

 

Unless this proves to be an issue, which I don't particularly anticipate it being, I have to say I actually like how clear-cut and straight-foward it is about letting its likes, dislikes, limits and preferred riding style be known. As someone who's owned a ton of old, temperamental cars (that's actually been the case with all of the cars I've owned 😅), each with specific quircks that required their own driving style, I enjoy that. It adds a layer of character that makes the experience more "interactive" and enjoyable. I'm not saying ther Sherman feels like an old car, but it does share the same temperament: "This is the way I was designed, this is how I'm to be ridden, I ain't no compact SUV packed with creature comforts to make life easier for you, so take it, leave it". Which is something I just so happen to like 😁 

 

As to high torque and steep incline situations... One ride on this wheel and you know it's not meant for things like overheat hill. If it made it to the top on try 1, one would think "Holy crap, this thing is indestructible", but I don't think it's a reasonable expectation to have of this wheel. By any means. @Marty Backe, I deeply respect the fact you took this beast up that hill, understand and appreciate why you did it, and the entire community owes you a debt of gratitude for doing so (especially considering that it prompted corrective action on the part of Veteran), but 1) You're freakin' insane and 2) If the wheel had treated you to a proper, mouthfull-of-dirt faceplant, you would have deserved every last mouthful of it for torturing the poor thing like that 😜 😂 

 

As to speed, I didn't push it past 43 km/h, and have to admit that (as I believe @ShanesPlanet pointed out), it was quite a chore. I don't know if it's the lack of pads, the fact that both of us come from KS wheels and are used to their more immediate, responsive acceleration across the board, or it's just beginner's fear of pushing the wheel, but there's definitely a point where acceleration seems to say "I've made it effortless until now, but if you want to go any faster, you're really going to have to work for it" 😆

 

More on that after ride 2 😁

 

So, overall, after 7 km on the Sherman, I'm impressed and looking forward to a proper, daytime, non-raining ride. But I can already see that I'm going to fall in love with it, not want to do anything but ride in the foreseeable future, neglect my obligations and...be a verry happy person 😁 

 

On a sidenote, I'm going to have to build a makeshift mudguard. Coming from Kingsongs with factory mudguards, I didn't even think of it until it was too late and my ass and lower back were soaked and covered in mud. Live and learn 😅

While writing the post it does not collapse.

[travsformation]

Also, edit, hide, etc., are now in a drop-down menu (the three dots on the top right corner of posts)

[meepmeepmayer]

There's a new "author" tag on every post made by the thread starter.

[TomM]

I miss the blue font color for unread replies.  

And the page does not go down to the unread entry in a page

clicked on in the Recent Topics column. 

Oh, wait.  It does go to the unread entry in the Recent Posts column.  Good. 

Edited November 7, 2020 by TomM
another change noticed.

[John Eucist]

22 hours ago, RockyTop said:

We need some contrast on the bell. I can't see it. 

 

18 hours ago, Lefteris said:

About that @John Eucist why not installing a dark theme too?

 

9 hours ago, meepmeepmayer said:

I'm sure the color theme can be tweaked. Some places the contrast is bad.

I tweaked the bell area color for contrast. As for dark theme I don't know how to make that a choosable option. There was a third-party plugin for dark theme (which we actually used before) but forum updates break it. I just use Dark Reader plugin for Chrome and Firefox. For the most part I'm not a techie. I just pay for the forum software and hosting and press a button every now and then to update to the latest forum version and sometimes it makes changes beyond my control as part of the update (like this time).

Edited November 8, 2020 by John Eucist

[meepmeepmayer]

7 hours ago, John Eucist said:

and sometimes it makes changes beyond my control as part of the update (like this time).

Wait this was a surprise update for you, too? At least we were all surprised

[meepmeepmayer]

How do you know a topic got too big and crazy (*cough* S18 topic *cough* V11 topic)? It now gets its own statistics box (on the right)! Same mess, better overview

[travsformation]

11 hours ago, meepmeepmayer said:

How do you know a topic got too big and crazy (*cough* S18 topic *cough* V11 topic)? It now gets its own statistics box (on the right)! Same mess, better overview

Only 3.2K posts in the V11 thread?

[John Eucist]

On 11/8/2020 at 5:54 PM, meepmeepmayer said:

Wait this was a surprise update for you, too? At least we were all surprised

I hit the button to update. Didn't expect involuntary visual changes.

[travsformation]

6 hours ago, John Eucist said:

I hit the button to update.

Famous last words...

[meepmeepmayer]

Hmm links are now in the same color (standard black) as normal text. Look just like underlined text.

Underlined

Link

I think a different color for links would be good, to distinguish them better. Can that be changed?

[John Eucist]

5 hours ago, meepmeepmayer said:

Hmm links are now in the same color (standard black) as normal text. Look just like underlined text.

Underlined

Link

I think a different color for links would be good, to distinguish them better. Can that be changed?

Tweaked. How about now?

[mike_bike_kite]

3 hours ago, John Eucist said:

Tweaked. How about now?

It's better but it would be more consistent if the icons and text were in white to match the graphic text "Electric unicycles" on the left.

A larger problem for me is that statistics are shown when going into some threads. For some reason it doesn't do it on this thread. These statistics take up 30% of the of the screen and show most popular posts in the thread and a few images etc. I don't think this information is needed but it also restricts the viewing area for all posts in a thread by 30%.  I'm currently using a small laptop and the screen real estate has now been reduced to that of a phone

PS I like the collapsible quotes though!

[meepmeepmayer]

5 hours ago, John Eucist said:

Tweaked. How about now?

Looks great! Clearly a link now.

1 hour ago, mike_bike_kite said:

A larger problem for me is that statistics are shown when going into some threads.

Agreed. The statistics are very cool and help get an overview of what happened. I especially like the "popular days" part for this purpose, to help find the important stuff. But it makes threads quite narrower, even the video thread Youtube embeds get squashed from their standard size on my 1080p screen. Is there a way to make the statistics box narrower maybe? Or maybe on top of a page (between title and the page's first post) instead of to the side?

It's definitely cool, though, but gets annoying with time.

2 hours ago, mike_bike_kite said:

For some reason it doesn't do it on this thread.

I guess it automatically activates once a thread is long enough.

2 hours ago, mike_bike_kite said:

It's better but it would be more consistent if the icons and text were in white to match the graphic text "Electric unicycles" on the left.

Good idea!

[meepmeepmayer]

Do you guys have the option to "hide" (=remove) a topic you started?

It used to be the case that hiding the first post removed the entire topic. Now the "hide" option is gone for the first post (still there for all the others). Is there any other option to hide your entire topic now? Or can you no longer do that? (We mods can, but how is it for normal member accounts?)

It would be nice if someone made a topic in the testing forum and tried that (better there than accidentally removing a nice topic of yours). Thanks!

[John Eucist]

On 11/10/2020 at 4:44 PM, mike_bike_kite said:

A larger problem for me is that statistics are shown when going into some threads. For some reason it doesn't do it on this thread. These statistics take up 30% of the of the screen and show most popular posts in the thread and a few images etc. I don't think this information is needed but it also restricts the viewing area for all posts in a thread by 30%.  I'm currently using a small laptop and the screen real estate has now been reduced to that of a phone

 

On 11/10/2020 at 6:50 PM, meepmeepmayer said:

Agreed. The statistics are very cool and help get an overview of what happened. I especially like the "popular days" part for this purpose, to help find the important stuff. But it makes threads quite narrower, even the video thread Youtube embeds get squashed from their standard size on my 1080p screen. Is there a way to make the statistics box narrower maybe? Or maybe on top of a page (between title and the page's first post) instead of to the side?

I just flipped this switch. Better?



What about this? Keep as is?

Edited November 11, 2020 by John Eucist

[mike_bike_kite]

26 minutes ago, John Eucist said:

 Better?
What about this? Keep as is?

Much better.

Personally, I don't care for the statistics at all but, if we have to have it, then I'd go for a larger number like 10 otherwise it's easier just to go back a page or two.

[meepmeepmayer]

2 hours ago, John Eucist said:

I just flipped this switch. Better?

It's better imho. Not perfect because it's easier to miss (ideal would be between title and uppermost post), but now it doesn't change the formatting.

2 hours ago, John Eucist said:

What about this? Keep as is?

I would make it 5 or 10 pages. But not that important what that number is.