My First Wheel: Veteran Sherman

[Benjaminjhobbs]

Welp.. some might think me crazy but I decided to jump right into the deep end. The way I see it, why waste money on a wheel I will outgrow. I know it is HEAVY but I am one of those Rubix cube solving, stick at it until I get it type of people.
 

I will keep you all updated with my progress and my inevitable first day regret 😂 but I know a week or two later it will disappear. It is shipping soon and I can’t wait! 
 

Wish me luck! I am going to need it LOL

[NickNonsense]

You'll be fine, i don't think there much difference between this and something smaller. I usually have the same trail of thought, why buy cheap and twice. 

In the meantime, start looking for some safety gear as when you get comfortable on this thing, you going need it, unless ofcourse you don't get bitten by the EUC bug 

[Benjaminjhobbs]

3 hours ago, NickNonsense said:

In the meantime, start looking for some safety gear as when you get comfortable on this thing, you going need it, unless ofcourse you don't get bitten by the EUC bug 

Thankfully I used to ride a motorcycle year round as my first mode of transportation so I have a nice four season jacket with pads and a helmet. Probably will just use a bicycle helmet as I initially will have the top speed set to like 10mph until I get really good at low speeds. I also of course will have knee pads, wrist guards, and elbow (although the elbow doesn’t make as much sense to me as the knee and wrist). 

I am so curious to see how long it will take me to learn! I will keep everyone updated on my daily progress. I learned to ride a bicycle without training heels when I was two! Obviously this isn’t a bike but it is illustrative of how I stick at something until I learn it. I can stay up on a bicycle without moving and would consider myself good with balance but... the more I talk the more I inevitably set myself up for first day burnout lol. We will see! I have a whole step by step process ready once I get the wheel. 

1. Start out with one food circles, with dominant foot on the wheel 

2. Mount next to a wall and get used to going forward and backward (a few inches)

3. Practice dominant foot on wheel and pushing forward (like when you mount but without actually placing my non-dominant foot on pedal)

4. Practice mounting and dismounting continuously this time with both feet on wheel

5. Just go for it! Lol 

If you have any suggestions to my first day training regime, let me know. I am implementing essentially the training seen here but with some slight variation on my #1 and #2. 

 

[Willy510]

9 hours ago, Benjaminjhobbs said:

Welp.. some might think me crazy but I decided to jump right into the deep end. The way I see it, why waste money on a wheel I will outgrow. I know it is HEAVY but I am one of those Rubix cube solving, stick at it until I get it type of people.
 

I will keep you all updated with my progress and my inevitable first day regret 😂 but I know a week or two later it will disappear. It is shipping soon and I can’t wait! 
 

Wish me luck! I am going to need it LOL

You'll be fine... I started with a MSX and have a Sherman too and as long you have a sense of self preservation and some common sense, like don't try to see how fast it will go in the beginning. I used a mix of Kuji rolls and U-Stride videos and I was up and going in a couple of hours on my own.  Wear shoes that protect your ankles, all all of the other gear too, and try not to look down and remember that wherever you look is where you'll go and have fun.  

[meepmeepmayer]

Don't forget to pad the wheel up like there's no tomorrow. Or you will have an excellent but very scratched up wheel after the first day

[Benjaminjhobbs]

1 hour ago, meepmeepmayer said:

Don't forget to pad the wheel up like there's no tomorrow. Or you will have an excellent but very scratched up wheel after the first day

So... I have thought about this (: I think I might put a strap between the two bars and hold onto it to keep the wheel from falling (of course not using it for balance while riding). I would much rather pad it up. I know it will look silly at first but I should only need it for a day or two. I can also try to practice in a grass field albeit not the best surface to learn on. Any other ideas? I don’t know how I would go about padding it up. 

[meepmeepmayer]

A strap will be distracting during learning. Not being worried about the wheel falling over and just letting it fall while running off relaxedly is the best way in my opinion.

Grass is a terrible surface to learn on. Pavement is much better.

You can use anything for padding, maybe just a lot of cardboard and duct tape (gorilla tape), or those foam pieces (yoga mat is a great idea)... anything really. Do not forget the underside of the pedals, that can get scratched and dented pretty badly, too. After two weeks or so, the padding can go.

Too bad there's no EUC bodyguard for the Sherman (yet), it would be perfect.

You got a great wheel, and the very first ride attempt outside will be the most dangerous for it. So be prepared

Edited November 8, 2020 by meepmeepmayer

[Benjaminjhobbs]

3 hours ago, null said:

You could probably do a pretty good padding with a yoga mat and some tape. Congrats with the wheel, its great pleasure.

Ooo a yoga mat is a good idea. Just found a black one on Facebook Market for like five bucks. 

I am so excited. I literally sold my car for it! 

 

3 hours ago, meepmeepmayer said:

A strap will be distracting during learning. Not being worried about the wheel falling over and just letting it fall while running off relaxedly is the best way in my opinion.

Grass is a terrible surface to learn on. Pavement is much better.

You can use anything for padding, maybe just a lot of cardboard and duct tape (gorilla tape), or those foam pieces (yoga mat is a great idea)... anything really. Do not forget the underside of the pedals, that can get scratched and dented pretty badly, too. After two weeks or so, the padding can go.

Too bad there's no EUC bodyguard for the Sherman (yet), it would be perfect.

You got a great wheel, and the very first ride attempt outside will be the most dangerous for it. So be prepared

I could definitely see how a strap will be distracting. I think I will go for the yogamat idea, just found a super cheap one. A body guard would probably be too expensive anyways. 

I am so absolutely excited! Definitely first day will be interesting. I am new to the forum. Should I continue this thread with updates on each day or start a new one? 

[travsformation]

7 hours ago, Benjaminjhobbs said:

1. Start out with one food circles, with dominant foot on the wheel 

2. Mount next to a wall and get used to going forward and backward (a few inches)

3. Practice dominant foot on wheel and pushing forward (like when you mount but without actually placing my non-dominant foot on pedal)

4. Practice mounting and dismounting continuously this time with both feet on wheel

5. Just go for it! Lol 

That's spot on! It's how I did it. Drill, sleep and let muscle memory do it's job, repeat.

And gear up + pad up the wheel. Wrapping the tubing with a non-adhesive bandage or something similar might not be a bad idea

7 hours ago, Willy510 said:

as long you have a sense of self preservation and some common sense

THAT 👆👆👆

 

 

 

 

[travsformation]

20 minutes ago, Benjaminjhobbs said:

am so absolutely excited! Definitely first day will be interesting. I am new to the forum. Should I continue this thread with updates on each day or start a new one? 

I'd continue with this thread. Looking forward to seeing your progress!

BTW, one body part that tends to get bashed up when learning that many overlooked when learning (or at least, that was my case) are shins. A pair of cheap soccer shin-guards might not be a bad idea (in addition to the usual EUC gear: wrist guards + knee & elbow pads + helmet)

[Benjaminjhobbs]

31 minutes ago, travsformation said:

I'd continue with this thread. Looking forward to seeing your progress!

BTW, one body part that tends to get bashed up when learning that many overlooked when learning (or at least, that was my case) are shins. A pair of cheap soccer shin-guards might not be a bad idea (in addition to the usual EUC gear: wrist guards + knee & elbow pads + helmet)

I will definitely continue with this thread. It will be fun for me to see my progress day one. I might be too confident so I think I will either pick it up quickly or rash and burn 

Ooo good tip. I will definitely look into a cheap pair of shin guards. 

 

[travsformation]

2 minutes ago, Benjaminjhobbs said:

I will definitely continue with this thread. It will be fun for me to see my progress day one. I might be too confident so I think I will either pick it up quickly or rash and burn 

Ooo good tip. I will definitely look into a cheap pair of shin guards. 

 

And being as heavy as it it, I'd advise wearing footwear with hard tips so you don't crush your toes if the wheel lands on them 😜

[meepmeepmayer]

Looking forward to see your description of your very first thoughts when you lift the Sherman out of its box

[Benjaminjhobbs]

31 minutes ago, meepmeepmayer said:

Looking forward to see your description of your very first thoughts when you lift the Sherman out of its box

I am sure they will be along the lines of... 

What the heck!? This thing is way bigger and heavier than I had expected. It is going to be a monster to get control of. I can’t even hold it up with one foot to mount!? What in the world did I get myself into. I sold my car for this??? My wife is inevitably going to be saying, I told you so. Oh boy. Does anyone want to buy a new Sherman with a couple of dings and nicks from a few slight falls? 

Lol. I truly can’t wait though. I will be recording all of my initial thoughts and reactions in my personal notes and then I will transfer them over to here as soon as I can. 

Hopefully it will come soon!!! Jason at eWheels said they are hoping to get it shipped mid/end of November. I already have my yoga mat ready to be duck taped on like a noob so I don’t scratch I all up

[rockclmbrmike]

You will do great. Just remember, anything worth doing is worth the risk in doing it! 

[Benjaminjhobbs]

So... any vote on if I should record it or not? I haven’t done any recording so it would probably be a hideous video but it might be fun to see my first attempt or so 

Jason at eWheels said they were delayed coming in the LA imports but he is hoping still sometime this week or next (shipping to me should take about two days) so it is any time now 

[Benjaminjhobbs]

So.... it finally came! 

Honestly I couldn’t be more thrilled. It arrive yesterday at around 2pm, just in time enough for me to pad it up and get it ready for my first training outing! 

Initial Impressions

 It’s funny, everyone mentiones how large, sturdy, and beefy it looks in person. After watching pretty much every YouTube video there is out there on the Sherman, I wasn’t expecting this aspect to come into play. Yet even still, the second I opened the top and saw the trolley handle, I was struck by just how beefy and large it looked; unwieldy to say the least and that was while it was still in the box! I got my dad completely hooked and he is planning to buy his in a couple of weeks. With his excitement, I couldn’t help but invite him over to have him watch the unboxing. He thought the same. So much anger in person! That wheel though... it is amazing. When you only have one wheel, you want it to be large and able to take to the road well and it definitely looked beefy enough to do just that! I proceeded to turn it on and as noobes who know nothing of EUC’s outside of YouTube, for the next ten minutes my dad and I just marveled at the self balancing nature of the device! Holding each roll bar from the drop and moving it forward and backward, the sensation is definitely differen’t from anything else. I had ridden a hoverboard before but the size and true vehicle nature of the Sherman made this self balancing sensation all the more intriguing. So sensitive. These comments are of course only applicable to those who have never encountered an EUC in person. All others can move along 😆

 

Initial Ride

 I am one of those guys who learned to ride a bicycle without training wheels when I was 2 years old. I have always had a good sense of balance but being wise I didn’t want to enter into the sport with any sort of confidence. No need to be that guy... so I tried to keep a level head, recognizing that I have never even seen one in person and to approach such a new thing with beginners confidence was just foolish. So there I was, my wheel all wrapped in a cut up yoga mat and some mounted motorcycle sliders, ready to take a fall. I took it to the church across my street with a large parking lot and some cement pillars about 5 feet apart. I started mounting, dismounting and repeating while holding the wall about a dozen times. Then, while holding the wall I started going forward and back (repeat). After a few minutes I said... heck with it let’s go, and went from one pole to the next. That was awesome.... again and again and I soon found myself riding. By the end of 10 minutes I rode it back across the street to my watching wife as she was genuinely thankful that I learned to ride (as she was concerned I might never lol and just wasted all my money from my recently sold car... yes I sold my car for the Sherman... lol). Long story short, the attached video is my last ride of my first day after about thirty minutes. Honestly, I don’t think I can take much credit! I have ridden a hoverboard in the past and although completely different, I was prepared for the sensitivity of a self balancing device and the importance of the slightest bit of weight distribution. Secondly, I truly think although the weight is unwieldy and just today (day two) I am practicing going slow and gaining control with tight turns, the large tire DEFFINITELY contributes to a fast learn. With that said, I can’t see why this isn’t the perfect wheel for a beginner! Lots of room for me to grow, obviously as I only have 7 miles now under my belt, but for day two I don’t think that’s too shabby! Hope you all enjoy. I can’ post a couple of the videos today I did practicing slow menuverability. 

 

 

[.....]

Congragts on the new wheel. THose sliders look like they would enjoy finding purchase ina  backside . The only reasons people say its not the perfect beginner wheel is

1) costs as much as a car

2)Heavier than some of us can safely lift

3)Fast enough to become part of vehicular homicide case

4)unproven design still in evolution

Even so, its a damn good wheel and if none of those things bothers you, its a GREAT learner wheel. Give yourself some time to settle into the sickness and youll have some other wheels to make comparisons with. I enjoy mine as its nice to know I have a long range weapon in my arsenal. Most times I'm not looking for 35mph+ or great distances, and thats when OTHER wheels come in handy. See, Im already giving you excuses to tell your wife and why you need more than one.

[Tawpie]

I hope those sliders don't stab you if the Sherman crashes into you, wheels tend to follow you when you go down. You might think about something a little blunter, baby bumpers protect well.

[RetroThruster]

I feel lucky to have had a place to take lessons using their wheel before I rode my shiny new 16x, dropped their wheel probably 15 times at least before I could navigate around the big room we were in, I felt like a newborn calf learning to stand up and walk...

[Benjaminjhobbs]

21 minutes ago, RetroThruster said:

I feel lucky to have had a place to take lessons using their wheel before I rode my shiny new 16x, dropped their wheel probably 15 times at least before I could navigate around the big room we were in, I felt like a newborn calf learning to stand up and walk..

Lol that is hilarious. I wish I had such a luxury. Thankfully I actually haven’t dropped it yet but I know it is a matter of time. But now I am over the initial learning curve and can ride it around the block and comfortably steer and such, I will take of the yoga mat wrap lol. 

18 hours ago, Tawpie said:

I hope those sliders don't stab you if the Sherman crashes into you, wheels tend to follow you when you go down. You might think about something a little blunter, baby bumpers protect well.

They already have 😂 I had to change the angle of them while I was learning because it was hitting my leg of I had to bail strange and catch the wheel. Now that I am acquainted enough I probably will keep them on still... I can’t help to imagine it getting all scratched up. By the time I am experienced enough to be going 30mph+ I will definitely take them off. They are at such an angle because when combined with the back it protects the front, back, AND sides from hitting the ground. 

19 hours ago, ShanesPlanet said:

Congragts on the new wheel. THose sliders look like they would enjoy finding purchase ina  backside . The only reasons people say its not the perfect beginner wheel is

1) costs as much as a car

2)Heavier than some of us can safely lift

3)Fast enough to become part of vehicular homicide case

4)unproven design still in evolution

Even so, its a damn good wheel and if none of those things bothers you, its a GREAT learner wheel. Give yourself some time to settle into the sickness and youll have some other wheels to make comparisons with. I enjoy mine as its nice to know I have a long range weapon in my arsenal. Most times I'm not looking for 35mph+ or great distances, and thats when OTHER wheels come in handy. See, Im already giving you excuses to tell your wife and why you need more than one.

Lol I know they make my Sherman look like a bull but I can’t help but keep it protected. I will probably take them off eventually when I am more comfortable but I am already cursing around the block! Have about 15 miles under my belt from the first two days. As far as the wheel, I totally agree with the cost and the weight** for lifting. Outside of lifting, I think the weight and speed are plus’s points. For me, though it can go 50mph+ the fact you can set your beeps and tilt back at anything, say 14 like I have it now, makes it so versatile. I can keep it at 14 until I ride about 100 miles which is my plan, and then bump it up 5mph/10mph every 100miles. That way a few hundred miles down the road I don’t outgrow the wheel, just change the settings. As far as the weight, it definitely made my dominant right foot very sore and took a while to learn how to keep it up right, but it has undoubtedly contributed to my quick learning. It makes it so planted that mounting doesn’t alter the wheels angle even if I have my balance off a bit. So much so that I am already starting to learn how to mount with my non-dominant foot. I think the wheel is so heavy that it takes it a bit to throw it off center and make for an improper mount (if that makes sense). That combined with the super fat wheel and I wouldn’t be surprised if most beginners are rolling down the parking lot in 10 minutes or so like myself. My wife read this with me and rightfully rolled her eyes lol. It was bad enough I already sold my only commuter car for the Sherman let alone buying more! We will see 😂 I definitely have already begun getting sick.... 

[Tawpie]

1 hour ago, Benjaminjhobbs said:

I am already cursing around the block

Not too loudly I hope, the general public already views us with a bit of suspicion.

[Benjaminjhobbs]

35 minutes ago, Tawpie said:

Not too loudly I hope, the general public already views us with a bit of suspicion.

What do you mean by loudly? Definitely not fast as of yet (tilt back at 14mph for now) and definitely not with blaring music or any other hooligan business. That is honestly one of my biggest concerns with the EUC community. U-Stride has talked about it well. We have the opportunity right now to keep this an unregulated hobby. But if we, as a community, don’t stay out of the public eye or are known for shooting down a walkway with people going 45mph, that will quickly change. I definitely won’t be contributing for to the problem I will tell you that much. The more people don’t know of us the better. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy sharing with others the joy and fun of the EUC but I think you know what I mean. 

[.....]

14 minutes ago, Benjaminjhobbs said:

The more people don’t know of us the better. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy sharing with others the joy and fun of the EUC but I think you know what I mean. 

I agree with your sentiment about remaining in the shadows so we can enjoy the hobby. Unfortunately, there's the other side of the crew. A lot of people want EUC's to become popular, as they believe its popularity spur legalization that favors the euc. Theres also the assumption that popularity brings money and money brings quality. Im not sure about that either, as once it becomes popular, the expense may increase as the companies now have outside forces regulating the manufacture and specs. Me, I'm the kind that believes the public will enforce laws against us at first.  Who knows how it will go, but thankfully in the USA, we have bigger things to focus on for now.

"cursing"

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/cursing

picking fun at your typo.

No need to clarify, we know what you meant, but its to poke fun. I'm glad its not at my expense.

Edited December 30, 2020 by ShanesPlanet

[Tawpie]

 It’s poking a little bit of fun at auto-correct but also I’ve had things like “hot &@#+* this *#@?! is so %*&$# fun, I am so @!%#ing glad I bought this $*!?@$er” running around in my head. I try say those words to myself. No offense intended!