New Rider. Sharing opinions of EUCs vs other PEVs

[UniGrad]

Hey everyone. Glad to finally get here 

I’m kind of a new rider. I bought a KS16x about 4 months ago as my first EUC and wanted to share my experiences so far.

First off I’ll mention that I first rode escooters for a year then eskates for a year before even considering an EUC. Any 1 wheeled device seemed so strange and super dangerous 

Now that I’m a proficient rider I will definitely say that EUCs are a lot safer than escooters. At least the one I had (Dualtron Raptor). And a lot safer than eskates too.
I actually broke my arm on an escooter thanks to a tiny bump on the bike path. The handlebars twisted 90 degrees on me, front tyre was suddenly going 0 km/h while the rear tyre was still moving. The result was my face being launched into the ground like an axe. So I put my arms out to save myself and broke one of them. Eskates are much better than escooters in this respect (if you are okay at riding them). Because they don’t have the problem of the handlebar twisting and stopping the front wheel dead.

I will say one thing though, if you were able to ride the escooter making sure to hold the handlebars super tight 100% of the time, it would be the safest of the 3. But no one rides like that because it's super uncomfortable. And every time you loosen up and relax your grip, you’re rolling the dice on a scooter 

Just 1 tiny bump and you could find your head travelling straight downward into the ground at breakneck speed. Once that stark realization hit I decided I’ll never ride one again. And haven't since.

The funny thing is that I was only going like 20km/h when I broke my arm on the dualtron scooter. The bump on the bike path that caused it is still there to this day and I can go straight over it at over 40km/h with either of my EUCs (no pedestrians in sight) barely getting airborne. The bump is pathetic. It would take a bump 5x larger to try and knock over an EUC (with an experienced rider ofcourse).

Okay so here’s how I started riding EUCs. Got my 16x and learned to ride it in about an hour and immediately went to the shops on it to buy some groceries. I thought “omg these things are super tiring and sketchy”. Felt like a nightmare getting back home and I was kind of regretting the purchase. I couldn’t even turn my head without veering straight off my path and almost falling off. And couldn’t go more than 20km/h without wobbling hard and getting scared. Then my 16x barely got used for like 2 weeks.
And I was thinking “lucky I’ve got my eskate, those things are way more stable”.
Another thought that crossed my mind was anyone going 40+km/h on an EUC is a Darwin Award nominee for sure.

But then slowly, slowly, slowly…….the EUC worked it’s magic spell. I started going on more commutes and started to realize that I’m not getting any wobbles at any speed. Then once I was able to turn on a dime, the EUC just beat the eskate right out of the water. There was no comparison anymore. And the EUC accelerates from the traffic lights like a freakin 250cc motorbike or a 200 horsepower car. I still can't comprehend how these little things are just so damn savage. Makes riding the eskates feel like riding on sleeping goats. And it brakes super hard too.

Then I very quickly racked up about 1500km on the 16x then got a flat tyre so I bought a Sherman. I'm not rich just stupid. I wanted one so bad anyway so I got one.

First thoughts upon riding the Sherman were “omg why did I get this damn tank, it feels like a bloody boat for goodness sake”
But it started feeling more and more nimble. After about 200km it almost felt as nimble as the 16x and I could also turn on a dime with it (180 pivot on the spot). And was actually better at fast cornering (apart form the low pedals) because the weight allows the wheel to lean in a stable manner. The 16x needs much finer control in a hard lean.

I was riding the Sherman like 100km every day and didn’t touch the 16x at all. Not once. Was loving the Sherm. Was able to ride it on the sand at the beach at over 50km/h which would be completely absurd on the 16x. I was riding all over town. But then after 1200km, the Sherman motor started making this really worrying and strange sound (I recorded it too) so now I don’t ride it anymore. Super sad.

Got back on my 16x and thought WOW!!!!!!!!! This thing feels like a toy made out of paper. So weird. It’s not really that much lighter yet it feels like 10 times lighter. So easy to throw around into corners and it just flaps about so readily from side to side. It was unnerving because I would try to turn gently and the thing would turn super hard almost veering off the road.

But I quickly got used to it again (within a day) and now I’m a better rider from the experience of riding the Sherman. The 16x now feels like a super duper nimble beast. I freakin love it so much. And then I realized I was able to drift on it (on gravel and dirt). You know, like sideways slides. I’m starting to practice and get the hang of shorter slides (10 feet or less). But it’s so much harder than drifting a bike or a car. I think it would take many years of practice to be able to reliably do long slides on an EUC around corners (like a rally car )

It feels a lot like doing a sideways stop on ice skates. Like when you spray ice. But seemingly a lot more difficult.
I would like to hear people's thoughts about drifting/sliding on an EUC as I haven't been able to find any discussions about this.

Well that's all for now. Hope that wasn’t too too long. Looking forward to getting my next EUC and can’t wait to see what comes out next year.

And I never want to stop riding these. The combination pleasure and utility is simply irresistible. I needed to move some long pieces of timber that were too long to fit in my van. So the 50 lb EUC had to show the 3000 lb van who's boss. And the timber was delivered to the site. I was super careful though making sure to avoid pedestrians and other vehicles.

And during busy traffic, the EUC can pretty much get me across the city in the time It'd take my car to get through a single traffic light 

Okay maybe a slight exaggeration but not so far off.

[Scottie888]

Welcome to the forum. Awesome story & thanks for sharing.

I too 'upgraded' from escoots to wheels. Can't say that its safer but it certainly is more practical as a commuting device & definitely more challenging to ride. It my current drug of choice to combat the crazy lockdowns for sure.

Anyhoos enjoy yourself & stay safe.

[UniGrad]

3 minutes ago, Scottie888 said:

Welcome to the forum. Awesome story & thanks for sharing.

I too 'upgraded' from escoots to wheels. Can't say that its safer but it certainly is more practical as a commuting device & definitely more challenging to ride. It my current drug of choice to combat the crazy lockdowns for sure.

Anyhoos enjoy yourself & stay safe.

Hey Scottie. Thanks for the warm welcome

"Upgraded" is definitely the right word 

Yeah it could be the scooter I had. The Dualtron Raptor has 8 inch tyres and mine could reach 60km/h. Crazy stuff. But then again I broke my arm at only 20km/h on it.
I've never used a scooter with bigger tyres so couldn't compare with those like the Dualtron Thunder ect. But I strongly believe that as long as the EUC doesn't malfunction, and you ride carefully, it is very hard to be knocked off one of these things (not accounting for bad drivers or mad dogs and pedestrians of course. That's another issue).

Whereas on a scooter, you can easily be taken down by a rock or tree branch that would be totally insignificant for an EUC. And rocks/branches are everywhere. Whereas EUC malfunctions are extremely rare which is why I feel so much safer now riding an EUC.

They are more challenging to ride but that only really makes them more dangerous during the learning phase. I believe they become safer and safer the more you ride them. Like when I first got mine I thought that it felt way too dangerous and I'd have said the exact opposite to what I've been saying. But now my perceptions are completely reversed and I don't see myself riding a scooter again.

Speaking of mad dogs, not too long ago I had a large dog full on charge at me from the side as I approached it 

The dog didn't stop until it rammed my EUC so hard that it made a loud banging sound and the dog bounced off. It didn't knock me off the EUC. I just wobbled a bit. I was riding the Sherman at the time. I was very worried for the dog. But the dog got up and was fine. Hopefully that's the last time that dog pulls such a stunt. But this showed me how sturdy these things are because on a scooter or a bike that would have easily been a dramatic take down. I mean I've never seen a dog charge at anyone/anything like that and make contact. Completely out of its mind. I think these EUCs look like toys to them. Like those fake moving rabbits used for greyhound racing dogs.

[Kurtosis]

I'm always super tense when I approach dogs because you don't know which ones are going to flip out and go after you and which owners are not going to have a tight enough hold on the leash.

[UniGrad]

9 minutes ago, Kurtosis said:

I'm always super tense when I approach dogs because you don't know which ones are going to flip out and go after you and which owners are not going to have a tight enough hold on the leash.

Me too. On bike trails I always slow down to walking pace around not only dogs but also people. Doesn't matter what age. The reason I do this is because I feel like I'm giving EUCs a good name by doing this since I'm like the only rider anywhere around here. And I think cyclists are super careless going right by people at top speed. So when people see me slow down to walking pace they're really grateful and usually smile or say thanks.

I don't mind slowing down because I love braking and accelerating. And whenever possible I will swerve right off the bike path onto the grass or dirt in order to pass pedestrians without going near them at all. I also don't mind doing this because it's even more fun.

I get why cyclists do it though since they work hard for their momentum and having to brake for each pedestrian would suck big time. But to risk other people's lives for this? I dunno. Maybe they'd be wise to stick to the roads if they can't brake for people and dogs ect.

With this dog incident I was actually on the beach. So my path of travel was completely clear and the dog was far enough off to the side. Then as I continued riding the dog just started sprinting in a direction so as to intercept me. So I slowed down a bit and the dog readjusted it's heading and kept sprinting at me until it hit the Sherman.

The only way to avoid it would have been to accelerate away from the dog, or to completely stop early on and flee in the opposite direction. But instead I decided to slow down and the dog got me. I never would have thought it was gonna do that.

[.....]

I went the other way. Euc then scooter. To be fair, my 10" tire suspension scooter can do 40mph and its scary but not impossible. I could not even fathom doing 40mph on a 10" mten (not that it can). You're comparing a 16 and 19" wheel to an 8" wheel on a scoot. I dont know which I would say is safer. Given similar sized tires and similar time riding scoot and euc, it may be a toss up. I do know which i prefer tho... my 18" euc, hands down. I too enjoy the Sherman, but there's a lot more to ride quality, than bumps. Locksong nailed the power curves and pedal behavior imho! I ignore a dog. If he gets in my way, I guess I get to see how well I ride thru it. Typically the dogs stop short. If they didnt, a car would have won that game long ago.

Thanks for the share, euc's are a world of fun for sure!

Edited November 28, 2020 by ShanesPlanet

[Scottie888]

30 minutes ago, ShanesPlanet said:

I went the other way. Euc then scooter. To be fair, my 10" tire suspension scooter can do 40mph and its scary but not impossible. I could not even fathom doing 40mph on a 10" mten (not that it can).

If my Mten3 can do 40mph, it would be akin to Marty riding his hoverboard. It would be scary as heck but man, it would be a RIDE! The lil' Mten is already my fav wheel as is.

[UniGrad]

Hey ShanesPlanet. Seen a bunch of your posts and I'm a fan

55 minutes ago, ShanesPlanet said:

You're comparing a 16 and 19" wheel to an 8" wheel on a scoot

True but that's the trend. Most EUCs have much larger tyres than most scoots. Which makes sense because if you tried making a scoot with EUC tyres you'd have something about as cumbersome as a motorcycle

59 minutes ago, ShanesPlanet said:

Given similar sized tires and similar time riding scoot and euc, it may be a toss up

I definitely think the scoot would win there. And I agree with what you say with the mten3 vs the 10 inch scooter going 40mph. The mten3 rider would be toast

1 hour ago, ShanesPlanet said:

Typically the dogs stop short

Yeah I've had quite a few that charged and stopped at the last moment. But this dog was determined

[Scottie]

3 hours ago, UniGrad said:

I mean I've never seen a dog charge at anyone/anything like that and make contact. Completely out of its mind. I think these EUCs look like toys to them. Like those fake moving rabbits used for greyhound racing dogs.

What a nice read! Welcome to the forum again.

Dogs! ... I think there is something extra going on there than what happens with normal bicycles. I don't recall dogs paying any extra attention to me a I've ridden bicycles throughout my life. But then I got an electric assist bicycle and started to notice how much they noticed me! And when I ride by houses I have noticed that EUCs seem to get dogs agitated when they are inside their owners house, even though they don't see me. Often when I hear one having a tantrum in a house I would look at the windows to see if a dog spotted me through a window, but I have never seen one in a window. It seems that they hear the EUC motor and the sound alone sets them off, which could explain why the same thing happens with an electric bicycle. When I approach a pedestrian walking a dog on a leash, I also slow down to make sure they see me and give them time to pull the dog closer. Most of the time the dog is usually well behaved in those situations. I was once charged by a very small dog (uneventful) and was glad that it was not a large dog.

Edited November 28, 2020 by Scottie

[Simply_Striking]

1 hour ago, Scottie said:

What a nice read! Welcome to the forum again.

Dogs! ... I think there is something extra going on there than what happens with normal bicycles. I don't recall dogs paying any extra attention to me a I've ridden bicycles throughout my life. But then I got an electric assist bicycle and started to notice how much they noticed me! And when I ride by houses I have noticed that EUCs seem to get dogs agitated when they are inside their owners house, even though they don't see me. Often when I hear one having a tantrum in a house I would look at the windows to see if a dog spotted me through a window, but I have never seen one in a window. It seems that they hear the EUC motor and the sound alone sets them off, which could explain why the same thing happens with an electric bicycle. When I approach a pedestrian walking a dog on a leash, I also slow down to make sure they see me and give them time to pull the dog closer. Most of the time the dog is usually well behaved in those situations. I was once charged by a very small dog (uneventful) and was glad that it was not a large dog.

My dog absolutely hates my Gotway RS but doesn't mind my OneWheel. When ever she sees the OW she is happy because I sometimes walk her with it. As soon as I turn on the RS on the other hand she just looses her mind, she gets a little aggressive, (not the playful aggressive) or scared. Mind you the RS is a lot louder than the OW so noise may the issue. 

[mike_bike_kite]

Maybe she doesn't like walking at 35mph?

[meepmeepmayer]

4 minutes ago, mike_bike_kite said:

Maybe she doesn't like walking at 35mph?

[UniGrad]

11 hours ago, Scottie said:

It seems that they hear the EUC motor and the sound alone sets them off, which could explain why the same thing happens with an electric bicycle.

That's very interesting and I think you're onto something. Dogs can hear high pitched sounds outside of the audible human range so that could well be it.

I also believe that the shape of the EUC and the way it moves may be another factor. I think the way it glides also grabs their attention or motivates them to go in for a charge. Could be their predatory instinct that drives them.