jamiebishop1982 Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 Hey Folks Been lurking for a while and now ready to get one of the new gearless mtens. Do you think it will be more difficult to pick up than a larger wheel or roughly the same learning curve? I've done all sorts of board sports, flyboarding so my balance is pretty good to start with... Would be good to hear your thoughts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimlet Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 The new M10 is great fun and exceedingly manoeuvrable if a little twitchy. The main thing that will make it a little more difficult to learn on is the contact point on your leg is a bit lower so it puts more pressure and therefore more bruises on your legs. This can be prevented by wearing shin pads turned to the inside but there will still be more pressure which will make it more difficult to ride one footed and therefore more difficult to mount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StridAst Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 I learned on a 12 inch and now mostly ride a 14 inch. smaller means more bruises. But you could still learn on it. good balance helps, but it's like learning how to ride a bike, you have to learn to balance and move at the same time, when your brain wants to balance first THEN move, which wont work. Learning takes a while, don't expect to be able to pull it off right off the bat. It took me a good 15-20 min to be able to ride 10 feet. and I had bruises on my shins for the first 2 weeks. Once I could stay up on it, I found I needed to build up some muscles I don't use much. (same muscles you would use skiing mostly) Once you build up muscles and then muscle memory, it's as easy as riding a bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adi Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 the problem with smaller wheels is that the smaller they are the more you'd feel road bumps. If your sidewalks are perfectly smooth, go for it. But if not, or if a cone/small stone decides to show up and you cant avoid it... I wouldnt go smaller than my current 14 in, and my next wheel is definitely going to be 16 or 18 in, and my Canadian city has great trails - just that city sidewalks are not all same, the curb edge can be steeper especially in older neighborhoods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Eucist Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 I actually think the smaller the wheel (within reason) the quicker you learn. It forces you to immediately tackle the balance dynamics, quickly build "muscle memory" and get it over with. Bigger wheels make you go fast so that the gyroscopic effect keeps you upright but you may not learn the left/right balance dynamics as quickly. This is based on my experience with the Geared Gotway 10 inch (not the new gearless one). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamiebishop1982 Posted April 12, 2015 Author Share Posted April 12, 2015 Cool thanks guys. Main reason for going small is that I would need to carry it for some of the journey I am planning to use it for so going on the basis lighter would be better as will also have a laptop in the bag which isn't the lightest of things either! I can always get bigger later if it's not too much of an issue but didn't want to get a bigger one if I could use the smaller one as I would only be riding about 1.5 mile on it when I do the journey unless using for fun when I might go longer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimlet Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 Whilst I love the 10" I would say that despite being small it is not the easiest wheel to carry. Unfortunately the price you pay for having flat pedals is that they do not fold in quite so flat and neatly as the wheels with split pedals. They stick out a little and catch both the side of your leg and anything you are passing in narrow corridors or crowded spaces. Also the one on the side the wire goes into the motor is held away from the magnetic retainer by the power wire so it does have a tenancy to fall back down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Eucist Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 Also the one on the side the wire goes into the motor is held away from the magnetic retainer by the power wire so it does have a tenancy to fall back down. Velcro works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimlet Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 Velcro works. Velcro would only work if it made contact. There's about an 8 - 12mm gap depending on how hard you squash the wire, which I don't think is a good idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Eucist Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 Velcro would only work if it made contact. There's about an 8 - 12mm gap depending on how hard you squash the wire, which I don't think is a good idea. I just checked my Mten1 and you are right. I've velcroed an MCM before and it worked great because I put the velcro on the "middle of the pedal gap" part so one wouldn't step on the velcro while riding. Yet it's flush when folded up (both sides). On the Mten there is no such gap since it's a flat pedal so one would have to step on the velcro while riding. Then there's the gap (different kind of gap) you were talking about on one side of the Mten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimlet Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 Quite a design flaw. I'm thinking of maybe grinding a small slot or indentation for the wire to fit into in order to prevent it getting damaged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamiebishop1982 Posted April 12, 2015 Author Share Posted April 12, 2015 Sound quite a design flaw, does anyone know the width with the pedals up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimlet Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 Just checked and it's 23cm/9" from the outside of the hinges and even if I grind some clearance to stop the wire from fowling the hinge has still got a stand off that will stop it from folding in flush. I also measured my other eucs and the M18 is 20cm/8" and my IPS132's are only 18cm/7" from the outside of the hinges and even if I grind some clearance to stop the wire from fowling the hinge has still got a stand off that will stop it from folding in flush. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Clegg Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 I have found that people learn just as fast, and in many cases faster, on a the M10 compared to 16" solowheel or 14" gotway. So learning curve won't be an issue. I agree with the other posters that, even though it is very light, it doesn't actually pack very small because of the way the pedals stick out and don't fold away as much as I would like. This means its doesn't really fix in the normal sized backpack (with better designed pedals I think it would). The other downside, as mentioned above also, is that if you use it for commuting you will have to pay more attention to the terrain. Smaller wheel == smaller bumps cause you trouble. I mostly use my m10 on flat ground although I've commuted on it about 8 times now without issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shady Tools Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Just checked and it's 23cm/9" from the outside of the hinges and even if I grind some clearance to stop the wire from fowling the hinge has still got a stand off that will stop it from folding in flush. I also measured my other eucs and the M18 is 20cm/8" and my IPJust checked and it's 23cm/9" from the outside of the hinges and even if I grind some clearance to stop the wire from fowling the hinge has still got a stand off that will stop it from folding in flush. I also measured my other eucs and the M18 is 20cm/8" and my IPS132's are only 18cm/7". I guess it's 8" wide with the pedals closed & about 18"/20" deep, due to the wheel? I'm looking for a way of carrying mine once it arrives. P.S How long did shipping take with you? I checked our messages& it appeared to be about 4 days once the money cleared. I had confirmation of receipt of the money after about a day. Was hoping to get it between Thurs or latest Fri next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimlet Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Jane posted mine on the Friday and I got the customs bill from DHL the same day. It hit customs at Heathrow at 07.00 on bank holiday Monday morning and they were delivered mid day Tuesday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shady Tools Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 I just think it's going to be a big difference - looking forward to commuting up the hill to work, rather than dreading the ride on my bike. The pedometer on my watch registers an average of 12 miles per shift anyway so I figure I'm doing enough exercise. Plus when I have an hour break, I lose 20 minutes of it, riding home & back so I can grab a few minutes with the missus & kids. Being home faster & able to leave later will pay for the wheel alone within a year or so lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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