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Help a 61 year old with a choice of his 1st EUC


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21 minutes ago, Paulo Mesquita said:

Thanks for the input. I think an 18" wheel would be a too big boot for my foot, both experience and investment wise. 

From what i've heard the overall wheels dimensions should not be too different?

21 minutes ago, Paulo Mesquita said:

Can you give me some clarificatuon, please? I have no idea what " tilt back" speed means in this context od EUCs.

All wheels tilt back at some settable maxum speed. Only begode(gotway) allows to disable this.

So at some maximum speed the pedals tilt back so thr wheel gets about unridable.

It's very recommended to set this tiltback speed to lowet values to get used to it and not getting surprised at ~4x km/h once tiltback kicks in!

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“Tilt back” is what you feel when the wheel decides you’re going too fast. The wheel is trying to make you slow down by making the front of the pedals “rise”, which tilts you backwards. KS is very conservative when it comes to letting you go fast (they refuse to let you go as fast as maybe the wheel could possibly go), and if you’re a speed demon you won’t be terribly pleased.

But I am super happy with mine, it’s been a great learning wheel, is plenty fast enough for my (current) taste, is at home off road and in the snow, and hasn’t broken anything or caught on fire.

The only caution with KS is that you must buy from an authorized dealer. KS is locking wheels that were built expressly for the Chinese market and were supposed to stay in China. If the KS app thinks these China-only wheels are outside of China (usually because they were purchased on the gray market), the app will lock them. They will unlock a wheel that you can prove was properly purchased in China and was properly exported, so if you travel to Shenzhen to make your purchase be sure to keep your paperwork!

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4 hours ago, Paulo Mesquita said:

Shane, I now have a new need from your expertise and the expertise of all the other very kind and more experienced members that have been adding their valuable input to my learning.

SO HERE'S THE CHALLENGE O WISE ONES:

I talked again today with Sandra at MyEWheel (poor Sandra putting up with my inqusition) and after checking some online reviews and some specs I put to her the question if the Kingsong KS 16X would be a good alternative to the Tesla V3.

SO HERE ARE THE PROS AND CONS:

IN FAVOR:

- they have it for immediate shipping (for the Tesla I have an almost 2 month wait...and there's a general covid confinement starting at 00H00 tonight...for an entire month in Portugal

- I can order tomorrow and have with me in a week!

- wider wheel, better balance

- stronger body/casing

- overall better equipped 

- very good parts

- easy DIY's (like the Tesla)

- more comfortable... great for my aging legs!

 

AGAINST

- I have to dish out an extra €300

- the pedals are higher - 18cm - don't know if that's going to be a problem for my learning curve...

 

...SO HERE IT IS....ALL INSIGHTS, OPINIONS AND EXPERENCES WILL BE VERY HELPFUL!!!

THANK YOU ALL FOR READING!

I don't have 'expertise', i just happen to hang around here a lot. I havent ridden either the tesla or the 16x, so I cant comment with any authority about those 2 in particular. I do know that you need not worry about the height increase being an issue with learning, much at all. ALL wheels are gna have a tough learning curve when you first begin riding. Once you get past that first stage, you won't find height differences to be a factor in difficutly. I step from my mten to my sherman and even with such big differences, the basics are exactly the same. Of course the mten requires a little more knee bend to mount and the sherm requires a little more muscle, but the muscle memory of riding is too similar to worry much about 2" or less difference as far as learning. My fav wheel is the KS18 series. I just came back from a ride on the sherm and found myself wishing I had grabbed the 18 instead. Most of my rides arent but a handful of miles around 20-25mph, so I find myself using the comfy wheel. Keep in mind, I only love the 18L most as it suits MY needs. Im a sucker for elegance and simplicity. 20-25mph is a GREAT cruising speed in the warm summer air. Speakers, trolley, perfect ergos for rides and walking it. Conservative tiltback and speeds. Yeah, i got lucky on my first and got it used for a steal. Some poor sap musta not had enough conviction, balance or time and sold it after 6 miles and 1 scratch :(. Keep in mind, im 6'3" tall, 130lbs and have criteria that may not mimic yours. From what I gather, the 16X is also very ergonomic to trolley. Kingsong has dialed in the power delivery and how these wheels behave, VERY well. I like to think of it as comfort class and they set the standard. If only locksong werent such ass**les about that geolocking shit, I'd have almost no complaints. FOr me, 'no complaints' is fairly impossible.

You have already compiled a list of pros and cons for yourself, so you are making it easier.  Look over that list and honestly, yuo can come to your own conclusions. Aside from worrying about height increase (tis not a worry, 16" is a great all around size, as is 18") it seems pretty clear to me. DO you KNOW that youll learn to ride or die trying, or is this some random idea and you are prone to walking away from ideas as fast as you get them? I totally understand saving $$ when you arent sure if you will like something. I also understand that if you aint got the cheddar, you simply aint got it. However, I also believe that if you are a person of conviction and don't admit defeat until it near kills you, investing in the best quality you can afford, only hurts until you make another paycheck. Saving money you didnt have to, will haunt you everytime you wonder.... should I have bought the other? I think you just need to take the plunge and buy one.

YOu are not alone, MANY people go back and forth and back and forth with their wheel dealers. IN the end, you just gotta pony up and go for it. I  choose my 18L as my research indicated it was a proven design and the specs just seemed right for me. I also didnt want to wonder if i should have bought a 'nice' wheel. I got it used as I KNEW i'd scratch and possible break it (oddly, it still looks marvelous! RollNZ ftw!) Both wheels you are asking about are not mere toys, so you need not worry. The 16x wasnt out when i began, and it took a revision or two for KS to get it dailed in anyhow. I hear that they have now and its a solid contender. As long as you arent buying shit that is junk and way too small, your riding enjoyment will be exactly that, enjoyable. If you dont enjoy riding on a REAL wheel, you wont wonder at least. If you buy junk and dont like it, you may misunderstand the entire thing and be putoff because of hardware failure, yet youll assume its just you or the activity in general. SInce you are buying 'real' wheels from a trusted seller, your risk is about as small as it can be.

PIck one bro, spend as much as you can. Get a cover for it, and live/love/glide! Don't pace back and forth too much. The biggest decision is... do I spend a ton of money and become one of the elite euc riders, or do I sit around on the fence wondering....wondering...wondering? No matter what you choose, you will more than likely buy another wheel in the future. Dont look at this as the ONE AND ONLY chance to buy a wheel. No wheel is perfect, we all have different needs and tastes. You just gotta roll those dice and let the games begin!  Honestly, I am so excited for you. I can tell that you are REALLY wanting to learn this and fear wasting $$ or making bad choices. To me, it seems you've done the due diligence, youve come to terms that this may be costly, and you're gathering the nuts to accept a small amount of risk in hopes of great rewards. Nothing left to do but roll baby roll! Cmon 7... no snake eyes!

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1 hour ago, Chriull said:

From what i've heard the overall wheels dimensions should not be too different?

All wheels tilt back at some settable maxum speed. Only begode(gotway) allows to disable this.

So at some maximum speed the pedals tilt back so thr wheel gets about unridable.

It's very recommended to set this tiltback speed to lowet values to get used to it and not getting surprised at ~4x km/h once tiltback kicks in!

Got it, thanks. I'm really not a speedster and don't plan to turn into one :-). So the tilt back is just a safety factory measure. Does it make you fall? I ask because you netion it becomes unridable.

 

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54 minutes ago, Tawpie said:

“Tilt back” is what you feel when the wheel decides you’re going too fast. The wheel is trying to make you slow down by making the front of the pedals “rise”, which tilts you backwards. KS is very conservative when it comes to letting you go fast (they refuse to let you go as fast as maybe the wheel could possibly go), and if you’re a speed demon you won’t be terribly pleased.

But I am super happy with mine, it’s been a great learning wheel, is plenty fast enough for my (current) taste, is at home off road and in the snow, and hasn’t broken anything or caught on fire.

The only caution with KS is that you must buy from an authorized dealer. KS is locking wheels that were built expressly for the Chinese market and were supposed to stay in China. If the KS app thinks these China-only wheels are outside of China (usually because they were purchased on the gray market), the app will lock them. They will unlock a wheel that you can prove was properly purchased in China and was properly exported, so if you travel to Shenzhen to make your purchase be sure to keep your paperwork!

Thanks for the input. No worries about the dealer origin. I'm buying from MyEWheel. They seem to be the most credible distributor of major brands in the EU. And this was something I am particularly keen on, since EUCs aren't that common here in Portugal and I want the assurance that I have good tech support, spare parts, easy DIYs, etc.

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24 minutes ago, ShanesPlanet said:

I don't have 'expertise', i just happen to hang around here a lot. I havent ridden either the tesla or the 16x, so I cant comment with any authority about those 2 in particular. I do know that you need not worry about the height increase being an issue with learning, much at all. ALL wheels are gna have a tough learning curve when you first begin riding. Once you get past that first stage, you won't find height differences to be a factor in difficutly. I step from my mten to my sherman and even with such big differences, the basics are exactly the same. Of course the mten requires a little more knee bend to mount and the sherm requires a little more muscle, but the muscle memory of riding is too similar to worry much about 2" or less difference as far as learning. My fav wheel is the KS18 series. I just came back from a ride on the sherm and found myself wishing I had grabbed the 18 instead. Most of my rides arent but a handful of miles around 20-25mph, so I find myself using the comfy wheel. Keep in mind, I only love the 18L most as it suits MY needs. Im a sucker for elegance and simplicity. 20-25mph is a GREAT cruising speed in the warm summer air. Speakers, trolley, perfect ergos for rides and walking it. Conservative tiltback and speeds. Yeah, i got lucky on my first and got it used for a steal. Some poor sap musta not had enough conviction, balance or time and sold it after 6 miles and 1 scratch :(. Keep in mind, im 6'3" tall, 130lbs and have criteria that may not mimic yours. From what I gather, the 16X is also very ergonomic to trolley. Kingsong has dialed in the power delivery and how these wheels behave, VERY well. I like to think of it as comfort class and they set the standard. If only locksong werent such ass**les about that geolocking shit, I'd have almost no complaints. FOr me, 'no complaints' is fairly impossible.

You have already compiled a list of pros and cons for yourself, so you are making it easier.  Look over that list and honestly, yuo can come to your own conclusions. Aside from worrying about height increase (tis not a worry, 16" is a great all around size, as is 18") it seems pretty clear to me. DO you KNOW that youll learn to ride or die trying, or is this some random idea and you are prone to walking away from ideas as fast as you get them? I totally understand saving $$ when you arent sure if you will like something. I also understand that if you aint got the cheddar, you simply aint got it. However, I also believe that if you are a person of conviction and don't admit defeat until it near kills you, investing in the best quality you can afford, only hurts until you make another paycheck. Saving money you didnt have to, will haunt you everytime you wonder.... should I have bought the other? I think you just need to take the plunge and buy one.

YOu are not alone, MANY people go back and forth and back and forth with their wheel dealers. IN the end, you just gotta pony up and go for it. I  choose my 18L as my research indicated it was a proven design and the specs just seemed right for me. I also didnt want to wonder if i should have bought a 'nice' wheel. I got it used as I KNEW i'd scratch and possible break it (oddly, it still looks marvelous! RollNZ ftw!) Both wheels you are asking about are not mere toys, so you need not worry. The 16x wasnt out when i began, and it took a revision or two for KS to get it dailed in anyhow. I hear that they have now and its a solid contender. As long as you arent buying shit that is junk and way too small, your riding enjoyment will be exactly that, enjoyable. If you dont enjoy riding on a REAL wheel, you wont wonder at least. If you buy junk and dont like it, you may misunderstand the entire thing and be putoff because of hardware failure, yet youll assume its just you or the activity in general. SInce you are buying 'real' wheels from a trusted seller, your risk is about as small as it can be.

PIck one bro, spend as much as you can. Get a cover for it, and live/love/glide! Don't pace back and forth too much. The biggest decision is... do I spend a ton of money and become one of the elite euc riders, or do I sit around on the fence wondering....wondering...wondering? No matter what you choose, you will more than likely buy another wheel in the future. Dont look at this as the ONE AND ONLY chance to buy a wheel. No wheel is perfect, we all have different needs and tastes. You just gotta roll those dice and let the games begin!  Honestly, I am so excited for you. I can tell that you are REALLY wanting to learn this and fear wasting $$ or making bad choices. To me, it seems you've done the due diligence, youve come to terms that this may be costly, and you're gathering the nuts to accept a small amount of risk in hopes of great rewards. Nothing left to do but roll baby roll! Cmon 7... no snake eyes!

Shane, that does it. With your message I'm totally pumped up!!! I'm not the hesitating kind of guy. I usually get in a store and in 3 minutes find a pair of jeans and buy them. And to my wife's dismay I buy 3 pairs exactly the same, so that I don't have to bother for some time...and simply just because I like them. In the case of the EUCs, I needed to, in a very short time span, get to know as much as possible before I totally committed to a choice. You ands all the guys here have helped TONS!!! I totally understand your comment on buying something good and not trash, so that one doesn't give up easily. Why? I'm an experienced amateur astronomer and astrophotographer and I've seen the majority of people that buy telescopes, putting them aside and giving up on a beautiful hobby just because they bought junk!!! There is a very famous portuguese saying that goes: "cheap ends up being expensive". So you are 200% right. 

I've made up my mind and I really like the idea of getting the KS 16. I'm going now to transfer the extra €300 to MyEwheels paypal and send them an email tonight.

Thanks mate.

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21 minutes ago, Paulo Mesquita said:

Got it, thanks. I'm really not a speedster and don't plan to turn into one :-).

So the ks16x and ks18xl ate definitely an optuon for you!

21 minutes ago, Paulo Mesquita said:

So the tilt back is just a safety factory measure. Does it make you fall?

If it surprises you it could - so accustomize yourelf to it by setting it to low speeda were not really anything can happen.

... Once you have learned to ride a bit faster... 

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I highly recommend getting a protective cover from roll.nz (EUC Bodyguard). Besides protecting your wheel from the inevitable drops and crashes, it's a little 'grippy' so your legs don't slip around as much when you try to grip the wheel with your legs. The KS16 has very slippery "pads" (they're not really pads as much as they are decoration and an obnoxious way to keep the shell's screws from falling completely out and getting lost). It's not cheap, but it is totally worth it.

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1 hour ago, Chriull said:

So the ks16x and ks18xl ate definitely an optuon for you!

If it surprises you it could - so accustomize yourelf to it by setting it to low speeda were not really anything can happen.

... Once you have learned to ride a bit faster... 

Thanks, I'll do just that. I assume it can be done with an Android app? I have a Huawei mate pro 20...

1 hour ago, Tawpie said:

I highly recommend getting a protective cover from roll.nz (EUC Bodyguard). Besides protecting your wheel from the inevitable drops and crashes, it's a little 'grippy' so your legs don't slip around as much when you try to grip the wheel with your legs. The KS16 has very slippery "pads" (they're not really pads as much as they are decoration and an obnoxious way to keep the shell's screws from falling completely out and getting lost). It's not cheap, but it is totally worth it.

I'm already onto that. Checking out the roll.nz website right now

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5 hours ago, eucVibes said:

I think you should get a Sherman and get the zoom wheel brians seat, seated riding on the sherman is an awesome experience

Definitely not as the first wheel. It's a heavy beast and this could easily make it too hard and painful to learn. The bigger and heavier wheel, the worse your muscles and joints when starting with EUC. It requires specific muscles that are likely not in a good enough shape to handle this weight. And as one can expect pedals hitting the shins and ankles*, half-falls, desperate attempts to catch the wheel, and so on, every kilogram counts. 

*@Paulo Mesquita, you might get some makeshift ankle and shin protection so you don't get a bruise that keeps you for two weeks off the wheel when an integrated ankle breaker pedal hits your leg. No need to buy something special - even a high enough boot that you stuff with socks from the ankle up will do a big difference.

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1 hour ago, Zopper said:

Definitely not as the first wheel. It's a heavy beast and this could easily make it too hard and painful to learn. The bigger and heavier wheel, the worse your muscles and joints when starting with EUC. It requires specific muscles that are likely not in a good enough shape to handle this weight. And as one can expect pedals hitting the shins and ankles*, half-falls, desperate attempts to catch the wheel, and so on, every kilogram counts. 

*@Paulo Mesquita, you might get some makeshift ankle and shin protection so you don't get a bruise that keeps you for two weeks off the wheel when an integrated ankle breaker pedal hits your leg. No need to buy something special - even a high enough boot that you stuff with socks from the ankle up will do a big difference.

Great advice on the high boots and thick socks. I was thinking about how I'd protect my ankles. The other protective I already have. Thanks. 

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7 hours ago, eucVibes said:

I think you should get a Sherman and get the zoom wheel brians seat, seated riding on the sherman is an awesome experience

Haha. That a bit too much for this 61 year old guy. Baby steps is my thing... But thanks anyway, I might do that much later on. 

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@Paulo Mesquita You can reply to multiple posts at once, you don't need to make a new post for each one. Click on "quote" button under each post and it will insert the quote into your message.

Or select the text you want to quote (if you want to quote only part of the post) and a pop-up with "quote selection" will appear. 

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1 minute ago, Zopper said:

@Paulo Mesquita You can reply to multiple posts at once, you don't need to make a new post for each one. Click on "quote" button under each post and it will insert the quote into your message.

Or select the text you want to quote (if you want to quote only part of the post) and a pop-up with "quote selection" will appear. 

But I've only been quoting with the quote button. What am I doing wrong? 

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25 minutes ago, Paulo Mesquita said:

But I've only been quoting with the quote button. What am I doing wrong? 

Nothing.

@Zopperjust mentioned ways to "improve" your replies.

- one can select multiple posts for quoting at once with the plus signs beside the quote button

As @Zopper wrote on can insert multiple quotes while writing a reply by pressing again a quote button.

Same for selected text in posts - there appears a "quote selection' button.

So one can quote just the interesting part and not the whole post. Alternatively one can delete the not relevant parts of quotes.

 

 

Edited by Chriull
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2 hours ago, Zopper said:

@Paulo Mesquita, you might get some makeshift ankle and shin protection so you don't get a bruise that keeps you for two weeks off the wheel when an integrated ankle breaker pedal hits your leg. No need to buy something special - even a high enough boot that you stuff with socks from the ankle up will do a big difference.

 

42 minutes ago, Paulo Mesquita said:

Great advice on the high boots and thick socks. I was thinking about how I'd protect my ankles. The other protective I already have. Thanks. 

Paulo Mesquita, Might I direct you to my Ankle Armour thread. Those pedals can do real damage to your ankles, and you just know it's going to hit you again in just the same spot. I'm learning on a 14kg V8F. I can't imagine what would have happened if I'd been hit by a machine that was twice as heavy and twice as powerful. If you step off with the wrong foot when it's leaning the wrong way, it will drive around in an arc and attack you from behind!

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1 hour ago, Chriull said:

Nothing.

@Zopperjust mentioned ways to "improve" your replies.

- one can select multiple posts for quoting at once with the plus signs beside the quote button

As @Zopper wrote on can insert multiple quotes while writing a reply by pressing again a quote button.

Same for selected text in posts - there appears a "quote selection' button.

So one can quote just the interesting part and not the whole post. Alternatively one can delete the not relevant parts of quotes.

 

 

Got it. Thanks

 

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16 hours ago, Paulo Mesquita said:

Shane, that does it. With your message I'm totally pumped up!!! I'm not the hesitating kind of guy. I usually get in a store and in 3 minutes find a pair of jeans and buy them. And to my wife's dismay I buy 3 pairs exactly the same, so that I don't have to bother for some time...and simply just because I like them. In the case of the EUCs, I needed to, in a very short time span, get to know as much as possible before I totally committed to a choice. You ands all the guys here have helped TONS!!! I totally understand your comment on buying something good and not trash, so that one doesn't give up easily. Why? I'm an experienced amateur astronomer and astrophotographer and I've seen the majority of people that buy telescopes, putting them aside and giving up on a beautiful hobby just because they bought junk!!! There is a very famous portuguese saying that goes: "cheap ends up being expensive". So you are 200% right. 

I've made up my mind and I really like the idea of getting the KS 16. I'm going now to transfer the extra €300 to MyEwheels paypal and send them an email tonight.

Thanks mate.

You won't be sorry and you won't have to wonder everyday.... should I have just spent the extra? Perfect analogy about the telescopes. You dont have to go most expensive out there, but you damn sure gotta get away from the basement junk. Good choice on wheels and I think youll be very happy with it as a learner and far beyond. A first wheel is like buying your first car but buying a solid version. Just because you learn on it and end up buying a sports car or suv, doesnt mean your first car is useless. You may find that once you knock the new of your very first wheel, you bond with it and you wind up wearing it down to dust, even tho you have many others.  Eucw is an awesome companion. Take look at it and check out some of the tours in members signatures. my first wheel is still my favorite, and Ive the coveted sherman. I'm not a seated riding fan, as I'm 6'3". it is fun tho, IF your old knees can take it. Simply standing in lazy form and gliding around faster than bicycles... now thats freaking fun! Gliding lazily along at walk pace for miles w/o breaking a sweat... yeah you know it!

16 hours ago, Tawpie said:

I highly recommend getting a protective cover from roll.nz (EUC Bodyguard). Besides protecting your wheel from the inevitable drops and crashes, it's a little 'grippy' so your legs don't slip around as much when you try to grip the wheel with your legs. The KS16 has very slippery "pads" (they're not really pads as much as they are decoration and an obnoxious way to keep the shell's screws from falling completely out and getting lost). It's not cheap, but it is totally worth it.

Euc bodyguard ftw! My first wheel had/has one. It has taken many tumbles and looks damn good still. Much softer on the legs! I have an RollNZ cover otw right now actually, be here monday. The more protection you can get for the wheel in th first week or two, the better. its not like youre gna go flying out of control and the wheel is going to take a big beating. Most likely, it will be a bunch of wheel falling over and step offs. Padding helps, but dont let that fact scare you. I learned without padding up my wheel and suffered one ankle bite. Oddly it was when I was just standing there. Kinda similar to watching a heavy door slowly close on your fingers...With baby bumpers or an eucbg, you won't be tempted to grab a falling wheel as much and your back will thank you.  I'm looking forward to hearing how you get along with it. Remember, theres no hurry to learn this fully, and pushing it too hard for too long will only make you overly sore and miss out on a little bit of joy. Don't let the pros around here fool you. Some people learn slower than others and some people never strive to do much more than leisurely ride. No matter what your style winds up being, there's joy to be had. Its okay to become proud when people look at you riding and think... how in the hell...amazing!  Why yes, it kind of is....

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6 minutes ago, ShanesPlanet said:

Euc bodyguard ftw! My first wheel had/has one. It has taken many tumbles and looks damn good still. Much softer on the legs! I have an RollNZ cover otw right now actually, be here monday. The more protection you can get for the wheel in th first week or two, the better. its not like youre gna go flying out of control and the wheel is going to take a big beating. Most likely, it will be a bunch of fall over and step offs. Padding helps, but dont let that fact scare you. I learned without padding up my wheel and suffered one ankle bite. 

Now that the KS and the bodyguard are on the way....YUPIIIEEE!!!... I'm narrowing down protection for "me ol' body". Knee, elbow and hand protection is simple since its practically the same as the ones for rollerblading. However, I'm more worried about my butt!! I currently have lots of waist pain due sciatica (one of the reasons I want to get into this sport...so that I can work the muscles and flex)...so I've been looking at padded trousers for American Football and also a padded jersey... what are your 2 cents on this? 

Btw, I'm still checking the very important ankle protection. I assume that all the ankle pains and hurts here on the forum, are on the inner side bone when the pedals hit it, correct? The Achilles tendon and the outer side bone are quite safe?

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2 hours ago, Paulo Mesquita said:

However, I'm more worried about my butt!!

I was too and bought the hip and tailbone protector belt thing from Demon United... turns out I haven't fallen on my butt. Yet.

2 hours ago, Paulo Mesquita said:

very important ankle protection

I did give myself a mild ankle sprain when I got tangled up in the wheel so I bought a cheap ankle brace (basketball) and wore that. Stiff high topped hiking/work boots work well too, but some prefer the feel of softer shoes. The good thing is the ankle protection is only needed until you're able to get going 'reasonably' well, after that you won't need it so don't spend a fortune. You could even roll magazines around your ankles like World War Z to protect from bites, or something like the nifty solution in the Ankle Armor thread.

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5 hours ago, Paulo Mesquita said:

Btw, I'm still checking the very important ankle protection. I assume that all the ankle pains and hurts here on the forum, are on the inner side bone when the pedals hit it, correct? The Achilles tendon and the outer side bone are quite safe?

My original ankle injury, which is still raised and a little sore after two months, is on the outside of my left ankle, three fingers width above the protruding bone. You can see by the damage to my left ankle armour that the wheel hit several more times in exactly the same spot. In my opinion, trying to step on and go when you can't already ride is pretty dangerous. A bigger wheel might have broken my ankle.

Ok, I'm old and not very nimble anymore, and I'm a beginner and don't really know what I'm doing, but let me try to explain what happens. I try to control the wheel with my right dominant foot and move forward while I lift my left foot on. If the wheel veers off to the left I can just put my left foot down again and stop. But if the wheel veers off to the right I still have to put my left foot down because all my weight is on the right pedal. While I'm putting my left foot down the right foot is still on the wheel and pushes it over to the right. When the wheel leans to about 45º it accelerates in an arc around behind me and the right pedal (I think) hits the outside of my left ankle.

I discovered the wheel's tendency to accelerate in an arc if it leans too far when it was new and I was playing with it on the living room carpet. I made a couple of black burn-outs which were difficult to clean off! Ditto when wheeling it along with the trolley handle. If you turn/lean too sharply it will accelerate and make a burn-out mark. Once I leapt off in the carport and the wheel ran away and got jammed at an angle between the wall and a post. It kept driving, burning up the tyre on the concrete and filling the carport with rubber smoke. I realised then what a beast this thing is and I treat it with much more respect now.

It's possible that a different wheel might describe a different arc from my V8F and might hit you in a different place or even not at all. Someone on here said their 14" wheel was a real ankle biter. Maybe a bigger wheel will make a bigger arc and miss you altogether. Anyway, I haven't been hit like this again since I started learning on a railing, and now I can sort of ride in a straight line I'm learning to step on without losing it every time.

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On 1/15/2021 at 7:51 AM, Paulo Mesquita said:

Now that the KS and the bodyguard are on the way....YUPIIIEEE!!!... I'm narrowing down protection for "me ol' body". Knee, elbow and hand protection is simple since its practically the same as the ones for rollerblading. However, I'm more worried about my butt!! I currently have lots of waist pain due sciatica (one of the reasons I want to get into this sport...so that I can work the muscles and flex)...so I've been looking at padded trousers for American Football and also a padded jersey... what are your 2 cents on this? 

Btw, I'm still checking the very important ankle protection. I assume that all the ankle pains and hurts here on the forum, are on the inner side bone when the pedals hit it, correct? The Achilles tendon and the outer side bone are quite safe?

I think many here might say that you are more likely to fall forward. This has been my experience, especially once you get some speed because if you step off you either keep pace with the speed of the ground below you or fall forward. You might get lucky and roll, but many people fall face first onto the ground.

For me, shin/knee guards, wrist guards and a full face helmet are the absolute minimum. Many would then add a chest protector, but my next piece is elbow guards as I scraped up my forearm the first time I fell without them. As a person who studies brains, I must advocate for the full face helmet as something to never ride without.

Edited by UniMe
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