UniMe Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 Well done, it seems you're problem solving and figuring most things out on your own. Regarding the initial mount, lots of people (including me) use a 'skateboard launch'. Basically, you leave your dominant foot on the wheel and the foot on the ground pushes you forward like you're riding a skateboard. A couple pushes with the foot on the ground will get you moving forward fast enough that enough stability generates in the wheel that you can then just 'hop on' with the other foot. 2 or three pushes isn't uncommon, with some practice it gets down to just one push off - this is actually my preferred launch at this point and I use it all the time. Recovery is also important... don't worry, you won't forget what you have already learned. Having a fresh body and time for the various bumps and bruises to heal will help you go harder and may help you learn faster in terms the overall time it takes you on the wheel to gain skills. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulo Mesquita Posted January 31, 2021 Author Share Posted January 31, 2021 5 hours ago, UniMe said: lots of people (including me) use a 'skateboard launch'. ...Thats exactly my problem at launch...I never got into skateboards. But I assume it's like the start on rollerblades too. To keep your balance you need to star by lunging hard one foot forward... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..... Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, Paulo Mesquita said: ...Thats exactly my problem at launch...I never got into skateboards. But I assume it's like the start on rollerblades too. To keep your balance you need to star by lunging hard one foot forward... lots of people don't as well. I typically dont use the 'skateboard' start, unless im on horrible ground or having to start with some form of obstacle under me. More than one way to skin a cat for sure. Of note, I grew up on skateboards and even remember buying the first 'double vision' board(still got one sitting next to my wheels in fact). YOu know, when they finally made boards with mirrored tails and noses. IM betting a few of the kids here dont remember those days, or when nose guards, rail guards and u-bolts were teh newest thing. If you're into organized practice. You could always.. steup up, step down. Step up, step down. Step up, step down. Never having rolled an inch. YOu can do this kinda thing in the living room and not worry about the potted plants, just the tv and windows. fwiw, i didnt find rollerblading to be very similar to skateboarding. RB is very similar to roller skating and ice skating tho. Edited January 31, 2021 by ShanesPlanet 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UniMe Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 1 hour ago, Paulo Mesquita said: ...Thats exactly my problem at launch...I never got into skateboards. But I assume it's like the start on rollerblades too. To keep your balance you need to star by lunging hard one foot forward... As you figure it out you'll realize that it isn't necessary to 'lunge' very hard with the foot on the ground because you can control the forward movement of the wheel with the foot you have on the wheel. But... yes, in a simplistic sense that's the idea. Some youtube examples of teaching people how to ride the wheel use this as the foundation. They have the learner 'skate' along with one foot on the wheel and one as balance/push on the ground. After a bit of practice, you go further and further with each push until eventually you have lots of time to just put that foot up on the wheel and carry on riding. The other bit is the "triangle" and general one foot control of the wheel. In the video below he starts with explaining the right angle (triangle) for first getting on the wheel at about 5:25 and goes on from there to show the 'skateboard' approach. I found both of these bits of info quite helpful. Mixing it up a bit might be helpful. I can also just stand up on the wheel while not moving at all, but if I'm getting going at a light and surrounded by bikes etc. the small push off seems to get me out the gate a second faster. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unventor Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 On 1/28/2021 at 10:26 PM, Paulo Mesquita said: It was an extraordinary boost of confidence with only 30 minutes of effort sweat and pain. I'm sitting on the couch right now, totally beat, but waiting with expectancy for tomorrow to go for another round. It totally made me feel more confident, capable, determined and strong. But most of all... Free! And I was only wobbling for 5 meters. I can only imagine when I can ride for a few miles!!! I could only do 10 min before having to give in for fatigue. The point here is it is not how long you keep at it in one go, it is about keeping at it take a break and the keep trying , but remember the breaks. Something happens when you sleep. And if you video record what you do you will see improvements that will be self motivating to push on. I am younger, but not by much. I had so bad knees at the time I couldn't stand on one leg balancing. So it took longer to learn as I had to build up my knees too and doing this they would swallow up and make balancing even worse at the joint filled with fluid. This is how it looked for me. But there will be a point when it clicks for you and looking back you will not understand why it was so hard in the beginning. Nearly all here share similar learning process. And it is okey to laugh at me. It looks funny when flapping arms like a chicken. Sorry for the poor sound on this one: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..... Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 13 minutes ago, Unventor said: Something happens when you sleep. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulo Mesquita Posted January 31, 2021 Author Share Posted January 31, 2021 9 hours ago, UniMe said: ...you'll realize that it isn't necessary to 'lunge' very hard with the foot on the ground because you can control the forward movement of the wheel with the foot you have on the wheel. This is the hardest part of all for me. I've been trying it for 4 days now and the usual result is an immediate fall off or a 1mt ride .... I can also just stand up on the wheel while not moving at all, but if I'm getting going at a light and surrounded by bikes etc. the small push off seems to get me out the gate a second faster.I can stand moving back and forth for as long as long as I keep a single finger or knuckle on the wall... BWT...THIS VIDEO YOU SENT HAS BEEN 90% OF TUTORIAL LEARNING SINCE WHEN I BOUGHT THE WHEEL A MONTH AGO!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scubadragonsan Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 Damn... Go boy! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulo Mesquita Posted January 31, 2021 Author Share Posted January 31, 2021 10 hours ago, Unventor said: I could only do 10 min before having to give in for fatigue. The point here is it is not how long you keep at it in one go, it is about keeping at it take a break and the keep trying , but remember the breaks. Something happens when you sleep. And if you video record what you do you will see improvements that will be self motivating to push on. I think your videos are great. The first two remind me of my first four days (today is the 4th). The video @UniMe posted has been, amongst many other my basic tutorial reference. I've come back to it tons of times to correct little details. At this point I'm only really struggling to the stepping on with the 2nd foot. Once I'm on it's quite easy to take off in the limited 12mt space I have and even do slight turning corrections (so I don't hit the cement pillar in the middle of the pateo. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulo Mesquita Posted January 31, 2021 Author Share Posted January 31, 2021 (edited) Day #4: Raining...and part of the pateo with water...not too good. I've noticed that due to my age, weight (89kg + 2kg gear) low flexibility...the initial 5 minutes are not only painful (especially back pain) but also very difficult to get into pace. So today I did a bit of a proper warm up approach. - The standing on the EUC with slight movement back and forth (one finger, or knuckle on a wall for help) - this helps immensely my warm up and is quite easy for me. - The compass movement (one foot on the floor and rotating the EUC with the guiding foot on the pedal - I assume it's called triangle?)...this one tires me like hell!!! My back really aches a lot and I suspect that the fact that the 1st time I'm doing this is with a KS 16x, that is a quite heavy beast compared with the 14"...is the cause of it besides the fact that while I'm doing the rotation I really need to keep an even pressure on both foot palm and heel. Not easy when not warmed up. - Step on and go. Tried this tons of times without the wall help. 95% of them I rode...1mt before falling. Weight, age and not having a slim body don't help. Got really tired with this one. The fact that the KS has quite a high pedal also doesn't help. But in time I know I will get it. It's all a matter of resilience, resistance and patience. After all these exercises I went for my usual 12mt stretches and stops. They went quite well, but due to the pateo being wet I took a risk and beat yesterday's top speed. Wen't 13,4km/h. I tried the asphalt stretch of the condo but I was too tired and it didn't go well, besides it was raining a bit which didn't add to my safety. I did 33 minutes of practice and was bushed! I think I still hadn't recovered from the longer practice of yesterday...:-) I'm now trying to find a bigger area to practice, with no rain, no cars and no cops to fine me due to covid confinement. it's what you guys say: a big area will help a lot. ...and that was my 4th day of practice. Edited March 29, 2021 by Paulo Mesquita Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulo Mesquita Posted January 31, 2021 Author Share Posted January 31, 2021 11 hours ago, Unventor said: THIS IS EXACTLY THE KIND OF PLACE I'M LOOKING FOR TO EVOLVE FROM MY BLOODY PATEO!!!! YOU HAD THE RIGHT IDEA, MATE!!! As I look at you riding here I know that this is precisely what I need for my next step! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..... Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 (edited) an ungodly amount of minor injuries are due to lack of flexibility and stretching. You MUST stretch your back and knees before you ride, especially if you are sore from previous activity. You also need to pace yourself as if you dont have time to recover, you are NOT speeding up the process. Most ALL of the professional training I've taken, has pointed to the fact that if you dont stretch YOUR LEGS, you are much more likely to injure your back. Im an unhealthy SOB, smoke like a train, bad sleep habits, eat candy and skip meals, you name it, I dont care. However, failing to stretch hinders me in an immediate way. Stretching isnt just for health (who cares?), its more about making it even possible to keep riding. Fwiw, my knees and lower back are the sore spots I experience when riding longer than Im conditioned for. Edited January 31, 2021 by ShanesPlanet 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unventor Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 I have another tip for you. I too were not flexable due to medical reasons (rheumatism) so at hospital the said my body flexability was like 80 to 100 year old despite being 46 at the time. I e thing that helped me a lot is a balance matt. It is a square 40x60x 5 cm foam mat that is an instabile material. The idea is you stand on one leg on it (no shoes) and close your eyes then try to hold your balance as long as you can. Might want to have something you can reach for when doing it. You can also try to stand on your toes. You can get these is sports shops dealing with yoga and fitness stuff. You will find it improves your micro movements and it can speed up your learning process. It also helps building up muscles you need. You can use standing on 1 leg and slightly bending it yet keeping balance. That is helping for muscles needed to step up and down in a controlled movement. The idea is to keep practicing even when weather do not allow you to go out side. I started in basement due to 20cm snow outside. 2 weeks later it was gone. And I went to the school yard being my building. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulo Mesquita Posted February 1, 2021 Author Share Posted February 1, 2021 6 hours ago, ShanesPlanet said: an ungodly amount of minor injuries are due to lack of flexibility and stretching. You MUST stretch your back and knees before you ride, especially if you are sore from previous activity. You also need to pace yourself as if you dont have time to recover, you are NOT speeding up the process. Most ALL of the professional training I've taken, has pointed to the fact that if you dont stretch YOUR LEGS, you are much more likely to injure your back. You're absolutely right!!! I'm going to start doing that before every session. Thanks 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulo Mesquita Posted February 1, 2021 Author Share Posted February 1, 2021 4 hours ago, Unventor said: I have another tip for you. I too were not flexable due to medical reasons (rheumatism) so at hospital the said my body flexability was like 80 to 100 year old despite being 46 at the time. I e thing that helped me a lot is a balance matt. It is a square 40x60x 5 cm foam mat that is an instabile material. The idea is you stand on one leg on it (no shoes) and close your eyes then try to hold your balance as long as you can. Might want to have something you can reach for when doing it. You can also try to stand on your toes. Actually I do a lot of tip toe stretching and yoga standing on one fit at a time when my sciatica is worse. I'm going to warm up with that for the EUC sessions. Good idea, thanks 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..... Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 4 hours ago, Paulo Mesquita said: Actually I do a lot of tip toe stretching and yoga standing on one fit at a time when my sciatica is worse. I'm going to warm up with that for the EUC sessions. Good idea, thanks Like any good fortune cookie. if when you add 'in the bedroom' after it, and it still sounds right....its right. So yup, stretching will help.... 'in the bedroom'. so sayeth confucious 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulo Mesquita Posted February 2, 2021 Author Share Posted February 2, 2021 (edited) Day #5 of my EUC Learning (actually I'm writing at the dawn of day 6...my 61st Birthday!!! A BIG STEP TODAY! It was raining cats and dogs and so, as I promised yesterday, i went riding to the condo open garage (with many scary and very expensive cars parked inside). Wow...what a difference!!! The garage is in the whereabouts of 140mt long, with two smooth curves (see in videos #2 and #3) and I did about 25 successful stretches In total I filmed 3 videos (lower links to YT): the latter two show the travel, (each one shows one way) recorded with the phone hanging out of my pocket - sorry for the angle. The 1st video is stationary on a column and shows me going away (I then cut the boring part where I'm off screen) and then me coming back an flapping away as I arrive. However, I did a 10 minute run with EUV World (then got disconnected) and did another 32 minute rum...and got to the TOP SPEED OF 20,2KM/HOUR!!! INCIDENCES: - when I went over the 20km/h mark I heard the "Voice of God", or was it a cop hiding in my garage. Got a bit startled since I had the app in total mute (...can't hear the lady anymore)but I suspect it was the so called "tilt back" warning. I did feel a little slow down movement of the wheel (any suggestions?) - twice, for a reason I haven't figured out - and i was going fast - the wheel wobbled a lot about half way through the 140mt. on one of these occasions I had a hard fall with the wheel (very close to a top Mercedes and a Tesla) hurt my right hip and sprained my right thumb, regardless all the protection)... I have no idea why that happened (any suggestions?) On the other time the EUC wobbled I was able to get off in time...but it hit extremely hard against a concrete wall!!! So hard it bounced back about one meter!!! I was mortified, but not a scratch! - This is a funny one: at some point and close to the end of the session, I got on the wheel went about 20 meters in a straight line and felt that something was very wrong (got scared the Beast might have been damaged with the hard falls and hits it had today), because the pedals seemed with a wrong incline. Then I saw the blinking rear light...in front of me.... Conclusion: the free space of the long garage was such a jump in confidence, riding quality, freedom, learning curve (and curving slightly) that it was almost unbeleavable that this was lust my 5th learning day. It was totally exhilarating!!! However I need to be careful: I can't ram into one of those cars...I'll be in so much trouble!! my plan is to use the garage space to develop more balancing skills while running slower. More control, and smoother movements to improve muscle memory. Speed was an experience in this close space, but a tad bit to risky due to the cars and my lack of experience. Signing off with the 3 vids. https://youtu.be/i7D2GaBakm8 https://youtu.be/rNHtyKGE7dk https://youtu.be/3T6bALCZkdk - Edited March 29, 2021 by Paulo Mesquita Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
null Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 10 minutes ago, Paulo Mesquita said: because the pedals seemed with a wrong incline. Then I saw the blinking rear light...in front of me Congratulations with the progress! One thing regarding what you say about the pedals: They should be horizontal, so front and back of the EUC are the same. You can choose to tilt them (some people like that) but I’d recommend learning in a neutral position. So either the calibration is off, or you have changed the pedal angle manually (accident or on purpose).. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulo Mesquita Posted February 2, 2021 Author Share Posted February 2, 2021 Just now, null said: Congratulations with the progress! One thing regarding what you say about the pedals: They should be horizontal, so front and back of the EUC are the same. You can choose to tilt them (some people like that) but I’d recommend learning in a neutral position. So either the calibration is off, or you have changed the pedal angle manually (accident or on purpose).. I have no idea how the pedal angle could have changed. as you said either bad calibration or accidental angle change. But I don't see how...maybe it was just a momentary thing after a few big falls... I'll check again tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
null Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 5 minutes ago, Paulo Mesquita said: I'll check again tomorrow Good, you can check visually when it is powered on, the pedals should be horizontal. If not check that the pedal angle in the app is 0. Else calibrate. It could also just be that your feet ended up too far back or front, which feel disconcerting when you learn 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..... Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 (edited) calibrate is easy. May as well recalibrate it after a hard hit, just to be sure. I also thnk that learning at a level/nuetral calibration for the basics, just makes good sense. You could always set tiltback REALLY slow, so you can seee how nifty it is, w/o much risk. I hit mine first time ever at 26mph thru a curve and it was amazingly effective but didnt crash my ass. You do know parking garages are sometimes not level. It feels wierd sometimes the way wheels react to incline/decline adjustments. Youll get used to it. Congrats on the learning, but may I suggest yet another thing... "patience". You are trying too hard and may be putting yourself into speeds or danger you shouldnt be. Take your time.. patience! Wobbles are just a part of the learning curve. All you can do is ride slow enough and try different foot placements. If you wobble and yuo fall rather than run it out... quit going so damn fast! YOu aint a spring chicken and parking lots arent soft. Whats it cost to repair a car door, if it had been that and not a concrete wall? Unless you are trying to be daredevil and thats what floats your adrenaline boat, please slow down and be patient. Wobbles will just go away as you do it more frequently. I wobble when pushing new speeds. The more I ride, the less it happens and the faster I can go. I'm a little wreckless and I LOVE going fast. Going sowly is very enjoyable too. Anything over 5mph but below 7mph and the gyro effect makes riding pleasant but slow enought to practice and run it out. Please patiently enjoy the slower side of "euc life" for now... or NOT!! Edited February 2, 2021 by ShanesPlanet 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tawpie Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 +1 to what @ShanesPlanet wrote... patience grasshopper. We don't want to lose you to injury. Someday when COVID and Mr. Visa allow such things I want to visit Portugal, borrow one of your old wheels, and go for a ride with you (true, that's a totally selfish reason for not wanting to see you injured ). 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UniMe Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, Tawpie said: +1 to what @ShanesPlanet wrote... patience grasshopper. We don't want to lose you to injury. Someday when COVID and Mr. Visa allow such things I want to visit Portugal, borrow one of your old wheels, and go for a ride with you (true, that's a totally selfish reason for not wanting to see you injured ). +2 to all this. Take it easy my friend. you don't need to go over 15kph or so at first, 20 max. The goal is to learn important skills while going slow enough that you can safely exit the wheel without falling. My KS 18XL (which I think uses the same software as your wheel) has beeper settings to alert you to different speeds. I did well over 50km before I moved the beeper above 17kph... just to give you a reference. I also train with some regularity on a stationary rower, bike, doing lots of steep and challenging hikes etc. and I have a lot of background in different sports (skiing, mountain biking, martial arts, extensive strength and conditioning training in my younger years etc.) Getting off the wheel safely is a really important skill! One of my early mistakes was trying to 'hold on' too long as I lost control of the wheel -- it was really helpful to realize where the point of no return is (i.e. where I'm going to fall) and where I can simply jump off the wheel and run away from it. My last trip out I needed to use this skill, i rode off the trail onto some grass that turned out to be mud, the wheel wobbled and crashed but I remembered to jump off and run away. It saved me a painful fall. What you experienced going a bit faster is a 'speed wobble'. Just go a bit slower for now until you have more control, speed wobbles are something that mostly goes away with time and practice. Even if you're skilled on one wheel the wobble may come back when you change to riding a different wheel. There are lots of threads and ideas here re speed wobbles. AND -- CONGRATULATIONS ON THE PROGRESS!!! This is the point where it gets rewarding, so long as you don't end up broken Edited February 2, 2021 by UniMe 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post UniMe Posted February 2, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted February 2, 2021 Oh, and f those fancy cars... I've had a few, if you can't afford to fix one you shouldn't own it!! LOL hahaha 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unventor Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 Good job on your progress. If you look at the videos I posted you will see that you are more or less progressing as I did when I moved outdoors. About speed. It is partly your friend and enemy. Once you pick up a little speed it is much easier to maintain balance just like on a bicycle. But too much can be catastrophic. And normal body reaction is not preferable when riding an EUC. You not only need to train balance but unconscious control to become one with the wheel. That last part take much long time. For me I can say not until after 2500-3000km it happen ed to me. This might be because I used to ride bicycle until I turned 35 years. So relearning native subconscious reactions to avoid a crash took time. Around 350km I started to get over confident and I had my first major crash. I am glad I did have that crash as it was a fast lesson of respect for speed. You will find that even if we can zip or fly about on our wheels, most of us are still mortals. 😉 BTW welcome to the club of EUC riders, new adventures awaits you, and happy birthday to you. 🎂 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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