Learning to EUC on Vancouver Island...

[VikB]

2 hours ago, ShanesPlanet said:

Next up... curb hopping. Looks like you've plenty to choose from. I think most eucs have a tiny bit of dip as you exit tight turns. I've noticed it on all of mine, tho it only bothered me in the very beginning. You may also note it reacts a little 'odd' when you turn from one incline onto another. Mine ALL do it, but its something I just don't notice anymore. Of course, the Sherman was wretched on their first release. Much better now.

I found that low tire pressure when traning on slow/no moving balance made it easier. Just dont forget to air back up before you start hitting holes and obstacles or riding at higher speeds.

I'd like to try riding down a curb. If I can find one with an easy approach I'll give it a shot. I'm not ready to ride up a curb, but I would try riding up/over a speed bump.

The school parking lot was a good next level area to ride. It made me appreciate I still had a lot to learn. I was feeling like a bit of a hero at the basket ball court, but it was flat smooth and traffic free so that's not a very realistic riding environment!

[VikB]

5 hours ago, Tawpie said:

Beauty!. After you've been out in the wet, be sure to use the stand. Less chance of water getting places it's not welcome if it dries nice and vertical.

Good tip. Now that I have a stand I'll just leave the EUC in it anytime I am not using it.

[VikB]

7 hours ago, Tawpie said:

I'm with you on (trying to have) patience before springing for another toy. The 16X is my one and only and I picked it hoping it'd be decent off road but started learning right as winter was approaching so only spent a few hours on the dirt trails. I did spend time on snow trails though, and it was completely up to the task and great fun. But it was really really bumpy and that's got me eyeing the S18. Alas, wisdom and desire are fighting it out, the former advises "use the 16X this summer, give the suspensions another couple of batches to iron things out, hope for an S18XL", and the latter whispers "I bet suspension is a game changer, DO IT NOW".

 

I'm lazy so spending time cracking cases and trying to do repairs on an EUC without much in the way of tech support seems like zero fun. That means not playing at the bleeding edge of the product universe. I can live with that.

S18 has at least seen a bunch of modifications for some of the worst issues. If you get one now you aren't going to enter Pre-Order Hell! OTOH I can imagine KS' next suspension wheel will be so much better it's tempting to wait for sure. I'd say keep riding the 16X through this summer. It's a sweet sweet wheel. Get yourself something new for 2022. 

[VikB]

5 hours ago, Scottie888 said:

Sadly its likely also the reason why EUCs won't go mainstream for the foreseeable future at least.

Yes anything competing with a scooter or bicycle that takes weeks to really learn and months to master if not going ever get really popular. That's just too much investment of time/energy for 99% of the people who would be in the market for a device like that. I mean you can teach someone to ride a scooter in 60 seconds, a One Wheel in 5 mins, etc...

We'll be lucky if EUCs are popular enough that they get included in motor vehicle code updates along with scooters.

[VikB]

2 hours ago, Surfling said:

I didn't glue mines either and no prob so far with the 25-lb wheel. My place has uneven flooring so I made this wooden stand-offs w/ asymmetrical thickness from the center hole (5/8, 1/2, 3/8). Turn-adjust height to level the stand flat - works well.

With your recent posts, very impressive progression and I like the pragmatic approach. Refinements will come along quick with that enthusiasm.

My mten3 has way surpassed it's intended use - replacing my city bikes for work/errands -with the tiniest footprint and just a blast to use. I should be getting my 2nd wheel soon. It's getting warm here now.

Your asym offsets are a smart idea. I don't need them at the moment, but that's a good solution to keep in mind for the future.

Thanks. I was a bit worried the learning process would be brutal. I don't investing time learning to ride the wheel. I'm just glad I am actually riding it and not walking/dropping it for a couple weeks of pain and suffering. I'd like to hit the bikepath and cruise on the EUC, but I know that wouldn't be safe. I'll keep going back to the school parking lot until I feel solid there. I think when that happens a dawn bikepath run would be okay. No rush. It'll happen when it happens.

What 2nd EUC did you order? Sorry if you mentioned already I'm losing track of replies! A fresh wheel. That'll be exciting! Enjoy! 

[Scottie888]

32 minutes ago, VikB said:

I'd like to try riding down a curb. If I can find one with an easy approach I'll give it a shot. I'm not ready to ride up a curb, but I would try riding up/over a speed bump.

I'm far from the gurus around these woods so take it for what it is. If I were you, I'd start with riding on a tight pack dirt trails or if you're more adventurous, on grass. It'll let you have a taste of how to handle less than stellar surfaces & more important, what to do when the wheel throws you around.

For me, this is where the "skills" part kicks in. It hones reaction times, body movements, bent legs as shocks, dirt inclines, "loosie goosie" riding, yadi yadi yada. Once accustomed, you might find curb hopping/jumping much less threatening.

[Surfling]

10 minutes ago, VikB said:

No rush. It'll happen when it happens.

I did the same........well, even Elvis sang that song of wise men! 

I got my eye on the KS16x. I started researching a few months ago and it scored high on my needs and wants. 2nd choice was the 1480wh Tesla (tho, 'can't find one for sale now)

Should be pulling the trigger this weekend - official start of spring. Btw, I see you ride a GG now. I almost bought my buddies Shredd Dogg last year - the weirdness continues :-)....

[.....]

Going down a curb is more in your mind more than anything.  Bend the kness, look straight ahead, plop down the curb and take the drop with legs. Its exactly as you do on a skateboard or bicycle. If you think about it or try too hard, it just makes it worse. UP is a little different.

You know you can multiquote? If you feel like answering everyones posts in quotes, you can hit more than one and reply to many in a single posting of your own.

Edited March 20, 2021 by ShanesPlanet

[UniMe]

Hey Vic, lookin' good my friend.

I'm also on the dark side and don't work as much as I used to. I took up the EUC last summer (2020) and progressed in a similar manner to you.

Before you pat yourself on the back too much, I dropped by a friend's house after having the EUC for a few months and thinking I had things sorted. He'd never ridden an EUC, but is 10 years younger, smaller build, and pretty active. He was doing laps around his neighborhood in about 30 minutes, circling back to me asking why the thing was so difficult to get going really fast, how to compensate for speed wobbles etc. lol man, I felt old....

I haven't been able to pin down where you are, I'm also in Vic, up by Mt. Doug.

[VikB]

8 hours ago, UniMe said:

Hey Vic, lookin' good my friend.

I'm also on the dark side and don't work as much as I used to. I took up the EUC last summer (2020) and progressed in a similar manner to you.

Before you pat yourself on the back too much, I dropped by a friend's house after having the EUC for a few months and thinking I had things sorted. He'd never ridden an EUC, but is 10 years younger, smaller build, and pretty active. He was doing laps around his neighborhood in about 30 minutes, circling back to me asking why the thing was so difficult to get going really fast, how to compensate for speed wobbles etc. lol man, I felt old....

I haven't been able to pin down where you are, I'm also in Vic, up by Mt. Doug.

Ha! I read lots of different learning to EUC threads and YT videos so I know I am not going to win any awards for fastest learner or most amazing new rider. I'm mostly patting myself on the back because I can hop on and ride around [a parking lot] without dying! Given how I felt when I unboxed that V10F and thought to myself "What the heck have I got myself into?!?!?!" It feels like a solid accomplishment, but I know I've got a LOOOOOOOOOOONG way to go.

That's hilarious about your friend. I think we can all agree we hate him a lot! 

If you draw a line from Tilicum Mall to Uptown Mall I live close to the middle of that line. I'd suggest we go for a ride, but I am not quite there yet for the bikepath. I think a couple more sessions and a really early run of the Goose/E&N bikepaths would be feasible. I figure any sections that cause me some concern I'll just get off and trolley past then start riding again. I do think that I need to start riding in a more confined area. When I go back to the school parking lot I'll try and ride 2' away from the curb and follow it around as if I was on a bikepath/bikelane. 

Thanks for saying hi. I'll PM you my contact info.

Edited March 20, 2021 by VikB

[VikB]

10 hours ago, ShanesPlanet said:

Going down a curb is more in your mind more than anything.  Bend the kness, look straight ahead, plop down the curb and take the drop with legs. Its exactly as you do on a skateboard or bicycle. If you think about it or try too hard, it just makes it worse. UP is a little different.

You know you can multiquote? If you feel like answering everyones posts in quotes, you can hit more than one and reply to many in a single posting of your own.

Yes if there was a curb I could access easily I feel like I can ride off it now no problem. The issue is all the curbs I see I'd have to do some tight 90 deg turns on sidewalks to get to.

Thanks for the multi-quote tip. Yes I know about that. I don't like multi-quoting unless all the quotes are related to the same specific topic. I figure single quotes are easy to scan, if they interest someone they can read/reply and if they are not interested they can just move on.

[VikB]

13 hours ago, Surfling said:

I got my eye on the KS16x. I started researching a few months ago and it scored high on my needs and wants. 

Congrats on the soon to be ordered 16X. It looks great and was on my list as well. I'm a fan of the 3" tire and big battery. If I were to get another EUC a 3" tire and a 100km range at a sane 30kph riding speed would be two things on my "must have" list.

GG bikes are great! The company reminds me a lot of Knolly except they actually make their own frames in house in the US vs. contracting out to Taiwan. That's kind or cool/rare these days.

[UniMe]

3 hours ago, VikB said:

If you draw a line from Tilicum Mall to Uptown Mall I live close to the middle of that line.

Hey Vic, keep practicing and we'll see what the spring brings. You're fairly close to the galloping goose and I've ridden from my place around the goose in your area. In truth, it takes me about 20 minutes to get there and I'd still have 90% or more charge   I'm cruising pretty well these days, 30-40 km/h out on open, familiar roads and trails as a regular thing. It's easy to cover a lot of ground on the goose etc at that pace.

I can cruise from gordon head, to the goose, out to Vic West and then back up to this area along the bike paths on the roads in about an hour, typically return with 70% or more charge. One thing I didn't believe up front, but which is totally true, is that these EUCs easily fly up Mt Doug and other little 'mountains' in the area as well.

[VikB]

Day 4 & Day 5 Practice

Saturday I got out for an afternoon practice session at the school parking lot. I rode the EUC and my GF got in some more One Wheel Pint time. A bunch of kids showed up with their skateboards, frisbees and two dogs! I was a bit annoyed, but they were reasonably well behaved and it added some challenge to the practice session so that was good in some ways. We didn't want to carry the Pint so I rode it to/from the parking lot and my GF trolleyed the V10F. She doesn't want to ride the EUC, but she likes pushing it around. 

Sunday was wet with intermittent rain all day so I skipped riding the EUC. One of the reasons why I chose the InMotion was its better weather resistance, but even with that being the case I won't go out of my way to ride the EUC when it's raining. It's just good to know that if I get caught in some rain away from home I can ride it back without too much concern.

Today I headed back to the basketball court mostly out of laziness as it's so darn close to my house. Rather than just cruise around I gave myself the challenge of doing 20 stops and starts to solidify my free mounting. Out of 20 tries 19 were good enough that I could ride figure 8's with a bit of foot adjustment on the move. On 1 try my foot placement was not good so I stopped and re-mounted. I'm getting some ability to adjust my non-control foot as I ride. That's pretty helpful.

After I did my 20 reps of stopping/starting and a whole bunch of figure 8's in between I decided on the fly to try riding the walking path out of the court to a quiet street. That went pretty well so I did a u-turn in the street and went back to the court on the path. I was feeling it so I headed back to the street and explored the neighbourhood a bit. I had to deal with a few cars/trucks and some pedestrians/dogs, but it was mostly quiet. After a few laps I just pointed the EUC home and rode back to my driveway. The last bit was on a busy road so I stayed on the sidewalk as I didn't feel ready to deal with the on street bikelane. 

I wouldn't say I crushed the road exploring and trip home, but I felt pretty good/safe. I rode up/down some rounded curbs, through some potholes, did some tight walking paths/sidewalks and had to do shoulder checks for cars while riding in a straight-line. At one point I got boxed in without enough room to maneuver so I just stopped, pivoted around on one leg and re-mounted. That's my fall back plan for not being happy about something. Stop. Think about it. Then move on. All in all a good session. 

When I got home I noticed the battery bar was down to 2 bars and they were orange and red so I figured I better charge the V10F up. I set the charger going and decided to check the battery levels on the IM app and it was at 47% so I guess there was no panic to do a charge right away given my sessions are not super long and at slow speeds. I'll let the EUC charge and sit on charge during the day so the battery has a chance to balance. 

I think I'll do another side street exploring session and then try the bikepath at a quiet time of day. #MakingProgress #SlowAndSteady 

Edited March 22, 2021 by VikB

[.....]

Excellent update. SOunds like you have gotten the hang of it already. Very impressive, it took me MUCH longer. Fwiw, try to allow the battery to cool from use before charging and to cool from charging before use.

[Scottie888]

@ShanesPlanet Shane old buddy, I think you may have hit the nail on the head here. It would seem likely that our island friend maybe ready for a big 'un by summer at the rate he's going. You & I know that once this addiction starts to itch, it must be scratched.

O well, just put it on plastic. It's not like its real money 😁

[.....]

58 minutes ago, Scottie888 said:

@ShanesPlanet Shane old buddy, I think you may have hit the nail on the head here. It would seem likely that our island friend maybe ready for a big 'un by summer at the rate he's going. You & I know that once this addiction starts to itch, it must be scratched.

O well, just put it on plastic. It's not like its real money 😁

Over here in the USA, its being given away. So... you arent too far off. It isnt REAL money as if it had value, it wouldnt be so easy to obtain. Camping equipment sales, beer, drugs, toys, all are up in sales. Its amazing how the inmates go crazy when you open the doors and summer arrives. Seize the day as tomorrow isnt even here yet!

[VikB]

Unfortunately/fortunately?!?!? I haven't been on the receiving end of any pandemic support payments/programs to this point. So I can't just throw some "free" money at a Sherman. On the plus side that means my financial situation didn't take a hit either so I'm doing okay. I may have posted this already, but there isn't really an EUC available for sale that is getting me super excited at the moment. 

That said I do like the specs on the InMotion V12 a lot. I'm going to let other people pre-order, beta test and post reviews on YT, but if that all goes well it could be my next EUC. 

I'm still thoroughly entertained by the V10F going 15kph on a quiet street so I am not feeling like I'm being held back in any way with my current ride.

Aside from those fancy pedals I posted about earlier the other thing I may get are some Kuji/Clark pads for the side of the EUC. I have done some harder accelerations/braking attempts and my upper leg kind of slides around the top of the machine feeling a bit insecure.

Edited March 22, 2021 by VikB

[VikB]

4 hours ago, ShanesPlanet said:

Fwiw, try to allow the battery to cool from use before charging and to cool from charging before use.

Good tip about the battery resting before/after charging. I didn't give it much time between coming home and getting it on the charger this time. However, it wasn't stressed too hard by the practice session so hopefully that wasn't a big deal. In the future I'll remember to let it rest. 

Edited March 22, 2021 by VikB

[.....]

1 hour ago, VikB said:

Good tip about the battery resting before/after charging. I didn't give it much time between coming home and getting it on the charger this time. However, it wasn't stressed too hard by the practice session so hopefully that wasn't a big deal. In the future I'll remember to let it rest. 

Dont worry too much about it. If you gotta ride, you gotta ride. Many riders have done fast charging in middle of long tours. I just figure if you got the time, it may be a little 'easier' on the cells. In the end tho, don't let worry interfere with enjoying the moment. You paid good dough for it, you invested time learning it... get yo money out of it man!

[UniMe]

8 hours ago, VikB said:

At one point I got boxed in without enough room to maneuver so I just stopped, pivoted around on one leg and re-mounted. That's my fall back plan for not being happy about something. Stop. Think about it. Then move on

This is wise... for the first few months I would also stop at big intersections and trolley it across. I was still paranoid about the fuzz and unsure how people would respond to me, especially if I started careening around after a sloppy mount (sloppy mount lol). Just go slow and steady, you'll keep safe and be riding for years to come! The goose is a funny place... you'll see, there are all levels of skill on that trail! I've encountered a few people there on e-bikes who it seemed had never ridden a bike before in their life... let your freak flag fly my friend -- that trail system really is the wild west (and look out for over confident ebikes doing 40+!).

[VikB]

11 hours ago, UniMe said:

This is wise... for the first few months I would also stop at big intersections and trolley it across. I was still paranoid about the fuzz and unsure how people would respond to me, especially if I started careening around after a sloppy mount (sloppy mount lol). Just go slow and steady, you'll keep safe and be riding for years to come! The goose is a funny place... you'll see, there are all levels of skill on that trail! I've encountered a few people there on e-bikes who it seemed had never ridden a bike before in their life... let your freak flag fly my friend -- that trail system really is the wild west (and look out for over confident ebikes doing 40+!).

Good to hear about your progress. I suspect the trolley handle will be my friend as I explore the bikepath and city at first. I'd rather avoid drama and progress a little slower than take too much chance of getting hurt or giving EUCs a bad name. Right now I am doing two hops then mounting the EUC. I'm going to work on that more and hopefully get that down to one push and step on the EUC for a smoother more confident free mount style.

I've spent a lot of time on the bikepaths since I moved to Victoria in 2010. I pedal bike a lot to get around and now have added longboarding to that mix as well. So I know how crazy it can get. Being a morning person [I wake up at 5am or even earlier every day without an alarm] and having a very flexible schedule I can usually plan my activities to avoid peak traffic on the bikepath. If I did need to head downtown when things were busy I'd ride my bike probably as it fits in with the flow of traffic best.

Edited March 23, 2021 by VikB

[VikB]

A strange thing happened last night. I was watching an EUC podcast on YT with my cat when my GF came home from work. We typically watch some news when she sits down and then have dinner. I punched the remote out of the podcast because I assumed she was not interested in two people she didn't know talk about the specs of an EUC she had never heard of. Since I have been watching EUC videos there were a few suggested at the main menu on YT and one was a lady being taught to ride by her husband. My GF asked to watch that video. WTF?!?! So we did. The lady learning seemed like a pretty average suburban housewife and her husband was not the best teacher so she struggled quite a bit. But, she did eventually make some progress. I explained to my GF a few ways she could have learned faster [don't look at the EUC, get control of the wheel/good foot position before trying to ride, don't free mount first then try and ride, don't hunch over, etc...] By the end of the video my GF was giving the lady on screen tips like "Stop looking at the ground. You ride better when you look up and ahead."

Since she was on a bit of a roll I loaded up the Kuji "How to ride an EUC" video where he teaches a lady in a parking garage. She goes from zero to riding [no free mounting] in under 2hrs with much better instruction and a much better space to practice than the previous lady. At the end of the video Kuji shows the stop watch and it reads just under 2hrs. My GF says "She must be a natural. I'd never learn that fast." I told her that she might learn in 2hrs or 4hrs [less free mounting], but it wasn't going to take weeks to just be able to roll around on an EUC. If she followed all the best practices for how to learn and tried learning someplace really ideal like those basketball courts I used. I ended with a few minutes of one of Mike's videos from Sweden with his wife Monika all made up/dressed nicely riding an EUC to have brunch with her friends. That was just great to show a lady who was skilled/comfortable at riding and using an EUC for transportation without going full robo cop.....which honestly just screams "Death Trap!" to non-EUC people.

Not wanting to overdo it I moved into the news as usual. And I just said "You can keep riding the Pint, if you want to learn to ride the EUC you can no problem, but you can also not bother. Just do whatever you feel like." I'll leave things alone for a while and let her think about it. I was going to take her back to the basketball court with the Pint and some empty beer cans to setup a bit of a course to get her to work on her control skills anyways. I'd have the EUC with me. So if she feels like it trying to ride it would be easy to make happen. FWIW she's a skier not a snowboarder or skateboarder so she has no particular allegiance to the sideways stance. The OW just seemed more approachable/easy to learn so she started there.

So ya I started that evening thinking she'd never be interested in learning to ride an EUC and now I think there is a decent chance she'll try at some point this year. Thanks to folks that post YT videos showing all sorts of different people learning and riding EUCs. For people that are not 100% confident/stoked about the idea seeing someone who looks like them learning and then being skilled at riding is very helpful at generating the motivation/confidence to try themselves. 

Edited March 23, 2021 by VikB

[VikB]

One of my retirement projects was to learn to ride a non-motorized unicycle. I bought one a few years ago, but never dedicated the time to learn it so it's in my garage gathering dust. I'm sort of thinking I'm going to try it now on that basketball court since it was such a great space to learn to ride the EUC. I've read that riding a pedal unicycle can help people learn to ride an EUC. I'm wondering if riding an EUC can help someone learn to ride a pedal unicycle???? 

[Tawpie]

I forget the name of the organization, but they (used to) hold a learn to ride event in Las Vegas where folks off the street have a chance to try their legs on a wheel. They had an interesting technique where their helper/teacher would walk/trot/run beside the learner and hold a broomstick or other light weight pole for the learner to hang on to. It didn't provide "support" as much as assurance and appeared to be pretty effective at allowing the learner to get the feel of the wheel in motion. I have no idea how they got people going but suspect that was when the helper provided support. It reminded me a little bit of the way ski schools were teaching kids the last time I was on the piste: both poles held horizontally in two hands, out front, chest high, practice turning down the bunny slope.

It's great there's some possibility you'll have a riding companion!

Edited March 23, 2021 by Tawpie