Words of wisdom from a 56 year old rider to new EUC riders...

[M640x]

Not a tutorial, just some ramblings from an old guy.  Some of this may end up being useful.  : )

Hello all.  I'd like to have a chat with the brand new folks to this sport.  You've either decided you want to get into the EUC world or you already have but are just starting out.  The reason for this post is not to teach you to ride.  It's not a tutorial.  I now have 1600 miles and 2 years under my belt and I still remember the beginning of my EUC journey and I thought I'd throw out some of my words of wisdom and things I learned along the way.  The only thing that I ask is that when you start this sport, you give it 200 miles of EUC riding time before you decide whether or not it's for you.  I've seen people stop after just a couple hours of trying and they decide it's not for them.  A couple hours time is simply not enough time to get a good idea of what this is all about.  Every second of time you spend time on the wheel, your brain and muscles are learning and adapting to you being there.  It takes effort and time but anyone can do it.  Ok, let's get going.  Remember, these are my opinions.

FIRST WHEEL:
This is where I'll differ from just about everyone else.  I firmly believe that you should start on a bigger diameter wheel with a 2.5" wide tire or or wider.  The bigger the wheel diameter and wider the tire, the more stable the wheel.  The NUMBER ONE item you need when you first start riding is STABILITY!  The smaller the wheel, (diameter and tire width), the more agile and loose it is.  As a beginner, you don't need looseness and agility, you need the damn thing to be as stable as possible so you can stay on it.  I firmly believe that many a beginner were steered away from this sport because they started on a wheel that was too small.  Yes, a bigger wheel is more expensive, but with the current state of the EUC market, you'll get all if not most of your money back if after 200 miles of trying you decide it's not for you.  Also get a protective cover for it.  My first wheel was a Kingsong KS 14S.  I could not ride it for any real distance even after 40+ miles and a month of trying. I sold it and bought a Ninebot Z10.  The most stable wheel you can buy in my opinion.  I could ride it from day one and I've put 1000 miles on it.

STARTING TO RIDE:
Start in the grass.  In short it's very basic off roading imo.  Off roading on uneven terrain takes a lot more skill.  The grass is going to assist in a couple ways.  First, when starting out, you're going to fall and so is that nice wheel you bought.  Grass is softer for you and your wheel and when you finally get to the street you and your wheel won't be as beat up.  Secondly, the grass takes more skill than the street and your brain and body are going to learn and compensate for that.  When you finally get to the street, it will seem much easier and that's because it will be.  I suggest a couple hours a day and approx. 40 miles before moving from grass.  40 miles is a long distance to ride in grass.  Spend the time in the grass, I believe you'll thank me for this one.

MILES AND MILES:
Once you get to a point where you can ride down the street and stay up on the wheel, you need to start riding as far as you can as often as you can.  It's amazing just how fast your brain and body adjust to riding the EUC.  With very few miles under my belt, I went on a 26 mile ride with a friend of mine.  That long ride was the best thing I could have done for my riding ability.  I went from wobbly at the beginning of the ride to very confident and riding a lot better by the end.  I never looked back.  To this day most of my rides are no less than 12 miles.

STICK TO ONE WHEEL:
There are so many nice wheels out there.  At my height, I owned 5 at one time.  Each wheel has its own set of characteristics and it takes a while to get used to it.  For me it's around 100 miles.  When you're first learning this sport you need stability.  Changing wheels every day will slow down the skill building imo.  For the sake of fast tracking your skills I suggest staying on one wheel exclusively until you're riding pretty good.

RECAP:
*Buy a bigger wheel to begin with, it's more stable.
*Start in the grass and do around 40 miles before venturing into the street.
*Longer rides fast forward your riding proficiency.
*Stick to one wheel until you're pretty good at riding.

Finally, give it 200 miles before you decide it's not for you.  Others may have different ideas about first starting out but these are the ones that I remember that worked for me.  Remember, everyone started not knowing how to ride and where you are now, well except Kuji Rolls, he apparently was born with a EUC attached to his feet, lol : ).

Thank you for letting me ramble and remember to be kind to your senior citizens.  : p

 

[Tawpie]

4 hours ago, Senior Coffee said:

remember to be kind to your senior citizens

Also, remember that in any contest, "old age and treachery triumphs over youth and skill".

Nice summary @Senior Coffee. I would amend one thing though: start on pavement, for stability. Grass, being an uneven and sometimes soft and slippery surface can be difficult to get from a standstill to motion and you need to be moving to balance. I do endorse getting time on grass and then light trails as soon as you are able because it quickly builds balancing skills.

Edited May 26, 2021 by Tawpie

[EUC Sharkman]

I remember my first long ride and you are correct. It is transformative. During that ride, I went from just riding a wheel to seeing a future where I could fly.