Yo, Dude! How much is that thing?

[Magpie EUC]

I'm a new rider only 1 week so far, and I'm getting this every session, anybody over 25 that I speak with always says the usual "that's cool" ect ect... then comes the "do you mind me asking how much" anybody under 25 just shouts "bruv how much". I like GoGeorgeGo answer, from now on I'm just going to say you can pick one up for under 1k.

[Lex Smith]

In the short time I have been riding I have been asked dozens of times "how hard is it to ride?" But never cost as a first question.   If the cost question comes up I haven't felt the need to evade it but would if my spidey sense was tingling. 

 

[That Guy]

Questions I am asked are (by popularity):

1. Oh, what is this? (I usually don't have time to explain the physics and just answer "Electric Unicycle".)

2. That's sooo cooool! (Which I treat as a question answering "yip" :-))

3. Is it hard to keep balance? (I am answering "yip" or "the hardest"/"as hard as it gets")

4. Jesus Christ!?! (Not sure if it's a genuine question... :-) Should probably be answering it "Nope, sorry".)

5. F@#k me?!?... (Never know whether it's genuine... :-) To date I have ignored this one.)

6. Wow! How do you break? ("Leaning backwards")

7. Where can I buy it? ("Can buy it locally")

And finally, "How much is it?" (I tend to say "a couple of grand")

Edited June 11, 2021 by That Guy

[houseofjob]

2 hours ago, Lex Smith said:

In the short time I have been riding I have been asked dozens of times "how hard is it to ride?"

Yeah, that's one of the top questions, in the above form or the "I could never ride that" form.

 

2 hours ago, Lex Smith said:

But never cost as a first question.   If the cost question comes up I haven't felt the need to evade it but would if my spidey sense was tingling. 

I think this is a cultural thing. In the US, many will ask you how much all kinds of things cost, not just EUC. Over the years, I've learned that the cost question first basically means there's no real interest outside of the audience-looking-at-a-circus-act kind.

Edited June 11, 2021 by houseofjob

[Ben S]

I recently had a conversation with a Onewheel rider who also gets asked the same question.  He told me that if he is in a sketchy neighborhood he tells them "I'm making payments of $35 per month."   I thought this was a good way to avoid announcing the big ticket value and maybe suggest it will get turned off if payments stop.  

[Unipsycho]

My usual responses are:

1. What is that thing??   Its the future!

2. How much does that cost?     No idea, I stole it. (As I check my six and keep ripping)

3. How much does that cost? (asked by a kid).    No idea, got it from an alien.

Those usually get me the most smiles and the least interruption when I'm riding.  If I'm stopped or actually talking with someone, I'm happy to answer questions for real... But 90% of the time, 1, 2 & 3 above.

[Magpie EUC]

3 minutes ago, Unipsycho said:

My usual responses are:

1. What is that thing??   Its the future!

2. How much does that cost?     No idea, I stole it. (As I check my six and keep ripping)

3. How much does that cost? (asked by a kid).    No idea, got it from an alien.

Those usually get me the most smiles and the least interruption when I'm riding.  If I'm stopped or actually talking with someone, I'm happy to answer questions for real... But 90% of the time, 1, 2 & 3 above.

These are defiantly going to be my main responses from now on

"No, idea I stole it" LMFAO I'm dying.

[ChillUrn]

"I stole it" is a really good one lol. I'm also a big fan of "I dunno a friend loaned it to me" when it's someone sketchy asking. 

[GothamMike]

On 6/10/2021 at 5:08 PM, GoGeorgeGo said:

Unfortunately depending on your location you really cant tell what someone is thinking from a short conversation. A local rider had his v8f stolen just last week.

Admittedly he is mostly at fault in this instance for leaving it outside a convenience store while he grabbed a pack of smokes, but like i said it only takes 2 seconds to steal these devices. 

Many metropolitan areas suffer from epidemics of drug addiction. The heroin epidemic is very real, and very glossed over in the current political climate. People will do a lot of terrible things for 2000$. 

And no you can not tell who is an addict or a criminal by lookimg at them or having short conversations. Many times you can, but i have had people in my own life who you would NEVER expect to be struggling with addiction turn out to need help. Our drug happy medical system is heavily to blame.

Expect the best but prepare for the worst is my philosophy. No one gets hurt by me saying you can get one for 600$, which is true you can get a wonderful V5 or 14D or maybe even an mten3 for that price. No need to advertise the big ticket item im standing on, they will find out on their own if they are that interested.

I keep a cheap bicycle cable lock in my backpack.  I asked the mods to create a "Stolen EUC" forum so we can BOLO for a stolen device. Crickets.

Without a lock, I never let mine out of my sight. I bring it in stores and even place it in the lower area of a shopping cart.

[GothamMike]

On 6/10/2021 at 9:06 PM, That Guy said:

Questions I am asked are (by popularity):

1. Oh, what is this? (I usually don't have time to explain the physics and just answer "Electric Unicycle".)

2. That's sooo cooool! (Which I treat as a question answering "yip" :-))

3. Is it hard to keep balance? (I am answering "yip" or "the hardest"/"as hard as it gets")

4. Jesus Christ!?! (Not sure if it's a genuine question... :-) Should probably be answering it "Nope, sorry".)

5. F@#k me?!?... (Never know whether it's genuine... :-) To date I have ignored this one.)

6. Wow! How do you break? ("Leaning backwards")

7. Where can I buy it? ("Can buy it locally")

And finally, "How much is it?" (I tend to say "a couple of grand")

Answers:

1. Me: "Electric Unicycle." Chooch: Nuclear Powered SUV 1x1 single wheel self balancing gyroscope

2. "You'll never be this cool" (I say this to people in a MacLaren, Maserati, etc. I live in Connecticut)

3. "It's self balancing, I just balance it side to side." This is a smart Question, I don't mind answering.

4. "No, I'm Buddha. No belly rubs today"

5. "I'm still on meds for the sores"

6. "Fred Flintstone style"

7. "You gotta order it from China, takes a while. "

Finally: "500-4 grand" 

 

[jtm94]

I usually get asked this a lot while riding with my friend who Onewheels. I let him answer first and then grin when I say I got my used Ninebot One E+ for 1/20th the price he paid as I peel off into the sunset.

[Kaeto]

On 6/11/2021 at 4:06 AM, That Guy said:

Questions I am asked are (by popularity):

1. Oh, what is this? (I usually don't have time to explain the physics and just answer "Electric Unicycle".)

2. That's sooo cooool! (Which I treat as a question answering "yip" :-))

3. Is it hard to keep balance? (I am answering "yip" or "the hardest"/"as hard as it gets")

4. Jesus Christ!?! (Not sure if it's a genuine question... :-) Should probably be answering it "Nope, sorry".)

5. F@#k me?!?... (Never know whether it's genuine... :-) To date I have ignored this one.)

6. Wow! How do you brake? ("Leaning backwards")

7. Where can I buy it? ("Can buy it locally")

And finally, "How much is it?" (I tend to say "a couple of grand")

My Q&A (by popularity in Russia, so far):

1. "How much is it?" ( >> Best answer ever: "How much you got?", I'm gunna use this one from now on! Honestly, I'm being cheeky when asked this one. if you know what that is, you could possibly find the price... online, right?;P  Me: "Google it" (cranky mood), or "A lot", ..  keeps riding the UFO away xD )

2. "Oh, what is this?" ( Me: "Electric Unicycle" (with no further ado), or (best answer) > "Personal single-wheel self-balancing spacecraft" :-)

3. "How do you ride it?" (Best Answer: "With the power of thought" xD Me: "Balancing on it")

4. "Jesus! Wow! Oh God! Just look at THAT!" (each individually, or altogether) (Me: "Yup, I know!")

5. "Woah, MOM! Just look at that! what kind of motorcycle is that, with just 1 wheel??" (the mom ignoring the kid as she's got no answer  Me: "Yup, that's some alien technology")

6. Wow! How do you brake? (Me: "Leaning backwards". Pretty much a typical answer for all of us, eriders =-) 

7. No one's ever asked where to buy one. I believe the reason is it's pretty easy to get in Russia, lots of shops (offline ones, where you can go and touch it, test-ride it), show-rooms, online shops.

8 (updated). "How fast can 'THIS ..thing' go?" (People at times don't know what to call it (XD) but they ARE able to ask about the speed. I usually say the max one possible: " Uh, at about 80 km/h..."  - And them: "Oh, okay, nice!")

Edited June 29, 2021 by Kaeto

[GothamMike]

On 6/14/2021 at 4:25 AM, Kaeto said:

My Q&A (by popularity in Russia, so far):

1. "How much is it?" ( >> Best answer ever: "How much you got?", I'm gunna use this one from now on! Honestly, I'm being cheeky when asked this one. if you know what that is, you could possibly find the price... online, right?;P  Me: "Google it" (cranky mood), or "A lot", ..  keeps riding the UFO away xD )

2. "Oh, what is this?" ( Me: "Electric Unicycle" (with no further ado), or (best answer) > "Personal single-wheel self-balancing spacecraft" :-)

3. "How do you ride it?" (Best Answer: "With the power of thought" xD Me: "Balancing on it")

4. "Jesus! Wow! Oh God! Just look at THAT!" (each individually, or altogether) (Me: "Yup, I know!")

5. "Woah, MOM! Just look at that! what kind of motorcycle is that, with just 1 wheel??" (the mom ignoring the kid as she's got no answer  Me: "Yup, that's some alien technology")

6. Wow! How do you brake? (Me: "Leaning backwards". Pretty much a typical answer for all of us, eriders =-) 

7. No one's ever asked where to buy one. I believe the reason is it's pretty easy to get in Russia, lots of shops (offline ones, where you can go and touch it, test-ride it), show-rooms, online shops.

American store owners won't take the risk, and we have become a nation of ordering stuff online. I'm noticing severe shortages of clothing In Wal-Mart, and have to order stuff on the internet,