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Hello New rider looking at the s20


Luke Skywalker

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This is really great advice! I’m going to start out with the 16x and most likely get another wheel next year (:

 first step is to order the Aerostitch armor. I’m planning on going to an actual store to get a helmet; seems like something I’d want to try on. Do you guys wear gloves too?

 Thanks again for all the help. This is the best forum as far as experienced people helping beginners!

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5 hours ago, Luke Skywalker said:

I’m planning on going to an actual store to get a helmet

good call, helmets that don't fit properly either hurt your head or aren't doing as much good as you'll like them to. Look for a HUGE viewport. The scenery is part of the fun. The helmet thread has too much information about helmets.

 

5 hours ago, Luke Skywalker said:

Do you guys wear gloves too?

Always. Gardening gloves in the summer, ice fishing mittens in the winter. See, when I fall and my arms want to catch me I'd rather provide a teensy bit of protection for my fingers. In my mind when I 'practice falling', I try to always tell my fingers to get up and out of the way. Slide on your palms, you don't want to grind down your fingers. I push buttons for a living so working fingers are pretty important. Gyroriders are supposed to be good, they were designed by a rider (if you order a roll.nz directly from them, they'll sell you gloves too and your shipped cost is lower—no US dealers for Gyroriders.

Don't forget palm/wrist guards! The free ones eWheels ships with their wheels work great (big, wide palm sliders) but don't have protection against bending your wrist backwards. While backwards bent wrists aren't a common injury, it would really ruin your day. Flexmeter dual sided guards provide excellent wrist protection, but they're long and interfere with your coat. You can get overmittens for them, I don't know how warm they are but Flexmeters were designed for snow sports so perhaps they're good.

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9 hours ago, Luke Skywalker said:

This is really great advice! I’m going to start out with the 16x and most likely get another wheel next year (:

 first step is to order the Aerostitch armor. I’m planning on going to an actual store to get a helmet; seems like something I’d want to try on. Do you guys wear gloves too?

 Thanks again for all the help. This is the best forum as far as experienced people helping beginners!

16x is a great wheel to learn on and then simply keep until you wear it out. No money wasted buying a BS learner wheel that you wont use after a month. Good plan on starting with somethnig in the middle. Once you master it and get the sickness, you can then shop for BIG or small wheels and youll already know wtf is what. In the euc game, biggest and/or most exensive, doesnt mean best at all. Oh the horror, seeing a newbie snag a $3k wheel and then have to worry about dropping it (they will). Theres so much fun to be had with a simple 20ish mph wheel that you can afford to enjoy and not pamper. After years, I still ride my 18XL. My first wheel was also similar (18L). Just goes to show that even a brand new sherman, brand new s18 and brand new mten, doesnt replace my 18XL. I think of it like this... do you race your car all day at the track or do you drive it normally? No need to buy a racecar if your bread and butter more closely fits a honda civic. Is a ferrari better to get groceries than a van? Hopefully you get my point. No need to buy something to show off that you have the newest. Buy smart and show off that you have common sense. Theres room for race cars once you own a daily driver.

I dont wear gloves as I wear Flexmeters. In the winter I MAY pull some mitts over my FM's, but in the summer I simply try to remember if I hit the ground, use the palms and not the fingers. Be sure to tell Aerostich that Shane sent ya. It makes me REALLY happy to hear that I'm not the only one willing to shell out some bucks on a fitting suit made by a small US business. At 6'3" and 130lbs, not much fits me.  Honestly, I think my suit may outlive me, unless I start sliding more.

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  • 8 months later...
44 minutes ago, Luke Skywalker said:

 

Time to buy my gear.  I didn't think this would come for a few more weeks or longer!

S22 your first wheel ? Didn’t get a learner ? I guess people start out w/big wheels all the time.

Have fun !

Best,

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4 minutes ago, OldFartRides said:

S22 your first wheel ? Didn’t get a learner ? I guess people start out w/big wheels all the time.

Have fun !

Best,

Lower pedals all the way and pad it up, should be ok. I find that it’s easier to ride than my S18 and I have the pedals up high.

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30 minutes ago, jrhz06 said:

Lower pedals all the way and pad it up, should be ok. I find that it’s easier to ride than my S18 and I have the pedals up high.

Dude you're awesome.  I was piling stuff in my Amazon cart - the great Wrist Guards, Knee and Shin Guards, Elbow guards that Waulnut recommended...) but I don't think I'll need that stuff if I get the Aerostitch stealth with the hard shell upgrade, right? 

As you guys have said, it's worth getting the best gear to avoid serious injuries.  Especially for bozos like me who buy a higher end wheel than they should be learning on haha

What's the "best of the best, $ no object" helmet?  A head injury sounds like even less fun than a busted elbow

Edited by Luke Skywalker
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45 minutes ago, OldFartRides said:

S22 your first wheel ? Didn’t get a learner ? I guess people start out w/big wheels all the time.

Have fun !

Best,

Ha yeah everyone suggested that I should but I just love the idea of a full suspension.  I doubt I'll do much serious street riding.  maybe 20 to 25 mph tops.  What I really want to do is cruise through parks and over soft grass.  I know it's going to take a few months (or maybe longer) to really feel comfortable on it

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2 minutes ago, Luke Skywalker said:

but I don't think I'll need that stuff if I get the Aerostitch stealth with the hard shell upgrade, right? 

I can't say I'd be tempted to spend that sort of money on a special suit. I can't say I've ever seen people wear that sort of stuff on a wheel. Obviously it's your choice. While you're learning you will find it exhausting and you won't be going very fast so I'd just wear jeans, a bicycle helmet and wrist guards. I'd also wear ankle boots as those pedals make quite a crack on your ankles. After a few years of riding, I still don't wear much more than this but obviously everyone is different.

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1 hour ago, mike_bike_kite said:

I can't say I'd be tempted to spend that sort of money on a special suit. I can't say I've ever seen people wear that sort of stuff on a wheel. Obviously it's your choice. While you're learning you will find it exhausting and you won't be going very fast so I'd just wear jeans, a bicycle helmet and wrist guards. I'd also wear ankle boots as those pedals make quite a crack on your ankles. After a few years of riding, I still don't wear much more than this but obviously everyone is different.

Hmm... I see what you mean.  So do you think this gear would be good to start?  I have some hiking boots that I was planning on wearing but maybe I should get something more beefy

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Edited by Luke Skywalker
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1 minute ago, Luke Skywalker said:

Hmm... I see what you mean.  So do you think this gear would be good to start?  Along with some ankle guards

It just seems a little odd spending vast amounts of money on safety gear (or on a wheel for that matter) when you're only just starting out. I spent around $40 on my cycle helmet and wrist guards and, to be honest, I'm still happy with them. I do understand that knee guards would add to my safety but I also know that I'd never wear them. It might be worth just learning to ride the wheel first before buying everything in the shop.

I'd also recommend trying to protect the wheel as much as possible as it will fall over repeatedly while learning. The S22 is a stunning looking wheel but it wouldn't be the wheel I'd recommend to learn on (or to lift up and put in the back of a car). One alternative might be to buy a used V10F, KS16S, KS16X, KS18XL or V8F locally and just learn on that before jumping on the big wheel. You might even find that a lighter wheel actually suits your needs better.

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2 minutes ago, mike_bike_kite said:

It just seems a little odd spending vast amounts of money on safety gear (or on a wheel for that matter) when you're only just starting out. I spent around $40 on my cycle helmet and wrist guards and, to be honest, I'm still happy with them. I do understand that knee guards would add to my safety but I also know that I'd never wear them. It might be worth just learning to ride the wheel first before buying everything in the shop.

I'd also recommend trying to protect the wheel as much as possible as it will fall over repeatedly while learning. The S22 is a stunning looking wheel but it wouldn't be the wheel I'd recommend to learn on (or to lift up and put in the back of a car). One alternative might be to buy a used V10F, KS16S, KS16X, KS18XL or V8F locally and just learn on that before jumping on the big wheel. You might even find that a lighter wheel actually suits your needs better.

Ya I think I'm older and a bit more cautious than some of the other people on here too.  If I can spend some loot and reduce my chance of a serious injury by a couple %, I'll go for it. 

Generally I don't spend much money on other things either... A small several year old car and I don't even own a watch :)

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1 hour ago, Luke Skywalker said:

Ya I think I'm older and a bit more cautious than some of the other people on here too.

If you're as old as I am, consider adding padded shorts or the Demon hip belt to your list. I went with the hip belt and it's excellent but you need fat pants. Nice thing is I can wear the hip belt under shorts. And you don't have to get entirely undressed when nature calls. The locals that wear padded shorts refer to them as "the diaper" (and secretly, a great deal of the parental age crowd wears the diaper).

I usually wear moto jeans or moto pants with pockets for level 2 hip and have adapted the tailbone protector from the hip belt so it'll fit into the moto stuff. I've fallen off backwards a few times trying to learn to ride backwards (once really hard), and several times while riding trails (loose surface), so I absolutely swear by the tailbone protector.

Edited by Tawpie
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2 hours ago, mike_bike_kite said:

It just seems a little odd spending vast amounts of money on safety gear (or on a wheel for that matter)

Although another way to look at it is that because I’m just starting out, I might need more protection than you guys :efee612b4b:

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2 hours ago, Luke Skywalker said:

Ya I think I'm older and a bit more cautious than some of the other people on here too.

I'm actually about to turn 60 myself though I'll admit my attitude to personal safety can be a bit screwed at times. For my birthday next week, I'm going to the Alps to learn to paraglide :)

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1 hour ago, mike_bike_kite said:

I'm actually about to turn 60 myself though I'll admit my attitude to personal safety can be a bit screwed at times. For my birthday next week, I'm going to the Alps to learn to paraglide :)

Ha wow… I’m closing in on the half century mark myself. About the most adventurous thing I do is ski. In fact I’m thinking of wearing the Aero Stich armor over some thin electrically heated gear

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My dad also is turning dino - 55 :D And he rides personally without any gear. But on slower/smaller wheel. (He knows the dangers..)

I personally on small trips ~4km wear only wrist guards. Same time i don't go faster than ~20kph speed. (Enjoy slow ride around neighborhood no need to hurry.) When i go for longer "fun" rides, i wear full face helmet, wrist/knee guards and go mostly ~35-40kph speeds.

When i learned riding, i also didn't have any gear. But then again i just fall 3 times in grass. (Yes, we learned on grass/sand - less damage to wheel.) Riding on asphalt afterwards was so easy, compared to grass. :D 

Also you are learning. You won't ride faster than walking speed.. Most times the one who will fall - will be the wheel. (But as older guy - yeah get gear better.) We personally didn't need it, while we learned. And i bought my "gear", when i started going faster than regular bike.

We also live in "ghost town" and don't ride with cars - less dangers. Most paths are empty and straight going, we see maybe 1-5 people per 1km ridden. So risk of falling would be mostly when euc suddenly breaks down. (And yes! We know it's "When" not "If") :)

Edited by Funky
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8 hours ago, mike_bike_kite said:

It just seems a little odd spending vast amounts of money on safety gear (or on a wheel for that matter) when you're only just starting out. I spent around $40 on my cycle helmet and wrist guards and, to be honest, I'm still happy with them. I do understand that knee guards would add to my safety but I also know that I'd never wear them. It might be worth just learning to ride the wheel first before buying everything in the shop.

I'd also recommend trying to protect the wheel as much as possible as it will fall over repeatedly while learning. The S22 is a stunning looking wheel but it wouldn't be the wheel I'd recommend to learn on (or to lift up and put in the back of a car). One alternative might be to buy a used V10F, KS16S, KS16X, KS18XL or V8F locally and just learn on that before jumping on the big wheel. You might even find that a lighter wheel actually suits your needs better.

Hey I just reread what you wrote about “protecting the wheel”.  I’m looking at EUC stands and trying to find a neoprene cover. Is that the kind of stuff you’re talking about?

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3 hours ago, Funky said:

My dad also is turning dino - 55 :D And he rides personally without any gear. But on slower/smaller wheel. (He knows the dangers..)

I personally on small trips ~4km wear only wrist guards. Same time i don't go faster than ~20kph speed. (Enjoy slow ride around neighborhood no need to hurry.) When i go for longer "fun" rides, i wear full face helmet, wrist/knee guards and go mostly ~35-40kph speeds.

When i learned riding, i also didn't have any gear. But then again i just fall 3 times in grass. (Yes, we learned on grass/sand - less damage to wheel.) Riding on asphalt afterwards was so easy, compared to grass. :D 

Also you are learning. You won't ride faster than walking speed.. Most times the one who will fall - will be the wheel. (But as older guy - yeah get gear better.) We personally didn't need it, while we learned. And i bought my "gear", when i started going faster than regular bike.

We also live in "ghost town" and don't ride with cars - less dangers. Most paths are empty and straight going, we see maybe 1-5 people per 1km ridden. So risk of falling would be mostly when euc suddenly breaks down. (And yes! We know it's "When" not "If") :)

That’s awesome!  

Honestly, I have a fat tire e-bike and riding on the road with my buddy (who has a racing bike) really bores me.

i plan on cruising through open grassy fields, up and down hills, etc. 

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The reasons we protect the wheel as well are 4-fold:

1. It makes it more comfortable for the areas of you that touch it

2. It offers an extra level of water resistance because it can cover screw holes, and seams in plastic work.

3. It stops naughty rocks denting and scuffing up your bodywork in falls and crashes.

4. When you fall off it your big heavy wheel may roll on and collide with stuff - it is in your interests to damage that stuff as little as possible !

CBR

Edited by Cerbera
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7 minutes ago, Cerbera said:

The reasons we protect the wheel as well are 4-fold:

1. It makes it more comfortable for the areas of you that touch it

2. It offers an extra level of water resistance because it can cover screw holes, and seams in plastic work.

3. It stops naughty rocks denting and scuffing up your bodywork in falls and crashes.

4. When you fall off it your big heavy wheel may roll on and collide with stuff - it is in your interests to damage that stuff as little as possible !

CBR

All excellent reasons!  So… any thoughts on what to buy to accomplish this? 

this is a really great forum. People are great at helping me. I’m on some other forums for audio gear, flashlights, and pocket knives and some of the people are real jerkoffs 

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