Roo Williams Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 (edited) Living in NYC and having worked as a technologist in the advertising industry I’m always interested in how new technologies and cultures get adopted and normalized into our existing culture, and essentially become ‘cool’. I had ridden BMX, and skated for years when I was younger and adopted the style that came with it. I’m mostly feeling eccentric enough these days to say ‘f*ck it’ and enjoy the benefits of EUC without any street cred but I guess I rock a little of the skate style when riding with turned up jeans and Vans sk8-hi. I’d be lying if I said I wished the general perception of people that see it was that it was a little cooler, because, let’s face it, they’re the most exciting thing to happen to personal transport and they deserve to be. As a side note, I recently went to pick up takeout food with my matte black full face helmet. As I waited for the food I placed it on the table in front of me and the guy opposite reaches out to shake my hand and he’s like ‘hey man what are you ridin?’ I felt like a goofball when he told me he rode a Harley and I pointed out my Gotway Tesla!! My fiancée (who is a creative director and gets sent free stuff because of her Instagram following ie. a ‘social influencer’, therefore a good barometer in this discussion) loves that story. HAHAHA. ANYWAY, I digress. In my opinion, one attribute of an EUC that could help edge it a little closer to ‘cool’ is a new name. Any time someone asks me ‘what’s that thing called’ I reply with ‘an electric unicycle’ and immediately feel a wave of cold sweat come over me. In my house it’s become a ‘OneWheel’ although we know that’s something different but I’ll take it over it’s last name, also assigned by my fiancee, of a ‘uni ball’.️ What do you guys call it? Let’s take a stab at something new, something descriptive that lands the point but has a chance to become its own thing. A few starters: Monowheel - Like solowheel but without the brand and connotations of loneliness. Wheel - ‘I’ll grab my wheel and meet you there’ works!? ... Edited October 20, 2021 by RagingGrandpa restored original title 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichieV Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 I've always liked "eWheel" or "e-wheel". It's concise and accurate. Also, a Google search for either yields ewheels.com as the first hit. I also like "electrowheel" as a retrofuturistic-sounding term. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meepmeepmayer Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 (edited) Wheel. Or just the wheel/brand name ("ACM", "Monster", "Gotway", "Kingsong"). 2 syllables max is necessary for a concept name. Onewheel would have been good, but the name was stolen (I blame Solowheel for not using that instead) I have the same cold sweat experience as you with "electric unicycle", but if you add "Easy to remember: it's a unicycle, and it's electric!" or "Easy to remember: one wheel, and it's electric" (in German, unicycle = "Einrad" = literally "onewheel") that makes it better. Slightly... Edited April 30, 2018 by meepmeepmayer 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kour Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 (edited) i've been defaulting to 'wheel'. in fact, all my friends and relatives (who don't ride) refer to them as such now. i kinda like electrowheel tho.. sometimes i refer to it as my 'ride'.. or 'magical wheel of fun and delight' Edited April 30, 2018 by kour 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roo Williams Posted April 30, 2018 Author Share Posted April 30, 2018 Lightning Chariot for something more grandiose and mythological. I like e-wheel, and yep it's good that Jason has managed to lock down that little bit of vocab for us with the site because most people that ask do so as a way to get a term they can search for. Glad 'wheel' has been getting some traction too. Electrowheel does evoke visions of Tron for me, haha! I might start calling it an ewheel to anyone that asks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kasenutty Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 I call it different things depending on who asks. If they're legitimately interested I'll call it an electric unicycle. If I can tell they really don't care I'll just say it's a scooter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esash Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 (edited) Lonemobile Stigmabile Iso-Cycle Abandobot Ostracycle SingleWay Edited April 30, 2018 by Scouts Honor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esash Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 Onesie 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post novazeus Posted April 30, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted April 30, 2018 talking to the harley guy, i’d call it a deathwheel. talking to the government ada mobility assist wheel. everybody else nerdwheel. among us wheelfun. 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esash Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 Chelsea Chopper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esash Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 SoloBlade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demargon Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 (edited) in spain is called monociclo, we called often MONO as short way. But also means "monkey" Edited April 30, 2018 by Demargon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novazeus Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 2 hours ago, Roo Williams said: Harley and I pointed out my Gotway Tesla!! coulda been worse. u coulda been on a hoverboard or a segway mini pro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esash Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 Urkel-Cycle 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roo Williams Posted April 30, 2018 Author Share Posted April 30, 2018 2 minutes ago, novazeus said: coulda been worse. u coulda been on a hoverboard or a segway mini pro. never! Just now, Scouts Honor said: Urkel-Cycle having way too much fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esash Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 Let's start a gang and call ourselves The MOSFits 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shemp Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 (edited) My wife is trying to popularize "eWheel," both because it's easier to say than "electric unicycle" and because she's a Jason fangirl. She commutes to work every day on a V5F+ and is asked two or three times every trip what it is, so I think it may be getting traction in SF. Edited April 30, 2018 by Shemp 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novazeus Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 1 hour ago, Scouts Honor said: Urkel-Cycle peewee wheel? this is the image that always pops in my head when i see the helmet thread. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Delphia Posted May 31, 2021 Share Posted May 31, 2021 a S.F. author, R. A. Heinlein, called them 'tumblebugs' in his story 'The Roads Must Roll', circa 1940 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldFartRides Posted May 31, 2021 Share Posted May 31, 2021 “ADA (compliant) mobility assist wheel”.... love it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goonman Posted June 11, 2021 Share Posted June 11, 2021 I like E-cycle. E-bike is an Electric bi-cycle We don't have two (bi) wheels so simply E-cycle E-ike? Nah. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lex Smith Posted June 12, 2021 Share Posted June 12, 2021 On 5/1/2018 at 7:43 AM, novazeus said: talking to the harley guy, i’d call it a deathwheel. talking to the government ada mobility assist wheel. everybody else nerdwheel. among us wheelfun. Catching up on this post, loved this response! "Mobility Assist Wheel " is going to be my go to answer for any noisy 'karens' or officialdom - let them dare to try and have a problem with that LOL. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaghetteh Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 On 4/30/2018 at 10:16 AM, Roo Williams said: I reply with ‘an electric unicycle’ and immediately feel a wave of cold sweat come over me. Yep... 7 syllables is way too many; plus I'd be willing to bet most people associate unicycles with circus acts and clowns. Overall it invokes a sense of dorkiness. E-wheel is good; it goes along with the trend of preceding electrically-powered mobility devices with "e" (e-bike, e-scooter, e-board, etc). But it could also be confusing considering all of the devices I just mentioned involve electrically-powered wheels; albeit more than one of them. What about Monocycle? Pretty similar to unicycle but also reminiscent of motorcycle; which are generally accepted as "cool". Monowheel? Pretty close to "OneWheel"... I've already had enough conversations explaining that what I have is not a OneWheel. Having to say, "No no, it's not a OneWheel it's a MonoWheel" wouldn't be any better. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unbihexium Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 I prefer to just go with electric unicycle or monowheel/ewheel. Let's face it, we'll never be cool and if you want to look "cool" then this isn't the hobby for you. Still, I once had a kid shout "dude I like your Segway" as I was riding past and I admit I nearly faceplanted from the visceral cringe of having my EUC called a Segway, so I guess I'm not free from the insecurity either. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldFartRides Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 It’s a mystery wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma…. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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