First time learning an EUC, on a Veteran Sherman Max.

[Kuru]

My EUC Origin Story.

I have been riding alot of things in my life. BMX, MTB, Unicycles (the regular non motor-ones), snowboard, motorbikes, mopeds etc. i love to balance on stuff! and the last year i was commuting 15 km to work (+back...) on a powerful e-scooter. I loved it, but something was missing still. I kept watching those EUC videos somehow... ALOT of them ;D And eventually i talked myself into a plan regarding buying a small last mile EUC just to have as backup. I never bought the small one though. The more i did research and talked to people online, i always got the suggestion to buy a bit better of an EUC instead, to grow into. I even started dreaming about me riding a big EUC (yes, for real. at night! haha). So i decided to get something that wasnt a backup, but more of an alternative ride, that could handle basically the same things my Dualtron Ultra 2 could. I ended up with a Veteran Sherman Max eventually! I picked it up earlier today

Im 44 years old, work as a chef in Gothenburg, Sweden. I had to pick it up on my way to work and keep it at work until my shift ended tonight. At least i could fiddle with it at home tonight a bit. That was the initial plan. (adding soft bumper-material to it lol...). But i couldnt keep away from it... i unlocked the transport lock and took my first steps toward learning an EUC right there outside the restaurant ;D At least i had a quite street to practise on. I watched alot of learning to EUC videos ofc, and i started against a wall, going back and forth for a few minutes. It was very sketchy and i didnt think it could work at first. But then i stepped out on the asphalt and tried a free mount a few times, and then it just clicked! I was able to keep going for 100-200 meters, step off, turning around manually, and go back  Some friends at work caught me on video, cause they thought i would crash and were ready  ofc. But i somehow managed to freemount and ride, at least in a somewhat straight line after around 10 minutes. Since i havnt tried any other EUC's the Sherman didnt feel too heavy and it was a bit smaller than it looked in videos. It was hard to turn, and it turned on its own a few times, but i managed to save most of the attempts, only dropping it like 3 times or so hehe. Well, its made to be used and now i have the first marks on it! I cant do sharp turnarounds yet, but im hoping for that tomorrow when i have a bit more time.

I did some more free mounting practise after work, at dark, but i was in another kind of pants that time, and i noticed it was 100% more slippery that time! I couldnt grip the sides at all and maybe i was tired from work too ;D I finally managed to do a few runs but it was super sketchy! I have now put soft bumper strips on the sides, so it should have alot more grip and be softer as well. Looking forward to more practise tomorrow  I love this!!!
 

 

Edited April 27, 2022 by Kuru
typos. + added a bit.

[Boostnsvt]

Cool! Your past experience definitely helped you pick it up.

I thought you were going to make your first attempt at riding without gear, then saw your vid and thought it was hilarious that you had your gear ready.😂

The learning experience and experiences you will have in the next week we’re very memorable to me, so I can guarantee that you will continue to have a blast on it.

[Kuru]

6 hours ago, Boostnsvt said:

Cool! Your past experience definitely helped you pick it up.

I thought you were going to make your first attempt at riding without gear, then saw your vid and thought it was hilarious that you had your gear ready.😂

The learning experience and experiences you will have in the next week we’re very memorable to me, so I can guarantee that you will continue to have a blast on it.

Yes i was ready with at least some gear ;D I do have full motorcycle gear too at home, but i just brought my helmet and wristguards this time since i was going so slow. But i will put on some more these next days for sure. I bumped up the speed alarm beeps a few notches too. It is a good way to make people notice youre coming riding the beeps though i noticed hehe. I also padded my sherman up a bit last night so ill have an easier time gripping it with my legs now.

[Planemo]

1 minute ago, Kuru said:

 I also padded my sherman up a bit last night so ill have an easier time gripping it with my legs now.

Gripping an EUC with your legs is the last thing you should be doing when learning IMO.

You should be aiming to allow the wheel to be totally fluid between your legs - bring it out in front of you when braking, out back when accelerating, and floppy between your shins at low speed to allow 'tilt' when turning.

Only when experienced should you think about locking in your legs, and even then only if the terrain/speed dictates it.

[Kuru]

58 minutes ago, Planemo said:

Gripping an EUC with your legs is the last thing you should be doing when learning IMO.

You should be aiming to allow the wheel to be totally fluid between your legs - bring it out in front of you when braking, out back when accelerating, and floppy between your shins at low speed to allow 'tilt' when turning.

Only when experienced should you think about locking in your legs, and even then only if the terrain/speed dictates it.

Aha! I was a bit afraid of wobbles if i wasnt gripping it, but i guess ill figure it out  Thanks for the tip! I'll try being more loose. It was already alot easier to ride today when practising  i was doing a 3km ride with some hills and turns today! It was hard starting uphill but i managed to do it finally! I was also practising stopping without grabbing the bars with my hands and i think i got it down a bit better now. Still a bit wobbly starting out before i get some speed but im getting there. And i wasnt as tired in my feet and legs this time. I was trying to relax as much as i could. I had more gear on today, so it felt a bit more safe, and that made me relax a bit more too.

[Planemo]

15 minutes ago, Kuru said:

Aha! I was a bit afraid of wobbles if i wasnt gripping it, but i guess ill figure it out  Thanks for the tip!

It's all good, you're doing well, and having some protection foam on the sides is a good idea in case of falls so thats fine. Just try not to let yourself grip the wheel.

That said, in terms of protection, the stock Sherman pads hold the sides off the ground anyway so you could of just used those instead but as you've fitted the foam already you may as well stick with it

As you say, relaxation is key. I know it's hard (been there lol) but do try to make a conscious effort to just let the wheel 'do it's thing' rather than fight it.

edit: starting off on hills is ALWAYS a pain, even when experienced. Funnily enough I experienced my first ever pedal dip the other day, starting off on an incline with my Sherman. Never had that on any wheel before, at any speed. I guess I just had a bit more lean than I thought and at 0 mph on an incline the wheel just couldn't keep up for a split second. It recovered straight away, I just carried on and it didn't cause any problem, but I definitely felt it.

Just goes to show that even the Sherman with it's monster power supply can hiccup under heavy torque at low speed.

Edited April 27, 2022 by Planemo

[Kuru]

i think i had some pedaldipping too at some point today. hard to say since im so new though. i do weigh like 290 pounds, so i know i need to be a bit careful. im glad the max has good torque!

oh, and i have some torquepads on order btw. should i wait a while to put those on?

[OldFartRides]

Welcome to the forum ! 

Best,

[Kuru]

5 hours ago, OldFartRides said:

Welcome to the forum ! 

Best,

Thanks  Nothing like a good old forum when you get hooked on something!

[OldFartRides]

Obviously your previous traditional unicycle experience gave you a leg up on us multi-wheel converts !

[Tasku]

6 hours ago, Kuru said:

oh, and i have some torquepads on order btw. should i wait a while to put those on?

I looked your video and I would say do not put the pads on yet.

When you feel like you have total control of the wheel that you can make stops and get out of the wheel in full control, then maybe think pads again. It looked like you strugled with turning as it was so, you should not mix things with the pads now.

Take your time with the wheel.

There was good tips already, here some few more:

Try to get good with mounting the wheel and dismounting, this will be important if you wanna travel with is as there always will be reason to make stops when you travel. It looked like your right leg is dominant, so put it always on the wheel first and lower your left first, that will help. Also, when you mount the wheel have it slightly tilted(to left if you have right leg on it already), and as you raise your left leg to the pedal, it will straighten out. Makes mounting a lot easier, give it a try.

Stance and posture matters. Try to be relaxed, only lean on the wheel with one leg. You do not have to squeeze it. Try to learn keep your knees bent, so you wont fly off on potholes and bumbs. You can be relaxed with your leg muscles, take alot of braketime during learning. You need to let your muscles relax or they will start to hurt.

You still do not have very good balance so keep it slow, go very slow to turns as you simply havent learned to "throw your weight yet on curve".

Wobbles are going to be reminder that you do not distribute weight well. The faster you accelerate/slowdown the more wobbles you will encounter. Also curves, go slow. To counter wobble you should try to learn moving your weight from leg to leg. Just ever so slow tilted carving. That will help you get any wobble in control later on. That lil snakey move is also very fun and helps you build your confidence.

Gonna end to the best tip on repeating mode, take it slow, take breaks, have fun!

[Kuru]

1 hour ago, Tasku said:

I looked your video and I would say do not put the pads on yet.

When you feel like you have total control of the wheel that you can make stops and get out of the wheel in full control, then maybe think pads again. It looked like you strugled with turning as it was so, you should not mix things with the pads now.

Take your time with the wheel.

There was good tips already, here some few more:

Try to get good with mounting the wheel and dismounting, this will be important if you wanna travel with is as there always will be reason to make stops when you travel. It looked like your right leg is dominant, so put it always on the wheel first and lower your left first, that will help. Also, when you mount the wheel have it slightly tilted(to left if you have right leg on it already), and as you raise your left leg to the pedal, it will straighten out. Makes mounting a lot easier, give it a try.

Stance and posture matters. Try to be relaxed, only lean on the wheel with one leg. You do not have to squeeze it. Try to learn keep your knees bent, so you wont fly off on potholes and bumbs. You can be relaxed with your leg muscles, take alot of braketime during learning. You need to let your muscles relax or they will start to hurt.

You still do not have very good balance so keep it slow, go very slow to turns as you simply havent learned to "throw your weight yet on curve".

Wobbles are going to be reminder that you do not distribute weight well. The faster you accelerate/slowdown the more wobbles you will encounter. Also curves, go slow. To counter wobble you should try to learn moving your weight from leg to leg. Just ever so slow tilted carving. That will help you get any wobble in control later on. That lil snakey move is also very fun and helps you build your confidence.

Gonna end to the best tip on repeating mode, take it slow, take breaks, have fun!

thanks for all the tips  every little bit helps and ill try em all out sooner or later! today went alot better than yesterday. im getting alot better at stopping and stepping off without using my hands and turns are coming slowly but surely. i got my first serious speed wobbles today. i got out of it though and it didnt feel too bad. its good to get a feel for those i guess. this wheel is so smooth and stable so it just makes you go fast, even as a beginner! i really have to watch out ;D i went 43kmh (27mph) today and it felt like nothing! i also rode in traffic 5km and it went alright. but im being careful. i had to stop and rest my feet at one point too. ill keep riding and learning

[.....]

The Sherman is a heavy wheel. I typically dont suggest using pads before you get good without them. However, the Sherman is so damn slick and its really a dog off the line. Youl be fine padless, but you're definitely utilizing your weight. My 125lb ass couldnt get much out of the sherm w/o pads. I mean, I can ride it just fine w/o them, but I damn sure cant wring the power out of it. Take your time of course, but dont be too worried about it, when you do end up using pads on it. I found the stock pads were WAY too narrow, so no pads is better than those POS. A side effect of pads on the sherm (if they are mounted high), is it protects the bms, as the pedals and pads are now the high points. My sherm has fallen over a few times and the case looks minty fresh. I now rock a RollNZ cover on it, but again, the pads and pedals protect the sides. GO ahead and put an order in for some nylonove adjustable spiked pedals (if they make em for the max). By the time yuo get them, youl be damn good on the thing and be thankful I mentioned it....

Speed wobbles on the sherm aint no joke. 80lbs of waggle will wake ypu up fast! Careful, as 27mph is well above a speed that you will be running that out. Congrats and enjoy the wheel!

Edited April 28, 2022 by ShanesPlanet

[Hellkitten]

Congrats on the first wheel and picking up riding so quickly! Fair warning, it’s an addictive hobby. I’m trying hard to behave, but I’ve been eyeing the Sherman max to an unhealthy degree........... welcome to the forum. 

[Planemo]

2 hours ago, ShanesPlanet said:

GO ahead and put an order in for some nylonove adjustable spiked pedals (if they make em for the max). By the time yuo get them, youl be damn good on the thing and be thankful I mentioned it....

Hmmm... I'd actually have to unusually disagree with you on that one...I don't get the 'spiked pedal fest' any more than I do the pad fest tbh.

I've never felt the need for anything other than the stock pedals on the Sherm, and it's not like I ride like Miss Daisy. I've never had my feet slip, but then I don't do mud/rain/heavy off road either so I will add that caveat.

I can't ride without spiked pedals on the MTB though, go figure. Maybe because theres so much less contact area on a bicycle.

That said, I seriously have the hots for a set of gold anodised CNC Freemotion pedals, only cos they look the nuts and I have a bit of a black/gold theme going on at the mo

 

[Kuru]

5 hours ago, Planemo said:

Hmmm... I'd actually have to unusually disagree with you on that one...I don't get the 'spiked pedal fest' any more than I do the pad fest tbh.

I've never felt the need for anything other than the stock pedals on the Sherm, and it's not like I ride like Miss Daisy. I've never had my feet slip, but then I don't do mud/rain/heavy off road either so I will add that caveat.

I can't ride without spiked pedals on the MTB though, go figure. Maybe because theres so much less contact area on a bicycle.

That said, I seriously have the hots for a set of gold anodised CNC Freemotion pedals, only cos they look the nuts and I have a bit of a black/gold theme going on at the mo

 

The spiked pedals looks nice though, and im sure ill get a pair eventually. But right now im trying to move my feet a tiny bit sometimes when riding, finding the best positioning. People say its hard to move the feet on spiked pedals right? The grip is too good?

[Kuru]

7 hours ago, ShanesPlanet said:

The Sherman is a heavy wheel. I typically dont suggest using pads before you get good without them. However, the Sherman is so damn slick and its really a dog off the line. Youl be fine padless, but you're definitely utilizing your weight. My 125lb ass couldnt get much out of the sherm w/o pads. I mean, I can ride it just fine w/o them, but I damn sure cant wring the power out of it. Take your time of course, but dont be too worried about it, when you do end up using pads on it. I found the stock pads were WAY too narrow, so no pads is better than those POS. A side effect of pads on the sherm (if they are mounted high), is it protects the bms, as the pedals and pads are now the high points. My sherm has fallen over a few times and the case looks minty fresh. I now rock a RollNZ cover on it, but again, the pads and pedals protect the sides. GO ahead and put an order in for some nylonove adjustable spiked pedals (if they make em for the max). By the time yuo get them, youl be damn good on the thing and be thankful I mentioned it....

Speed wobbles on the sherm aint no joke. 80lbs of waggle will wake ypu up fast! Careful, as 27mph is well above a speed that you will be running that out. Congrats and enjoy the wheel!

One big reason i got the sherman was the weight of the wheel. I wanted something stable that could handle my weight ok too. It feels ok getting speed now and i dont really want it to be faster at this stage ;D I dont really feel i need the pads right now. But i also know i love speed (ive been topping out my dualtron ultra 2 scooter at around 63mph as often as i can in a "safe way".). I just have to get really good first, and that takes longer on an EUC than on a scooter i bet. I have to pace myself!

[Planemo]

10 minutes ago, Kuru said:

The spiked pedals looks nice though, and im sure ill get a pair eventually. But right now im trying to move my feet a tiny bit sometimes when riding, finding the best positioning. People say its hard to move the feet on spiked pedals right? The grip is too good?

Thats exactly one of the reasons why I'm not clamouring to fit spiked pedals, even after 4 years riding. I like to be able to move my feet around a little if needed, without having to completely take my foot off the pedal.

Providing the grip tape is in good order I cant honestly see how peoples feet are slipping. The friction between the bottom of a size 10 and a pedal with say 45kg on it (half of an average 90kg rider) must be a LOT.

I can see that spikes would be absolutely essential for wet/mud though, as grip tape is utterly useless in those conditions. 

[Tasku]

30 minutes ago, Kuru said:

he spiked pedals looks nice though, and im sure ill get a pair eventually. But right now im trying to move my feet a tiny bit sometimes when riding, finding the best positioning. People say its hard to move the feet on spiked pedals right? The grip is too good?

Yes, I bet you are still looking for where to keep your feet at. If mounting is still hard (totally normal this stage) the spikes are extra hassle. But I would say, later they will help you keep your feet tightly in pedal. That is very important as you will notice, lifting of from EUC is not nice, cause you cannot control how you land if your feet are not on the pedals. If your feet loses standing you also tend to lose balance. But lucky you still taking it slow so wobbles wont get you scraping pavement.

13 minutes ago, Planemo said:

Thats exactly one of the reasons why I'm not clamouring to fit spiked pedals, even after 4 years riding. I like to be able to move my feet around a little if needed, without having to completely take my foot off the pedal.

I felt the same at first try. But if you get comfortable and find your stance, you can still move the rest of your body, mostly knees. Also you do not have to maintain changing grip tape anymore, less maintenance. But it will be choice for every rider.

13 minutes ago, Planemo said:

I can see that spikes would be absolutely essential for wet/mud though, as grip tape is utterly useless in those conditions. 

There will be pro and con to weight for. For me the spiked pedals are a must, prolly cause I do not use pads that much. I like the freedom but need that planted feel that spikes give.

--------------

One last tip slightly regarding pedals. Try to learn to lean into your knees with your weight to accelerate, and not place your head in extreme "Michael Jackson lean". If you some point install pads, well people tend to learn to lean into em (downfall being they do not learn to ride without). The difference here is that, should you have a moment of wobble (or anything that would result fall), you would be able to slow the fall with your knee pads not face first, hopefully you buy good ones. Going down head first is gonna be ugly, even with helmet.

(edit. some people even lift their heel from one leg to get the acceleration, but make sure you have the balance first as lifting heel will slow your next move somewhat)

Edited April 28, 2022 by Tasku

[Kuru]

a few days in now and im getting better. i did the full work commute today for the first time! 17 km to work and then 17 back home again (in the middle of the night...). the underside of my feet get tired pretty fast going longer trips. i have to stop and rest a few times here and there, but it feels good! sometimes i get a slightly better stance i feel and i dont get tired as fast in my feet. i think it helps having my shoes hanging more over the pedals front side, but not sure there yet.

i also had my first crash today. just 50m from work going home i turned to close to a curb and clipped it! i went flying. the wheel went tumbling. i was only going like 10-15kmh and i had plenty gear on so i walked away after a few minutes with a bruised hip and a sore arm. the sherman didnt even flinch lol. i could barealy see a scratch on it except that it tore a bit of the griptape i had around the frame. i got up and tried the wheel and it felt good, so i managed to get home alright anyways. Lucky i had gear, but i wish i had hip protection... i smacked my hip right onto the pretty high curb. Gonna feel that tonight and a few days forward. im glad it wasnt worse, and im also glad i have my first crash out of the way  so i can get a feel for what its like to go down! ill go around edges of curbs a bit further away now. lesson learned.

oh, and im also learning how to carve a bit ;D its awesome!

[OldFartRides]

Yes, toes hanging off the front eases the strain.

Ride safe !

[Kuru]

this is getting more fun every day  i now feel comfy turning, carving, going slow and fast. somewhere around 40-60 kmh is what i can do without getting almost any wobbles now. its windy as heck alot of days during my commute too, so im getting that practise in  it still feels sketchy going in too much wind. i had my second and third "crash" today too. the first one was me being stupid. i saw a curb and tried to make my first "jump up a curb". with a sherman max. without jump pads. yes ;D i somehow got up, but also down very fast. on the ground ;P hit my ankle pretty good. perfect day to try out riding in my running shoes haha. later on my way home i was practising seated riding. i have alot of trouble with it, but i finally got the hang of it so i could start seated and ride at a slow pace without falling over. everything was well and good until i tried standing up while riding  the wheel changed speeds pretty fast and i smacked into the grund after trying to save it with a run off. i got away without damage though cause i was wearing almost full gear this day. all in all i rode over 40km today and it feels great

i also love being able to go into any shop without hassle and having it at work is a breeze  my big scooter was a pain bringing with me anywhere.

Edited May 6, 2022 by Kuru