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Pushing 60 and against my families wishes - I just ordered my first EUC!


Grandpa_Jay

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Hi Jay, welcome to the EUC forums. I'm a bit of a newbie myself and only have experience with the v-11. I do know that power pads make a huge difference on the v-11 but i don't know if the ks s18 comes with decent pads already or not. Also people seem to like the spiked pedals of which i do not own at the moment. Hope you get your ride soon. I'm sure the fam will get over it when they see how much joy riding an EUC brings you.

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I have some thoughts for you! 
I started after 60 by a few years and still love it.

find a shopping cart from the homeless camp and get the feel of it than move to the tennis court .do not put big pads on or spiked pedals on until you can get on and off safety,pads and spikes will keep you from getting off when you are not in full control. I’ve been riding a few years now and still don’t need them.

cheers and never give up!

ps my wive wasn’t happy up front either, I now have 5 wheels ( grandkids)

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I'm curious about something, but first, hello! Welcome to the forum. So the question comes to mind is if you are able to do lets say a pratfall on a lawn.  Like when you were a kid you could fall forward and roll and not have a single issue with that. If you can do that even gingerly you may be okay to ride. If not I think it understandably difficult to recommend riding. Also a small wheel scooter is indeed dangerous because the wheels get caught in ruts easy. This danger can be mitigated by very careful observation of the roadway but one little slip will get you.

Obviously the much larger wheel on a EUC largely removes this issue, but not completely. You still need to develop reflexes for irregular pavement issues but it is no where near as bad as the scooter is.

I'm also wondering how much strength you have in your abdomen because that will need to be strong to support your lower back. If you are weak in that area I think you may want to work on that first. You are going to be twisting your core a lot to control the EUC and to stay balanced. I don't know how much thought you have given to learning but my advice is that a lot of videos are actually wrong on this. Many advocate for holding on to something as a steady guide, that is what I did and it was just the opposite of what I needed to do.

In my experience you want to learn completely free standing. Start with one foot on and just roll back and forth, it's a very small step but that is the beginning of teaching your body. Then you hop a little with the other foot while rolling forward (or backward) a bit. Eventually you progress to bringing your second foot onboard for a moment. This whole thing is teaching you mounting and dismounting which is the foundation of riding. From there you will progress into riding short distances, so on and so forth.

Just trying to get on and ride without having an innate understanding and body memory of mounting/dismounting doesn't work well, especially for a older rider. I'm 60 BTW...

Edited by Roadpower
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Tawpie's answer there is excellent, and I dropped in to say pretty much what he did., so he has saved me the time ! :)

And indeed I would echo his sentiments about what to spend your money on. Not the machine initially. Safety gear, safety gear, safety gear !

When you get to 50+, the falls can really hurt without it, and take a very long time to heal, but if you have that gear from the word go there there will rarely be a crash you can't get straight up and walk away from. And then have a little sit down before getting right back on it and wheeling yourself home ! At our age, you want ALL the joints covered, so that in the inevitable falls to come you can laugh them off and earn your valuable XP without anything hurting too badly :) 

The chances of falling start to drop off quite dramatically (but never fully disappear of course) once you get 6 months daily experience behind you, which should reassure your family somewhat :) And as others have said, they will see how much joy it brings you, and that you are doing it properly by having all the gear.

But what a hobby - hard to find a sense of freedom and a ride feeling like it anywhere else...

Edited by Cerbera
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Hi, 

I'm in your same position and have had similar questions as to what should I be looking at after the purchase of my first wheel is complete. When I began watching EUC videos and saw all the folks geared up like motocross, my first thought was I don't need that. But then I kept seeing the falls and near falls, and decided I do need that! I'm still recovering from an elbow injury while monkeying around in some trees almost a year ago. I know I'm going to fall during the learning process and for a period thereafter, so pads will be my "time insurance", as in at my age I don't have the time to be sidelined from my new hobby due to injury. Pad up to be able to get back up! 

Enjoy the ride, 

Carey

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Closer to sixty than fifty...

  1. Helmet, wrist guards.
  2. Elbow, knee pads.
  3. Hip pads.
  4. You should be physically fit and not fragile.
  5. You will fall.

If you are confident in your abilty to trip up and tumble from a jog or sprint, then you should be ok. When riding, do not exceed the speed that you can run off - because you will have to do exactly that. I tend to believe in not using any aids when learning. It's better to learn up front, how to step off or run out a fall. Tie a strap to the handle, hold onto it with one hand, and try not to flail the other arm too much. Alternate hands. As you progress (speed is needed for stability,) never forget you might have to run off that speed.

If you can handle that, then you should be fine, and time on the wheel will make you safer - but know that these wheels are not 100% reliable and safe. Accept that you might get hurt and suffer the consequences.

You can trip stepping through your door, or slip in the shower... but you continue to do those things. Does your family worry about you crashing your car? Stuff happens. It's life.

You are most likely to get hurt while learning, followed by speed beyond your experience, then forgetting these things can hurt you.

With that said, you are more likely to survive it.

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Many great tips here, thanks for all the contributions! I was recently learning to ride on a V8F, I was very worried about damaging it. At first I was practising on the road, and every time I would need to fall, I didn't have the freedom to because I was trying to save the wheel which made the falls harder. Then I practised on dirt / grass, and having the freedom to let the wheel fall while worrying about myself made falls a lot easier. I would consider practising on grass while you're learning the basic techniques. You could have someone help you get on the wheel, but it's better when you're balancing yourself without an aid.

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Welcome Grandpa_Jay

 

Maybe try this.

Custom made to measure.  You need to measure yourself as according to the diagram, and submit with the order.

It is Full Grain leather, the highest quality.

Extremely good value.

Seller has 100% positive feedback, from 186 reviews.

Seller has many other motorcycle suits listed as well.

Seems buyer can choose between a two piece with zipper attaching jacket and pants, or a one piece.

Not sure why it is in French. 

Use Google translate for English.

 

US $270.53

Shipping and handling (approx US $62.42) To United States

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/254753515548?hash=item3b507e281c:g:gFsAAOSwAwtfja~N&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAABIBq3DNa4hcKXeOHWCXazcaCExUJAAj4%2BfG2ViE%2Bilckujy9ZkTcNsbYdQGO0H%2BkP6zx724wiSYk5EU1xxJJY%2BWzEHnPipf2gO6usq25LlctSDfu8%2FzSXft4OBPfJLW%2BdjpnuAc93%2BVB95sgtCRsSSOxAiOVLNuMquVTpH1TyLLuMQrYl2lvC386gLnV6wYB6saqKUPaFZGnV67ONer2MHdhJHv1hUOEJnpP56p3EYiTszMN4YBkMwwUZyIoVEcsffZaUvUOkruXj6ayks7TzYDpzbVBYG4xRZZHnRXcTjGBtjnHLqBB%2FYe0UDfdT3Iiho70lhEwtSr%2BF1TjAha%2FWcQKVERZDp4cPHu6LKssdAostTeQqYGY5QDKQ%2BGlJ%2BQQvVw%3D%3D|tkp%3ABFBMrvbk15Bh

 

s-l1600.jpg

s-l1600.jpg

Edited by Paul A
Full grain leather
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7 hours ago, Cerbera said:

Tawpie's answer there is excellent, and I dropped in to say pretty much what he did., so he has saved me the time ! :)

 

Think Tawpie is a girl.  :)

 

tawpie in British English

(ˈtɔːpɪ IPA Pronunciation Guide )
noun
Scottish
a foolish or maladroit young woman
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
 
 
Edited by Paul A
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9 minutes ago, Paul A said:

Welcome Grandpa_Jay

 

Maybe try this.

Custom made to measure.  You need to measure yourself as according to the diagram, and submit with the order.

It is Top Grain leather, the highest quality.

Extremely good value.

Seller has 100% positive feedback, from 186 reviews.

Seller has many other motorcycle suits listed as well.

Seems buyer can choose between a two piece with zipper attaching jacket and pants, or a one piece.

Not sure why it is in French. 

Use Google translate for English.

 

US $270.53

Shipping and handling (approx US $62.42) To United States

 

The only thing I don't like about those is the thickened pads to the side of the knees, which might interfere with the pads on your wheel.

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Everything @Tawpie says is excellent advice. When I first started the sides of my legs against the EUC would get very sore so I put acoustic foam that I had lying around on the sides to alleviate this. After a while I removed them as my technique and muscle strength grew.

Some people like riding locked in, whilst others prefer to be loose without pads or spiked pedals, so it comes down to personal preference.

I started out with triple8 knee and wrist guards and a helmet for the first few months or so. I did also get elbow guards too later on. As you get better, go faster or start going on roads/trails then its time to upgrade gear.

I would strongly suggest hip protection as I also had very old motorcycle jeans that has these. They did save me a few times.

The first few months will be about building up your strength in all your leg and core muscles. 

Although the S18 is now considered a lighter wheel (25Kg) that is still heavy for legs to throw around. When I started folk recommended much lighter wheels to start. This certainly is easier but whats the fun in that. I had and still do have an absolute blast on my S18 . Its a great suspension wheel to learn on. Not too powerful so it keeps you out of mischief.  I think EUC's are much safer than scooters.

The learning curve for me was tough, took me about 5 hours to manage to ride the damn thing and probably 6 months to feel comfortable.

But i loved every moment of it and the first 6 months are the best. Enjoy!

I am in my fifties. 

 

Edited by The Brahan Seer
Forgot to add: also wear sturdy boots! Stops ankle injuries.
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32 minutes ago, Cerbera said:

The only thing I don't like about those is the thickened pads to the side of the knees, which might interfere with the pads on your wheel.

 

The knee 'pucks' or sliders, can be detached. 

They are held in place with velcro.

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I am 58 and am awaiting the delivery of my first wheel. I am in pretty good shape, but...58. I had disc surgery about 10 years ago, but I am in otherwise in very good health. My Molicel equipped S18 should be shipping at the end of the month (hopefully). I chose the S18 for its suspension, weight, and the fact that it has been through enough iterations that I will (probably) not have to perform major surgery to get it in prime working order. I looked at the V11 but the S18 makes more sense for me from an engineering perspective. Also, if I don't like the shock, I can swap it out for something that better fits my diminutive frame - with gear, I will be lucky to weigh 150...holding a cinderblock. 

At first, I was a bit irritated that there would be a three month wait for my wheel, but I think it is for the best. It gave me time to order some really good safety kit. I was able to get a Dianese Linea 01 full face helmet with matching goggles (my eyes tend to water in the wind), Leatt knee pads, Dianese elbow pads, padded underwear (to protect the hips), and I will be getting a jacket very soon (whenever I'm done researching one). The only other thing I am mulling over is a Boblbee backpack (or maybe Velomacchi purely for the sake of vanity - I have been looking for a reason to buy one for years). The awesome thing about the wait was that I wasn't in a hurry to buy gear and was able to shop around, read way too many reviews, and find some killer deals. 

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On 11/17/2022 at 8:52 AM, NewB said:

I am 58 and am awaiting the delivery of my first wheel. I am in pretty good shape, but...58. I had disc surgery about 10 years ago, but I am in otherwise in very good health. My Molicel equipped S18 should be shipping at the end of the month (hopefully). I chose the S18 for its suspension, weight, and the fact that it has been through enough iterations that I will (probably) not have to perform major surgery to get it in prime working order. I looked at the V11 but the S18 makes more sense for me from an engineering perspective. Also, if I don't like the shock, I can swap it out for something that better fits my diminutive frame - with gear, I will be lucky to weigh 150...holding a cinderblock. 

At first, I was a bit irritated that there would be a three month wait for my wheel, but I think it is for the best. It gave me time to order some really good safety kit. I was able to get a Dianese Linea 01 full face helmet with matching goggles (my eyes tend to water in the wind), Leatt knee pads, Dianese elbow pads, padded underwear (to protect the hips), and I will be getting a jacket very soon (whenever I'm done researching one). The only other thing I am mulling over is a Boblbee backpack (or maybe Velomacchi purely for the sake of vanity - I have been looking for a reason to buy one for years). The awesome thing about the wait was that I wasn't in a hurry to buy gear and was able to shop around, read way too many reviews, and find some killer deals. 

@NewB i live in raleigh too and have been riding for a little over a year. i ride a v12 and have a sherman s on order. we have a local euc group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/6357266667647101 . i look forward to riding with you. btw, i am 65yo.

steve

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Welcome to the community, it seems like every day I have been hearing about a new person buying an EUC when others don't think they have much business to ride on at their age and I absolutely love it, I hope we can help you on your journey as well.

Also, I think all of us know what its like to have people tell us we have no way of being on a electric unicycle whether its because of age or lack of experience and other factors but as much as those people are looking out for us whose to say we can't pick up a new skill and hobby and have some fun

I wish you great luck on your journey, theres nothing you can't find out about your wheel or just general tips and tricks that isn't on youtube or the forums, have a great day!

-mango

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On 11/16/2022 at 9:27 PM, Roadpower said:

I'm curious about something, but first, hello! Welcome to the forum. So the question comes to mind is if you are able to do lets say a pratfall on a lawn.  Like when you were a kid you could fall forward and roll and not have a single issue with that. If you can do that even gingerly you may be okay to ride. If not I think it understandably difficult to recommend riding. Also a small wheel scooter is indeed dangerous because the wheels get caught in ruts easy. This danger can be mitigated by very careful observation of the roadway but one little slip will get you.

Obviously the much larger wheel on a EUC largely removes this issue, but not completely. You still need to develop reflexes for irregular pavement issues but it is no where near as bad as the scooter is.

I'm also wondering how much strength you have in your abdomen because that will need to be strong to support your lower back. If you are weak in that area I think you may want to work on that first. You are going to be twisting your core a lot to control the EUC and to stay balanced. I don't know how much thought you have given to learning but my advice is that a lot of videos are actually wrong on this. Many advocate for holding on to something as a steady guide, that is what I did and it was just the opposite of what I needed to do.

In my experience you want to learn completely free standing. Start with one foot on and just roll back and forth, it's a very small step but that is the beginning of teaching your body. Then you hop a little with the other foot while rolling forward (or backward) a bit. Eventually you progress to bringing your second foot onboard for a moment. This whole thing is teaching you mounting and dismounting which is the foundation of riding. From there you will progress into riding short distances, so on and so forth.

Just trying to get on and ride without having an innate understanding and body memory of mounting/dismounting doesn't work well, especially for a older rider. I'm 60 BTW...

My take is that from a musculature point of view, you need reasonable quads.  Other than that it’s like standing up once you’re moving so if you can do that for a few hours you should be fine.  From a hitting bumps and ruts standpoint you bend your knees.  It’s akin to moguls in skiing of you are familiar with that.  Effectively when you approach a bump you slightly bend your knees and take the shock as your torso keeps in a fixed horizontal position.  Then you stand up again.

 

I’ve literally taken mine out today for the first time in 2+ years (I’ve been too involved with other sports) and it came back in an instant.  My mounting still needs work as I couldn’t remember that properly.  Will figure it out soon enough!! 😁

For the record it took me about 4 solid days (with breaks from exhaustion) to figure put the balance part. I used a chain fence to hold on to.  You have to give yourself a vit of time to assimilate the completely alien way balance and moving.  It is very different to any other mode of transport but is so rewarding.  It's akin to levitation once you get it!!  Well worth it!! 

Edited by Gazza-usa
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