Chriull Posted November 26, 2022 Share Posted November 26, 2022 12 minutes ago, Grandpa_Jay said: I got my armor and my boots today!! I so wish I had all of this before I started - maybe I wouldn't be so bruised and sore?? I have very scrawny legs - skin over bone. Tends to bruise easily. I think a couple of days healing might be in order. Yes - take it easy. Let it heal and don't force it. Then every day some 15 min sessions are enough that the body gets accostumed and the brain/muscle memory learns how to manage the wheel. Sometimes overnight you'll get it and riding will be fun! For inbetween you could watch these sessions - i enjoy watching him every time and he gives many usefull tipps: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul A Posted November 26, 2022 Share Posted November 26, 2022 40 minutes ago, Grandpa_Jay said: My training rail down the driveway has not been very helpful as my wheel is making it like sand Maybe try Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Bad Ron Posted November 27, 2022 Share Posted November 27, 2022 thats what I said at the very begining of this thread, get a shopping cart from a homeless camp and away you go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crab Posted November 27, 2022 Share Posted November 27, 2022 I feel like I’m learning all over again, but did manage about 4 miles sitting today soooo different than standing. I’m not doing the transition from sitting to standing and vice versa, and the weather sucks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul A Posted November 27, 2022 Share Posted November 27, 2022 Or maybe this 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Bad Ron Posted November 27, 2022 Share Posted November 27, 2022 I’m going to try that for my four-year-old granddaughter 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa_Jay Posted November 27, 2022 Author Share Posted November 27, 2022 I have a wheeled walker that I use in the house and in the asphalt part of the driveway. Neither my walker nor a shopping cart would do me much good in most of my available area - except perhaps the street. I am not going to allow myself in the street yet. I have attempted the walker in the yard a couple of times - I didn't take it outside today. I will continue fumbling along with the walker, and my canes, or walking sticks and the training rail, and side of the house - until I either take off or give up! The learning is just painfully slow. Before this, I would have said I was a fast learner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tawpie Posted November 27, 2022 Share Posted November 27, 2022 Try to learn on pavement... soft and bumpy surfaces add to the challenge, and not in a good way! Parking lot? Tennis courts are good too, and they come with a fence to hold onto (carefully, you don't want to yank out a finger!) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Punxatawneyjoe Posted November 27, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted November 27, 2022 17 minutes ago, Grandpa_Jay said: I have a wheeled walker that I use in the house and in the asphalt part of the driveway. Neither my walker nor a shopping cart would do me much good in most of my available area - except perhaps the street. I am not going to allow myself in the street yet. I have attempted the walker in the yard a couple of times - I didn't take it outside today. I will continue fumbling along with the walker, and my canes, or walking sticks and the training rail, and side of the house - until I either take off or give up! The learning is just painfully slow. Before this, I would have said I was a fast learner. I think the problem with these types of aides is that you aren't really teaching your leg muscles to balance the wheel, you are relying on your arms to keep yourself steady. They are great to learn where your foot placement should be and how to mount the wheel but i don't feel like they are a helpful teaching tool for anything further. Also learning in cramped spaces like a driveway or your kitchen also i feel doesn't help you ride long enough to "learn" the balance part of it. unless of coarse if your driveway is 1/4 mile long. I live off the main road on a side street and found that i improved dramatically by riding slowly around the block. It gave me a chance to think about what my feet were doing and make corrections. The problem with tight spaces is that you are already thinking about dismounting as soon as you start. Just a thought, hope it helps and thanks for keeping us up to date on your progress, it's been interesting reading about how other people are learning to ride and reading peoples suggestions. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul A Posted November 27, 2022 Share Posted November 27, 2022 Maybe try holding onto the rail, stand fully upright on the pedals, and not even moving. This will give the experience of what it feels like, of when you are actually in motion. Stand fully erect, straight back, head up, look at the horizon, no slouching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Bad Ron Posted November 27, 2022 Share Posted November 27, 2022 Like I said I started on a shopping cart than moved to a Bicycle and held it beside me as I rode down the road, than I push off a fence. CHREES and good luck ps if all Else fails you would not be the first one to give it up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Cerbera Posted November 27, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted November 27, 2022 (edited) Yep, Punky Joe is right - I really would lose the frame asap - that is NOT helping you once you are in motion, and it is teaching you the wrong things - your body balance point is not where it needs to be if you are leaning on one of those. My advice would be find an unused tennis court early one morning when there is no-one about to see you fail. These tend to have surfaces that don't hurt you or the wheel too badly in a fall, and are away from traffic or pedestrians. You can use the chain link fence invariably surrounding these things to hold onto initially, but you should have enough room to leave the fence, go straight for a while and stop before you have to deal with any tight turns. And I would stay in the tennis court until you can free-mount, and reasonably do all the moves you need to be able to do on pavements, cycle paths, and the street, which is really only starting, stopping, turning, and moving at slow speeds. As soon as you feel reasonably confident with those basic things, I would recommend getting out on the pavement / cycle paths (not roads with cars) straight away. It is the infinite continuity of the path in front of you that hones the skills you have just begun - it is not much fun if you are having to turn sharply all the time in a confined area, so you want open path ahead of you, and initially, nice easy terrain (so no off-roading yet). Just do it early in the morning or later at night so there is less other traffic around if that still intimidates you. My distant memories of my first learnings were all rather rose-tinted, but when I go back 8 years, I can find hilarious videos that prove the reality was slightly different to how I remember it ! Edited November 27, 2022 by Cerbera 2 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Roadpower Posted November 27, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted November 27, 2022 Lots of good advice here but at the moment I think it is important to hear that it can take longer than you may have mentally prepared yourself for. I think a big reason for this is all the videos where people seem to learn so fast or appear to be riding so effortlessly. Well guess what, there are a lot of people who didn't learn so fast and you are not likely going to see any such videos. Being older means you are going to have a uphill battle, this isn't simply a matter of body building. Your body is going to be doing things that you likely never did in your life before unless you were an athlete. As I said before, I'm the same age or older, I know I had to keep pushing to get myself riding. The crap that went on with my feet and lower legs legs surprised the snot out of me. It surprised me because I have long been an aggressive walker, I figured that I had the leg and foot strength, but what I didn't realize until learning to ride was that I did not have the kind of leg and foot strength needed for riding. If you stay at it and your body is willing, you will have such a tremendous satisfaction at each new success that you will be delirious with joy at finding such a great way of getting around. Just keep pushing and be patient while your body is catching up with your will to learn. A great piece of advice I was given on this forum was to get a yoga pad to stand on. Since a yoga pad crushes under you it is a platform that you must work to keep yourself balanced on, this builds up your feet and your sense of balance. Good luck and stay at it. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bracky72 Posted November 27, 2022 Share Posted November 27, 2022 I learned in 2013 before there were many resources on learning to ride. It took me many weeks of mini practice sessions. My poor wheel took so many tumbles down the street. But eventually it just clicked. I now consider myself to be a good rider. Just keep at it and be patient with yourself. It will come. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post The Brahan Seer Posted November 27, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted November 27, 2022 @Grandpa_Jay Don't lose heart. The paradox of EUC riding is the slower you go the harder it is (when learning). You are actually experiencing the hardest part now at the very beginning. Whilst most things you start easy and then go harder. Once you build the confidence to go a little faster it will be easier I promise. We just need to get over that mental barrier of fear of going faster [which in reality is still very slow but it feels fast]. Everyone has experienced this you are not alone. It is not a race, take your time, no rush, no expectations. Most important enjoy! Even when it hurts, that will change too. When it clicks which it will one day very soon you will feel amazing! 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post OldFartRides Posted November 27, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted November 27, 2022 I guess I went about it completely wrong. I pushed the shopping cart around the lonely end of Wally World for the first five or six sessions. Then I used hand rails on a walking path AND a belt in hand to keep my s18 from getting away from me. Didn’t give up the belt ‘till three months in. It’s a wonder I ever got it at all. Twenty months and 2,000+ miles later, I’m finally getting backwards riding and the pendulum thing down. Balance improves riding these things. Best, 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadpower Posted November 27, 2022 Share Posted November 27, 2022 59 minutes ago, OldFartRides said: I guess I went about it completely wrong. I pushed the shopping cart around the lonely end of Wally World for the first five or six sessions. Then I used hand rails on a walking path AND a belt in hand to keep my s18 from getting away from me. Didn’t give up the belt ‘till three months in. It’s a wonder I ever got it at all. Twenty months and 2,000+ miles later, I’m finally getting backwards riding and the pendulum thing down. Balance improves riding these things. Best, I tried the belt thing with a Mten3, what a clown show I was, lol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Tawpie Posted November 27, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted November 27, 2022 2 hours ago, OldFartRides said: Balance improves riding these things. Ding ding! In the long run, the way your everyday balance improves as a consequence of riding may make it one of the best things ever to come our way. Seriously. IMO if there was no other reason than balance, that would be more than enough justification. Bonus that it’s so dang much fun. Double bonus that if you want it to be aerobic or chill, all you need do is change terrain. Soldier on! 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Carey Posted November 28, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted November 28, 2022 (edited) I have had a total of two rides so far, so I'm no expert. But as one who is just starting out, my first ride was on a dead end street with no traffic and my second was on a huge grass field. I thought the grass would be better as it would not ding up my EUC and it would be "softer" if I fell. While the grass didn't ding up my EUC when it fell over, it was much harder to mount the EUC and stability was by far harder to obtain. I recommend a hard flat surface and think an unused tennis court would be perfect. I learned by having my son walk next to me while I slowly motored forward. I held on to him at first and used him to not fall over while I got the feel of the EUC. As the session went on, I could spend more and more time not using him for balance until I was soloing. Your mileage may differ, but this worked for me. I chose the grass field for my second session because I was on my own with no one to lean on and I wanted to prevent dinging up my EUC. But I totally agree that you should be ready to spend a longer period of time learning than you think you might need. My son and daughter are both accomplished athletes and it took my son much longer to pick it up than his old man and my daughter is still trying to get it down. Like everything else, it is easier for some than others, and it doesn't always make sense for whom it is easier. But it is SO WORTH IT! Edited November 28, 2022 by Carey Removed unintended "coitus" from text - auto correct can lead to embarrassing word substitutions. 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldFartRides Posted November 28, 2022 Share Posted November 28, 2022 Welcome to the forum Carey ! And the wild world of EUC’s. In case you want to edit your post, the three little dots in the upper right corner of your post allow for that. Best, 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadpower Posted November 28, 2022 Share Posted November 28, 2022 22 minutes ago, OldFartRides said: Welcome to the forum Carey ! And the wild world of EUC’s. In case you want to edit your post, the three little dots in the upper right corner of your post allow for that. Best, Auto-spell correction can be a hoot at times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post KiwiMark Posted November 28, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted November 28, 2022 When I first got my RS, I didn't know how to ride an EUC - except for what I could learn off Youtube. I went to a local recreation grounds that had tennis court and grassed areas, but I couldn't mount the wheel even. So I got alongside a fence and held on to that fence as I got my feet on the pedals of the EUC. I stood on the EUC while holding the fence and tried balancing left/right with foot pressure and also with shin pressure. I practised putting my weight forward to roll forward, while making constant contact with the fence and then putting my weight rearward and moving backwards. I spent time moving backward & forward riding the wheel but holding the fence to not fall over. From that I went to putting my weight forward and rolling forward, but with intermittent contact with the fence as needed. As I did this I started making improvements, being able to roll more and more between grabbing the fence. Then after a while I rolled forwards and with leg/foot pressure I steered the wheel . . . away from the fence! I was actually riding while balancing! I was on grass and I spent some time mounting and riding (if you can call it that). I sometimes went a little way, sometimes a bit further. I was as wobbly as anything, but I had made a LOT of progress that first day. I had to ditch most of my gear because I was sweating bullets, it was OK though because I was only riding slowly on grass. After my first hour of practice I put the wheel back in the car and drove home, totally exhausted! I did video myself, starting after I'd been using the fence to go back & forth and had moved on to rolling along by the fence making contact with the fence nearly constantly and going through in real time to intermittent contact and then riding away from the fence. So, my first moment riding without a fence to hold is in this video: At about 3:28 is the very first time I was actually riding and balancing the wheel. The rest of the video after that is my very first attempts to free-mount and ride. This was a couple of years ago, so I was just a young 53-year-old at the time. 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul A Posted November 28, 2022 Share Posted November 28, 2022 Sometimes there are fences that are about one meter in height. Easier to grab the horizontal, metal pole frame, at waist height, with palm........than using fingers to grab the vertical, side on, wire mesh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Carey Posted November 28, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted November 28, 2022 Thanks to OldFartRides and Roadpower for informing me about the edit function! And thanks to all the posters on the forum, reading through your posts has made learning much easier and I even bought my EUC from someone on the forum! Without mentioning names - it was a wonderful transaction! I now ride an Inmotion V11! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul A Posted November 28, 2022 Share Posted November 28, 2022 Just concentrate and think positive... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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