Sherman s new rider

[CDINPHX]

Considering the other thread seems to have been deleted, I’ll start this thread up Documenting my progress.

I’m a early 40’s male, 240lbs, very active and yup I could stand to loose 20lbs like everyone else over the age of 35.  I’m very active with hiking, hunting, archery and body weight activities. Former rugby/soccer player with a love for the gym(although I’m not going as much as in use to). Also have a crazy blue heeler that enjoys 10km walks, she takes up most of my time. 

 

the veteran Sherman s is my first wheel, yup I swallowed both barrels of the shotgun!  lots said it couldn’t be done, I weighed the pros/cons and my athletic abilities and knew that within a few weeks to month I’d want a larger wheel. Well, the first week steady progress, I took a few days off to let the legs heaL up. 
 

second week I made steady progress, and we are now at the end of that week. I’m now at a total of 7 hours and 44kms on the wheel. A quarter of that was completed today!  I just completed a 10km (6mile) ride  in the local park  had to stop a couple of times to give my legs a break. Learned that all grass surfaces are not created equally, this field is a little Sticker then my back yard so it likes to pull the wheel left and right takes a bit to get use to  riding in asphalt, oh my what a difference and confidence inspiring!  

what was accomplished today: 

-turning right and left figured out my right turns  still not as good as my lefts  but it will get there 

-stopping is a lot better  I don’t trust the pads enough to shift my weight back but it’s coming  

-longest continuous ride to date 3.5kms  prior was just shy of a km in the back yard  

-riding in normal Grass, say 2” long is a lot tougher then my hard back yard.

-asphalt or maintained trail surfaces oh my I was nearly in tears at how easy it was to ride there.  
 

what is next:

- we have an extensive walking trail Network here  that is paved  I plan on logging some miles there over the next few weeks  

-need to master the aggressive stops, I don’t fully trust the pads yet  

-I need better footwear then just sneakers  something firmer I have a few options in mis.

-find an armored hoody, maybe lazy rolling but will see  

-better knee pads  

-also like to find some decent riding pants.

anyways that’s all, 7 hours and I can noW ride the beast, well I have license to learn I should say  and there is lots to Learn going forward!

 

 

 

 

[Punxatawneyjoe]

9 minutes ago, CDINPHX said:

oh my what a difference and confidence inspiring!

Congratulations , sounds like you are doing well. If your progress goes as it does for most . You should be ordering your second and third wheel by the end of the year..

[CDINPHX]

Haha, I’ll be holding off, us older peeps have more then one expensive hobby ya know!  

The biggest shocker was how much traction if you lean in grass there is. Wow it spun me out once or twice. Well let me clarify. This grass compared to my dead hard as asphalt back yard. Plus the soccer fields there are shockingly not as flat as they look. 
 

 

[Jkay]

I agree about soccer/baseball fields, wait till ya try to learn to ride your EUC  there, lots rougher than they look. There is one particular spot that I fell each and every time I attempted to ride over it.  I attributed it to prior alien landings had affected the earth’s magnetic fields. Now that I am quasi experienced I will try to ride over that area again! 

[CDINPHX]

Well today I finally figured out how to adjust the preload on the wheel to adjust the sag to about 25-30%. I feel like an idiot. I spent an embarrassingly amount of time trying to figure out how to adjust the red ring on the shock, haha. Dawned on me after that it’s the gold/bronze part of the shock you adjust. Sigh. Went in three marks on the shock, think I need 1-2 more and it will be perfect. 
 

Compression is not bad, I’m about 6 click from max,I like a stiffer shock but a decently quick rebound. I may need to back it out 3-4 clicks on rebound and maybe on the compression as it’s hard to set it I find when your still figuring out preload. I’m close though I think.  

we finally got rain here on Sunday, it’s been raining nonstop. I think the rain is done tonight, so I can get out and log some miles here tomorrow night. We can’t complain here everything was on fire for the last 3-4 weeks and I hadn’t seen the sky in awhile. Unfortunately or fortunately,  I may need to take the wheel to work on Thursday if they don’t finish the repair on my truck tomorrow, which scares me as I’m not 100% at that point yet. I’m close though. 
 

Also picked up some new gear today as well.  

-grabbed a tsg pass,even though I said I’d never use one. Wanted to see what all the rage was about for these and the predator and if I’d even like it.  I highly doubt I will and  it will be returned.. I love my Troy Lee helmet but I bought that more for trail riding.  That’s going to be a bit before I get into that though and I’d rather have two helmets. Previously had bought a scorpion adv helmet. Not sure on the model but it was the latest modular. Well that touched my chin which is nobueno. I suspect the tsg will be the same.  Hoping to avoid what I suspect is coming, which is me  buying an arai helmet,  size large which I swear they made for my head. Had a few from my Moto days and I went thru this same process of finding a helmet  back then.  Must have bought 10 helmets before I found the right one 

-grabbed a xiaomi battery/chargeable pump to leave in my pack, plus it should work wonders for mtb tyres, and a few other things on my truck.  Pressurizing the road shower!!

-not being a huge fan of lazyrolling gear, I went on the search for something that appeals to me. Well beyond Ryder’s kit is where I think it’s at for me. https://beyondriders.com/collections/frontpage

-boots, I’m torn on  I need something I can wear yet be casual, the ones I want from falco, are sold out in my clodhopper size 13’s  

-pants I think I’ll likely go with a pair of my normals until I find what I like. The NBT license to ride aramid pants are nice. Although I’m not a fan of skinny jeans, thanks to my larger calves and thighs. I also think they will be hot for spirited rides.  https://www.nbtclothing.com/products/ltr-kevlar-edition-pant

 

other then that the plan for the rest of the week now that the fires are out and gone is get back to logging some serious miles hiking, archery and riding the wheel  if all goes well, I’ll be riding the old girl into work next week and parking the truck up. Although, I can t really rip out to a job site on the euc as they won’t pay me the mileage on it. Venice though if they did and I got $1.00/km or 30kms a day. So it’s going to be interesting. I’ll figure that part out though  

 

Oh bonus!  Blue heeler dingo pic. It’s the only one she has ever sat still in. 
 

 

Edited May 24, 2023 by CDINPHX
Added bonus doggo pic

[Hellkitten]

You have to do some archery from the wheel like a post apocalyptic Hun warrior!
🏹

[CDINPHX]

Haha,  well shooting a 90lb compound from a wheel like a Mongolian horse rider is going to be difficult. Now that being said Amazon actually does sell a decent horse bow. Couple guys bought them to try it out. It’s surprisingly nicely made and they have a competition at the club where they do a horse back shooting competition on a wooden horse they drag behind a 4 wheeler. It’s comical. 
 

 

[CDINPHX]

Another great session this evening!  Managed to increase my distance by 50%, I could go longer but me feet start going numb!  Stopped three times spent it circling the block/neighbourhood working in body position, knees slightly bent, trying carving(needs work) and mounting/dismounting. Total distance 9f 16.9kms or just over 10miles.  

Max speed I hit was 45kph,  I forgot to plug the light back in from before looked down and was like wow not that fat mate, slower down. Oddly I felt really stable at that speed, but it’s beyond my skill level to ride there. 
 

what I accomplished tonight: 

-longer riding, my legs are getting use to riding, feet are going numb its likely a comboof not being use to it and ratty old sneakers  

-mounting/dismounting, that’s becoming almost second nature.  Still needs work though so I can just shove off and go. I have a tendency of putting my left leg slightly forward of my right. 
 

-worked on stopping and trusting the brake power pads. Yeah that’s coming I’m now starting to consciously sit back. Not all the way but I can slow the wheel fairly easily.  Not emergency braking yet but that will come. 
 

-my turns are becoming second nature. I find after the 17kms I was getting tired and sloppy so not putting that effort into it and getting a little unstable at the end. My rights are almost as good as the left now. Almost. 
 

-riding on asphalt is so much better then grass, not a huge fan of the Kenda, I find it a little squirrelly, my Shinko came in the other day, I’ll work with this tyre for a few more weeks. I’m only at 30psi cold, so likely 34-35psi warm, which I think is still a bit to much, I may dialit down 2-4psi and see if the wheel behaves better. I found in my motors with tkc 80’s they performed better at slightly lower psi on the road. 
 

-suspension is almost dialed where I like it. Preload is good,  compression I think a couple clicks out will Be perfect, rebound same 1-2 out so it’s more responsive. 

areas to work on:

-logging more miles!  Plan to but 30-40kms this weekend. 
-turns

-braking I get a little wobbly as I get more aggressive. I found It had to do with how I was putting pressure into my feet. So I need to tinker with that a little. 

-maybe curb drops and mounts  eek  

-continue in mounts/dismounts

-plug the light/beeper back in 

-better footwear. 

-gear will start arriving next week I suspect. 

Overall, I am proud of myself for setting a goal and I’m a week a head of where I though I would be. thanks for all the tips/advice/threads.
 

side-note meeting with the big boss tomorrow to adjust me career path and shoot for the moon. We have a senior management position opening up and I have expressed interest and applied. He is excited to talk with me about it so fingers crossed I may come out with a rather large raise tomorrow!  
 

bonus archery grouping pic at 100yds. Always one darn flier!  
 

 

 

[CDINPHX]

Well the TSG helmet arrived its actually a really nice helmet. Sadly the chin bar contacts my face.  It’ll need to be returned, suspected that might be the case based on others reviews.  
 

the hunt continues for a helmet!!

[CDINPHX]

Wonderful session this morning. Did 25kms about 15miles, avg speed of about 25-27kph. That’s fast enough for now. I did however plug the beeper back in and set the tilt back. To about 42kph just so I wouldn’t push it hard.  Did all my riding on a mix of trails and roads,I’m pleasantly surprised at how people are reacting here to the EUC in general, lots of waves, thumbs up and smiles, shocking, or maybe it’s because there is a 240lb gorilla on a wheel and it’s comical?  
 

Todays experience: 

-logged some mileage on the wheel and gaining confidence

-my mounts and dismounts are getting. There. I won’t mount from a stop light though. I find it a bit dodgy with cars around. So I usually walk it across them dismountmount on the trail/sidewalk. 

-pushed the wheel on road to get clear of traffic got up to 45kph, wheel beeped at me as that’s where I set the beeps, then it started tilt back, that is a strange Feeling, but I did it a cpL other times to test it out, I rather like that sensation and respect it.  

-gravel Is a interesting medium to ride on with one wheel. I thought it was weird on a motorcycle. This is a lot different. Tried starting on gravel yeah that’s gonna need some practice. 
 

-crossed a pedestrian bridge with metal grating for a deck.  That was super sketchy as the grating pulls the knobby tire all over the place. So you kind of wander side to side. 
 

-tried to mount a curb hahah failed miserably. Pretty sure that was cause I target fixated on it. And when I say curb it was like 2”‘‘a. I’m just trying to sound tougher then I actually am. 
 

-my braking is getting really good I still don’t have the throw back sit down braking for an emergency, but everytime I’m out it gets better 

-rode a trail that went from asphalt, to gravel, to sand then back to asphalt. That was also interesting. As each section you need to ride a bit differently. I was going to slow  and got really wobbly in the sand. Spun out there in the sand  

-started working on hack squats while riding, that’s tough as the wheel starts to get wobbly because I am unbalanced left and right  I’ll continue to work on that as it’ll build up leg strength and get me to a point I can maybe attempt seared riding.  

Currently sitting at a total mileage of 85km’s about 50miles. Next week I might start riding it to and from work. I’ll likely get up early tomorrow and figure out the best path along secondary roads to get there.  

 

[CDINPHX]

One other thing I realized is I need to get a comms kit, use to use Sena back in the day, will likely go with them again. 

Is anyone else use them?  Be nice to put on an audio book and just cruise around enjoying the day. 
 

 

[Hellkitten]

Yeah I use them as well as a bunch of local riders I know. They’re nice on group rides alarms, music…….

[CDINPHX]

Any particular brand?  Im out of the loop these days on them. Likely just grab a sena again as I know they work!  
 

bonus tired dingo pic. 
 

 

[Hellkitten]

I’ve got some cheap coms called Vnetphone V6. They’re ok. Nothing special the sound is more on the higher end minimal bass. A lot of the riders use cardo, but be prepared to pay a decent amount for those. My buddy has a model with a built in camera as well. Not sure of that brand though. 

[CDINPHX]

Yeah that is likely the sena 50c.l your buddy has with a camera. I’ve got zero need to film.  Cardo use to be hit and miss when I was ripping around the back country with my bmw back in the day. 
 

I’ll figure out what I need just wasn’t sure if there’s anything new on the market and thanks for the tips

[Hellkitten]

He films mostly for security reasons or possibly altercations. 

[Tryptych]

6 hours ago, Hellkitten said:

 My buddy has a model with a built in camera as well. Not sure of that brand though. 

Your buddy uses a 'Freedconn R1 Plus' !

[CDINPHX]

Haha wonder who his buddy is 

[CDINPHX]

Short Wheel today. Only did 11kms or  7ish miles. Was way to windy. Nothing like blowing you off course and into the grass when your going from a gust. We are getting gusts up to 60kph. Rideable if your expecting it at least me at this stage.  
 

todays events:

-wind is not your friend especially starting off. Knocked me off balance and pushed me into the grass as I wasn’t expecting the gusts. turned around and went home after that. 
 

-the city here does a horrible job of clearing the walking trails from gravel and sand from the winter. Came around the corner a bit to fast and what’s there nice dusting of sand. Slide sideways somehow managed to keep it upright and on the trail. It felt like I slide 6”‘a or so I was going pretty quick as I could see around the trail just not the corner. I know slow down not like I am bombing along, I’m keeping it to 30kph’ish, which seems extremely slow  

-I’m still not sold on this knobby I find it very squirrelly at higher speed. Like it shifts back and forth btw the rows of knobs. It’s not bad at 10-30’ish kph but if I push it up to 35-40 it feels like it wanders. It’s probably me being new but it’s a weird feeling To have a wheel shifting beneath your feet. 
 

-mounting is getting really good takes me one or two pushes and I can jump up on the wheel and go. 
 

-braking and dismounts are good also. Although I think I need to shift my brake pads forward slightly. There is about 1” from my leg to the pad before it starts to brake will see though, I’m going to practice more before that happens. 

Anyways, more riding to go this week, I get better each time I go out. 
 

 

 

[Hellkitten]

I hear ya on the tire. I’m still debating if I want to keep the knobby on or switch it to a street pilot. My friend says he’s changing it to a st tire asap. It will corner nicer with a rounded tire profile, but will be less grippy in dirt or loose turf. 

[CDINPHX]

Not street tyre for me. my intent is trail riding. I have a Shinko 244 here as I like dual sport tyres. Just debating whether to change it or give it another month on the wheel to rule out me being the issue  

i’ll also be debating whether to convert to tubeless as well. 
 

 

[CDINPHX]

Was looking at the sherman late last night when I couldn't  sleep and started looking at the tyre change process (videos and looking at the wheel) and how bad some of the designs are with maintenance. Surely they could put a connector on the cable (we used sub con connectors on our underwater scooters, which have 2000WH packs at I think 64 volts) and it also provided motor control, these were basically torpedoes you strapped yourself to, lots of fun UW, critical for long dives in Caves/OW.  Anyway, they could then just have  3-4 bolts grade 8 bolts per side that need to be unscrewed from the motor housing/axle connection and the wheel pops out?  I must be missing something here as the KISS process was not followed on an EUC I have seen.  

Understand this is Chinese design at its finest, but who wants to spend 2 hours doing a tyre change.  We need some North American/European ingenuity so we can strap a diesel engine to it and loud pipes.  All kidding a side I would love to see a wheel manufactured/designed in North America/Europe that was well thought out.  

 

Bonus,

link to the one I had before I stopped diving and sold my rebreathers and scooters.    https://logicdivegear.com/

link to a scooter video I did way back showing someone what it is like to be towed by them. 

 

 

Edited May 29, 2023 by CDINPHX

[GothamMike]

So what can you do to improve responsiveness in a Sherman-S? Hard/Medium?Soft? Adjust the suspension?

[Punxatawneyjoe]

On 5/29/2023 at 11:35 AM, CDINPHX said:

was well thought out. 

 

[CDINPHX]

I find it pretty responsive myself.  Granted I’m new.
 

I’d start with adjusting the suspension to your weight (sag usually 25-30% of total travel when loaded) and also adjusting the compression and rebound dampening Those should help a lot. There is a YouTube video by 2cells One pack, that shows you how to adjust the suspension  

tyre pressure is also key. a lot of this is playing with the settings to dial It in for you.