novazeus Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 (edited) frustrated with pads, but wanting them for wheel protection, and after years of riding and never having to freemount except when i couldn't find a crutch, and wearing hard plastic leg protectors made leg control worse. i think i've found a solution for me and all my brothers by other mothers coming out padless as well. reminds me of the burn the bra movement, the good ol days. using these neoprene belly wraps that did nothing for ur beer gut, now u have a use for them. i was using them as shin protectors but i've graduated to these weightlifter type that i love. the leatts are just too bulky no matter what but the $100 leatts might be better than these demon ones i bought on sale. the texture of the pads and dimensions on the v13 works great with the neoprene wraps. found out i have plenty of leg strength, just no grip. the neoprene material and i'll two sided tape a strip to the top of the battery case so i have neoprene on neoprene grip. here's a top down view. my leg protection for now. maybe $100 leatts later. and here's how u wrap, inside out with the neoprene on the outside. Edited January 9 by novazeus added photo 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novazeus Posted January 9 Author Share Posted January 9 yes! it works great! not as thick or protective as a yoga mat, but not as obstrusive either. plenty of cusion for a pasture unplanned dismount. not locked in, but great control leg control stepping off and on. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atdlzpae Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 (edited) I also ride padless ever since the original Gotway glue failed. The only thing between my skin and the plastic shell are the pants. It's definitely suboptimal for people who ride fast. But I ride slowly, so any kind of power pads would be an overkill. Interesting thing is the pain. My right leg (the leg I always "start" from) got used to the pressure and doesn't hurt at all. But when I try starting from the left one, it's painful. Edited January 9 by atdlzpae 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterwheel Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 I ride without power pads as well; I hate the the feeling of being locked into the wheel. I normally stick a small rectangle of 1/2" soft neoprene on the sides of the wheels just to give a bit of cushioning and friction. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Ryder Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 Maybe @houseofjob can share his paddless riding knowledge. He's able to ride fast without pads. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 (edited) On 1/9/2024 at 6:11 PM, novazeus said: the neoprene material and i'll two sided tape a strip to the top of the battery case so i have neoprene on neoprene grip. That's funny, because I neither use (power) pads nor like to have grip on the upper part of the wheel where I want to be able to slide. For the grip I use minimalistic Kuji pads which are right above the ankle (which are IMHO very much underrated). Edited January 20 by Mono 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novazeus Posted January 9 Author Share Posted January 9 (edited) yeah, i don't like to touch the wheel at all with my legs but when i dismount, for me my right leg stepping off, i like my left leg to have some adhesion at the top. the s22 is rather painful at the top of the battery case, but honestly the only reason i tried the pads were to protect the wheel and have that one legged control power, which i don't possess yet. any crutch. i call my latest thing, dismount pads. i don't like thick wheels. my legs bend opposite of duf's. but i love the padless wheel riders coming out of the closet. i know @houseofjobuse to ride paddless as well as we all did. my goal riding is to have my feet positioned so neutral, when i think go, it goes, when i think stop, it stops. no leg touching unless i'm using my outside leg in a corner to bend the wheel over. this is wrongway's s22. all these pads but he still needed baby bumper foam for dismounting i'm sure. Edited January 9 by novazeus 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post null Posted January 9 Popular Post Share Posted January 9 (edited) Nice thread. I ride without pads because I don't like the feeling of being locked in, because it restricts where you can put your foot when mounting, because it gives a "lever" feeling to the ride which I find less "aerial", because most my falls would have been worse with pads, because I ride far and like stretching and moving my feet, because I bend my knees differently depending of the terrain, different foot placement depending on slope, and probably some more reasons. Oh yes: not touching is also nice, basically I move around a lot. I find it ridiculous that people believe pads are such a must that where they will stick them on 14" wheels and beginners will ask which pads they should get when they havent even mounted a EUC yet. I find it sad that the popularity of pads (IMO driven in large part by "gear head" attitude as well as noob riding (but the wobbles!)) have made EUC producers make EUCs that are entirely revolving around them, whether by the EUC being a pad shape in itself, or requiring pads because you cant get them to accelerate otherwise. While I enjoy the slippery naked side panel of a Sherman, I have also used rubber foam surface a bit like @novazeus shows but only EUC side to add some grip for when you need it. Some blocks doubling as bumpers far front and back for emergency braking or acceleration could also be on the table. (a bit too large on this test, the idea would be not touching them during normal ride) Edited January 9 by null 4 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novazeus Posted January 10 Author Share Posted January 10 1 hour ago, null said: Nice thread. I ride without pads because I don't like the feeling of being locked in, because it restricts where you can put your foot when mounting, because it gives a "lever" feeling to the ride which I find less "aerial", because most my falls would have been worse with pads, because I ride far and like stretching and moving my feet, because I bend my knees differently depending of the terrain, different foot placement depending on slope, and probably some more reasons. Oh yes: not touching is also nice, basically I move around a lot. I find it ridiculous that people believe pads are such a must that where they will stick them on 14" wheels and beginners will ask which pads they should get when they havent even mounted a EUC yet. I find it sad that the popularity of pads (IMO driven in large part by "gear head" attitude as well as noob riding (but the wobbles!)) have made EUC producers make EUCs that are entirely revolving around them, whether by the EUC being a pad shape in itself, or requiring pads because you cant get them to accelerate otherwise. While I enjoy the slippery naked side panel of a Sherman, I have also used rubber foam surface a bit like @novazeus shows but only EUC side to add some grip for when you need it. Some blocks doubling as bumpers far front and back for emergency braking or acceleration could also be on the table. (a bit too large on this test, the idea would be not touching them during normal ride) perfectly said. when i get really dialed in, it feels like i'm shuffling my feet forward for instant acceleration. i like to pretend i'm wearing a darth vader outfit and just floating mysteriously, no lean, all foot leverage, heel to toe. i practice standing on my vinyl floors. it's been storming so i haven't been able to do any riding, but i think even with all my leg protection, and btw, with these weightlifter shin guards, i don't think marty would have broken his ankle, between them and the knee brace, and for the cherry, my waist trimmer belt inside out, there's still riding freedom for me at least, on pavement, might have to ditch them in the pasture. this waist trimmer neoprene, i ordered two in black, $10 each, and i'll wallpaper more of the battery case for protectection with the excess i'm cutting off, is so thin, but cloth backing, like 1/8", and when the wrap on my leg contacts the battery case when i step off, i have a good hold of the wheel. even then v13 felt more controllable. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post UniVehje Posted January 10 Popular Post Share Posted January 10 (edited) I also ride without any pads. And also find it funny that noobs put them on V8 and mten3. The latest tiny Begode came with pads from the factroy I like the freedom of not touching the wheel. I don’t need to show off with superman lean for acceleration. I agree that a tiny bump on the back is good for emergency braking and sometimes I’d like a bit grip for very steep off-road climbs. But for everything else (apart from racing) pads and locked in riding is a matter of seeing them on YouTube and thinking that’s what you need. New riders often squeeze the wheel and learn out of it. With pads from the start they never learn to ride without them. You should learn without and only experiment with them once you face a situation where you need more support and then try a tiny one first. Edited January 12 by UniVehje 2 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Planemo Posted January 10 Popular Post Share Posted January 10 I've been saying for years that pads aren't necessary for the type of riding most peeps do. And as mentioned, I don't think anyone learning to ride should be using them at all. Mostly everything else has already been said, the only thing I would add is that most 'bulky' pads also make transitioning to seated difficult. My buddy has noticed this and may well remove them because of it. Of course, you can 'learn' around anything, theres lots of people who can sit down with bulky pads and theres those that really DO need pads but the default 'I gotta have pads!' does make me chuckle. I'm sure all the vendors are laughing all the way to the bank to so at least everyones happy lol. I run stock Commander Pro pads which is mainly to give me a bit of extra braking if I need it but otherwise my legs never touch them. Also some protection for the wheel if it goes on it's side. I like them because they aren't too wide and so let me get my shins out and forward for seating without contorting my ankle joint or having to go right onto the edges of my feet 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post atdlzpae Posted January 10 Popular Post Share Posted January 10 (edited) 12 hours ago, novazeus said: this is wrongway's s22. all these pads but he still needed baby bumper foam for dismounting i'm sure. I wouldn't be too hard on WrongWay. He is a speed demon rider who loves to jump & stuff. All those grips in his case are very warranted. I dislike studded pedals. I like to adjust the feet's location to the millimeter for comfort. Way harder to adjust when studs hold your foot in place. Edited January 10 by atdlzpae 2 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
null Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 1 minute ago, atdlzpae said: Another thing I dislike is studded pedals. What I like to do is to adjust the feet location to the millimeter for comfort. Way harder to adjust when studs hold your foot in place Absolutely, same here. I have them on the EBCP and not only can I feel the spikes under the foot, they make slight adjustments difficult (as you said) but also they require you to lift your foot higher to dismount. I've managed to "almost fall" several times when dismounting because the foot scraped / hooked on the spikes. IMO spiked pedals are for off-road, because the honeycomb structure was initially made for letting mud through / keep it accumulating on the pedal. The stronger grip of the spikes probably has its use there as well. As for pads they have their uses, for off-road again because of the leverage, or for very agressive / technical riding. But most people don't do that. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novazeus Posted January 10 Author Share Posted January 10 1 hour ago, atdlzpae said: dislike studded pedals. I like to adjust the feet's location to the millimeter for comfort. Way harder to adjust when studs hold your foot in place. i have several pairs of van's waffle soles now unused because u can't with spiked pedals. it's like gears meshing. and i do the exact same thing. using the stitching in my hiking boots van's with a different sole, i precisely line up my shoe poition on the pedals.. with spikes, u have to fiddle around to get them close. 1 hour ago, null said: they make slight adjustments difficult (as you said) but also they require you to lift your foot higher to dismount exactly! and that tiny little lift needed at the precise moment, of unintentional dismount, might be needed before the wheel snaps ur leg. at v13's 120 pounds, not hard. to mitigate the damn spikes, i bought the mte van's hi tops without waffle soles, and put xicious tape over the studs. the vicious tape has plenty of sliding grip and mitigates the spikes a bit. i use a small like 1/4" nut driver to push the tape down around the spikes. not perfect but i might try gluing my excess waist trimmer pad on the pedals and put the vicious tape on the neoprene. that might be extra nice on long rides. i think the solution for wheel companies that can't buy the tires u want in their country, is to have final assembly in the usa. tires, pedals, battery packs, kinda like the way they sent the lynx out to marty. or just send out kits like rc helis. on my latest king song s22 pro, out of the box, for my needs, completely disassemble so i can remove the pita knobby which is useless in my part of florida and terrible on pavement, remove the pedals, cover with vicious tape and re-install lower and forward. at least king song thought of that, other manufactureres make u buy aftermarket brand new. it's crazy! i'm gonna have a warehouse of take off useless parts. waste of time and money. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
null Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 (edited) 38 minutes ago, novazeus said: to mitigate the damn spikes, i bought the mte van's hi tops without waffle soles, and put xicious tape over the studs. the vicious tape has plenty of sliding grip and mitigates the spikes a bit. i use a small like 1/4" nut driver to push the tape down around the spikes. Nice, thanks for sharing To extend on the idea we could have plate which the spikes enter to even them out. This raises the height a tiny bit but not much. Speaking of which some EUCs can have their pedals lowered, stock or with a third party pedal hanger. This should also make acceleration / braking easier than high pedals AFAIK. Edited January 10 by null 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novazeus Posted January 10 Author Share Posted January 10 40 minutes ago, null said: Nice, thanks for sharing To extend on the idea we could have plate which the spikes enter to even them out. This raises the height a tiny bit but not much. Speaking of which some EUCs can have their pedals lowered, stock or with a third party pedal hanger. This should also make acceleration / braking easier than high pedals AFAIK. and moved forward. the orange strip is the center of the wheel. we all know the s22 is backweighted out of the box. this is exactly how my shoes are on the pedals that are in the forward and down position which is absolutely perfect for me. hou ningning wants $600 for 3 sets for my v13's and i'm sure it will/would be perfect. i know engineers don't think about human anatomy when designing euc's, or else they'd look at their feet and see that their leg isn't positioned in the middle of their foot front to back. i need that toe extension for better acceleration. why i bought 2 s22's and probably gonna buy a 50s version if the price is right when they build them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novazeus Posted January 12 Author Share Posted January 12 here's my pad alternative. my new black waist trimmers arrived early today. and i also put vicious tape over the spikes. this new waist trimmer belt is a tiny bit thicker and being new has great adhesion. think like golf glove to golf grip adhesion. the wheel is 8" thick btw. and added vicious to the pedals to mitigate the spikes a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alcatraz Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 I think you're on to something. How do we know if a material is sticky like that neoprene before ordering? hmm... Have you ridden in damp/wet weather and had an issue with slippage? And... how often do you need to clean it for it to stay sticky? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novazeus Posted January 12 Author Share Posted January 12 2 minutes ago, alcatraz said: I think you're on to something. How do we know if a material is sticky like that neoprene before ordering? hmm... Have you ridden in damp/wet weather and had an issue with slippage? And... how often do you need to clean it for it to stay sticky? i had an old waist trimmer belt i experimented with yesterday. the new waist trimmers came in today. idk about wet weather adhesion, this is more just for stepping off and on. leg control and not just hard plastic knee braces against the metal battery case. these waist trimmer belts from amazon, made in china btw, were ten bucks each and i stuck them on with two sided tape so i wouldn't add any extra thickness with velcro. it pretty much stays "sticky" just because it's soft spongy material. i played with it inside and i could control the wheel easily with my leg in pants. GoFit Waist Away Neoprene Waist Reducing Belt,Black,One Size https://a.co/d/3vENYGD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellkitten Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 (edited) Questions to all the padless riders here. Did you learn to ride without pads and never rode much with them? How much time have you put into riding with any? How do you keep from being bounced off of your pedals? Do you jump much or go up curbs and steep inclines? Did you ride with them then switch to no pads? Do you ride a small wheel? I personally am just curious on the perspective, everyone should ride how they like. Power knobz looks like an interesting concept. https://powerknobz.com/ Something between no pads and pads. Edited January 12 by Hellkitten Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novazeus Posted January 12 Author Share Posted January 12 here's the leg wrap that really adds adhesion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novazeus Posted January 12 Author Share Posted January 12 31 minutes ago, Hellkitten said: Questions to all the padless riders here. Did you learn to ride without pads and never rode much with them? How much time have you put into riding with any? How do you keep from being bounced off of your pedals? Do you jump much or go up curbs and steep inclines? Did you ride with them then switch to no pads? Do you ride a small wheel? I personally am just curious on the perspective, everyone should ride how they like. Power knobz looks like an interesting concept. https://powerknobz.com/ Something between no pads and pads. in 2017, there were no pads. my first wheel was a king song 18s 1554wh. the biggest made at the time. no pads. 57 pounds. none of the little wheels had pads. and i don't go down stairs or up stairs, or jump off curbs or do jump parks etc etc etc. some people use their feet to make the wheel go and stop. i'm guessing since y'all call them power pads, u use ur legs to go and stop. my legs only touch the body of the wheel in a tight turn the outside leg might have to help bend the wheel over, and when i dismount, the top of the battery case hits my left leg. that's it! my legs don't touch the wheel. foot pressure drives the wheel just fine for me. like another said, pads just get in the way of my leg movement for balancing and riding. my question for all these pads, did u have pads on ur motorcycles? i think pads could be another source causing wobbles for y'all. touching the wheel that high up is dangerous. lately, like most of us, i've been watching lynx videos and seeing wobbles with riders waaay more experienced than me, and i never got wobbles from day one in 2017. evidently riding wobbleless, is a skillset i was born with that i didn't know i had. or maybe the 1500mg of oral thc i take daily cancels them out. or it could be, i follow the manufacturers and tire makers recommendations on tire pressure. most on this forum are riding on underinflated tires for their load. btw, i was watching chooch trail ride a v13 very well and his legs never touched the pads, always outside. pads are hideous. i've tried over and over. rideable, just hideous. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 (edited) 13 hours ago, Hellkitten said: Questions to all the padless riders here. Did you learn to ride without pads and never rode much with them? Surely I learned without power pads, but not without padding the lower legs, not a chance I would have survived without padding. 13 hours ago, Hellkitten said: How much time have you put into riding with any? I shortly tried some self made power pads but never used them regularly, otherwise I tried all kind of padding depending on the wheel and my learning advances. 13 hours ago, Hellkitten said: How do you keep from being bounced off of your pedals? I use minimalistic Kuji pads and some acquired reflexes specifically adapted to these pads, namely squeezing the heels whenever push comes to shove. 13 hours ago, Hellkitten said: Do you jump much or go up curbs and steep inclines? jumping: no, curbs and inclines: yes, pretty much every day. I apply any additional torque by squeezing and raising the heels. 13 hours ago, Hellkitten said: Did you ride with them then switch to no pads? Do you ride a small wheel? yes, a light wheel, easy to out-torque. I want to be able to slide the lower leg along the side of the wheel where sticky or power pads would be in the way. This does not really depend on the wheel size but on my preferred body position when I accelerate: I want to keep the upper body vertical when accelerating and not bend forward. For stronger accelerations with a vertical upper body posture, I need to slide the knees forward. Edited January 12 by Mono 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
null Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 (edited) 13 hours ago, Hellkitten said: Did you learn to ride without pads and never rode much with them? How much time have you put into riding with any? There were no pads back then, and I believe it is better to learn without pads because you get a more direct relation to the EUCs balancing, i.e. with foot placement, but also to learn to avoid / handle wobble (they happen more easily without pads). A few times I've had pads on my EUCs for weeks, and I have also used other peoples EUCs with pads. 13 hours ago, Hellkitten said: How do you keep from being bounced off of your pedals? I use my knees to absorb shocks. On flat terrain I barely bend them, while on bumpy terrain I almost crouch. Only once in 40K km was I projected a few cm forward. 13 hours ago, Hellkitten said: Do you jump much or go up curbs and steep inclines? No interest in jumping, I bounce the EUC a bit for smaller edges, and avoid shocks from high curbs. To ride up steep inclines you can position your feet more forward, but that is rarely needed in the areas I ride. 13 hours ago, Hellkitten said: Did you ride with them then switch to no pads? Do you ride a small wheel? Except from the few testing periods, no pads ever. To me their benefits dont weight up to their inconveniences, and I just have more pleasure without. My daily driver is a Sherman OG and I have a EBCP for longer excursions. I had a look at the knobs, they are a little like the bits Veteran put on their recent EUCs. Their minimalism is nice. Still too much locking in in my book though I ride for transporting myself (no car), for exploring the landscape, for enjoying the glide. Nothing technical, agressive or off-road. Edited January 12 by null 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Brahan Seer Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 13 hours ago, Hellkitten said: Did you learn to ride without pads and never rode much with them? I had to put foam on the edge of my wheel whilst I was learning otherwise it was too sore but removed it after a month or two. I do have some jump blocks but rarely use them. 13 hours ago, Hellkitten said: How much time have you put into riding with any? I have ridden using jump blocks afew times and a mates MCM5V2 had pads and I rode that a few times. I don't have an issue with pads but don't feel the need for them with my current wheel. 13 hours ago, Hellkitten said: How do you keep from being bounced off of your pedals? This is a very interesting question, at the start it was a concern and I did bounce around the pedals a bit but over time it's now never an issue, its like your body responds to the wheels movements and stops you from bouncing off, I'm not sure how tbh. If it was a really major bump perhaps I still would. 13 hours ago, Hellkitten said: Do you jump much or go up curbs and steep inclines? Small jumps. I don't jump much and do prefer the jump blocks if I do jump up, jumping down not an issue. I go up curbs no issue (light wheel?) and steep inclines too no pads. 14 hours ago, Hellkitten said: Did you ride with them then switch to no pads? No 14 hours ago, Hellkitten said: Do you ride a small wheel? S18 i guess thats small nowadays. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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