Backwards???

[Francis Henry]

Hi, so I'm learning to ride and just received an inmotion v8s. Thing is once I get on and tip my toes down, it sends me backwards and the only way to go forward is pressing my heels down. Being a first time rider I want to make sure this is def an engineering issue/a faulty unit before making a stink with the company... that's not right tho right? My understanding is the controls should be opposite...

[UniVehje]

Strange. Are you able to take some video? How does it behave when you just let it stay on without you being standing on it?

the wheel should not move based on your toes or heels. Only center of gravity matters. 

Edited November 1 by UniVehje

[Aztek]

42 minutes ago, Francis Henry said:

Hi, so I'm learning to ride and just received an inmotion v8s. Thing is once I get on and tip my toes down, it sends me backwards and the only way to go forward is pressing my heels down. Being a first time rider I want to make sure this is def an engineering issue/a faulty unit before making a stink with the company... that's not right tho right? My understanding is the controls should be opposite...

No matter toes and heels, where your body is leaning when going forward?

[meepmeepmayer]

Hi. Only your center of gravity matters. This is what your feet transfer to the wheel and make it lean/tilt forwards or backwards. And the lean of the wheel is the only thing it reacts to.

Do the following:

• Forget about the wheel, it's just you on the floor.
• Do whatever stance or movement you were doing on the wheel and see what happens.

Interpretation:

• If you are falling forward and you have to catch your body by doing a step forward, you moved your center of gravity forwards. This would have moved the wheel forwards (accelerated it), as it would catch you and you wouldn't have had to do that forward step while on the wheel.
• If you are falling backwards and you have to take a step backwards to catch your body, you have moved your center of gravity back. This would have made the wheel move backwards (brake), as it would catch you and you wouldn't have had to do that backwards step while on the wheel.
• If you are stable and in balance, this stance or movement would have done exactly nothing on the wheel as your center of gravity clearly didn't change; otherwise you would have gone out of balance.

Pretty sure if you try your "toes down" thing on the ground, you'll start falling backwards. So no wonder the wheel tries to go backwards if you do it on the wheel.

You can try any movement this way in a dry run. Only what it does to your center of gravity matters, and you'll see in which direction (if any) you start falling.

For comparison, stand still (feet next to each other) and then just fall forward until one foot has to step in front so you don't actually fall. This forward lean would accelerate you while on the wheel, no saving step needed.

Braking is similar, you simply "sit down" on the spot. On the floor, you'd fall on your ass if you did that without a saving step behind you, and on the wheel you don't need the step as it will just brake instead.

By the time you read this, you probably already figured out how to make the wheel do what you want. But it's always helpful to have a mental model for how/why everything works as it does.

Edited November 1 by meepmeepmayer

[Francis Henry]

Thanks for the help, it seems like it must be user error. And I definitely haven't figured it out yet. I'll provide a video shortly... I can get on. It just doesn't want to go anywhere once I do. I just kinda stand there till I fall off. I tried the toe press intuitively and when that had the opposite effect I tried pressing my heels. That shot me forward. I thought maybe it's wired wrong and came here. Gonna get back on to try again and see what happens and get a video

[UniVehje]

Here’s a tutorial video using the same wheel you have. This might help you get started. Learning to ride these things is not always intuitive but the process is really fun. 
 

 

[meepmeepmayer]

If you switch the wheel on and move it back and forth with your hand, will it stay upright? If yes, it works as it is supposed to. Not to dismiss you, but it's really hard to imagine a situation where you could even stand on the wheel (as you said you did) without it working properly (unless you can also do that when it's off, then you are superhuman).

It's easy to mistake a stance for doing something when it really doesn't because it didn't actually move your center of gravity, e.g. a ski stance like you were skiing. By necessity, any stance that you can do on the floor without immediately falling over doesn't do anything. You have to start falling and let the wheel catch you, it just follows what you do (unlike any other vehicle).

So simply lean over hard once you are on the wheel, and it will have to catch you. That makes it go.

[Bizra6ot]

15 hours ago, Francis Henry said:

I can get on. It just doesn't want to go anywhere once I do. I just kinda stand there till I fall off. I tried the toe press intuitively and when that had the opposite effect I tried pressing my heels. That shot me forward. 

I think that as a new rider you're stiff and kind of afraid of losing balance so when you press down with your toes you(your brain) unconsciously compensate by leaning slightly backwards and when you press down on your heels you compensate forwards

To illustrate my point, I think you behave like this guy 

 

Edited November 2 by Bizra6ot

[Funky]

If you got big FEET - you will be riding with your toes over pedals front....

Position your ankle in middle of pedals - Where the pedal "L" hanger is. < Then you will be standing in level position straight up.

 

Also are pedals angle set at 0??? In app.. Maybe you got crazy pedal tilt angle. -That's why the heel/toe thing.

Also you need to start FALLING on your face, when you are on the wheel. (YES literally falling forwards. Same as TRUST FALL backwards, but forwards.. IF you wanna go anywhere.) By leaning/falling forwards/backwards - you go that direction on wheel. You don't do it with your feet. You need to start falling with upper body - to go.  Literally "trust fall" while riding EUC. Sounds scary - but that's how wheels work.

I also at start was standing in place with both feet on pedals - till i lost balance and stepped off the wheel about after 2-3 seconds.. At 4rth day i said DUCK IT and did superman lean forwards. (Yes i leaned so much, as i was almost falling on my face.) THAT got me doing right there. I say it again - you need to start falling on your face - to get wheel going.

Edited November 2 by Funky

[Scubadragonsan]

 

20 hours ago, Francis Henry said:

Thing is once I get on and tip my toes down, it sends me backwards and the only way to go forward is pressing my heels down.

You should completely forget about this "heel toe thing" and just focus on leaning forward and backward or leaning to left or to right. If you lean forward and push down with your toes at the same time, there is no way your wheel is going to go backward. If it does, your wheel will be shooting backward underneath your feet which is quite unlikely. If it is working like it supposed to, you should be shooting forward. Is it possible the gyro effect is the opposite? If it works the opposite, then it is not gyro!

Edited November 2 by Scubadragonsan

[bird]

20 hours ago, Francis Henry said:

Thing is once I get on and tip my toes down, it sends me backwards and the only way to go forward is pressing my heels down. Being a first time rider

Are you actually rolling around on the wheel unsupported when this happens, or does this happen when you are stationary and supporting yourself against an object (e.g. a wall, kitchen counters?)

If you are staying in place supporting yourself against a wall or something, and then trying to tip your toes down off the front of the pedal, that may be the issue. Here is why: If you body's center of mass is behind the wheel, and then you try to lean on your toes, you'll basically be pulling the wheel backwards toward you.

As other posters have said, it's all about how you apply your center of mass relative to the wheel. If you want to accelerate, your body's center of mass has to be in front of the wheel. You will never accelerate if your body is behind the wheel, no matter how hard you lean your toes off the front of the pedal.

I would suggest to not worry so much about what your toes are doing, it will come naturally if you focus instead on your hips and upper body.

Edited November 2 by bird

[on one]

22 hours ago, Francis Henry said:

Hi, so I'm learning to ride and just received an inmotion v8s. Thing is once I get on and tip my toes down, it sends me backwards and the only way to go forward is pressing my heels down.

You can go forward and backward with any combination of toe tipping, ankle bending, knee bending, and leaning like @Funky was talking about. But if you are ankle bending backwards and toe tipping forwards, well then, you might go forward or backward depending on how much you are leaning.

[winterwheel]

If you push down with your toes without moving your weight forward you will go backward, because pushing on your toes has the effect of moving your center of gravity backwards.  

[techyiam]

Another way to go forward on an euc is to move your abdomen forward. 

[DavidB]

Inmotion made some nice videos years ago for beginners. You can start with YT New Walkings Les tutos de la semaine S1 E01.  Don't worry about it being in French. It is visually easy to follow. 

Edited November 4 by DavidB
Addition of info

[Scubadragonsan]

On 11/2/2024 at 12:30 PM, techyiam said:

Another way to go forward on an euc is to move your abdomen forward. 

Another way is just tilt your head down!