Forester Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 I got my KS-18 this Wednesday (22nd of June) and I started from scratch. I had the chance to practice on 4 days 80 minutes each. Now I am able to drive my KS18 (I allready have done 45 km) in flat tar roads. I also tried to get up (and down) some hills, which went ok, but at all I am still struggling to make starts. Most of the time I am failing the first start and I am also struggling to get straight forward after having stepped on my KS18. I am also struggling to hit exactly the route I want to go because of countermovements. I am also able to curve, but I am also quite unstable. And I am also not able to drive at low speed. When slowing down I have to get off my KS18, sometimes I am able to delay the stop by countermovements but most of the time I have to jump off. Any recommendations on practices on who to improve my Performance? Many thanks in advance Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmethvin Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 That all sounds normal, at least it was normal for me. Just keep practicing and you'll get better at starts. I haven't ridden a KS18 but in general the bigger the wheel the harder it is to ride at really slow speeds. That probably affects the smoothness of your starts too. But even that will get better with time and lots of practice! For me it helped to wiggle a little bit when traveling slowly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuts Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 Change your foot positioning. I normally recommend that the sole of your foot is at a T junction to the middle of the EU. Do not include your toes in this measurement and it is ok if they protrude out from the pedals. Also try the skateboard kick start. Having a little momentum makes it easier to, ahem, mount your EU. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forester Posted June 26, 2016 Author Share Posted June 26, 2016 @dmethvin ok, I will practicing - @Chuts yes, you are right, I also experienced the importance of placing the sole at right position, I will keep practicing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxLinux Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 1 hour ago, Forester said: Most of the time I am failing the first start and I am also struggling to get straight forward after having stepped on my KS18. I am also struggling to hit exactly the route I want to go because of countermovements. I am also able to curve, but I am also quite unstable. And I am also not able to drive at low speed. When slowing down I have to get off my KS18, sometimes I am able to delay the stop by countermovements but most of the time I have to jump off. That sounds to me like a description of anyone learning to ride the EUC for the first time. I started learning on a balcony with a rail on one side and a wall on the other, so there was always support to grab when I started to fall. Finally I could ride completely the entire length without wobbling or falling. Wow, I was so proud of myself! Then I went into open spaces and began learning how to turn. I fell many times in this stage. The last part I learned was getting on. I had a very difficult time learning how to get on the EUC without holding onto something or leaning against a wall. I almost thought I would never be able to do it. The only reason I continued trying was because videos on YouTube proved it was possible! I noticed in each stage of my learning, whatever I was stuck on, suddenly one day I could do it. The best advice I have is continue trying and trying, then when you least expect it, you will surprise yourself with success! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forester Posted June 26, 2016 Author Share Posted June 26, 2016 Okay guys, got the message; blood, tears and sweat... except tears the others I already experienced Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houseofjob Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 @Forester Wow, I own and regularly ride a KS-18A, and I can't fathom learning to ride my first EUC on one (I learned on the Ninebot One E+). Starting from idle is like with any EUC. Practice the skateboard style start. So, for a righty, the right foot starts on the right pedal (don't lock your leg) with the wheel leaning slightly to the left, and the inner right thigh against the KS-18A padding (easier than other EUC's because of the body's height). Your upper body positioning is always important, especially on this wheel, and you should be directly balanced over your right foot (for stability). Then push off the ground with your trailing left foot and go. Obviously reverse this for lefties. As for maneuvering with the KS-18A, again upper body movement is key, and more exaggerated and pronounced than a normal low-height, round-body EUC. Regular motion is initiated by the upper body moving first, then the wheel following, almost like a delay. Same with braking, the upper body leans backwards, then the wheel starts braking. For turns/curves, the KS-18A body leans into the direction of the curve, but your upper body should stay upright over the center of mass of the wheel and not lean, almost feeling like it's going the opposite direction of the turn (again, don't lock your legs). Maintaining an athletic bend in the knees and being on the balls of your feet on the pedals also helps. For moving slower on the KS-18A, due to the mass of the wheel, some part of you or the wheel always needs to be in constant motion, which is difficult in the beginning of learning, so for the meantime, it's probably best to step off the wheel in bigger crowds. As you get more advanced, there are 2 ways to move very slowly. First, in a small space, you make more consecutive turns, which results in a side-to-side, see-saw action of the KS-18A body, and feels almost like you are pedaling a bicycle. Second, requires some familiarity with the principles of riding backwards. Riding to a crawl, once you feel the sensation that you are moving too slowly and might have to step off, you cock your upper body backwards, as if you are about to initiate riding backwards, but keep the action more to a stop, then cock the upper body forwards again, and keep alternating like that to basically stand still. Again, because there is a delay between upper body moving first then the wheel following, you can us this rocking motion to crawl to a stand still. This will take some time though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forester Posted June 26, 2016 Author Share Posted June 26, 2016 @houseofjob: Wow and yeah! I got excited when reading your instruction and I immediately wanted to get out to try but it's raining cats and dogs so I have to wait till weather will clear up. However many thanks! And I will be back either with further questions or with some success stories! Another question is on how to ride up steep roads... I experienced that I have to lean quite far forward to keep the wheel going, but then I immediately will put my weight on the ball of the foot and the wheels starts to wobbling... I know, a lots of questions, but I am quite enthusiastic and I have plans to do a longer ride (may be also to climb up a mountain road) in two weeks time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houseofjob Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 25 minutes ago, Forester said: Another question is on how to ride up steep roads... I experienced that I have to lean quite far forward to keep the wheel going, but then I immediately will put my weight on the ball of the foot and the wheels starts to wobbling... No worries, glad to share experiences~ Yes, uphill initiation is a slight weakness due to the soft response of the KingSong ride in the KS-18A. Acceleration going straight uphill will start slow from idle. You can combat this by starting off making a more zigzag pattern (consecutive turns), as opposed to an initial straight uphill, so the initial acceleration will involve less incline, moving more in perpendicular lines to the hill. This issue will also be compounded if you are a larger footer, as @Bryan Wells attested to in his in-depth review, because the KingSong pedals are a bit small-ish, creating less leverage. (I am a US 8.5 Mens, so this is not as big an issue for me). If this is your case, larger pedals, in the DIY variety, or @1RadWerkstatt's custom XXL KS-18A pedals, will improve this leverage. (thinking of investing in the XXL pedals myself). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Wells Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Also what might help is to squeez a little with your legs and push your knees with the top of the wheel between them into the hill. Basically your forcing the wheel to lean into the hill from the shell and less on the pedals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forester Posted June 27, 2016 Author Share Posted June 27, 2016 Stopped raining - and I was out and riding @houseofjob: Yes, you are totally right, stepping on the KS18 one have to keep the wheel really beneath the body. Jumping on is now evolving. I also did my first steep hill ride today which went quite well - @Bryan Wells is also right, to squeeze the body of the KS18 and forcing it forward with your knees works. Guys, it's a cool tool! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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