EUC Learner's License Test

[Hunka Hunka Burning Love]

Okay so you've seen how cool it is to ride these electric unicycles, you've placed your order, and now you're anxiously waiting for its arrival.  In the meantime it's time for you to take the Electric Unicycle Forum Learner's Test.  A passing grade will be 100% for this examination, and there will be continuing education requirements as more questions are added by more experience members.

There is no time limit for this exam.  Please feel free to discuss.  Prerequisite: You  have to have read and familiarized yourself with the thread describing commonly used EUC terminology and the fundamentals of how to ride a EUC before proceeding.

1.   Why are speed warning beeps important to set properly or have on an EUC for new riders?

a. They help warn you when you are nearing the maximum safe traveling speed.

b.  They work in combination with tiltback to help prevent faceplants due to over-speeding the wheel.

c.  An audible warning is an easy way to tell when you are going too fast.

d.  All of the above.

e.  Answers a. and c. are correct but not b. .

2.  Why should an EUC rider not push his/her wheel to its maximum speed as specified by the manufacturer?

a.  No reason.  The maximum speed is how fast the wheel can go so riders should be able to travel at this speed.

b.  The maximum speed in specifications may actually mean the speed over which the wheel stops working resulting in a faceplant so riding at this limit can be dangerous.  It may be based on a different rider weight than what I weigh.

c.  The speed specified may vary depending on rider weight, battery level, road slope, wind conditions, tire pressure and other factors so it may not be accurate so the wheel may fail at a lower speed.

d.  Both b. and c.

e.  None of the above.

3.  So many people ride these on Youtube, they must be foolproof and safe so I can ride without any worries once I learn how to balance on it and get going.  There's nothing more to it.  The wheel can keep me safe at any speed I choose to go at.

a. True

b. False

4.  When approaching a downhill slope while at a high cruising speed, I should:

a.  Speed up and enjoy the glide of gravity helping the wheel along.

b. Realize that gravity can accelerate my wheel faster than when riding on level ground so it may not have the extra power to give me a tiltback or a beep warning in time.

c.  Maintain my lean posture exactly the same as when travelling on level ground and charge my battery.

d.  Lean back slightly to brake and compensate for the increase in speed due to gravity to help keep in the safe speed zone.

e.  Both b. and d.

5.  At a battery level of 30% remaining I should be able to ride as fast, accelerate as quickly, and climb hills as well as I can at 80% battery.

a.  True

b.  False

6.  Wearing protective gear while riding is for the weak and isn't that cool.  I can run off my wheel at 30-35 kph if it fails for whatever reason because I have some martial arts training.  I'll wait for my first serious accident before deciding whether I need anything.

a. True

b.  False

c.  Maybe

7.  What is meant by "Reserve Speed?"

a.  This is the speed that the battery can run at.

b.  This is the difference between the Super Speed and the Transitional Speed.

c.  This is the extra buffer speed that your wheel needs to be able to achieve above your maximum safe travelling speed to allow tiltback, maintain balance, and avoid faceplants.  

d.  There is no such thing as reserve speed.  I can go exactly to the well defined maximum speed of my EUC, and it can still help me avoid a faceplant.

Answers: 1. d, 2. d, 3. b, 4. e, 5. b, 6. b, 7. c

[Rehab1]

@HunkaHunkaBurningLove Great start on the Quiz!

I know the beginning of this forum has 2  very informative topics: 'How to Ride an EUC, Underlying Dynamics and Techniques for Beginners' and 'EUC Terminology'.  It would be great if everyone took the time to read those 2 topics then take a quiz/test.

Would your quiz/test be 'Open Book' for dummies like me?

[Hunka Hunka Burning Love]

 Feel free to add some questions and discuss as hopefully it might help stimulate some thought about what to look out for when riding.  I think people tend to be so happy once they get riding that they may not realize some of the other factors to watch out for.  I for one never even thought that going too fast could end up with a faceplant.

I remember letting a relative try my hoverboards, and after they got used to it they tried to go as fast as they could on it.  The board did start beeping, but after that they lost balance and it went tumbling.  Luckily the hoverboards don't go that fast so they just ran off, but I never even realized what would happen at the "maximum" speed.

With these EUCs pushing them quickly past their warnings and tiltbacks can lead to trouble quickly.  Just imagine teaching a kid how to ride a bike, but then fail to warn them not to push it past its limits as this particular bike will toss you off past a certain speed!

[HEC]

@HunkaHunkaBurningLove I dissagree with question (or better say answers for) number 4 ... If you' ll continue riding down the slope / hill in unchanged position wheel should not speed up due to the "gravity" but instead maintain the current speed while recharging battery.

[Hunka Hunka Burning Love]

Ahhh I gotcha thinking... I never did say my answers are correct or whether I'm qualified to issue an EUC examination... But for 3 easy payments of $19.99 I can email you a masters degree in EUC Ridingology (MER).

Maybe it's just me, but I find that going down steep grades I usually will brake going downhill.  Or at least it seems to me that I am speeding up while going downhill.  Maybe it's just where the contact point has shifted that makes me feel like I am braking, but I'm pretty certain I speed up so I need to lean back to brake.  I think gravity helps reduce the effort on the wheel so it actually accelerates even though you haven't changed your lean position.

Thinking about it some more if the speed downhill doesn't increase if we don't change our lean there should be no need to brake as the velocity would be held constant. Going uphill should be the same so you don't need to lean more?  I find my wheel slows down going uphill as it needs to fight the forces of gravity so it slows down.  To try to maintain my previous speed I need to lean more.

I remember zooming over the crest of hill going about 20 kph, and it seems like downhill the wheel sped up a fair bit as it tilted me back and beeped so I braked probably just in time before faceplanting.  I wonder how much psychologically the position of the contact patch on the tire has on one's perception of lean angle...

[MaxLinux]

39 minutes ago, HunkaHunkaBurningLove said:

I find that going down steep grades I usually will brake going downhill.  Or at least it seems to me that I am speeding up while going downhill.  Maybe it's just where the contact point has shifted that makes me feel like I am braking, but I'm pretty certain I speed up so I need to lean back to brake.

For me this seems to happen about 50% of the times I go downhill. About half the time, the EUC maintains my desired speed automatically. But about half the time, it speeds up (sometimes much!) and I have to lean back because the speed is rising to what feels like an unsafe speed. This felt scary sometimes early in my learning, but now it doesn't bother me.

[The Fat Unicyclist]

So I'm heavy, and I live in an area with some substantial hills...

On one hill in particular, I have to lean back a lot just to stop acceleration - if I maintained my normal stance, I would be going too fast and must lose control. 

And to go up the same hill, I need to lean forward a lot more, just to maintain a constant speed (and even that becomes a challenge). 

Sorry @HEC - I can't agree that a slope won't impact speed. 

And thinking about it more generically, it makes sense... To lift an object requires energy, lowering it releases energy. A cyclist has to work harder going against gravity, than going with it. 

From am EUC perspective, the power is the same, but the torque required is different (going up or down) so the riding position should be different? 

[Reivax]

46 minutes ago, The Fat Unicyclist said:

On one hill in particular, I have to lean back a lot just to stop acceleration

Be careful, it seems to me that 'breaking' while going downhill is what makes the motherboard heat up the most, more that going uphill.

Which I think kind of makes sense, since there is some energy produced by the engine acting like a dynamo, and which, contrary to what a lot of people think, won't all go to charge the battery, but needs to dissipate anyway.

It's particularly bad with KingSongs, which are total crap at dissipating heat (but warn about the overheat rather nicely), but I don't know about IPS.

[Hunka Hunka Burning Love]

People take driving tests and lessons for cars, motorcycles, mopeds but for bicycles and skateboards you don't need to.  With EUCs there are many factors to take into account while riding.  Shouldn't there be some sort of basic test people need to pass and principles to understand before riding in public?

[Frode]

Waow! 100% I knew I was able to drive my wheel!

Another question to add:

As a complete newbee, already from your first atempt to ride, you should train on a trafficed road. This is the best way to learn fast how to avoid hitting cars, bikers, dogs and walking people.

 

a. True

b. Only if you wear an armor suit and have a very good insurance.

[Snurre]

Perhaps the license should be accompanied by some kind of oath:

"I hereby swear to adhere to the principles of the inverted pendulum and to the controls for which it stands. Should I fall (God forbid), I shall be aware that nothing is perfect."