dmethvin Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 It's autumn here in Maryland, which means the streets and sidewalks are full of leaves, sticks, and acorns. All of them pose a risk to an inattentive or careless EUC rider. Like me. The weather was beautiful last weekend, so I went out. I had a few close calls with acorns and black walnuts which can definitely throw you off balance if you hit them in the wrong spot. but the one that got me was even sneakier. I was riding in the street in a neighborhood and saw a small patch of leaves up ahead, figured I'd ride through it because I didn't see any sticks or other chunky stuff in it. Well, I hit it and it turned out to be a deep hole. I was thrown forward and the Firewheel did its best to speed up, but then in half a second the wheel was ahead of me and I had bounced up a little so I couldn't apply any braking force with my heels. The wheel flew out from under me and I landed on my butt, then fell back on my forearms and skidded to a stop. Thanks to a light jacket and long-sleeved tee shirt I didn't end up with much road rash, I got off lucky. It just goes to show that you can *never* be too careful about any road condition you can't see clearly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Backe Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 Where's the video? Glad it ended well (kind of well I guess). And that's a reason I don't enjoy riding on a street that has lots of light and shadows sprinkled across it. Very hard to see where the bumps/holes are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxLinux Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 56 minutes ago, dmethvin said: It's autumn here in Maryland, which means the streets and sidewalks are full of leaves, sticks, and acorns. Same here in SC. Lately the streets and sidewalks are full of all kinds of "autumn litter." Some sections are so covered with acorns and seed balls, it's like riding on a sheet of marbles. Plus as you mentioned, with leaves accumulating, many hazards are hidden. I have been appreciating more than ever the aggressive grip and confident stability of the IPS Lhotz with its 2.5-inch tire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Spalding Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 1 hour ago, dmethvin said: It's autumn here in Maryland, which means the streets and sidewalks are full of leaves, sticks, and acorns. All of them pose a risk to an inattentive or careless EUC rider. Like me. The weather was beautiful last weekend, so I went out. I had a few close calls with acorns and black walnuts which can definitely throw you off balance if you hit them in the wrong spot. but the one that got me was even sneakier. I was riding in the street in a neighborhood and saw a small patch of leaves up ahead, figured I'd ride through it because I didn't see any sticks or other chunky stuff in it. Well, I hit it and it turned out to be a deep hole. I was thrown forward and the Firewheel did its best to speed up, but then in half a second the wheel was ahead of me and I had bounced up a little so I couldn't apply any braking force with my heels. The wheel flew out from under me and I landed on my butt, then fell back on my forearms and skidded to a stop. Thanks to a light jacket and long-sleeved tee shirt I didn't end up with much road rash, I got off lucky. It just goes to show that you can *never* be too careful about any road condition you can't see clearly. glad it turned out better than it could.... the leaves drop here in florida, too and WET LEAVES aren't your friend.... for sure please be careful thanks for the reminder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Backe Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 17 minutes ago, MaxLinux said: <snip> I have been appreciating more than ever the aggressive grip and confident stability of the IPS Lhotz with its 2.5-inch tire. The Lhotz is an intriguing wheel. I assume that you have the 340wh version (maybe that's the only one). What's your realistic range (along with your approx riding weight)? The spec's say 25 miles but that seems wildly optimistic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunka Hunka Burning Love Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 I'm a bit conflicted here. On one hand I am so glad you are okay. That was a close one. On the other, I think I just saw a juicy window of opportunity open up and then suddenly close for a prime moderator spot. You.. you just be careful out there. You wouldn't want someone who's eagerly waiting in the wings to snap up your esteemed, high paying moderator position here on the forums. I do hear though that it's quite a lot of fun zooming up to your wheel's fastest speed limit and leaning through it... It feels like flying! ...for a short while... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxLinux Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 2 hours ago, Marty Backe said: The Lhotz is an intriguing wheel. I assume that you have the 340wh version (maybe that's the only one). What's your realistic range (along with your approx riding weight)? The spec's say 25 miles but that seems wildly optimistic. Yes, mine is 340wh (the only version as far as I know). Believe it or not, I don't know the range. The longest I ever ride is about 2 hours, so I've never come close to maximum range. My weight is about 145 lbs., so I do probably get better hill results than many people riding the same wheel. As you probably realize by now, the excellent hill-climbing performance of the Lhotz is one of the biggest reasons I love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fat Unicyclist Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 5 hours ago, HunkaHunkaBurningLove said: You.. you just be careful out there. You wouldn't want someone who's eagerly waiting in the wings to snap up your esteemed, high paying moderator position here on the forums. Would that then free up a "pretentious Member +" slot... if so I might have to brush up on my obtusivousity to ensure I'm a contender. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunka Hunka Burning Love Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 Yes, I see I have groomed you well for a spot in the small, but highly sought after "+" club. You should brush up on your obtusiology as that is a prime characteristic that we look for in a prospective member. As self-elected grand pooba "+" member , I have the designated responsibility of choosing future candidates while filtering out the bad hombres so don't forget whose feet need kissing. Don't forget to scrub my Ninebot clean as well. The box of fresh kittens is in the corner over there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HermanTheGerman Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 19 hours ago, dmethvin said: It's autumn here .... <snip> I was riding in the street in a neighborhood and saw a small patch of leaves up ahead, figured I'd ride through it because I didn't see any sticks or other chunky stuff in it. Well, I hit it and it turned out to be a deep hole. I was thrown forward ... Haa, that sounds familiar. Since yesterday, when I had my first severe faceplant. I was riding down a meadow slightly covered with leaves, and just wanted to enter the street asphalt, it was looking like meadow and asphalt are in exactly same height, as one would merge into the other. Unfortunately that was not the case, near the street was a ditch/trench/gully (don't know the correct english expression) filled with leaves. My KS16 entered it and was stuck there, throwing me forward to the asphalt. Because of helmet and elbow protection (and maybe instinctively using Judo fall techniques) nothing bad happened, and after pulling out the wheel from the gully and doing a short technical check I could proceed. That's autumn for careless e-wheelers ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunka Hunka Burning Love Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 I remember riding home in the dark one night, and I ran into a slight drop in the pavement. It was smooth and about 2 foot oval in shape. I didn't see it so it felt like the wheel slowed down all of a sudden making me lurch forwards. Luckily the wheel caught up, and I didn't fall. That's why when I see people zooming around at night I find it a little scary since some of these potholes you can't really see or anticipate. Unless you know what's underneath a pile of leaves, I'd be very careful when zooming through them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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