rdalcanto Posted December 18, 2016 Share Posted December 18, 2016 My 17 year old son did even better. We are both snow skiers, ice skaters, water skiers, and ride and jump (including backflips) a sky ski. So we are used to balancing on stuff. The key is really understanding that to balance left and right you rotate the wheel left and right, you don't lean it in order to catch your balance, and you can't be a frozen statue. You have to actively rotate the wheel to catch your balance. It becomes subtle with speed and practice. Just wanted to share! We are loving it. We have to buy a second one because nobody wants to get off and let anyone else have a turn! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdalcanto Posted December 18, 2016 Author Share Posted December 18, 2016 My 17 year old. Smile says it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdalcanto Posted December 18, 2016 Author Share Posted December 18, 2016 In case this helps anyone who is struggling. I documented the learning process. Sometimes it is easier to see a beginner learning than it is to watch a pro who is trying to remember what it is like to do something that has become second nature.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdalcanto Posted December 18, 2016 Author Share Posted December 18, 2016 Took it outside today around work. I already want more speed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoother Posted December 18, 2016 Share Posted December 18, 2016 That's very impressive. It took me weeks to ride that well but I still couldn't hold a camera. Makes me feel a bit inadequate ? Nah. I'm over it. Good job anyway. Don't get tempted to leave out the protection, these thing can bite hard, and fast. You won't know what hit you. Eh, well, actually you will. It would be the ground. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdalcanto Posted December 18, 2016 Author Share Posted December 18, 2016 Thanks Smoother! Learning to ride a Sky Ski (hydrofoil) on water is much harder. I attribute our fast learning curve to that, and the great learning videos on Youtube. The tip I saw the day before I received my EUC, about twisting the wheel left and right instead of leaning in order to balance was the key! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoother Posted December 18, 2016 Share Posted December 18, 2016 7 minutes ago, rdalcanto said: . The tip I saw the day before I received my EUC, about twisting the wheel left and right instead of leaning in order to balance was the key! Funny that. Me and several others here found that absolutely useless in the beginning. I can do it at will now, but in the beginning, pfff forgeddaboudit!! Everyone seems to learn differently. But we get to the same place eventually, for the most part. Hydrofoil, yeah I've seen them spit people out of the water and slap the side of their face so hard against the water, they probably burst an ear drum. A wet face plant, if you like. A face splat. Looked painful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdalcanto Posted December 19, 2016 Author Share Posted December 19, 2016 I went out again before dark, and jumped off some curbs. Scary as hell the first time. Chickened out a bunch before I finally did it. Not hard. Toughest part is keeping your feet from coming off the pedals when you bounce on landing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunka Hunka Burning Love Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 I think someone's caught the EUC riding bug! Good job on the learning curve. Grab some mitts, helmet, elbow and knee pads, and go for a longer run around when you get a chance. The attention, comments and looks you get in addition to the fun you're having is a blast! You'll always run into someone new who has never seen one of these and are just amazed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoother Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 8 hours ago, rdalcanto said: I went out again before dark, and jumped off some curbs. Scary as hell the first time. Chickened out a bunch before I finally did it. Not hard. Toughest part is keeping your feet from coming off the pedals when you bounce on landing. When you've learned how to jump up curbs ( tomorrow) post a "how to " so I can watch it and....say, "nah, I'll never be able to do that " ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panotaker Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 I also just got a EUC (a Segway S1) a few days ago, and also learned to ride it in just a couple of minutes. I have been riding regular unicycles on and off for close to 50 years, and regularly mountain bike on a unicycle. I basically held on to something the first few feet, and then took right off. I was a little shaky at first, but I was able to ride it and turn with no problems. I guess all that unicycle experience makes it easy to pick it up. I still have to learn how to get on and off smoothly, but I'm having a blast just riding it up and down the local bike paths. I actually thought it was going to be a lot harder to learn to ride it, especially after watching all the videos of other people learning. But I guess having unicycle riding experience makes a huge difference. I encourage everybody to give pedal unicycling a try. Mountain Unicycling is a lot of fun, and it's a lot easier than it looks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 On 18/12/2016 at 3:33 AM, rdalcanto said: The key is really understanding that to balance left and right you rotate the wheel left and right, you don't lean it in order to catch your balance, and you can't be a frozen statue. You have to actively rotate the wheel to catch your balance. Exactly! On 18/12/2016 at 4:03 AM, rdalcanto said: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddylaz Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 If I was only allowed to give an absolute beginner two pieces of brief advice, or 'golden rules'...it would be these: 1) You balance on the machine by making micro-changes in your weight distribution. (yes, ok, you REALLY balance by moving the wheel left and right as someone said earlier....but to do that involves understanding this first). 2). You have to be moving. (sounds stupid I know to have to say this, but I've lost count of the number of people I've seen on youtube getting frustrated because they can't stay upright on the spine of ONE WHEEL that is motionless. i.e. practically defying reasonable physics. I mean, if you can't do that on a bicycle you have 20 years of experience on, you're not going to do it on a brand new contraption with one less wheel lol) My 'extra' (unofficial for obvious reasons) tip would be: drink some alcohol. Not so much that your balance and cognitive functions are impaired. But......enough that you're not tense. Tension will affect your ability to consistently perform Tip (1), which can be a vicious negative feedback cycle of failure. Couple of beers each session should do it ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 47 minutes ago, Paddylaz said: making micro-changes in your weight distribution. How do I do "micro-changes in my weight distribution"? 50 minutes ago, Paddylaz said: drink some alcohol I also think that works, though it lacks some political correctness and was quite a tell that you haven't been nurtured through US American culture, or is that just my prejudice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddylaz Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 10 minutes ago, Mono said: How do I do "micro-changes in my weight distribution"? Extremely small shifts of weight from leg to leg. I suppose maybe I phrased it pretentiously......but I was saving words. Re: alcohol - Yeah that's why I made it an 'unofficial' tip lol. People are too sensitive....especially in the States. I have a friend from LA who often comes over to London. She always says she likes it here because she can drink in a pub during the day and 'no-one judges you.' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 ...which reminds me: shouldn't weed be about as effective? It definitely has fewer adverse health effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddylaz Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 1 minute ago, Mono said: ...which reminds me: shouldn't weed be about as effective? It definitely has fewer adverse health effects. Haha yes probably! Although I've never smoked it. I had a 'space-cake' once in Amsterdam but unhappy to report the only real 'feeling' I got was the feeling I'd just wasted 10 euros ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 yeah, that seems to be a strange thing about cannabis, one often doesn't get any effect when trying for the first time(s). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phatmike Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 In my experience weed is more usefull then alcool in EUC driving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddylaz Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 12 minutes ago, Mono said: yeah, that seems to be a strange thing about cannabis, one often doesn't get any effect when trying for the first time(s). Oh really? Ok....might give it a second go. I'm heading back to the 'dam for a friend's stag in March...........I will conduct the appropriate scientific investigation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerbera Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 11 minutes ago, phatmike said: In my experience weed is more usefull then alcool in EUC driving. In my experience it's more useful than alcohol full stop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 39 minutes ago, Paddylaz said: Extremely small shifts of weight from leg to leg. Maybe this is a different way to initiate micro rotations which are effective in balancing the wheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerbera Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 9 minutes ago, Mono said: Maybe this is a different way to initiate micro rotations which are effective in balancing the wheel. Leg to leg weight shift is about direction; heel to toe weight shift is speed and braking. What is equally important is keeping legs 'taught' enough to transfer your body's CoG effectively to the pedals, yet relaxed enough to absorb bumps and ridges without discomfiting shocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 2 hours ago, Cerbera said: Leg to leg weight shift is about direction right, and changing direction is another possible way to keep left-right balance which is what beginners are mainly concerned about. In fact, changing direction also means rotating the wheel around the vertical axis, just a little less fiercely or immediately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddylaz Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 1 hour ago, Mono said: right, and changing direction is another possible way to keep left-right balance ok yeah...........and how does one do that. By shifting weight...............right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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