MichaelHensen Posted April 4, 2017 Share Posted April 4, 2017 Hi all, First I'll introduce myself before I just barge in. My name is Michael Hensen and live in Almere, the Netherlands. 46 years, self employed software engineer and love to go paragliding abroad. I guess that will do :-) I became interested in EUC as I saw somebody zooming past me while I was riding my city bike. What the hell was that ?! I started searching the Internet and found what is should be. After watching numerous video's I came to the conclusion this is not a kids toy so I wouldn't embarrass myself if I should ride it. Started looking around and found me a Ninebot One E+ with an OK price from a Segway company here in the Netherlands. So I've ordered it and today it arrived.. Charged it fully, installed the app,stuck all protection on it so now I am ready to start learning, but it is much harder then it looks in all videos I've seen.. As most of you are seasoned 'gliders' or whatever it should be called, I have a little question.. In most video's I've watched they mention the so called 'CLICK'. Can anybody elaborate on what this click is? I tend to think it is the way you control the EUC on low speed with quick snappy rotations from the hips to keep it balance, just like the steering of a bike, or is it something else.. Otherwise please explain what I am looking for so I can take advantage of some pre-knowledge :-) Meanwhile I'll start my practicing on a parking lot nearby and it also has a grass patch so that could be a nice start point too, should give me a softer fall.. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimlet Posted April 4, 2017 Share Posted April 4, 2017 Easiest way to get started is to find two friends to run along either side of you holding your hands. You can normally motivate them by offering them a go, This has added advantages as they might get one as well so you'll have someone to ride with. Groups are much more fun than riding alone! My wife picked up the basics in twenty minutes this way and then complained that they were running too slowly so I had to ride along side her holding just one hand. Both of us are 61 years old so it's never too late to learn! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meepmeepmayer Posted April 4, 2017 Share Posted April 4, 2017 Don't expect to ride without like 1 week of training. The "click" refers to suddenly getting it (aka riding suddenly works, it "clicks"). I personally did not have that (did some indoor balancing and everything it went fine on first outdoor ride 2 weeks later, to my surprise), so it may not be there for everyone, it may just be a more gradual process of getting better. There's a ton of beginner threads here so check them out, they contain useful tips. Something often not mentioned: cushion your wheel now (looks like you already did that), it gets the most scratches at the very start, after that you don't even need cushioning. Here's a good learning video: This guy shows his progress in real time, so you have a possible comparison: https://www.youtube.com/user/purpleantco/videos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddylaz Posted April 4, 2017 Share Posted April 4, 2017 1 hour ago, MichaelHensen said: Hi all, First I'll introduce myself before I just barge in. My name is Michael Hensen and live in Almere, the Netherlands. 46 years, self employed software engineer and love to go paragliding abroad. I guess that will do :-) I became interested in EUC as I saw somebody zooming past me while I was riding my city bike. What the hell was that ?! I started searching the Internet and found what is should be. After watching numerous video's I came to the conclusion this is not a kids toy so I wouldn't embarrass myself if I should ride it. Started looking around and found me a Ninebot One E+ with an OK price from a Segway company here in the Netherlands. So I've ordered it and today it arrived.. Charged it fully, installed the app,stuck all protection on it so now I am ready to start learning, but it is much harder then it looks in all videos I've seen.. As most of you are seasoned 'gliders' or whatever it should be called, I have a little question.. In most video's I've watched they mention the so called 'CLICK'. Can anybody elaborate on what this click is? I tend to think it is the way you control the EUC on low speed with quick snappy rotations from the hips to keep it balance, just like the steering of a bike, or is it something else.. Otherwise please explain what I am looking for so I can take advantage of some pre-knowledge :-) Meanwhile I'll start my practicing on a parking lot nearby and it also has a grass patch so that could be a nice start point too, should give me a softer fall.. :-) It is indeed a very steep learning curve for some (many). But the learning curve is part of the addiction as far as I'm concerned. Like learning a musical instrument, there is a reward in beginning to master something you once thought impossible. My two pieces of advice would be: 1) TIRE PRESSURE. Make sure your tire is around 38-42PSI whilst you are learning. I would invest in a decent track pump with psi gauge for accuracy. Once you start to get 'good' (I define good as being able to mount the wheel perfectly 100% of the time unaided, turning with ease and being comfortable at high speed) then raise that to 50-55psi. 2) The way I explain it to people: it's a little like a tight rope. You stay on it but making tiny tiny changes in your weight distribution. leftfoot-to-rightfoot-to-leftfoot etc etc. These weight changes are VERY small, and the wheel will respond sensitively. You fall off at the beginning because your weight shifts are far too big and crude. They should be so small that an onlooker can barely see you're doing it. Congrats and welcome ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelHensen Posted April 4, 2017 Author Share Posted April 4, 2017 Thanks for all the encouraging responses!!! Yep, cushioning was one of the first things I did, but after this small trainging the pads are getting scratched, but nothing that can't be covered or replaced as soon as I can remove the cushioning.. I took my wheel out and tried it on the grass but that was undoable, so I went on the parking lot itself, luckily it was after working hours so all cars were gone.. For now I did a 1 hour practice and I must admit .. this is so much fun.. in the end I was able to mount 75% of the time, even reposition left foot while riding, large turns although right was easier then left but has to do with speed I think,I cannot get it to a constant speed while turning. (4m diameter). Stop at the point I want, slow down and reaccelerate.. All in all I managed to get 5KM on the ticker. Doing 150 meter runs back and forth.. trying to turning left/right. The leaning feels good and a shitload of fun, so I am confident I will manage!!! So I guess I was more worried then I should be.. Tomorrow is a new day and a new training hour :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slaughthammer Posted April 4, 2017 Share Posted April 4, 2017 So it seems you managed the hard part of learning this. From now on it's just time on the wheel to, and you'll learn all that stuff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f0dder1024 Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 I am going to take a guess. Usually the "Click" for me is done when following slow moving pedestrians. It's more a figure S / swim move w/your feet to keep enough motion to stay upright. Not too different from trying to keep a slow moving bicycle upright. Update: I learned much faster ditching the strap. Gloves are a good idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelHensen Posted April 5, 2017 Author Share Posted April 5, 2017 I have tried to use the strap but on the ninebot there is no real place to tie it to. At least not without using a tyrep or tape. So I have no strap, but I do wear gloves and wrist guards!! I admit I don't wear a helmet and/or knee/elbow protection... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelHensen Posted April 5, 2017 Author Share Posted April 5, 2017 Watched the video's over and over and finally got the hang of turning. I was thinking too much and never really bent my outer leg.. Did my 2nd hour of 'training'. Mounting/Dismounting.. Start/Stop/Accelerate, Really slow (less then walking speed), Turning left/right, Circles, Figure of 8 .. I know it is quite a short period I have been on it ..a total of 11.5km in 2 hours isn't much, but feel confident.. Also took a small detour of 2km back home on cycle paths.. So I keep up the training as what I did in the second hour and it should build up my confidence and improve the muscle memory.. I also noticed the hurt underneath my left foot, so my footing is somewhat off, and after a while trembling legs, so I need to relax more or it was just excitement :-). All in all enough to do/learn.. Still need more confidence in mounting.. In this tempo I will be able to grab my backpack with racing drones and get to the flying field on Saturday, this can be reached by cycling paths so I should be ok.. :-) but it would be a nice ride of just 3km., do some flying and then 3km back.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f0dder1024 Posted April 6, 2017 Share Posted April 6, 2017 That's great. I also went through the foot hurting phase. Boots helped. Shifting feet to relieve the pain while moving was just an invitation for disaster. Over time I was able to ride longer distance. Been doing ~10 miles a day without much issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bram Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 On 4-4-2017 at 5:22 PM, MichaelHensen said: Hi all, First I'll introduce myself before I just barge in. My name is Michael Hensen and live in Almere, the Netherlands. 46 years, self employed software engineer and love to go paragliding abroad. I guess that will do :-) I became interested in EUC as I saw somebody zooming past me while I was riding my city bike. What the hell was that ?! Hi MichaelHensen, Cool story, welcome to the club! I also live in Almere and have been gliding around on the wheel for half a year. I hope by now you got the hang of your wheel. Let's meet up sometime soon to share experiences and fly drones together (I have a Mavic pro, so not really a race drone...). I'll PM you with my phone number. Bram Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanghamP Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 One thing I do that helped me a lot with numb feet is to lean forward, then lean back like when you do moderate/hard braking. As you lean back relax your calves so your heels completely settle into the pedals. Don't know why this works but the sudden relief to the front of my feet is unmistakable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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