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My first REAL face plant yesterday


Smoother

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I've been absent from the board for almost two months ( been busy settling back into life in England), but I have been riding.  I managed without a car for a month, relying on my wheel to travel.  After that I needed to travel further, and public transport in England takes forever to get anywhere, and it's hellaciously expensive. Example Poole to London  about 120 miles, £51.  I have flown to Spain and back for less!!!

anyway, I found myself in Bournmouth yesterday, and because I had my wheel with me,I went for a cruise along the magnificent beach.  I'm not joking, having spent 5 months exploring the beaches of the Cote d'Azure, and Spain's Costa Blanca, and Costa Dorada, Bournmouth beach is just as awesome.

so I'm cruising along, estimated 20kph, when I hit a small series of unseen bumps.  I handled them fine, but my wheel (ks14c ) must not have liked the power surge required to stay in equilibrium, because I got ( yet another) violent pedal tilt back which threw me down the road, like a baseball batter sliding into home, face first.  I hit the ground so hard, I couldn't keep my face Up, so my chin got a bump and scrape that drew blood.  Today  I have a scab about 2 cm square.

i also hit the ground so hard that I bruised the pad of my left thumb and the tip of my left little finger was numb for about two hours.

note I was wearing wrist, elbow, and knee pads.  No injuries to those areas.  Pads are good!

additionally, both my shoulders hurt.  Right now I move my arms like someone trying to learn how to control new prosthetic limbs, I.e very slowly, and I can't carry much weight.

i also scuffed up my leather jacket. I was not wearing a helmet, but a typical bike or skate board helmet would not have protected my face ( I'm looking into this)

This has been my worst, overall, and first real face plant ( face hits road) ever.  And I was cruising along on level pavement at a sensible speed ( plus the bumps)

why did it happen?

well, I had been riding a while, and I didn't start the day with a 100% charge, so I was down around 53% power ( looked at app after the crash, not before).  As I've said before, less than 60% on a small battery ( mine is 340wh) need to be handled conservatively.  

So why didn't I handle the trip conservatively? Well, actually I thought I did.  Firstly, the LED readout on the ks range is wildly optimistic.  It was lit up showing 60 to 80% with its woefully inadequate 5 bar range! But I knew that meant mat least 50%.  Secondly, I was riding level, smooth pavement.  Thirdly I was not pushing the speed, I was several miles into a mild 15 to 20 kph cruise.  Fourthly, I was not showing off.

this thing came completely out of the blue.  Have I mentioned that I HATE the Kingsong violent tilt back? As I said, it wasn't the bumps that threw me down the road, it was Kingsong sudden and violent tilt back that threw me off. What's the point of an accident avoidance scheme that includes a violent accident as its modus operandi?

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Sorry to hear that. I had similar scenario but I was going top speed. So my fault. 

When my wheel tilts back, it does it gradually but it feels scary. 

 You might have been going faster than you thought. Easy to do when you are experienced and comfortable. 

I agree tilt back should not be such as to cause you to fall. 

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Yeah, I thought about going faster than I thought but I have 3 rd alarm set at about 26 kph, and I never heard it once on the whole trip.    Unless one has experienced nviolent tilt back, one has no idea the destabilising effect it has on the rider.  Most of my falls and near falls have been because of this.  I'm seriously thinking about adding a second battery pack.  340wh gets too restrictive too quickly. Any peak demand for amps can trigger the tilt back, even if you didn't initiate the demand.

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@Smoother

Really sorry to hear that!!! Hope you get well quickly...

 

As you said yourself, this small Batterie must be handled with care on lower Batterie percentage!

It seams that the bumps drawed so much energy, that the wheel gets into overpower Action and with the tiltback wants to try to slow you down.

Which unfortunatly did not work out as we see....

Is your KS14c allready upgradeable? I would then advice to get to the latest Firmware, which had some "low Batterie Speed reducement" and for sure also better Motor algorithms.

 

Just 2-3 days ago the "low" Batterie KS14c behaviour was theme, here:

 

 

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I remember your other accident in Spain going onto a sidwalk and narrowly missing a tree and a garbage can IIRC.  Sorry to hear that your wheel bucked you off.  I think we've all had that unexpected faceplant.  EUC riders haven't ridden nearly enough if they haven't kissed the pavement.  It's like a skateboader who never has had a fall - they likely haven't been at it long enough.

My fall was while trying to traverse melting, slippery ice where the tire traction let go. It's bound to happen again so we all have to be as prepared as possible for it with protective gear, practice running off if possible, or using falling techniques to help cushion the forces down.

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Just now, Hunka Hunka Burning Love said:

I remember your other accident in Spain going onto a sidwalk and narrowly missing a tree and a garbage can IIRC.  Sorry to hear that your wheel bucked you off.  I think we've all had that unexpected faceplant.  EUC riders haven't ridden nearly enough if they haven't kissed the pavement.  It's like a skateboader who never has had a fall - they likely haven't been at long enough.

My fall was while trying to traverse melting, slippery ice where the tire traction let go. It's bound to happen again so we all have to be as prepared as possible for it with protective gear, practice running off if possible, or using falling techniques to help cushion the forces down.

lol :) .  that was really dumb!  lol haha. you should have never admitted to that. Being dumb does not count. LOL. just pocking fun.

 

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Well... get better soon. Crazy how tiltback may be more dangerous than no warning. Not sure how to deal with face danger other than a full cover motorbike helmet... or a Hannibal Lecter style cage thingie in front of your face (or any other serial killer mask;)).

Your story is a good argument for the current trend towards bigger tires, and stronger wheels with bigger batteries that have tons of reserves. For EUCs, power = safety.

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1 hour ago, Carlos E Rodriguez said:

lol :) .  that was really dumb!  lol haha. you should have never admitted to that. Being dumb does not count. LOL. just pocking fun.

 

I think I started too soon into the season as all the ice hadn't melted yet.  Seeing all those other guys riding around on snow and in cold weather, I thought geez I can do that too!  Unfortunately riding over melting ice with "summer" tires and no snow studs is NOT a good idea!  Luckily I was at a crawl speed and could feel the wheel slipping under me so I just did a low speed landing.  PLUNK!  :crying:  I never did say I'm a smartologist!  :smartass:

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Thanks for all your good wishes.  

Base of thumb mostly ok today, chin doesn't hurt but scab is delaying  already overdue shave, I look like a tramp. Can't raise right arm above shoulder level except really slowly. 

I think I now know why GW rider turn off tilt back. I used to think that was crazy, now I'm envious, because I don't think KS allows that, I'll see what tweeks I can make

this has been my most unexpected face plant to date, my only mistake was not being fully aware of the actual power level, and since low power on a small battery is one of my own warnings to the group, I can see the culprits scabby, hairy face when I look in the mirror.

as for @Hunka Hunka Burning Love Admitting to foolish behaviour, I salute that. If we can't laugh at ourselves, we are no fun. Idiot! ?

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On the plus side, I really enjoyed my first ever trip to Bournemouth.  I'm seriously considering selling my rent property in London and investing there instead.  I can get 2x the property for the same money, increase my rental income, and I'll be living by a lovely beach, and not 11,000,000 people. What's not to like?

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9 hours ago, Smoother said:

I've been absent from the board for almost two months ( been busy settling back into life in England), but I have been riding.  I managed without a car for a month, relying on my wheel to travel.  After that I needed to travel further, and public transport in England takes forever to get anywhere, and it's hellaciously expensive. Example Poole to London  about 120 miles, £51.  I have flown to Spain and back for less!!!

anyway, I found myself in Bournmouth yesterday, and because I had my wheel with me,I went for a cruise along the magnificent beach.  I'm not joking, having spent 5 months exploring the beaches of the Cote d'Azure, and Spain's Costa Blanca, and Costa Dorada, Bournmouth beach is just as awesome.

so I'm cruising along, estimated 20kph, when I hit a small series of unseen bumps.  I handled them fine, but my wheel (ks14c ) must not have liked the power surge required to stay in equilibrium, because I got ( yet another) violent pedal tilt back which threw me down the road, like a baseball batter sliding into home, face first.  I hit the ground so hard, I couldn't keep my face Up, so my chin got a bump and scrape that drew blood.  Today  I have a scab about 2 cm square.

i also hit the ground so hard that I bruised the pad of my left thumb and the tip of my left little finger was numb for about two hours.

note I was wearing wrist, elbow, and knee pads.  No injuries to those areas.  Pads are good!

additionally, both my shoulders hurt.  Right now I move my arms like someone trying to learn how to control new prosthetic limbs, I.e very slowly, and I can't carry much weight.

i also scuffed up my leather jacket. I was not wearing a helmet, but a typical bike or skate board helmet would not have protected my face ( I'm looking into this)

This has been my worst, overall, and first real face plant ( face hits road) ever.  And I was cruising along on level pavement at a sensible speed ( plus the bumps)

why did it happen?

well, I had been riding a while, and I didn't start the day with a 100% charge, so I was down around 53% power ( looked at app after the crash, not before).  As I've said before, less than 60% on a small battery ( mine is 340wh) need to be handled conservatively.  

So why didn't I handle the trip conservatively? Well, actually I thought I did.  Firstly, the LED readout on the ks range is wildly optimistic.  It was lit up showing 60 to 80% with its woefully inadequate 5 bar range! But I knew that meant mat least 50%.  Secondly, I was riding level, smooth pavement.  Thirdly I was not pushing the speed, I was several miles into a mild 15 to 20 kph cruise.  Fourthly, I was not showing off.

this thing came completely out of the blue.  Have I mentioned that I HATE the Kingsong violent tilt back? As I said, it wasn't the bumps that threw me down the road, it was Kingsong sudden and violent tilt back that threw me off. What's the point of an accident avoidance scheme that includes a violent accident as its modus operandi?

Thanks for posting your experience. I actually think it's good to hear these stories because it helps to keep the potential danger front and center in our minds as we ride. From my recent experience, expect to be gun-shy for awhile after you get back on the wheel.

I have the KS14C and except for my initial new wheel experimentation period I've never experience tilt-back. It's been a long time since I've used the app, but either you can turn tilt-back off or set it at a very high speed. Right?

Do you have the high power version of the 14C?

On a side note, I though gas was very expensive in Europe to dissuade people from using cars and instead use public transportation. And therefore I thought public transportation was plentiful and economical. Maybe the powers that be just want you to stay home ;) 

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Offtopic: gas isn't expensive in Euroland because of nudging reasons, they just like the tax money and US drivers are taxed really low (in worldwide comparison) as they are much more dependent on cars, our prices would probably lead to revolts in the Burgerzone:P. Also, the usual crazy high US property taxes (it's like you pay rent for something you own) aren't really existing like that here, and I believe they pay a lot of infrastructure/roads in the US which has to be paid otherwise here.

Also I think there's little connection of gas prices to public transportation infrastructure, this is just a historical and cultural difference. If anything, traffic makes people use public transport (it's also simply better in many cases).

Just saying, this "gas prices are high in Europe as political design" is mostly a conspiracy theory (imho).

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P.s. I hope there were no witnesses. It's first and foremost in importance that you contribute no negative impressions of EUCs ;)  Maybe slightly more important is not to harm your ego :facepalm: 

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5 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

P.s. I hope there were no witnesses. It's first and foremost in importance that you contribute no negative impressions of EUCs ;)  Maybe slightly more important is not to harm your ego :facepalm: 

On a serious note, I actually would not want to use a motorcycle helmet with a EUC as it makes people associate EUCs with (the more dangerous) motorbikes. Bike or skateboard helmets give a much better impression.

So the impression thing is a good point!

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1 minute ago, meepmeepmayer said:

Offtopic: gas isn't expensive in Euroland because of nudging reasons, they just like the tax money and US drivers are taxed really low (in worldwide comparison) as they are much more dependent on cars, our prices would probably lead to revolts in the Burgerzone:P. Also, the usual crazy high US property taxes aren't really existing like that here, and I believe they pay a lot of infrastructure/roads in the US which has to be paid otherwise here.

Also I think there's little connection of gas prices to public transportation infrastructure, this is just a historical and cultural difference. If anything, traffic makes people use public transport (it's also simply better in many cases).

Just saying, this "gas prices are high in Europe as political design" is mostly a conspiracy theory (imho).

Good to hear a native perspective.

Aren't all taxes (which are the reason your gas is so expensive) by their very nature political? I certainly don't think it's a conspiracy.

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Political as in manipulation of (in theory) market incentives. I really don't think that played much of role. Maybe a bit after the oil crisis, but with all the car manufacturers here there must have been other "better" reasons (like they just like tax money and people will accept it)...

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6 minutes ago, meepmeepmayer said:

On a serious note, I actually would not want to use a motorcycle helmet with a EUC as it makes people associate EUCs with (the more dangerous) motorbikes. Bike or skateboard helmets give a much better impression.

So the impression thing is a good point!

The only impression I left yesterday was that of my face in the pavement.?

However,  Image IS important, I'll opt for the Hanibal Lecter or leather face ( Texas Chainsaw Massacre) option instead of a full face helmet. That shouldn't raise any eyebrows. ?

@Marty Backe. Trains in the Uk are very expensive.  I bought a 5 round trips ticket in Barcelona to the beach suburb Casteldefel, for €10, about £8, or about $11.  which included the underground, trams, and busses.  In London that would cost 4 or five times that.  Also, unless your trip is along the same train line, one has up to three connection to make, which add time.  I recently  needed to go to Heathrow airport (about 35 miles) but across London.  it took 3 trains, one tube, and several walkes between stations, at least one was 10 minutes long. Of course the drive is no picnic either.  across London, which is a nightmare, or take the worlds longest parking lot, the loop around London known as the M25.

 

also, @meepmeepmayer here in England, we pay every bit as much property tax as in the US.  That's why renting is so expensive here, and renting is only done because ownership can't be afforded.  The way I understand property ownership is not as important to Germans as it is here in England, because your rents are lower.  Is that true?

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16 minutes ago, Carlos E Rodriguez said:

beat this one

IMG_0701.JPG

Ouch. You look waaaay too happy. Were pain med's kicking in ;)

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9 minutes ago, Smoother said:

The only impression I left yesterday was that of my face in the pavement.?

However,  Image IS important, I'll opt for the Hanibal Lecter or leather face ( Texas Chainsaw Massacre) option instead of a full face helmet. That shouldn't raise any eyebrows. ?

@Marty Backe. Trains in the Uk are very expensive.  I bought a 5 round trips ticket in Barcelona to the beach suburb Casteldefel, for €10, about £8, or about $11.  which included the underground, trams, and busses.  In London that would cost 4 or five times that.  Also, unless your trip is along the same train line, one has up to three connection to make, which add time.  I recently  needed to go to Heathrow airport (about 35 miles) but across London.  it took 3 trains, one tube, and several walkes between stations, at least one was 10 minutes long. Of course the drive is no picnic either.  across London, which is a nightmare, or take the worlds longest parking lot, the loop around London known as the M25.

 

also, @meepmeepmayer here in England, we pay every bit as much property tax as in the US.  That's why renting is so expensive here, and renting is only done because ownership can't be afforded.  The way I understand property ownership is not as important to Germans as it is here in England, because your rents are lower.  Is that true?

:roflmao: Love your idea for a leather face :thumbup:

You're doing a great job of selling England ;)  I think all Americans (me included) need to spend a month overseas so that we can appreciate what we do have here. Then again it's all relative - you could be living in Sudan (no offense to any Sudanese who might be reading this).

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Oh yeah, I remember that photo.  You have me beat.  My chin only bled a little, you've done the whole "dripping down my front" thing.  Ripped up vest as well.  It's like we went to the same crash school together.  Yeah, why were you smiling?

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1 hour ago, Marty Backe said:

On a side note, I though gas was very expensive in Europe to dissuade people from using cars and instead use public transportation.

Right, that's how it is, though does England qualify? 

1 hour ago, Marty Backe said:

And therefore I thought public transportation was plentiful and economical.

Still not like Apple buying stamps.

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Yep the serial killer masks are a serial serious option, how crazy is that? I think hockey mask (can be padded wonderfully on the inside) or the scream face mask are my favorites.

offtopic:

28 minutes ago, Smoother said:

also, @meepmeepmayer here in England, we pay every bit as much property tax as in the US.  That's why renting is so expensive here, and renting is only done because ownership can't be afforded.  The way I understand property ownership is not as important to Germans as it is here in England, because your rents are lower.  Is that true?

Really? Oh dear. I don't really know in Germany, but it's about what you pay per month, we pay per year.

Can't say too much with little knowledge, but since there's no crazy property taxes (income taxes instead etc)...

But a big percentage of people certainly rent because they want, not because they can't afford to buy (of course some have no choice), I think it's 70% renters here.

12 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

You're doing a great job of selling England ;)  I think all Americans (me included) need to spend a month overseas so that we can appreciate what we do have here. Then again it's all relative - you could be living in Sudan (no offense to any Sudanese who might be reading this).

This thinking is exactly what I meant by "conspiracy theory" (not literal, I don't have a better term for the American tendency to fear the abroad like they want to brainwash you to dislike the US way of life there). Maybe you'll also "appreciate" what you have when visiting other countries (as in, other countries are better in many respects). It's not that simple:)

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Speaking of Sudan, And "the west". If you're living in a place where the turn of a tap produces clean drinking water, the flick of a switch produces light, heat, or cold, where grocery stores are filled with varieties of affordable food products, the rule of law IS the rule of law, and bombs don't fall out of the sky on a regular basis....you're doing better than 80% of the worlds population.  Train prices, or property taxes be damned.  If you've got that stuff, life is pretty good. Whether you pay for it in £,€,or $

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