How would/do you protect from scratches, dings, and cracks?

[Dingfelder]

I see Jason at ewheels sells some protective foam, and i looked through lots of furniture buffer type foams/rubber/whatever at Amazon too. I even saw a video with EUC Europe I think it was where his entire machine was covered with foam protectors.  Literally nothing wasn't covered besides the tire.  Seemed sensible since he was pushing it with stunts.

if you all had something about protecting your machine from scratches and dings and such to recommend, what would it be?  Besides my not sucking or being a beginner, please.  Let's just assume i'm going to be the clumsiest of beginners and completely suck.

Any products you'd recommend, either for temporary or permanent protection?  

Any worries, like overheating, from any of that stuff?

I'm considering everything from duct tape to every kind of foam and rubber etc I can think of, so some less random thoughts would be great!

[ramma]

I've got 3M vinyl on most parts right now. Only dropped it twice and haven't bothered pulling off the scratched places to see how it looks under, but the stuff is made for cars to prevent rock dings and such so I'm hoping it looks alright. Tons of colors to pick from too, which I'd definitely recommend going for a color. The clear stuff is impossible to get bubbles out from under.

I think most people here put the foam padding for furniture for homes with newborns(same stuff sold on ewheels). It'd protect better, but also looks a bit silly. I went with the vinyl since I'd ridden normal unicycles for my whole life, so maximum protection wasn't a big concern.

[Dingfelder]

1 minute ago, ramma said:

I've got 3M vinyl on most parts right now. Only dropped it twice and haven't bothered pulling off the scratched places to see how it looks under, but the stuff is made for cars to prevent rock dings and such so I'm hoping it looks alright. Tons of colors to pick from too, which I'd definitely recommend going for a color. The clear stuff is impossible to get bubbles out from under.

I think most people here put the foam padding for furniture for homes with newborns. It'd protect better, but also looks a bit silly. I went with the vinyl since I'd ridden normal unicycles for my whole life, so maximum protection wasn't a big concern.

Thanks for the heads up on 3M vinyl. I definitely will not be able to rely on my ability the way you do.

Amazon is full of different types of protective foams with wildly varying approval rates, so I do want to consider all options.

It gets to be 100 degrees in the summer here, so I'm wondering about the negative effects of insulation too.  Maybe something like vinyl would be a better option, especially during the hottest parts of summer.

[ramma]

Are you further south in the PNW region then? I'm in the northern oregon southern washington sorta area, so we sometimes get 90+ days. Highest temps I've ridden in was ~85 a few days back and had no issues there. It'd depend on the wheel, but most seem to use plastic shells which unless there's air vents that may get blocked really don't do much for heat dissipation.

[HermanTheGerman]

18 hours ago, Dingfelder said:

How would/do you protect from scratches, dings, and cracks?

I don't anymore.

I removed the foam after approximately 100 km, because it looks bad, and I didn't like it.

For the first 500 km I also rode with a sling, which was mounted on the wheel and on my hip, but I also gave that up, because I believe it's dangerous. I just wanted to keep the wheel nearby, up,  and not running away in case when I fall or need to jump off.

But nowadays I ride it as it is, no foam or slings, because I feel as well on the wheel as on a bicycle, and do not fall or jump off. It has some minor scratches on the pedals, but otherwise it looks good.

However, I have the opinion that for a beginner the foam is great, because while learning the basics one will jump off often, as I know from own experience. Also the sling was quite good at the beginning, I used it longer than the foam, but at the end I dumped both.

 

[Paddylaz]

Bubble wrap around the top half or top 2/3rds of the wheel with masking tape/duct tape is a good low-budget, instantly appliable and removable option.

I carry some in my bag if i know im going to be letting a newbie(s) try the wheel for any length of time

[Dingfelder]

3 hours ago, ramma said:

Are you further south in the PNW region then? I'm in the northern oregon southern washington sorta area, so we sometimes get 90+ days. Highest temps I've ridden in was ~85 a few days back and had no issues there. It'd depend on the wheel, but most seem to use plastic shells which unless there's air vents that may get blocked really don't do much for heat dissipation.

Yep,a bit north of Medford.  Summers can get intense here, so much so that I don't much even want to go outdoors for a lot of it.  So I probably wouldn't be riding in the worst of the heat ... but if I didn't ride in 90 degrees plus, I would have to leave out most of summer entirely.

Did your EUC ever get hot to the touch?

[Dingfelder]

2 hours ago, Paddylaz said:

Bubble wrap around the top half or top 2/3rds of the wheel with masking tape/duct tape is a good low-budget, instantly appliable and removable option.

I carry some in my bag if i know im going to be letting a newbie(s) try the wheel for any length of time

Cheap sounds good to me, though I'm willing to spend to protect an expensive EUC too.  Thanks for the idea.

C

[Dingfelder]

2 hours ago, HermanTheGerman said:

I don't anymore.

I removed the foam after approximately 100 km, because it looks bad, and I didn't like it.

For the first 500 km I also rode with a sling, which was mounted on the wheel and on my hip, but I also gave that up, because I believe it's dangerous. I just wanted to keep the wheel nearby, up,  and not running away in case when I fall or need to jump off.

But nowadays I ride it as it is, no foam or slings, because I feel as well on the wheel as on a bicycle, and do not fall or jump off. It has some minor scratches on the pedals, but otherwise it looks good.

However, I have the opinion that for a beginner the foam is great, because while learning the basics one will jump off often, as I know from own experience. Also the sling was quite good at the beginning, I used it longer than the foam, but at the end I dumped both.

 

I may be less paranoid after I've used the machine for a while.  I do want to protect it at least from the worst parts of my learning curve though.

[ramma]

1 minute ago, Dingfelder said:

Did your EUC ever get hot to the touch?

Not that I noticed, but I wasn't really paying attention to that. The ride I did in 80+ was about 5 miles non-stop with a few hills. It beeped once for overspeed, but that's all.

[GoinPostal]

21 hours ago, Dingfelder said:

I see Jason at ewheels sells some protective foam, and i looked through lots of furniture buffer type foams/rubber/whatever at Amazon too. I even saw a video with EUC Europe I think it was where his entire machine was covered with foam protectors.  Literally nothing wasn't covered besides the tire.  Seemed sensible since he was pushing it with stunts.

if you all had something about protecting your machine from scratches and dings and such to recommend, what would it be?  Besides my not sucking or being a beginner, please.  Let's just assume i'm going to be the clumsiest of beginners and completely suck.

Any products you'd recommend, either for temporary or permanent protection?  

Any worries, like overheating, from any of that stuff?

I'm considering everything from duct tape to every kind of foam and rubber etc I can think of, so some less random thoughts would be great!

I went to the plumbing store and purchased foam insulation for water pipes. You will only need one section, costs about 2 dollars. Then get some duct tape (duck tape) in a color that matches your wheel. I ran a piece vertically up the face of my Segway S1 just in front of, and behind where my leg goes, and one piece under the foot pads against the hinge. It worked AMAZINGLY! My S1 was dropped on the concrete and asphalt close to 2 dozen times while I was learning. It is basically in like new condition. While I suspected this setup would protect my wheel well, it exceeded my expectations and what was really surprising was, the duck tape and foam showed zero wear!  I did cover the foam entirely with duck tape both for looks and strength. I can't recommend it highly enough. Unfortunately I don't have a single pic of it.. so I drew one to help visualize the placements. 

 

[ramma]

1 minute ago, GoinPostal said:

 

^|_{__}^| Oh hi!

[GoinPostal]

5 minutes ago, ramma said:

^|_{__}^| Oh hi!

LOL. Sorry, I know it's a bit cheesy, but it's all I've got. ?  I did forget to mention in the main article, the reason I got pipe insulation foam, is because it is closed cell foam and therefore tougher than standard foam rubber.  Best of luck to you.. I could re-pad my Segway and shoot a pic later if you need. 

[HermanTheGerman]

8 hours ago, Dingfelder said:

I may be less paranoid after I've used the machine for a while.  I do want to protect it at least from the worst parts of my learning curve though.

Right. Thats what I did too.

[Dingfelder]

10 hours ago, ramma said:

Not that I noticed, but I wasn't really paying attention to that. The ride I did in 80+ was about 5 miles non-stop with a few hills. It beeped once for overspeed, but that's all.

 

9 hours ago, GoinPostal said:

I went to the plumbing store and purchased foam insulation for water pipes. You will only need one section, costs about 2 dollars. Then get some duct tape (duck tape) in a color that matches your wheel. I ran a piece vertically up the face of my Segway S1 just in front of, and behind where my leg goes, and one piece under the foot pads against the hinge. It worked AMAZINGLY! My S1 was dropped on the concrete and asphalt close to 2 dozen times while I was learning. It is basically in like new condition. While I suspected this setup would protect my wheel well, it exceeded my expectations and what was really surprising was, the duck tape and foam showed zero wear!  I did cover the foam entirely with duck tape both for looks and strength. I can't recommend it highly enough. Unfortunately I don't have a single pic of it.. so I drew one to help visualize the placements. 

 

Thank guys.  Great idea about those plumbing foam stripes too. I get what you mean about the positioning.

[Peter Le Lievre]

I have a Gotway ACM and it has a black rubber paint finish on the wheel. Duct tape will not stick to it!! Any ideas on how to protect??

 I am looking for a tape or film that will stick to the rubber paint.

I dont fall off anymore on tar but on the dirt trails I have been knocked off a few times now by bumps/rocks etc.

[Acturbo]

23 hours ago, Peter Le Lievre said:

I have a Gotway ACM and it has a black rubber paint finish on the wheel. Duct tape will not stick to it!! Any ideas on how to protect??

 I am looking for a tape or film that will stick to the rubber paint.

I dont fall off anymore on tar but on the dirt trails I have been knocked off a few times now by bumps/rocks etc.

My Msuper has that coating as well.  I used garage door bottom sealer and double sided heavy duty tape.  Cost about $20 for everything.  I was Macgyvering around Lowes one day and thats what I came up with.  

[Peter Le Lievre]

Garage door bottom sealer? OK will look at Home Depot.

[Acturbo]

3 minutes ago, Peter Le Lievre said:

Garage door bottom sealer? OK will look at Home Depot.

There is enough in there for about 1.5 MSuper.  So should be plenty enough for an ACM.  

[Acturbo]

I bought scotch "extremely strong" mounting tape.  2 strips total per piece of garage door foam, one on either side.  I just cut approximate lengths and used an exacto knife to cut around edges.  

[ir_fuel]

I used superglue.

[Circuitmage]

I'm using this

https://www.amazon.com/M2cbridge-Multifunctional-Corner-Coverage-Safety/dp/B01ABQ4BL6/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1504820590&sr=8-1&keywords=m2cbridge%2Bmultifunctional%2Bedge%2Band%2Bcorner%2Bguard&th=1

 

[ir_fuel]

Me too, but the double sided tape does not stick to all surfaces, hence super glue