Curbs, stairs, and jumping: How foolish?

[Dingfelder]

I wonder if this can even be pinned down to any coherent answer, riders and wheels both being built so differently, but humor me if you will and share your opinions and/or experiences.

Do you step off your machine when a curb comes along?   Do you go up or down stairs on your wheel?  Jump? 

Do you slow down or speed up to do it?

How safe do you think it is to do any of that, either for your health or your machine?   

Would you recommend it or advise against?  And do you yourself practice what you might think should be preached?

[Trey Lewis]

49 minutes ago, Dingfelder said:

I wonder if this can even be pinned down to any coherent answer, riders and wheels both being built so differently, but humor me if you will and share your opinions and/or experiences.

Do you step off your machine when a curb comes along?   Do you go up or down stairs on your wheel?  Jump? 

Do you slow down or speed up to do it?

How safe do you think it is to do any of that, either for your health or your machine?   

Would you recommend it or advise against?  And do you yourself practice what you might think should be preached?

I tried to avoid curbs but go off some very steep ones commonly where sidewalks end at some weird points in town.

I definitely speed up because I am frightened that the rear of the case will catch and cause a fall.

On lower powered machines I won't because I am afraid of wheel failure. The guy that used to post trick videos, Remi I think, talked about what caused the wheels he had to break so easily when falling. Ever since then I became more cautious.

One high powered machines it seem almost irrelevant, especially if you have forward momentum and not just a straight fall down.

 

I recommend against it, but only because in an ideal safe world you would never have to. In an ideal safe world you wouldn't be riding an EUC though! _{So just do it anyway}

[LanghamP]

I walk the wheel down, no exceptions. However, I have occasionally dropped off a sidewalk by accident on my V5F, once was a huge drop (to me) and...nothing. The wheel did not skip, there was no loud noise, there was no heavy impact, nor loss of balance.

It's as if you'd be better off just pretending the drop doesn't exist. I've fallen many times by slowing quickly and bailing when my wheel gets stuck. Saying that, I absolutely do not drop down any curb. Well, if it's an inch high, and even then I do not do that on my KS14C.

Now going up small curbs using a little hop, that's a lot of fun and I do that a lot.

Approach the curb (maybe 3 inches max), cruising slowly, bent forward with bent knees, and right when the front tire catches the lip of the curb jump up! I don't squeeze the wheel at all but rather just let it crawl awesomely up and over the curb. Occasionally I make a perfect leap but much more often I'm a bit (or a lot) of balance. Great fun! You'd be surprised at how much fear is involved in jumping up a tiny curb like that which, realistically, you'd have to be a total dork to injure yourself, but I assure you I chicken out plenty of times when approaching a curb to jump.

Some of those curbs look like this to me...

 

[Hunka Hunka Burning Love]

  Thanks, I think I just peed my pants a little watching that video.  

[nute]

Jeeeez, thats gonna give me nightmares ... how can anyone do that ? Im up on the roofs of high buildings quite a bit with my job and I have no problem with heights but I break out in a cold sweat just watching that.

[meepmeepmayer]

I think curbs are not as dangerous as one thinks. Worst danger is falling back and hitting your head on it. Otherwise, even if the axle were to break or something, that's not a sudden cut out (just like a blown tire probably would not be), you just run off forwards. Unless you battery is at 20% and the wheel might fail to balance sudden accelerations, probably curbs are a non-issue. Stil haven't jumped one and don't plan to for the foreseeable future.

OT: Oh God I can't even watch the video, no thanks.

[steve454]

I haven't  dropped off a street curb and always get off and hand lower or raise the wheel,  but like @LanghamP have hopped up and down plenty of 1-2 inch curbs, by jumping up just enough to take my weight off the wheel and it can handle them with no problem.  And I didn't watch the video either, because I am scared of heights.

[Mono]

11 hours ago, Dingfelder said:

Do you step off your machine when a curb comes along?

Depends on the step size. Above 10cm I step off, depending on the situation possibly also for smaller curbs as well. 

11 hours ago, Dingfelder said:

Do you go up or down stairs on your wheel?

Only for fun and only a few steps down.

11 hours ago, Dingfelder said:

Jump? 

no.

11 hours ago, Dingfelder said:

Do you slow down or speed up to do it?

Please, do not speed up, don't, ever. Yes, I slow down, of course.

11 hours ago, Dingfelder said:

How safe do you think it is to do any of that, either for your health or your machine?

When I fail I just step off. Has worked so far, but the failure rate is getting close to zero. 

11 hours ago, Dingfelder said:

Would you recommend it or advise against?

What can I say, I do it, so why should I recommend against it? I am happy with what I do. 

11 hours ago, Dingfelder said:

And do you yourself practice what you might think should be preached?

Good one, should have been the first question 

[MaxLinux]

12 hours ago, Dingfelder said:

I wonder if this can even be pinned down to any coherent answer, riders and wheels both being built so differently, but humor me if you will and share your opinions and/or experiences.

Do you step off your machine when a curb comes along?   YES

Do you go up or down stairs on your wheel?   NO

Jump?   NO

Do you slow down or speed up to do it?   N/A

How safe do you think it is to do any of that, either for your health or your machine?   MY MAIN CONCERN IS THE WHEEL. I DON'T WANT TO SUBJECT IT TO THE SHOCKS OF CURBS AND STAIRS.

Would you recommend it or advise against?   I RECOMMEND AGAINST

And do you yourself practice what you might think should be preached?   YES

[esaj]

Do you step off your machine when a curb comes along?   No

Do you go up or down stairs on your wheel?  No

Jump? No

Do you slow down or speed up to do it? Slow down, actual speed depends on the height, slower for higher / steeper curbs, I "lighten" the wheel by bending my knees when it hits the curb (going up), when coming down, I just ride over it

How safe do you think it is to do any of that, either for your health or your machine?   So far, no faceplant, sometimes I don't get the timing right, and my feet shift on the pedals, which I correct afterwards, for machine, see next point

Would you recommend it or advise against?  For lighter riders, I don't think the wear on axles / pedal hangers is too high, but might be different for heavier people... I don't really know. The safest option is of course to step off and "walk" the wheel over the curb or find another point with less steep / high curb

And do you yourself practice what you might think should be preached? Basically, yes, as I'm in the "feather-weight" class...

[litewave]

12 hours ago, Dingfelder said:

I wonder if this can even be pinned down to any coherent answer, riders and wheels both being built so differently, but humor me if you will and share your opinions and/or experiences.

Do you step off your machine when a curb comes along?   Do you go up or down stairs on your wheel?  Jump? 

Do you slow down or speed up to do it?

How safe do you think it is to do any of that, either for your health or your machine?   

Would you recommend it or advise against?  And do you yourself practice what you might think should be preached?

 

This should be a poll!

UpCurb: if >=3" step off, otherwise slow down, forward momentum required

DownCurb: if >6" step off, otherwise slow down and decrease speed proportional to estimated drop-off, forward momentum required

Up/DownStairs: only stairs at outdoor venues with long run, low rise

Health: No worries about Ninebot, no worries about person since I'm wearing appropriate safety gear and cautious of traffic

Recommend? Check with your GP and insurance agent first 

[Hunka Hunka Burning Love]

3 hours ago, steve454 said:

... And I didn't watch the video either, because I am scared of heights.

Good thing too since you missed that giant hairy spider, hidden in that crevice, that leaped out at him.    

I ride off 90 degree sidewalk curbs every now and then.  It jars the wheel a bit so I don't do it too often.  I think if the shell had some sort of suspension component it would be more pleasant.  My battery is pretty secure so I don't think there's a huge problem dropping off small curbs.

I've ridden over small dirt ramps at medium speed a la EUC Extreme style but on a smaller scale of course.  There's a tendency to fall backwards after cresting the peak so it's probably best to have a forward lean stance to counter that.

[Carlos E Rodriguez]

I don't jump or ride up or down curbs. 

I don't think the axle is strong enough to last. 

I believe the wheel is capable of doing all those things but the axle I don't trust. 

Mist is it safe? I think so. 

[Jonathan Tolhurst]

I would recommend that everyone who rides an EUC considers learning to competently hop up and down a regular curb or step - both are really useful manoeuvres. For small hops/drops you should be able to complete these at normal riding speed. For bigger hops/drops - these need to be attempted at much lower speeds.

Hopping up on to a platform is obviously a lot easier than jumping right over something.

You have to be careful with larger drops - I have burst a few tires and even cracked off a piece of rim (see photo below) when doing big drops (I would classify a big drop as 80 cm or more). Rider weight, tire pressure, EUC build quality and terrain surface are obviously important variables to consider when determining how big a drop you can complete. 

The tricky jump is the "Bar Jump" - there is very little room for error :-)

My personal record for hopping up on to a platform is 40 cm/ 16 inches.

 

 

[Mono]

8 hours ago, esaj said:

I "lighten" the wheel by bending my knees when it hits the curb

This is indeed key. Another way to put it: I let the wheel climb on its own with as little as possible rider weight on it. Similarly for down curbs but "in opposite order": if time allows I bend the knees in advance, ideally such my own CoG practically only changes horizontally while going down the curb (knees remain soft and never fully straighten). This, I believe, removes a lot of strain from the axle, probably at least halving the additional stress.

[Slaughthammer]

For going up curbs, I prefer jumping over the letting the wheel climbing it on it's own method, seems less stressfull to the wheel and especially the tire. If you don't jump high enough, thats no problem because the wheel will still do it's cimb up thing. For curbs that are much higher than 10 cm I prefer to dismount. However, I have no problems going down any curbs. Just as @Mono said, bend your knees so the wheel doesn't have to take all the force.

[Keith]

22 hours ago, Dingfelder said:

Do you step off your machine when a curb comes along?   Not to go down it - no, but at my age I don't think I can jump enough to go up them - I've tried a few times and keep meaning to set up a step in the garden to practice on.

Do you go up or down stairs on your wheel?  Jump? No

Do you slow down or speed up to do it? I have a lot of speed humps in my area, some really steep tall plastic or rubber triangles. I've found the only way to get over those is to speed up on the approach and brake hard as you hit them, that puts your weight backwards so the sudden deceleration when you hit them just brings you forward enough to power over them. I've found the same approach works well on small (50-75mm - 2"-3") kerbs.

How safe do you think it is to do any of that, either for your health or your machine?  I've got an original KS-14C So I guess I ought to be careful! 

Would you recommend it or advise against?  And do you yourself practice what you might think should be preached? Providing you are willing to risk possible damage to your machine, anything that improves your skills has to be a good thing surely

 

[Rehab1]

4 hours ago, Jonathan Tolhurst said:

I would recommend that everyone who rides an EUC considers learning to competently hop up and down a regular curb or step - both are really useful manoeuvres. For small hops/drops you should be able to complete these at normal riding speed. For bigger hops/drops - these need to be attempted at much lower speeds.

 

I agree! Even if you decide you would rather dismount your wheel than ascend or descend a stair(s) the maneuver will prepare you for any bump in the road or large tree root in the woods. Eventually the maneuver will become automatic with very little thought process involved.

4 hours ago, Jonathan Tolhurst said:

My personal record for hopping up on to a platform is 40 cm/ 16 inches.

Amazing legs of steel! If Segway/Ninebot ever decides to grow into a serious competitor of Inmotion, GW or KS, etc. it would be to their advantage to hire someone of your caliber to promote their products! 

[Bob Eisenman]

The consequences of improperly negotiating rock hard obstructions while piloting a moving vehicle can be unexpected and profound.

[Snurre]

On 6/17/2017 at 9:00 PM, Hunka Hunka Burning Love said:

  Thanks, I think I just peed my pants a little watching that video.  

Yeah, and lucky for Alex Honnold, he didn't watch the video until afterwards

 

Do you step off your machine when a curb comes along? No.

Do you go up or down stairs on your wheel? No.

How safe do you think it is to do any of that, either for your health or your machine? I can now handle minor jumps but I had a scary first incident when I failed to connect with the wheel and I landed on the front part of the pedals which threw me into an uncontrolled acceleration, so be cautious!

It's fun that @Jonathan Tolhurst et al. are pushing the limits to what can be achieved on the EUC. There are the constructional differences, weight differences and a grabbable saddle that determine what can be done when compared to the regular UC (and flailing arms are NOT a sign of lesser control!) but here are some curbs and stairs 'because they are there' and how to handle them with pedals:

 

[Hunka Hunka Burning Love]

 <Grabs a fresh pair of "Depends">  

[Snurre]

8 minutes ago, Hunka Hunka Burning Love said:

 <Grabs a fresh pair of "Depends">  

Yes, a curb is never wrong!

[zlymex]

I tried to ride down stairs several times successfully 2.5 years ago, here is the frame taken from a video

Later I was decided that I'll not do this anymore because it is not good for the EUC, The bolt of my Msuper2 got lose and the rod bent because of this.

[Dingfelder]

Lots of divergence of opinion here, more than I expected.  Which is interesting.

Also, some curbs are the size of some stairs, so the issue gets more complicated unless you swear off both completely.

[Carlos E Rodriguez]

The flexing stress will snap the axle eventually.