novazeus Posted September 2, 2017 Share Posted September 2, 2017 yeah i gotta live now, Bob needs me. i'm a lot more cautious about new things because i have so many animals depending on me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catlord17 Posted September 2, 2017 Author Share Posted September 2, 2017 You'd be amazed how important you are in ways you never realized, as well. Keep that in mind, my friend. In the mean time, here's something that may be of help. It helped me, and it's free. Cancer Healing Aid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novazeus Posted September 2, 2017 Share Posted September 2, 2017 @Catlord17 congrats on ur survival too. now we gotta keep our eye on irma. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catlord17 Posted September 2, 2017 Author Share Posted September 2, 2017 45 minutes ago, novazeus said: @Catlord17 congrats on ur survival too. now we gotta keep our eye on irma. Irma being this pesky hurricane I hear is approaching Florida? I don't watch TV or the news anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve454 Posted September 3, 2017 Share Posted September 3, 2017 1 hour ago, Catlord17 said: Irma being this pesky hurricane I hear is approaching Florida? I don't watch TV or the news anymore. I can hardly wait to see what hurricane Irma does. Seems like hurricanes have gotten popular with the media since Katrina devastated New Orleans. You should have seen all the Louisiana license plates in my area when that happened. And it's a six month season. Great entertainment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novazeus Posted September 3, 2017 Share Posted September 3, 2017 i just heard on the news some cowboy in texas lost 780 head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catlord17 Posted September 5, 2017 Author Share Posted September 5, 2017 Well, tonight I went back to where we almost got hit by a drunk driver, but this time I waited until after all the bars were closed. I also wore my hiking boots to see if that would make a difference. Wow, did it! At first it was not helping with the foot cramping, but soon I discovered that as long as I wasn't attempting to go artificially slow (keeping up with a slowly walking GF), I had no foot pain at all. And when I switched from the sidewalk to the bike lane, wow. I was doing 18-20 mph and feeling completely comfortable with it. I can tell that I am going to outgrow the 20 mph alarm here in the not too distant future. I also did my first ever effort to ride backwards. The distance the first time was the same as my first time forward distance - about a couple of inches. As I was riding past the bar at the jetty, the last customers were leaving. A girl was in awe, talking about how amazing it was and the amount of skill and balance it required, and how I made it look easy, but it was incredibly difficult. As I was attempting to make a sharp turn a short time later, I lost balance and came off, but landed on my feet. The girl and the two guys she was with were pulling out, and of course being the drunk fools they were, the guys felt it necessary to make stupid comments. Didn't phase me one bit. They need to get drunk and act stupid to have a good time, I have a good time doing what they wish they could be doing. Had a sheriff pass me while I was in the bike lane. He didn't stop me or anything. They never do. I guess my full set of gear and high visibility helmet makes them feel that talking to me is unnecessary. While GF was walking, I was zooming around. She walked a half mile each direction, and I rode 6.2 miles in that same amount of time. Had a freakin' blast, on smooth pavement in the bike lane with no cars at all, with a good enough grip to feel comfortable going at relatively high speeds. Pushed it to 22% battery and then decided to charge it to 100% and do a range test later today. Went to Wal Mart and bought some Dr. Scholl's gel inserts for my hiking boots. Hopefully that will make it possible for me to go more than 17 miles in one day this time. I'm getting pretty good on this thing, but there is always something else I am learning each time I think I am done. Now, I am learning how to slow down quickly when I am going fast. I notice it wobbles a lot when I am slowing down quickly, and the more speed I am trying to lose per unit of time, the more it wobbles. I tried a maximum speed decrease from 18 mph and almost fell off about 8 mph because it was so bad. I'm hoping this is just something I need to practice, and the wobbles will go away. Starting to really look forward to long rides now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddiemoy Posted September 5, 2017 Share Posted September 5, 2017 3 hours ago, Catlord17 said: Well, tonight I went back to where we almost got hit by a drunk driver, but this time I waited until after all the bars were closed. I also wore my hiking boots to see if that would make a difference. Wow, did it! At first it was not helping with the foot cramping, but soon I discovered that as long as I wasn't attempting to go artificially slow (keeping up with a slowly walking GF), I had no foot pain at all. And when I switched from the sidewalk to the bike lane, wow. I was doing 18-20 mph and feeling completely comfortable with it. I can tell that I am going to outgrow the 20 mph alarm here in the not too distant future. I also did my first ever effort to ride backwards. The distance the first time was the same as my first time forward distance - about a couple of inches. As I was riding past the bar at the jetty, the last customers were leaving. A girl was in awe, talking about how amazing it was and the amount of skill and balance it required, and how I made it look easy, but it was incredibly difficult. As I was attempting to make a sharp turn a short time later, I lost balance and came off, but landed on my feet. The girl and the two guys she was with were pulling out, and of course being the drunk fools they were, the guys felt it necessary to make stupid comments. Didn't phase me one bit. They need to get drunk and act stupid to have a good time, I have a good time doing what they wish they could be doing. Had a sheriff pass me while I was in the bike lane. He didn't stop me or anything. They never do. I guess my full set of gear and high visibility helmet makes them feel that talking to me is unnecessary. While GF was walking, I was zooming around. She walked a half mile each direction, and I rode 6.2 miles in that same amount of time. Had a freakin' blast, on smooth pavement in the bike lane with no cars at all, with a good enough grip to feel comfortable going at relatively high speeds. Pushed it to 22% battery and then decided to charge it to 100% and do a range test later today. Went to Wal Mart and bought some Dr. Scholl's gel inserts for my hiking boots. Hopefully that will make it possible for me to go more than 17 miles in one day this time. I'm getting pretty good on this thing, but there is always something else I am learning each time I think I am done. Now, I am learning how to slow down quickly when I am going fast. I notice it wobbles a lot when I am slowing down quickly, and the more speed I am trying to lose per unit of time, the more it wobbles. I tried a maximum speed decrease from 18 mph and almost fell off about 8 mph because it was so bad. I'm hoping this is just something I need to practice, and the wobbles will go away. Starting to really look forward to long rides now. Keep riding, the foot pain does go away the more comfortable you are with the ride. Also it helps if you are not constantly pushing the unit, meaning going top speed by leaning hard forward for a long time. I got rid of my foot pain about the same time I got my KS18S. LOL, now I can ride for hours without foot pain because when I get tired, I just sit down and give my feet a rest. I did buy a pair of skate sneakers, but haven't really used them. I was having foot pain after about an hour of riding. Horrible foot pain, had to get off and sit by the side of the road. I think it may also be just conditioning. If you are not used to it, it will hurt. It is great to hear stories of others learning how to ride and getting such great joy from riding. I just wish it wasn't so difficult to learn so more people would be riding it. But if it was so easy, it wouldn't be so satisfying when you do learn to ride! LOL I guess you can't have both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meepmeepmayer Posted September 5, 2017 Share Posted September 5, 2017 Haven't tried it personally, but the foot pain might be helped by calibrating the pedals so they tilt a bit in neutral and aren't horizontal. If your heel hurts, tilt them backwards, if your forward foot hurts, forwards (or the other way around? Just guessing) - so the pressure is distributed over your soles equally and you're not tiptoeing or standing on your heels mainly. I have the same thing where I'm getting uncomfortable on paved roads fast sometimes (funnily enough, not always), but offroad is wonderfully fine no matter how long. Probably because the uneven offroad balances the one-sided stress on the soles which would be very constant on a flat surface. And your hiking shoes (with firmer soles) might do the same: equalize the pressure. Might be worth a try, look at the speedyfeet Youtube video how to calibrate your Gotway. Congrats on your other successes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catlord17 Posted September 6, 2017 Author Share Posted September 6, 2017 13 hours ago, eddiemoy said: Keep riding, the foot pain does go away the more comfortable you are with the ride. Also it helps if you are not constantly pushing the unit, meaning going top speed by leaning hard forward for a long time. I got rid of my foot pain about the same time I got my KS18S. LOL, now I can ride for hours without foot pain because when I get tired, I just sit down and give my feet a rest. I did buy a pair of skate sneakers, but haven't really used them. I was having foot pain after about an hour of riding. Horrible foot pain, had to get off and sit by the side of the road. I think it may also be just conditioning. If you are not used to it, it will hurt. It is great to hear stories of others learning how to ride and getting such great joy from riding. I just wish it wasn't so difficult to learn so more people would be riding it. But if it was so easy, it wouldn't be so satisfying when you do learn to ride! LOL I guess you can't have both. I am going to have to wait until some time next year, but I am absolutely going to get a KS-18s. That seat is gonna do wonders, I can tell. I only started being able to push the unit in the last few days by leaning hard forward and back. Today I went and got an oil change for my car and while I was out, I rode the wheel to a restaurant and took it inside, ate and then rode off to a botanical garden. As I was contemplating whether or not to pay admission, it started raining and lightning, so I turned around and pushed it hard on the sidewalk going back. To my shock, I managed to trigger the first alarm at 20 mph while I was on the sidewalk, and GeoTracker reports that my top speed reached 22 mph! There was a section of sidewalk where I was doing around 18 mph and happened to notice that there was a section of sidewalk coming up quickly that was a 2" lip all the way across. Ridiculous height difference on this separation in the sidewalk. I had to throw myself in full reverse, and damned near fell off again because of the wobbles. But I stopped before hitting it. I seem to almost intuitively be much more comfortable riding this machine with my hiking boots on, apparently they give insane grip and some part of me knows that and relaxes, making me able to push a lot harder than usual with confidence. I'm amazed at the difference a pair of shoes makes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catlord17 Posted September 6, 2017 Author Share Posted September 6, 2017 8 hours ago, meepmeepmayer said: Haven't tried it personally, but the foot pain might be helped by calibrating the pedals so they tilt a bit in neutral and aren't horizontal. If your heel hurts, tilt them backwards, if your forward foot hurts, forwards (or the other way around? Just guessing) - so the pressure is distributed over your soles equally and you're not tiptoeing or standing on your heels mainly. I have the same thing where I'm getting uncomfortable on paved roads fast sometimes (funnily enough, not always), but offroad is wonderfully fine no matter how long. Probably because the uneven offroad balances the one-sided stress on the soles which would be very constant on a flat surface. And your hiking shoes (with firmer soles) might do the same: equalize the pressure. Might be worth a try, look at the speedyfeet Youtube video how to calibrate your Gotway. Congrats on your other successes. I have figured out that for me, the foot pain always comes from two sources. The first is foot fatigue, from standing on the pedals for long periods of time. But that is not really painful. The second is when I am apparently attempting to subconsciously grip the pedals with my feet in an effort to have a better grip, and that happens during the beginning of the ride when I am still not in the zone yet. The hiking boots are a huge help with that - no chance of my feet falling off or slipping off the pedals. And I have found that as long as I have my feet properly placed on the pedals, the pain is minimized. Proper placement for me is to have the balls of my feet at the front edge of the pedal and my heel just slightly overhanging the back of the pedal, so that I have enough leverage to comfortably accelerate and decelerate. I also have to adjust the second foot I set on the pedals to make sure it is exactly equal with the first foot I place on the pedals, and not further forward or back. That seems to make a huge difference. I don't think calibrating it would make a difference for me. However, if things do not keep improving, I will try your suggestion and see if it helps. Thanks for taking the time to make it. I am most comfortable on smooth pavement without obstacles, which seems reasonable. I am least comfortable off road/grass/uneven ground, but I'm getting there slowly but surely. Can't wait to go riding in the woods with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayRay Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 On 9/2/2017 at 6:42 PM, Catlord17 said: Irma being this pesky hurricane I hear is approaching Florida? I don't watch TV or the news anymore. Irma is going to bring heavy rain and possibly worse. Rain is enemy! I don't watch the news much either, but I check the weather forecast every day to determine 'to ride or not to ride'. At this point, (even though I'm still a newbie) riding my wheel is generally my first choice when it comes to my commute. After all, I need a practical last-mile-solution since I no longer own a car. Take today for instance, I needed to to travel across Tampa to USF in a hurry... There were two buses heading in that direction, but one was leaving in less than 10 minutes and the other in over a half hour. Checking the weather took a minute or two, but I was in a hurry - so I hopped on my wheel and headed for the bus that would get me there on time (leaving in about 5 minutes). Darting about kidz to and fro while blazing through a school pick-up zone, I managed to make it to the bus stop in 5 minutes -- just in time to watch the bus leave without me! Anyway, the point is that rain-or-shine (okay, only shine) I truly rely on my wheel... (especially 'in-a-pinch'). So I did what any of you more 'experienced' riders would have done in this situation: LEAN FORWARD AND CATCH THAT BUS! (Oh, It's On!!!!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanghamP Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 11 hours ago, RayRay said: So I did what any of you more 'experienced' riders would have done in this situation: LEAN FORWARD AND CATCH THAT BUS! (Oh, It's On!!!!!) Heh, well told story. If you were in an urban environment then I have no doubt you caught that bus. EUC's are faster than buses in the urban jungle as buses stop every few blocks. Cars aren't much faster and are often slower too. Since I average anywhere from 9 to 15 mph, including stops, it follows that urban traffic is quite slow (though much faster than walking). Interestingly, even though the top speed of an EUC is much lower than a bicycle (for me), the average speed is considerably higher as one can maintain 12.5 mph up hills. Except for the compact form factor, I would think e-bikes have all the advantages of both bicycles and EUC's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catlord17 Posted September 6, 2017 Author Share Posted September 6, 2017 Busses? We don' need no stinkin' busses! Of course, for time sensitive material, maybe we do... but... I can go almost anywhere I drive on this wheel now, if I plan ahead and there's not rain. How come you didn't just ride the wheel to your destination? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayRay Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 4 hours ago, Catlord17 said: Busses? We don' need no stinkin' busses! Of course, for time sensitive material, maybe we do... but... I can go almost anywhere I drive on this wheel now, if I plan ahead and there's not rain. How come you didn't just ride the wheel to your destination? Well, I had less than 50% charge and 10 miles to cover. I figured the bus was a better/safer option (newbie, remember?). It was only last week that I removed the speed limiter and chasing after that bus was beep-city! The first time I caught-up to the bus the driver ignored me. (I think he thought we were racing.) After a couple of stops, he finally realized I wanted to get on and let me board. (He was like: "What the hell is that thing?") Maybe in a couple of months I'll ride it all the way across town (fully charged, of course). Also, I'd have to use sidewalks most of the way because there are very few bike lanes along the way; (riding with traffic along FL-580 is asking for trouble). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catlord17 Posted September 7, 2017 Author Share Posted September 7, 2017 5 hours ago, RayRay said: Well, I had less than 50% charge and 10 miles to cover. I figured the bus was a better/safer option (newbie, remember?). It was only last week that I removed the speed limiter and chasing after that bus was beep-city! The first time I caught-up to the bus the driver ignored me. (I think he thought we were racing.) After a couple of stops, he finally realized I wanted to get on and let me board. (He was like: "What the hell is that thing?") Maybe in a couple of months I'll ride it all the way across town (fully charged, of course). Also, I'd have to use sidewalks most of the way because there are very few bike lanes along the way; (riding with traffic along FL-580 is asking for trouble). I am of course not familiar with the specifics of your location. What kind of wheel do you have? What's the max range? What's the max speed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanghamP Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 14 minutes ago, Catlord17 said: I am of course not familiar with the specifics of your location. What kind of wheel do you have? What's the max range? What's the max speed? I believe he has an Inmotion V8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayRay Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 15 hours ago, LanghamP said: I believe he has an Inmotion V8. Kingsong 14C, actually... I had (maybe) enough juice left to make it to USF from N. of the airport, but that's a long way for a novice to ride at full-tilt. I caught the bus averaging 24kph/15mph and at my weight was very nervous about tilt-back or cut-out. My wheel should be able to handle the round trip no problem, but that's a goal I've set for the future... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catlord17 Posted September 8, 2017 Author Share Posted September 8, 2017 Eventually, we will have to get together for a group ride. I bet that would be loads of fun. Too bad we're hours apart from eachother here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayRay Posted September 9, 2017 Share Posted September 9, 2017 3 hours ago, Catlord17 said: Eventually, we will have to get together for a group ride. I bet that would be loads of fun. Too bad we're hours apart from eachother here... We're expecting strong headwinds this weekend... In fact, I may be able to get my wheel up to 250kmh if I can remain tethered to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve454 Posted September 9, 2017 Share Posted September 9, 2017 34 minutes ago, RayRay said: We're expecting strong headwinds this weekend... In fact, I may be able to get my wheel up to 250kmh if I can remain tethered to it. Irma right? LOL Reminds me of the Wizard of Oz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catlord17 Posted September 9, 2017 Author Share Posted September 9, 2017 3 hours ago, RayRay said: We're expecting strong headwinds this weekend... In fact, I may be able to get my wheel up to 250kmh if I can remain tethered to it. I dunno about you, but I'm not exactly sure they make gear that would suffice for me to be willing to try doing a 250 kph run on my wheel, lol But man, I could ride it to you in a half an hour prolly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catlord17 Posted September 13, 2017 Author Share Posted September 13, 2017 Made it through the storm with only a damaged roof. Hope everyone else did as well or better! Yesterday I went out again, thinking, it's been three days, I'm going to have forgotten how... only to find that once again, time off advanced me a lot and riding was almost as natural as breathing. I rode 6 miles to explore this new experience, and then rode from my house to my local IHOP and back. During my first six miles, I was stopped by two different police officers and ended up in about 45 minutes worth of conversation, and then when I got to IHOP I encountered three more, who also asked questions and requested a demonstration. I talked top them for about 15 minutes before taking off to go home. So I effectively introduced five different police officers in my city to EUCs in a positive way in one night. Kind of surprising... and now I have a top speed record of 23.9 miles per hour and I don't see myself needing to go that fast any time soon. Slowing down quickly is still an exercise in wobbling without falling off. But now there are at least 8 or 9 police officers I've met who know me as the EUC guy and it was a positive encounter, so that's a good thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radial Posted September 13, 2017 Share Posted September 13, 2017 That's funny, the cops around here seem equally fascinated. On my way to work, I pass by two different police stations and the wheel never fails to get some attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayRay Posted September 13, 2017 Share Posted September 13, 2017 Tampa was largely spared from storm damage. I was asked to come into work on Monday (but it was my day off). I rode to work today, but my coworkers are used to seeing me on my wheel and nobody is batting an eye anymore... I think how you carry yourself (while riding an euc) has a lot to do with other people's reactions. People definitely see me on my wheel (my riding gear demands it), but the reactions I get tend to range from nonchalance to 'look-out for that crazy guy'! (The latter mostly from pedestrians who notice me at the last second.) As for the fuzz, they don't hassle me. I'm doing my own thing and not bothering anyone... I pretend like what I'm doing is no big deal: Just on my way to work officer... Heading to Walmart to grab some things (nothing unusual here)... Good day sir, nice day for ride isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.