Some advice please...

[yes8s]

Hey, I'm new here.

I have the TG-T3 and I like it.  I find it very maneuverable and easy to learn on.  The body design as you can see is bell-shaped and what I like is the handle is easy to grab.  It has much room for fingers compared to let's say my Airwheel X3 which is the same size 14-inch tire.

I weight around 160 lbs.

I find the pedal position relative to the sides are very comfortable.  I also do not need additional padding to ride this normally.  I don't ride fast but I like turning, maneuvering, doing loops and figure eights on the parking lot.  It does this very well.  Obviously you didn't buy this for its speed and not for its power.  For a beginner wheel I think this is very good.

Don't bet on the pedals tilting back at max speed though because I'm not sure it does that.  If it doesn't you may be thrown off if you hit the max speed and it can't keep up anymore.  If you imagine any wheel has a maximum speed it can spin and at the end it doesn't have a lot of torque left - this is the motor's top speed unless it is electronically governed.  I don't know if this is that because I don't ride it that fast.

 

Regards now,

Thanks for the feedback - I'm pretty happy with my choice now. Just looking forward to receiving the damn thing so I can ride

When I get it, after learning how to ride it, I don't care - I'm game... I'll strap on some padding and test the max speed thing on grass and see what happens.

For anyone interested, banggood has a deal on these coming up tomorrow. Check it out if interested:

http://deals.banggood.com/deals/edm/topic/extra1014.html?bid=5739.

I don't quite understand how the deal works but it could potentially be bought for around $250USD + $20-40 for shipping. Price is probably pretty close to cost.

[castShadow]

My tips on safety equipment - wrist guards first.  The ones that are like splints with stiff plastic above the wrist and below the wrist to pad the palm near the wrist - like one for rollerblading.  Its main purpose is to prevent wrist sprains.  In any significant fall when riding the wheel you will be touching the ground with your hands trying to catch yourself.

The second are knee-pads.  If you are falling and trying to run it off, your knees will be going and if you can't run it off your knees will be striking the ground.  I'm trying out those basketball knee pads which can fit under jeans - it should be enough padding I think (though hard shells will protect best).

Then there is the safety helmet.  I've just seen a video where someone is wearing a full face helmet, but they're riding in the cold and that is a good idea if you own one already.  You will need a helmet if trying tricks, riding on the roads where somebody else may cause you to fall, or especially if you are riding backwards - if something goes wrong riding backwards the back of your head is in imminent danger of smacking on the ground - the helmet would be appropriate there maybe that extend lower to protect more of the back of the head like a skateboard helmet.

Elbow pads?  Sure why not if you plan on going really fast.  If you know how to fall you almost never bang your elbows but an accident is something you didn't intend to happen so all kinds of armor would be great.

There are the feet/ankle/shin protection too.  When you're riding a wheel you will at some point hit your ankle with the metal pedals and it will hurt.  You'll know when it happens to you.  Not sure what to recommend there - maybe tall boots?  Some sort of leather wrap would be cool.  Part of your superhero wheel rider outfit maybe?

[yes8s]

Just got it in yesterday and tried riding it today. The unit itself is ok. It feels built well enough but there is virtually no padding on the sides so my inner shins and ankles feel bruised after a little riding.

Fisrt thing I'll say is it was a bit harder than I expected. I knew wasn't going to be as easy as it looked but it took me about 20mins just to work out how to get up on the thing properly.

After about 2-3 hours of riding I could get on it and go from the fence to the wall (about a 10m distance) without falling off. It just does't feel smooth and controlled yet. I find I'm doing a little zig-zagging when first taking off, just to get my balance and then my speed control is no good - I end up speeding up too much too quick.

I can't turn properly yet nor can I travel in a dead straight line. I haven't been able to go a long distance and keep balanced.

Looking for a few tips from you more experianced riders:

- What do you find is the best foot position on the pedals? Close to the EU or towards the outside? What about heels? Centred or towards the back?

- Bent knees with shins hugging EU or space between EU and legs? Knees angled in?

- With regards to getting on without holding on to anything, what's the best way to do this smoothly?

- Any tips for turning sharply (i.e. small radius) without loosing balance? I end up just shuffling the tire kinda on the spot rather than actual turning around a radius

[John Eucist]

Just got it in yesterday and tried riding it today. The unit itself is ok. It feels built well enough but there is virtually no padding on the sides so my inner shins and ankles feel bruised after a little riding.

Fisrt thing I'll say is it was a bit harder than I expected. I knew wasn't going to be as easy as it looked but it took me about 20mins just to work out how to get up on the thing properly.

After about 2-3 hours of riding I could get on it and go from the fence to the wall (about a 10m distance) without falling off. It just does't feel smooth and controlled yet. I find I'm doing a little zig-zagging when first taking off, just to get my balance and then my speed control is no good - I end up speeding up too much too quick.

I can't turn properly yet nor can I travel in a dead straight line. I haven't been able to go a long distance and keep balanced.

Looking for a few tips from you more experianced riders:

- What do you find is the best foot position on the pedals? Close to the EU or towards the outside? What about heels? Centred or towards the back?

- Bent knees with shins hugging EU or space between EU and legs? Knees angled in?

- With regards to getting on without holding on to anything, what's the best way to do this smoothly?

- Any tips for turning sharply (i.e. small radius) without loosing balance? I end up just shuffling the tire kinda on the spot rather than actual turning around a radius

The following answers are my preferences and may or may not reflect the consensus.

1) Close to the EU but not jamming your ankle into it (because that is painful).  I just place my shoe on it so that the front and back stick out of the pedals around the same amount..

2) When I first started out I kept straddling the EU tightly and that caused a lot of pain.  Now I don't.

3) I usually put my right foot on first so in my case I would angle (tilt) the EU towards the left while placing my right foot on the right pedal.  A pad on the sides of the EU will help with that initial force against the side of the shin.

4) Turning sharply requires a sharper lean.  However, there is a thing called "countersteering" where you actually have to momentarily steer the OPPOSITE side of your lean before you initiate the lean.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countersteering

Lastly, The most important thing to note is that when you feel like you're falling towards a direction you actually need to steer towards the direction you're falling.  When I first started out I actually did the opposite like a moron.

Hope that helps. 

[Kroy]

The following answers are my preferences and may or may not reflect the consensus.

1) Close to the EU but not jamming your ankle into it (because that is painful).  I just place my shoe on it so that the front and back stick out of the pedals around the same amount..

2) When I first started out I kept straddling the EU tightly and that caused a lot of pain.  Now I don't.

3) I usually put my right foot on first so in my case I would angle (tilt) the EU towards the left while placing my right foot on the right pedal.  A pad on the sides of the EU will help with that initial force against the side of the shin.

4) Turning sharply requires a sharper lean.  However, there is a thing called "countersteering" where you actually have to momentarily steer the OPPOSITE side of your lean before you initiate the lean.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countersteering

Lastly, The most important thing to note is that when you feel like you're falling towards a direction you actually need to steer towards the direction you're falling.  When I first started out I actually did the opposite like a moron.

Hope that helps. 

And my preferences...:

1) Completely agree with arbee on this as a way to start your experience on an EU.  I still ride like this but I imagine some people may change slightly as they get more used to it because one of the problems is discomfort on longer journeys.  So hanging off the front, hanging off the back or even off the side is not necessarily wrong.

 

2) Again, when starting out, you do feel the need for reassurance by holding the wheel tightly with your lower legs. This can be uncomfortable & leave muscles sore for a period of time.  The aim I think, is to look at treating the peddals as (like) a floating platform & use the knowledge you gain and (especially) muscle development to ignore the actual chassi, thus not really touching it & just gliding around 'in mid-air'!

 

3) Probably depends whether you're right or left footed but one foot on with the wheel slightly angled towards the other side (to compensate for your weight) & push forward to gain some momentum.  Then bring your other foot on to the peddal, lean forward slightly & look forwards.

 

4) I found the main thing about turning is to really learn about speed before attempting.  Go forwards at a certain speed but always slow down for corners, very slow for tight cornering.  Shuffling the tyre is asking for trouble even though at your stage of development, it seems right!  Don't let your body overrule your head when it comes to turning - smooth & elegant is the only way!

[John Chew]

I can't speak for the TG-T3, but my first EU was an Airwheel X3 which has basically very similar "figures" for power and battery capacity.

If the TG-T3 is like my Airwheel it's a relatively cheap, somewhat underpowered, but perfectly "functional" wheel. Yes, you might find it a bit gutless, but it should be able to climb most "reasonable" hills and have a range of about 6 miles (10Km). Ride it within its capabilities and it should serve you well.

[yes8s]

Thanks John. I'm pretty certain the TG-T3 is a complete rip off of the X3 even down to the electronics.

arbee, Kroy thanks for the tips. I went for another ride this morning and had some decent improvement.

I can ride pretty straight and comfortably now but occasionally I get those fast wobbles, I'm not sure why this is happening. Speed control is much better - I'm finding most actions need to be performed smoothly to maintain balance. I am able to turn around a large radius but trying to do a u-turn within less than 10metres is still proving to be difficult.

When I get on unassisted I find the EU turns to the right immediately so I can't get on and continue straight.

My ankles are so sore right now :-)

BTW, are you supposed to sweat like your running a marathon while riding or is only while learning? It's a mild 20degC out but the sweat was pouring out of me.

[John Eucist]

Well if you can't avoid jamming your ankle into the side casing then you should pad it.  And no you should not be sweating if you're wearing a T-shirt at 20 deg C.  You're just tense as a beginner.  In fact once you're riding the wind should make you feel a bit cold.

[Gimlet]

I never added any padding to any of my wheels and like you I got very sore ankles and heavily bruised shins in the first week. So much so that it was painful to ride. I sent off for some cheap shin guards from fleabay and wore them on the inside of my shins down low enough to protect my ankle bones. Two weeks later I found I didn't need any padding so very glad I didn't mess up the looks of the wheel with the stick on stuff provided.

To prevent too much damage to the wheel from drops I suggest you use a leash, try the training belt provided to start with but don't try holding it just shorten it so that there is a little slack when it is put around your belt. That way your hands are free to flail around to help wit balance and turning in the early stages.

If that works for you try a length of nylon cord with a carabiner on each end. Even after you've got reasonably steady it will be a useful safety addition to ensure you don't injure any bystanders with a runaway wheel.

[Gimlet]

I hate predictive text!! I end up having to edit every damned post to put it right!!!

[^tom^]

BTW, are you supposed to sweat like your running a marathon while riding or is only while learning? It's a mild 20degC out but the sweat was pouring out of me.

I did it, even when it was at freezing point outside!

(pouring and pouring, i was wet all over my back!)

[yes8s]

Good, so the sweating thing isn't just me... I guess I was tense from the process of learning. I'm a sweater at the best of times let alone trying to focus/balance/jump on/jump off etc

I actually thought there was more padding on the unit than there is. Theres probably 1mm of hard rubber on solid plastic - that's it.

I attached the soft padding strips that came in the box but they mostly came off from the dropping it a few times and the dirt that got to the 3M tape. I endup getting some dense 6mm foam from a local rubber/foam store for a few dollars and just stuck it on the sides where my shins touch it - hopeful this will provide the necessary padding to minimize discomfort.

Didn't get a chance to go for a ride today - hoping I get some time after work tomorrow. Gonna work on turning smoothly and getting on without holding onto anything. If I can do this and get a little more confidence then I can move onto actually travelling down a path rather than going up and down a basketball court.

[yes8s]

Woohoo! I think I've got it now!

Just had a 1-1.5hr ride session in an empty spot and within the first 5 mins it just all clicked - almost like flicking on a light switch. I just broke the tension in my legs and wham - everything just started to work.

I think I was actually trying to resist lean and/or force it way too much. At the start of the ride, when going straight, I still had the wobbles. I suppose what happenned was when I relax my legs, they act kinda like a damper and absorb little bumps and whatever, whereas before the EU was being destabilized due to the stiff legs.

As the ride went on, I even noticed I was doing things like pressing my toes and lifting my heels to assist with tight smooth turns.

I only dropped the EU once when I was going down a short incline, I didn't lean back or something and I felt the EU try to lean back then forward and then just flip from under me while I continued running forward.

I am amazed at how quick you go from barely being able to get on the thing to being so agile with it. As the ride went on, my confidence grew and I noticed I stopped looking down and the EU started to feel more like an extension of me. By the end of the ride I could slalom between poles that were 1m apart and even turn around the one pole at super low speed.

Sweating was also minimal FWIW :-)

Can't wait to go for an actual Point-A to Point-B ride tomorrow.

[yes8s]

Oh and there is definately a muscular aspect to it. Certain muscles are used that don't usually get used via other activites. I think as these also strengthen, riding will become more natural.

[Gimlet]

When I started out I recognised the muscles that particularly ached as the same ones that ache after the first day of my annual skiing holiday and I believe that skiing is the closest skill to wheeling.

 

This was born out last week when a friend of my son came. He has done ski chalet work for several seasons and is an accomplished skier. It only took him half an hour to be wizzing back and forth and turning very tight circles, still a little wobbly but about the same stage it took me 4 days to get to.

[yes8s]

For anyone interested...

 

Today is a nice 25degC day so I decided to "work" from home . For "lunch", I decided to go for a ride to get some takeaway and also to get to the hardware store. Wow, what a lot of fun that was. The looks and interest I got from people was overwhelming... everyone was asking questions about it. I only dropped the EU twice, not much damage to the the EU but my ego was a little damaged cause I dropped it right in front of people sitting at the cafe - they laughed, I laughed so it was all good.

 

Probably got about 9kms before battery died on me a few hundred meters from my apartment.

 

Most of the issues I had were with getting up road-to-footpath inclines when crossing a road. If they weren't too step or broken up it was ok but on some there was like a lip just before the incline that would just stop my EUs momentum and almost force me to flip over. I've made an illustration. Any tips on how to tackle footpath inclines? Do I go fast and then lean back a little?

 

Oh and I found another muscle that was fatiguing when riding; the arches of my feet felt like they were being stretched while just riding straight with my feet feeling pretty flat on the pedals. Weird huh..

[^tom^]

Try to drive in another angle on it.

Now you have a angle of 90°, with arround 45° it can be easier to drive on it.

Do not drive with almost no angle on it.

This "momentum" will not be so broken if you go more from the side on it.

[Gimlet]

Don't lean back as you hit it as that will put the brakes on which also adds the weight of your momentum to the wheel.

Try bending your knees on the approach and straightening out as you get to the lip to take your weight off the wheel, then flex your knees again to allow the wheel to rise up the lip. Timing is critical and it takes practice.

After face planting twice on busy junctions with loads of spectators I laid down a long piece of 6"x2" in my driveway and spent a couple of hours just going over it until I got it right.

[yes8s]

Try to drive in another angle on it.

Now you have a angle of 90°, with arround 45° it can be easier to drive on it.

Do not drive with almost no angle on it.

This "momentum" will not be so broken if you go more from the side on it.

Thanks for the tip. I'll try this next time

[yes8s]

Don't lean back as you hit it as that will put the brakes on which also adds the weight of your momentum to the wheel.

Try bending your knees on the approach and straightening out as you get to the lip to take your weight off the wheel, then flex your knees again to allow the wheel to rise up the lip. Timing is critical and it takes practice.

After face planting twice on busy junctions with loads of spectators I laid down a long piece of 6"x2" in my driveway and spent a couple of hours just going over it until I got it right.

I went for another ride and it seemed to get a litte easier. I figured I can kind of clamp th EU between my calfs and then just kinda kick it up the incline a little - a bit had to explain but I started to use this kicking motion to get a quick acceleration and decelleration to get between and around pedestrians as well as it allowed me to maintain good balance at low speeds...

[John Eucist]

I find that it's both easiest and safest to go directly perpendicular to the lip.  The more parallel you are to it the higher the risk of being "stuck in a rut" and fall.  Keep your knees loose and slightly bent to act as shock absorbers.  Do not lean back.  This is of course assuming the "lip" in question is only several centimeters high.  If it's a standard curb height you either need to have do a slight jump (straddling the unit) to help it go up OR have a larger diameter wheel so that you can just roll up with it.

[John Eucist]

[Jeff Kho]

The TG T3 finally arrived today for me.  A little over 3 weeks from Singapore.  I tried it out, and it's like learning to ride a bike all over again.  After an hour I was able to stay on and go straight, however turning is still a challenge.  I think I end up slowing down too much when I try to turn, and I'm finding myself twisting a lot to get the turn done.  It came with some padding and a strap.  I've been using the strap to keep the wheel from getting scratched.  It's working well, I just attach it to my belt so I have my hands free to help balance, and grab it whenever I step off.  Will keep practicing.

[yes8s]

The TG T3 finally arrived today for me.  A little over 3 weeks from Singapore.  I tried it out, and it's like learning to ride a bike all over again.  After an hour I was able to stay on and go straight, however turning is still a challenge.  I think I end up slowing down too much when I try to turn, and I'm finding myself twisting a lot to get the turn done.  It came with some padding and a strap.  I've been using the strap to keep the wheel from getting scratched.  It's working well, I just attach it to my belt so I have my hands free to help balance, and grab it whenever I step off.  Will keep practicing.

 

It IS like learning to ride a bike again. Keep at it - at some point it'll just click for you like it did for me and others. By about the 4th ride (maybe after 5-6 hours of riding) I felt confident enough to ride around the centre of Melbourne with pedestrians everywhere.

 

My best advice is to just relax your legs. Try to feel more natural on it like it's a part of your legs. You've got to be confident in it that it won't just fall over before you can really ride it. What I also found is that the quick twisting motion is used quite a bit while trying to maintain balance at low speeds so don't feel like you shouldn't do that. 

 

To turn around a tight angle it just takes practice. I went to a park that had some obsticales and practiced turning around the obsticles. At first, I was just kinda zigzagging around the turn (short straight movement then a twist, then another straight movement etc). After a while, when I got my balance and rhythm, I was almost doing perfect tight circles around the obsticles with a constant smooth speed. When your legs relax, you can then lean the EU while maintaining balance, the greater the lean angle, the tighter the turn you can do.

 

I didn't really bother with the strap. I just put on the padding and then just dropped the EU a bunch of times when I lost balance - it still got sratched but only a little.

 

Good luck with it and have fun

[MetricUSA]

Yea, the girl in video needed two T3s because of so short range, and would not be able to do video! To go beyond being just a 'toy' and be a real commuter vehicle, this things need to be able to go a real 40 Km range....