kasenutty Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 I liked it for the first hour of learning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve454 Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 3 minutes ago, kasenutty said: I liked it for the first hour of learning. Me too, it made me feel more in touch with the wheel, and helped me learn faster, but I used it for a lot more than an hour. I think it is a good safety device. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpong Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 5 minutes ago, kasenutty said: I liked it for the first hour of learning. That time a strap saved me. [Oh wait...] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve454 Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 14 minutes ago, dpong said: That time a strap saved me. [Oh wait...] I remember that video, but didn't remember it was an Airwheel. But seeing it again, I noticed you are favoring one side, i don't know which right now, but it gave me a thought. If you had changed hands, would that have made you a better rider? I have recently (about two months ago) been trying to change the foot I use to get on. I can get on with either foot now, but will forever prefer left foot first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpong Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 @steve454 That was the first time I ever tried to ride outdoors in an open space. Practice made me a better rider. I only ever used the strap to catch the wheel. In this video the wheel caught me in the chin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 On 8/9/2017 at 3:13 AM, steve454 said: I have recently (about two months ago) been trying to change the foot I use to get on. I can get on with either foot now, but will forever prefer left foot first. I would be surprised if this would remain so if you would avoid mounting for a year on your preferred side altogether. I tried this for 2 months and then sometimes already forgot which my preferred side actually is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ir_fuel Posted August 9, 2017 Author Share Posted August 9, 2017 16 hours ago, Catlord17 said: The upside to using a strap: The wheel immediately ceased doing cartwheels down the road when I fell off; The wheel immediately stopped suffering 98% of the scratches, damage, etc. that it was suffering when I fell off and waited for it to finish flipping out. I don't have to worry about the wheel hitting someone or something when I dismount without full intent. The downside to using a strap: Once I fell off the wheel doing slightly too much speed to find balance on my feet fast enough, and the wheel began to "flip out" trying to correct for not having consistent contact with the road. Before I was able to get balance and lift it up, it spun around, jumped off the road, hit me hard in my left upper thigh and nailed me in the nuts. The strap catches on the side of, and the velcro of, my right knee pad, which causes me to fall off the wheel occasionally, as my range of movement immediately drops to zero for my right arm. I have concluded that I am definitely not enjoying the strap, but I will keep using it until I feel like I have genuinely mastered intentional dismount and have no problems riding in public, alongside traffic, or around people. At that point, I will evaluate getting rid of the strap. 3. You look cooler without a strap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catlord17 Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 5 hours ago, ir_fuel said: 3. You look cooler without a strap I also look cooler without a helmet, wrist guards, gloves, knee guards and elbow guards, and without falling off. If only cool mattered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ir_fuel Posted August 9, 2017 Author Share Posted August 9, 2017 4 hours ago, Catlord17 said: I also look cooler without a helmet, wrist guards, gloves, knee guards and elbow guards, and without falling off. If only cool mattered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve454 Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 21 hours ago, Mono said: I would be surprised if this would remain so if you would avoid mounting for a year on you preferred side altogether. I tried this for 2 months and then sometimes already forgot which my preferred side actually is. That's something I never would have thought of on my own. Easier way usually wins, with trying the harder way sometimes. That is a challenge that I am going to try. I guess I can try it for two months, thanks for the idea! I never even tried the other foot until I saw the learning to ride backwards videos by @Marty Backe. I noticed that when he would step off the wheel, he would use either foot to get back on. Since then, every time I ride I practice doing pendulums for a few minutes, and when I have to step off I occasionally get back on with the other foot. And now I can pendulum 4-5 times, 5-10 feet each time, and get back on with either foot. (slooow progress) but getting more and more comfortable riding backwards, I am at the point where I am sure it will click eventually. Just need to keep practicing a little every time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catlord17 Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 1 hour ago, ir_fuel said: Yeah, and of course then there's the ER photos of those same guys who refuse to wear even helmets after they suffer brain damage because something or some one hit them, or vice versa. My uncle used to be one of those guys. Now he has no sense of taste, no sense of smell and only has vision in one eye. Those things trump cool for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catlord17 Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 I took a month off using my EUC to spend it helping a friend (now my girlfriend) and the last couple days have been riding again. I decided to start riding without using the strap. Last time it felt odd and the freedom of movement was unexpected; but, it made for a really good balance for the lack of strap, literally and figuratively. Today, I rode 17.53 miles without the strap, and I only once thought it might have come in handy - when I came within inches of being hit while I was in the crosswalk by a turning car driven by someone who wasn't paying attention. Twisting so violently on the wheel made me momentarily wish I still had it in hand. But I made it, and did not fall off. It will take a little more practice, but I have definitely outgrown the strap. Just needs time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catlord17 Posted December 13, 2017 Share Posted December 13, 2017 Whoever deleted all that, thank you. I tend to go off the deep end and do inappropriate stuff when I am dealing with a breakup. My apologies for the inappropriate posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB Posted December 22, 2017 Share Posted December 22, 2017 On 12/12/2017 at 12:07 PM, Catlord17 said: It will take a little more practice, but I have definitely outgrown the strap. @Catlord17, I've mentioned this before, but consider just tucking the strap through your belt. I've never tried holding a strap in my hand (seems awkward), but always use a strap tucked through my belt as a safety measure. If you fall off for any reason - maybe a pedestrian turns into you - this will keep the wheel from continuing to roll. Consider the possible risk if the wheel self-rolls out into heavy traffic, or possibly hits a pedestrian. Don't tie the wheel to yourself, just loop the strap over your belt. I have a couple of overhand knots in the strap that will tug a bit if it tries to pull free. I've only had one instance where I think this helped, I was doing an emergency stop and fell backwards. The wheel was pushed out ahead of me and the strap pulled it down immediately. I think that this is a significant safety issue with our current wheels. They need to be designed to stop if the rider becomes "missing". Obviously, this would need to be designed so that if the rider bounces a bit the wheel doesn't shut down. If the wheel can travel more than 10ft without a rider, this is an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted December 22, 2017 Share Posted December 22, 2017 4 hours ago, JimB said: Don't tie the wheel to yourself, just loop the strap over your belt. I have a couple of overhand knots in the strap that will tug a bit if it tries to pull free. Have been looping it from below under the belt without any knots such that it could slip away most easily in case. The disadvantage is that it can slip away easily in this case possibly even during normal riding. Still it was preventing the wheel running away because I could either grab the strap in case or the strap disturbed the running wheel enough to bring it down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catlord17 Posted December 22, 2017 Share Posted December 22, 2017 I agree that we need something to kill the wheel if the rider dismounts. I'll have to see if I can find a way to make your suggestion work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanghamP Posted December 22, 2017 Share Posted December 22, 2017 28 minutes ago, Mono said: Have been looping it from below under the belt without any knots such that it could slip away most easily in case. The disadvantage is that it can slip away easily in this case possibly even during normal riding. Still it was preventing the wheel running away because I could either grab the strap in case or the strap disturbed the running wheel enough to bring it down. I use the highway (man) hitch knot, with the lose end into the wheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fat Unicyclist Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 11 hours ago, Catlord17 said: I agree that we need something to kill the wheel if the rider dismounts. I'll have to see if I can find a way to make your suggestion work. https://guide.alibaba.com/shop/universal-engine-safety-cut-out-kill-switch-w-floating-lanyard-boat-jet-ski-five-oceans_36582498.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travsformation Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 Here goes an anecdotal story of a possible benefit of using a leash: I kept using mine after the initial learning process because of steep hills; don't want a runaway wheel causing damage to others. I feel strongly about leashes in terms of preventing harm to others (I'm the one who chooses to ride a one-wheeled bone-fracturing-machine, not the pedestrians around me, so it should be my responsibility). At the same time, the more my skills improve, the more of a nuisance the leash becomes, and I've been gradually realising how it's increasing my risk of hurting myself. All the same, I feel the responsibility is on me, not others. Today I did my usual 8 km route to the town center, and felt much more at ease, like I'd reached a new milestone in riding confidence. When I got there, I realised it was because I'd forgotten to grab the leash... So...it definitely makes a difference. I contemplated whether I needed to keep using one or not as I rode home, and out of the blue, a situation arose where I really wish I'd had my leash: I was approaching an intersection where to one side there's a blind curve. I came to a near-stop and looked both ways. It was nightime and there are no lamp posts so although it's pitch black, you can see if someone's coming from their headlights. No one in sight, so I accelerate and, just as I was about to cross the intersection, a CAR WITH NO HEADLIGHTS ON comes zooming around the curve. With zero time to react, I swerved violently to the side. If I'd had my leash, I would have hopped off the wheel and grabbed it by the leash (not by the p***y...), and no problem there (I wasn't going fast, I didn't need to outrun the wheel). But since that wasn't an option, while I was turned, perpendicular to the intersection and leaning heavily in the opposite direction to counter the inertia, about to hop off the wheel before it sent me flying, I realised that the wheel would flip right into the middle of the road and potentially cause an accident, so I let myself fall in the direction I was leaning (opposite the intersection) and gripped the wheel with both legs to make sure it didn't end up in the middle of the road, causing the car to swerve (felt like bullet time; I wonder whether it's a "skill" one develops after X amount of falls...) Had there been an accident, he's the one who was driving at night with his lights off, but on the other hand...there was a woman and her daughter walking their dog on the opposite sidewalk (I realised that after I fell, when they came to ask if I was OK), so if the car had swerved, that's the direction he would have gone... I'm not drawing general conclusions or trying to promote the safety benefits of using a leash, but in this particular case, I would have been glad to have one. The accident would have been prevented either way, but maybe I wouldn't have wrecked my jacket...(glad I was wearing wrist and elbow protection) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qweiczz Posted December 1, 2018 Share Posted December 1, 2018 ok verynice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex_from_NZ Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 On 12/23/2017 at 1:30 PM, The Fat Unicyclist said: https://guide.alibaba.com/shop/universal-engine-safety-cut-out-kill-switch-w-floating-lanyard-boat-jet-ski-five-oceans_36582498.html Has anyone done this? With the bung leg, running after the wheel is the last thing i will be able to do lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meepmeepmayer Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 8 hours ago, Alex_from_NZ said: Has anyone done this? With the bung leg, running after the wheel is the last thing i will be able to do lol. Don't. You're asking for a grisly accident. The wheel will fall over anyways, question is, will it drag you down with it because you're tied to it? Will it brutally rip at your leg just when you least need that? Will the tether trip you? Learn from what the leash did to you. Don't be tied to the wheel. So much that can go wrong with no actual evidence of any benefit. Also, kill switch on a EUC? An extra part that causes a faceplant if anything goes wrong with it? No! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockyTop Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 Never used one. I just padded the wheel. I can see many ways the strap could cause injuries. Although many have used one a survived. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex_from_NZ Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 1 hour ago, meepmeepmayer said: , will it drag you down with it because you're tied to it Kill switch isnt going to take you down with the wheel. Its going to kill power to the wheel when your already on your way down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meepmeepmayer Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 Kill switch will need some force to be pulled out, otherwise it will always be accidentally activated. That force is easily enough to trip you or ruin a successful run-off. We're talking about crashes, where every tiny detail can matter. So even if it works as expected, it's dangerous. And what if the tether gets caught in the pedal hanger after disconnecting? And so on. Physical tether of any kind is dangerous in my book. And you better hope no EM interference of any kind exists for an electronic tether, or you eat surprise concrete. Sorry, I'm not against people experimenting, but I need to voice my strong opposition right away Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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