EDL Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 Reading the Tricks to Learn thread (is there a way to link threads?) made me think about this: I have a limited time to ride, and so when I get it I just want to go go go! I know I've gotten better at go go going, but that's about it. I can navigate in crowds, go down small curbs, turn in tight spaces, ride over bumpy terrain and a little offroad. So when I go out, should I just be cruising, or practicing going backwards, one leg riding, etc? I went out tonight with every intention of working on backwards riding, but once I got on the wheel and felt the evening breeze I couldn't stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirGeraint Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 I'm a newbie... only 12 practice days so far. But my advice would be to practice the things you believe you will actually need. For instance, my 2 latest 'firsts' were going over speed bumps and re-positioning my right foot into a better riding position. I know, I'm not as good as you, some of the skills you mentioned you've mastered are the ones I still need to obtain. So if you think you will need to go backward in your normal travels or will need to ride on one leg then I suppose you should work on those. For me, I know I have more important skills to master. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esaj Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 Reading the Tricks to Learn thread (is there a way to link threads?) made me think about this:You can copy & paste the link to the topic. The forum software doesn't always seem to embed it though.. like it sometimes does with youtube videos, a lot lately with images etc, it's almost like it just becomes worse after every update I have a limited time to ride, and so when I get it I just want to go go go! I know I've gotten better at go go going, but that's about it. I can navigate in crowds, go down small curbs, turn in tight spaces, ride over bumpy terrain and a little offroad. So when I go out, should I just be cruising, or practicing going backwards, one leg riding, etc?Umm, my advice would be to do whatever you feel like doing... it's not a competition, just enjoy it! Lately I've mostly just gone out for a ride, haven't really practiced going backwards with the Firewheel, I could a little with the 14" generic. I tried it sometime early after getting the Firewheel, but didn't get far, it felt a bit too fast reacting and I don't want to go 20+km/h backwards... I've tried one-legged riding with the Firewheel a couple of times, but it sounded like the tire is scrubbing the mainboard metal plate, so I though better not to (might be also the silicone I put in the last time I tore it down, have to do it better once I finally get the batteries... ) I went out tonight with every intention of working on backwards riding, but once I got on the wheel and felt the evening breeze I couldn't stop.There you have it, go with the flow You'll get to tricks eventually, if you want to learn them, I haven't really practiced much else than what is needed generally while riding (turns, going up & down curbs, fast braking, stopping etc), and the heavyish 16" isn't good for tricks anyway (so much easier with the light-weight 14"), even less after there's about 1.5kg more batteries... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daan Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 On a free day, I love taking my eWheel off-road in the forest -- nice being outside in nature (and silent!) and it practices all kinds of skills without feeling like practice you need to anticipate, navigate roots, go over rocks, hilly terrain etc. Fun fun fun. I tried to go practice a few times and it helped for me getting better at curbs but I still cannot ride backward ... every time I go out I practice backward a little bit for a minute or so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleu9mm Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 Who need to ride backward anyway ??? LOLOL If you're good enough to ride off road, you're pretty much an advanced user !!$0,02Bleu9mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EDL Posted August 12, 2015 Author Share Posted August 12, 2015 But I wonder if at least being passable with a few tricks would make me a better rider? I can see the utility in being able to go backwards in everyday riding, but what about the rest? Is riding on one leg helpful in some situations? Or mostly for the glitz factor and overall confidence? I'm still terrible at shifting my feet if I get a bad placement on the pedals and that is a critical skill I think. But unlike the others this one I can practice while cruising. I think for the others I would need to dedicate some time.And for the record: my offroad skills include grassy lawns, gravel paths, and well groomed trails. I have yet to encounter a big root. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jag_Rip Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 I guess riding on one leg with your stronger leg helps you enormously to get on or get off the wheel in a cool looking, controlled way. Thats the one I will be aiming for first. For the rest I think i'd go with the flow and choose the next trick when I feel like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 But I wonder if at least being passable with a few tricks would make me a better rider? I can see the utility in being able to go backwards in everyday riding,How so? I always thought about this as a trick being rather useless in everyday life. but what about the rest? Is riding on one leg helpful in some situations? Of course it is... Or mostly for the glitz factor and overall confidence? I'm still terrible at shifting my feet if I get a bad placement on the pedals and that is a critical skill I think. ...if you could ride with one leg this problem were resolved. Also if you accidentally slip from one pedal (e.g. in a tight turn) the ability to control the wheel just with the other leg will come in handy...however you might just get there without having trained it specifically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EDL Posted August 12, 2015 Author Share Posted August 12, 2015 How so? I always thought about this as a trick being rather useless in everyday life. I'm specifically thinking crowded pedestrian spaces. I ride through two train stations when I bring my wheel to work and during rush hour crowds being able to go backwards, even for just a few seconds, would help me stay on the wheel instead of having to momentarily hop off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 I'm specifically thinking crowded pedestrian spaces. I ride through two train stations when I bring my wheel to work and during rush hour crowds being able to go backwards, even for just a few seconds, would help me stay on the wheel instead of having to momentarily hop off. hmm, if I am on my feet and moving in a crowd (of any density), I believe I never catch myself going backwards. I do sometimes a full stop, but I don't think I ever make even a single step back. The ability to idle could be useful, but in a dense crowd it might just take too much space? I would believe that going very slowly without wobbling for balance is the most useful skill here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennytoro Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 would anybody show how to do 1 foot riding...i Still can not do it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmethvin Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Cars around here never look for pedestrians. A few times I've started across the crosswalk and had to stop, jump off, then reach down and yank the EUC back. Going backwards would be handy for those times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EDL Posted August 13, 2015 Author Share Posted August 13, 2015 Cars around here never look for pedestrians. A few times I've started across the crosswalk and had to stop, jump off, then reach down and yank the EUC back. Going backwards would be handy for those times. This is exactly what I am talking about. Although your situation with cars is a lot scarier than with pedestrians.And to bring the conversation back around: backwards riding, at least for me and a few others, seems an important skill. If the EUC is hoped to be transformative for urban transportation then it needs to be at least as versatile as walking and my legs are pretty good at going backwards...thus so should I while on the EUC.So besides backwards and one leg riding for adjustments, are there other "tricks" that translate to functioning in an urban environment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esaj Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 So besides backwards and one leg riding for adjustments, are there other "tricks" that translate to functioning in an urban environment?Sub-walking speed crawling and staying up stationary for a while. The latter is not that important, as you can just as well put your foot on the ground, but the former is a must in bigger crowds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Cars around here never look for pedestrians. A few times I've started across the crosswalk and had to stop, jump off, then reach down and yank the EUC back. Going backwards would be handy for those times. that's right, one of the exceptional cases where I actually do a step backwards: when I step on the street and find out I might better not have. It's rather an emergency measure then, because turning around just takes a little bit longer.my legs are pretty good at going backwards...I wonder how you know. I have been training walking backwards quite some distance in my life, but never in any conventional day-to-day setting. I would be surprise if you would regularly walk backwards in your daily life and interested when this actually happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EDL Posted August 14, 2015 Author Share Posted August 14, 2015 I wonder how you know. I have been training walking backwards quite some distance in my life, but never in any conventional day-to-day setting. I would be surprise if you would regularly walk backwards in your daily life and interested when this actually happens.I'm not walking backwards for distance, but sometimes a meter or so depending on the situation. Narrow paths and crowds make going backwards the easiest way. And no, it is not a daily occurrence, but the ability is very useful when I need it.As for how I know I can walk backwards...I'm pretty sure anyone who can walk forwards can walk backwards a few meters without any trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I don't think it has been mentioned so far, but a quick 180-turn in place is quite useful, though quite difficult to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I'm pretty sure anyone who can walk forwards can walk backwards a few meters without any trouble.That doesn't surprise me. Here is another reason how we know that we virtually never go backwards: before we want to make even a single step backwards in a dense crowd, we will have to turn our head more than 90 degrees around. Otherwise we will find ourself constantly standing on an angry persons feet. Very few people expect the person in front of them making a step backwards and act accordingly. In a dense crowd even an abrupt slow down or stop often causes a collision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EDL Posted August 14, 2015 Author Share Posted August 14, 2015 I don't think it has been mentioned so far, but a quick 180-turn in place is quite useful, though quite difficult to do.Agreed. Maybe more important than going backwards. Would this require a hop? That seems like a pretty advanced move to me. In a dense crowd even an abrupt slow down or stop often causes a collision. Hopefully though this collision is less severe than the potential one you avoided by going backwards in the first place. I'd rather have someone angry that I rolled over their toes than someone having to scrape me and my wheel off the pavement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Agreed. Maybe more important than going backwards. Would this require a hop? That seems like a pretty advanced move to me.I am pretty sure it doesn't require a hop, but I also don't know the most casual sequence of movements to accomplish this. One can do twice a 45 degree turn (which is not too difficult to do) while moving as little as possible in between. I don't imagine that's the most casual way though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirGeraint Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I am pretty sure it doesn't require a hop, but I also don't know the most casual sequence of movements to accomplish this. One can do twice a 45 degree turn (which is not too difficult to do) while moving as little as possible in between. I don't imagine that's the most casual way though. Speedy feet does some 180's at the end of his "How to turn" video. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Speedy feet does some 180's at the end of his "How to turn" video.Right, nice vid, he uses the 45 degrees "spiral" technique also for 90 degrees, namely turning the upper body first and only then let the hips and legs follow suit. I would be interested to see this done in an even more casual and controlled way though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jag_Rip Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 here you got some tricks for your every day life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirGeraint Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 here you got some tricks for your every day life I watched several of this guy's videos. He IS good! I'm thinking he's the best I've seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmethvin Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 That guy must have a twin brother! Either that or he runs around behind the camera? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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