MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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I'm assuming these things are basically just the electric scooter things on one wheel?
Never seen them before, but they seem a) fast and b) somewhat illegal?
Like a one wheeled Segway.
I want one.
A bloke hammers around our town on the roads on one. Well, I've not seen him for a while admittedly.
For obvious reasons you can't stop fast at all. Look like deathtraps to me. Epic possibilities for face planting with zero warning from potholes etc in the road too.
On the plus side, it's more compatible with your instincts to get off when you mess up than a bike is. Step off, nothing to trip over or top tube in the way, get your feet down, run or roll. Let the machine continue and hit someone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
They should be in the Olympics as a modern form of chariot racing. The riders would be naked, of course.
bikesandboots
Full Member
On the plus side, it’s more compatible with your instincts to get off when you mess up than a bike is. Step off, nothing to trip over or top tube in the way, get your feet down, run or roll. Let the machine continue and hit someone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I hear what your are saying but these things really shift. The guy I used to see was easily going over 20mph and stepping off at that speed and instantly getting your legs pumping quickly enough to get under you would be incredibly difficult I would think. Rolling/ falling off is a more likely scenario which at 20mph plus wouldn't be great on tarmac. The guy I used to see was in his 30's and seemingly used it to commute. Didn't wear as much as a cycling helmet.
Used to make make my spinster clench just watching him shooting past on the busy main roads here.😄
Saw a youngish couple doing part of the Tissington trail on something similar to this but they were sideways, like a single wheel electric skateboard, looked a lot of fun.
A no handled Segway is a good description. I had not seen them before.
One bloke I see on the Cambridge guided busway isn't hanging around. If it stopped suddenly he's going to go flying. Which, I guess, is one of the reasons he's wearing a full face helmet.
Saw a youngish couple doing part of the Tissington trail on something similar to this but they were sideways, like a single wheel electric skateboard, looked a lot of fun.
I've had a couple of Onewheels like @thepodge describes (not the one wheel Segway /unicycles) and can confirm they are brilliant fun, more akin to snowboarding than skateboarding. I used to take mine down all the local trails and around Sherwood Pines blue route. However, as @Poopscoop alludes to, any abrupt unforseen stoppage results in an instantaneous forward ejection. After smashing my third set of wrist guards and being over 50 I decided they had to go !! There's some footage on YT of someone sending the Steel City gap jump on one of those Unicycles. Madness.
There’s a girl on Tik Tok who tests them whilst wearing tight skimpy clothing for some reason. 🫤
Saw a guy on a mono wheeled skateboard flying uphill on the pavement in Blackburn a while ago. I couldn't keep up opposite him on the road. Impressive but also a bit worrying from the perspective of pedestrian interface. :0
They are pretty easy to ride if you have basic balance skills, which you will have if you mtb.
They can stop pretty fast, according to the skill of the rider.
Lean forward and the motor drives you forward, lean back and the motor stops you - depending on how fast and at what angle you can lean back determines how fast it stops. Modern wheels have very powerful motors and large battery packs that can provide the torque required. MOst people ride with 'power pads' which help you have better control over starting and stopping the wheel.
These modern wheels also can attain very high speeds - I've done 30mph on mine but modern ones are much faster than that.
Face plants used to be much more common as riders overpowered the wheeels ability to keep itself upright by providing current to the wheel, plus QA failures from different companies - Gotway/Begode in particular.
My biggest ride was taking the train to Clapham Junction and then riding along the Thames Path to the Wey Navigation, down the Wey Navigation to Guildford and then along the Downs Link to Shorehan, and then along the coast to Brighton station.
84 miles, took 12 hours with two recharging stops at pubs. Modern wheels, like the Sherman, have enough battery to do the whole trip in one go, certainly if there is more tarmac involved.
There’s a girl on Tik Tok who tests them whilst wearing tight skimpy clothing for some reason.
Youtube too. Allegedly.
Someone please tell me these are illegal on road.
Obviously they are illegal on the roads...
However they are a shed load safer than those stupid escootrs, much more stable and larger wheels to ride over stuff.
Ban escootors, legalise electric unicycles...
As long as the rider uses a tether...
All unicyclists know that E-unicycles are cheating.
Used to make make my spinster clench just watching him shooting past
Well, if the sight of a 30-year old bloke makes that happen to her then there's not much chance for the rest of us lot.
Someone please tell me these are illegal on road.
Everywhere but private land.