Is Your Favorite Ride a Segway?

[KarenH]

Is the Segway truly the favorite ride of CDers everywhere?

I was inspired to start this thread by my own experience. About 3 years ago, I had the privilege of riding Segways in Dean Kamen’s driveway for a few minutes at a very basic level. Yesterday, ChrisH and I took a much-anticipated two-hour Segway tour of Long Beach from Segway of Long Beach (http://www.segwaylb.com/ ), which included fairly extensive training and was very interesting. But I had different reactions to these two experiences. I won’t answer my own poll just yet—let’s hear some of your opinions first.

[Alexa Stott]

Is the Segway truly the favorite ride of CDers everywhere?

I was inspired to start this thread by my own experience. About 3 years ago, I had the privilege of riding Segways in Dean Kamen’s driveway for a few minutes at a very basic level. Yesterday, ChrisH and I took a much-anticipated two-hour Segway tour of Long Beach from Segway of Long Beach [insert link: http://www.segwaylb.com/ ], which included fairly extensive training and was very interesting. But I had different reactions to these two experiences. I won’t answer my own poll just yet—let’s hear some of your opinions first.

This tour sounds very similar to the Segway tour I took when I was in the Outer Banks. Except the place was called Segway of Outer Banks.

But I do love Segways. They are truly amazing and extremely fun to ride around on. They ride very smoothly and even the regular ones can handle different types of terrain.

[Billfred]

Three things prevent me from losing the CR-V for a Segway:

1) Living on the second floor of an elevatorless building makes for a hard parking dilemma.
2) 1618 is out of the range of all but the most-charged Segways.
3) I don't own the CR-V officially. ;)

That said, after I get settled whereever I wind up, I'd certainly consider it as an option (probably in combination with some form of mass transit). Insurance (and maintenance, and gas for that matter) is a beast.

[Cody Carey]

The favorite ride of 306ers everywhere is the Pogo stick... Because we've never seen a Segway work under water :P

[Chris Marra]

Considering how the last (and first) time I rode a Segway, it fell down and crashed on me, I'm inclined to lean towards something else.

[KenWittlief]

I would love to own a Segway if someone gave me one, but living in a hilly suburb I could not justify buying one for the amount of 'transportation' miles I would put on it. I think I would ride it a lot for fun.

for the last month or so I have been working on plans for a recumbent bicycle. Its something Ive always wanted to tinker with, and I bought a wire welder for my son's '70VW project last month

when I get the plans close to being ready to assemble the prototype maybe I will post them in a new thread. Im thinking of what is called a long frame recumbent with the seat only about 6" off the ground, infront of a 27" 6 speed back wheel. The front wheel will be a 100psi 20", and you will sit in a more or less normal lawn chair position, except with your feet up on the pedals just behind the front wheel. I have seen plans sorta like this, but not exactly what I have in mind, so I will need to be a little creative to make what I want.

The reason Im posting this here: there were a couple threads on CD recently about alternative transportation, using the Segway to get around vs getting exercise, that got me thinking about riding a bike to work. I think with a comfortable recumbent bike I would be able to ride to work once or twice a week in the warmer months. The main difference from a regular diamond frame bike is you are much more comfortable and sitting in a more normal position in a recumbent bike, so you do not have to ride fast to get where you are going before your hands fall asleep, or your back gets wretched out of shape.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

I was able to borrow a Segway for Atlanta this year. It helped out a lot to get from here to there in a hurry. We had a couple of times where getting to the playing fields from the pits was essential for problems with inspections. It fulfilled everything that people said it could do and it worked well except for a few things. Where to park it during the day and where to park it during final ceremonies. I was able to hide it in the back of the inspection booth but in the stadium, there was really no place to park it while in a seat. I ended up putting it in an area where there were a lot of wheelchairs and child strollers.
I was able to ride right from my hotel room at the Omni to the pit in justs a few minutes. I even mastered taking it on the escalator when the elevator was in use. What is the most difficult thing is trying to convince someone that it is borrowed and you can't give lessons or rides. The convention center staff needs to be informed though as some wouldn't let anyone ride a Segway on a carpet in the pit building

[colin340]

unicycle is my Favorite Ride then segway
you can hop or roll anyware, it 90$ and the batters never die
but I'm off mine for two weeks due to appendicitis surgery :(

[Richard Wallace]

Segways are fun. :) Segways are cool. :cool: I've ridden several versions, starting with one of the early Gingers in 1996. A couple of summers back, I hired an intern to build a low-cost Segway-like personal mobility device as a showcase for some motors and controllers that we were developing at the time. As a life-long nerd, I am inexorably drawn to the mystique of the technical.

But my favorite ride is still a bicycle. There's no machine that can match it for autonomy, efficiency, reliability, and sheer technological coolness.

[artdutra04]

I love riding my Segway, and I'd definitely say it's my favorite mode of transportation. Riding a Segway - especially in red key - always reminds me of downhill skiing, which is my favorite sport. Nothing beats the shear exhilaration and adrenaline of plunging down a wicked double-diamond at 40 miles per hour, turning so hard your hand hits the snow, all while one-upping gravity as you go off jump after jump after jump. The skill, the danger, the stakes are all high, and the reward even higher. Gravity never ceases to be a worthy opponent.

[Madison]

Nope. :p

http://flatrides.com/Ride%20Index/MondialTopScan.jpg

[Wetzel]

I prefer my bicycle for in city transportation.

Wetzel

[Nitroxextreme]

Gotta love old antique cars...can really feel your ride.


I hate the black key (just a sidebar)

[JaneYoung]

I've never ridden a Segway Karen, but maybe that will change some day. I've always wanted to.

Edit: I used to explore back country roads a lot with a Harley Sportster. It was a lot of fun.

[Cynette]

Nope. :p [Followed by photo of the Kamikaze (amusement park) ride]
I agree with Madison! Although a segway is fun to ride, give me a good amusement park ride any day! I'm very fond of Tea Cups, smooth roller coasters and those silly himalaya rides where you go forward then backward.

[KenWittlief]

if we are going to expand the box outside of pavement machines, then my favorite ride (by far) is my HobieCat !

With a steady 20 kt wind the power available from the sails is roughly the same as a 20HP outboard

except the boat is competely silent, and the power curve is instantainious. When I pull the main sail tight you better be holding onto the boat!

Ive always wondered what it would be like to make a windpowered land based vehicle, that moved like a catamaran, but rides on captive rails (like a steel rollercoaster track) ?

[MattB703]

Ive always wondered what it would be like to make a windpowered land based vehicle, that moved like a catamaran, but rides on captive rails (like a steel rollercoaster track) ?


Ice boats are very popular here on the Saginaw bay. You would love them. It is like riding on your HobieCat but the boat is a little lighter and there is almost no drag. The sensation of speed when you are sitting inches from the ice is incredible.

[Wetzel]

if we are going to expand the box outside of pavement machines, then my favorite ride (by far) is my HobieCat !

With a steady 20 kt wind the power available from the sails is roughly the same as a 20HP outboard

except the boat is competely silent, and the power curve is instantainious. When I pull the main sail tight you better be holding onto the boat!

Ive always wondered what it would be like to make a windpowered land based vehicle, that moved like a catamaran, but rides on captive rails (like a steel rollercoaster track) ?

A Hobie Cat is nice, but I like the rush from burying the rail in the water on the 42' yawls I race on. :D

http://www.navypaxsail.com/photo/rails.jpg

Wetzel

[Ashley Weed]

I personally could not live without my Seg. From my years in college cruising around the mega land of Happy Valley to my frequent visits home to Rural Northeast PA... I have glided all terrain. Now, living in the suburbs, it sure beats sitting in traffic every night and watching people not going anywhere while trying to make their way onto the roadkill expressway.

Karen - did you get to glide on the new i2?

[KenWittlief]

A Hobie Cat is nice, but I like the rush from burying the rail in the water on the 42' yawls I race on. :D

Wetzel

I see yatchs like that on lake Ontario frequently.

First I see them in front of me, then off the beam as I pass them, then I see them dissapear behind me.

I forgot to mention, in a 20 kt wind a 16 foot Hobiecat will go 22kts (about 25mph!) I LOVE chasing down $100,000 sailboats with my $3,000 cat.

like THIS: http://www.hobiecat.com/sailing/gallery.php?model=hobie16&img_num=12&res=hr

[Wetzel]

I see yatchs like that on lake Ontario frequently.

First I see them in front of me, then off the beam as I pass them, then I see them dissapear behind me.

I forgot to mention, in a 20 kt wind a 16 foot Hobiecat will go 22kts (about 25mph!) I LOVE chasing down $100,000 sailboats with my $3,000 cat.

like THIS: http://www.hobiecat.com/sailing/gallery.php?model=hobie16&img_num=12&res=hr

When can I come visit? :D I bet the water is really cold in March... :ahh:

Wetzel

[KarenH]

Karen - did you get to glide on the new i2?
No. They had a white one and a black one in the store, but apparently they weren't even working demo models. (The white one had a fat dowel holding it up, because it doesn't even have a kickstand yet--the people told us that there will be a new, improved kickstand.) That is, I'm assuming the i2 is the one with the new method of steering. (I can never keep the Segway model names straight, as they are all meaningless letters and numbers to me.)

[KarenH]

I finally got around to answering my own poll! Thanks to everyone who has responded. I love the sailboat picture. (Sorry, Madison, that Kamikaze is just too much for me!)

My short answer: My favorite ride is a horse.

My first couple of times on a Segway, I was pretty excited about getting to ride. It seemed like an easily-mastered skill. In the years since that July 2003 experience, I have read a lot about “gliding” and its pros and cons. Our family has debated owning one; at one point, we even checked into what insurance would cost.

But above all, I wanted to ride a Segway again. I told myself that the next time I rode, I would insist on learning how to get on and off by myself, without someone the handlebars for me. I've also been keen on “gliding in the wild,” not just a turning few pirouettes in a private driveway. Our training in Long Beach did meet these basic requirements. The two-hour tour itself, however, was a different story. After the initial training session, we were instructed to key our machines to yellow (middle speed). Most of the tour was run at the top of that range, which was exciting—too exciting at times.

I found that I really didn’t enjoy the ride as much as I’d expected. Although the machines appeared to be well-maintained, my unit swayed and vibrated side to side so much that I wondered if there was something not quite right about it.

Worst of all, I was insecure on the turns. I came to understand how easy it would be to dump the Segway sideways if the rider isn’t careful; I nearly did so time after time.

The other woman on our tour did in fact crash—twice. The first time, she oversteered on a narrow garden path and landed in the plants. The second time, she goofed when remounting after one of our planned stops, and went down in a tangle with the Segway. She was a real trooper, though. She said that she had a great time, in spite of getting a bloody shin. She and her husband still wanted to buy one (or two).

I liked the ride better when we rode slower. I liked hanging around the store and talking about Segways with the staff. Also, I have a particular affection for that area of Long Beach, with fond memories of past experiences there. (We think it would also be a great venue for the Los Angeles Regional, but that’s a different issue altogether—a Segway store being just two blocks away would be a killer perk for some FIRSTers—to say nothing of the Islands, Borders, Queen Mary, and other treats nearby.)

So why didn’t I enjoy this Segway experience? I think there were several reasons:

1) I needed more practice time at a slower speed, especially when negotiating the myriad obstacles such as the bike path/wheelchair ramps, the sand-coated boardwalk, and the wet stone pavement.

2) My feet were hurting me. I don’t know if this was because of my shoes, or because I had been trail building the day before, or if it was due to having to stand still on the Segway. But I realized that standing in one place is one of my least favorite activities.

3) A Segway just doesn’t compare to riding a horse. My favorite ride has always been, and will always be, a horse—even when health or old age renders me unable to ride. (I hope no one is surprised by this! Don’t ask me why, if I don’t like Kamikaze, I would venture riding something riskier and occasionally more exciting.)

Even so, I would be willing to ride a Segway again—but I wouldn’t do the tour. I would go at my own pace and, I hope, enjoy the ride more.

[DotCom]

Hmmm, I've yet to ride one. There were these Segway rentals in Santa Clara, CA when I visited that area last year, but they were closed by the time I got there. That was extremely disappointing...

I think my new life goal is to ride a Segway. :D