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 , 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]

Originally Posted by 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 [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

[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.

[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

[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.

[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.

[Cynette]

Originally Posted by M. Krass

Nope.

[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]

Originally Posted by KenWittlief

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]

Originally Posted by 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) ?

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



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?

[KarenH]

Originally Posted by Ashley Weed

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.)