Still rolling...

I got a solowheel-related email the other day, with some questions about getting started. I thought I'd share it here, along with my reply:

Hi Milan,

I've seen your blog on the Solowheel and seen your posts on the forum and also watched your videos on YouTube. I would like to ask you some questions regarding the device since I'm interested in buying one. I've noticed that u haven't posted anything in a while so are u still enamored by the wheel or has it's novelty worn out?  I hope that's not the case. Your posts and videos are so helpful.

I'm a 53 year old male, not in an athletic shape but certainly not overweight. I've watched many YouTube videos on the product and most of them are featuring young, athletic types riding the thing so I'm a bit concerned that I won't be able to get the hang of it. It's much harder for us ancients, you know. But it still is intriguing. You seemed to get the hang of it quite quickly, from hanging on to the fence on day one to not having any support at all on your second day going forward. I don't consider myself particularly coordinated but I do ride a BMW K1200LT which is a large and heavy bike and I have put about 40k miles on her so I guess that's something. I only mention that because so many folks have mentioned that to learn the Solowheel is much like riding a bike. Do you think u have to be in super shape in order to master these beasts?  If that's the case, I probably am not a good candidate but wanted you opinion on that.

I also noticed that you start off with your RIGHT foot on the footrest and push off with you left foot. Are you right or left handed or does that even make a difference?

Thanks so much if you could address some of my concerns and questions!

Jacques

 And my reply:

Jacques,

My lack of recent posts is purely a result of laziness. I still ride my Solowheel every day: to the grocery store, to pick up the kids from school, to the bank, and often just for fun.

I don't think the Solowheel really requires very much athleticism. If anything, someone not very comfortable with athletics might possibly take a little while longer to feel comfortable riding one, but I do believe almost anyone can learn to ride. On the other hand, someone very physically active, especially if they're into snowboarding, skateboarding, skiing, ice skating, etc., will probably learn more quickly. My only caveat would be to keep the 225 lb (if I remember it correctly) weight limit in mind. I am 165 lbs, and I can carry my 40 lb 6-yr-old up a pretty steep hill on the solowheel, but it struggles starting off and won't go all that fast under that load. With just me on my solowheel, I can go pretty fast up that same hill.

The comparison to learning to ride a bicycle is a good one. It feels a lot like what I remember learning as a child to ride a bike felt like. Furthermore, the balance mechanism is really very similar. To make small balance corrections, you twist your feet under you (around your vertical axis) to put the wheel quickly back underneath your center of balance. Hard to explain this point in words, but you learn to do it automatically before long.

Not sure why I always start on my right foot, but I always do. I am right-handed. It's probably just habit. I'll try switching that up just to see how it feels.

To sum up, if you're willing to spend an hour or so per day for a week or two, you'll learn to ride a solowheel. Just take it slow at first so you don't get too sore. (I used to clench my shins/calves tightly against the wheel, as if to try to hold on to it. Don't do this, it doesn't help your balance, wastes a lot of energy, and makes you sore.)

Two starter tips, if you do decide to make the purchase:

1) Make sure you leave slack in the learning strap. Pulling on it ruins your balance, it's only to keep the wheel from getting damaged when you do step or fall off.

2) Look far ahead, not down at your feet. It will make balancing a LOT easier.

I'm happy to answer any other questions that come up. 

-milan

Even though I haven't been good about recording or writing about my rides, I'm using my Solowheel a LOT lately. Just about every day, often several times a day. I'm using my car less and less for errands, and relying on the Solowheel more and more. Besides being really really fun, I'm not burning gasoline.

Day 8: Strapless

I ditched my safety strap yesterday. Even though I tried to avoid pulling on the strap, I would still occasionally do so, throwing off my balance. I think I also tended to crouch a bit while holding the strap. Without the strap, riding my Solowheel feels a lot more like flying or gliding.

Usually, when I have to step off suddenly, I can still bend down and grab the handle, but not always. Yesterday I tried to ride up a curb that was a little too steep, and basically launched myself off the Solowheel. No chance to grab hold that time, but the wheel basically just flopped over and stopped itself. Very minor scuffing, but almost no damage at all from a full speed wipeout. That plastic housing is impressively tough. Even the red rubber pads are extremely durable.

So, my advice: Once 9 Solowheel dismounts out of 10 are intentional, ditch the strap. Sure, you'll end up ditching the wheel now and then, but it will be easier to ride with good posture, and riding will be a lot more enjoyable.

Camera Test 4: Helmet Mount

I definitely look a bit strange in this setup, but the video came out pretty well. Not too bouncy or noisy.

Next, I'll try a handheld camera boom setup. I really do prefer a closer to the ground perspective.

Camera Test 3: Handheld

Next, I tried simply holding the camera in my hand. Still horrible audio due to the wind, and I'm not perfect at aiming the camera, but the video isn't terrible. The biggest disadvantage, I think, is that this ties up one hand. I think I'd settle for slightly worse video if it meant I could have both hands free. Tomorrow, I'll try a helmet mount.

Camera Test 2: Leg Mounted

Next idea: (sorry, the picture isn't great...)

The result:

I still like the angle, and the audio is a lot better, but there is far too much side-to-side camera shake. Back to the drawing board...

Camera Test 1: Direct Mount to Solowheel

I'm working on how to best mount my Delkin Wingman to my Solowheel. Here's the first option:

And here's the result:

Advantages:

• Hands-free.
• I like the perspective.
• The camera is relatively safe, unless the wheel goes completely end-over-end.

Disadvantages:

• The vibrations of the Solowheel completely ruin the audio.
• I don't like how much the camera tilts with the wheel when I accelerate/decelerate.

I'll try to come up with something better. Maybe I can strap the camera to my leg or something...

Day 4

I logged another hour or so on the Solowheel today, which included:

• 1 grocery run, about 1 mile. Rode home with half of what I bought in a backpack, and held a bag carrying the rest in one hand.
• 1 school pickup, about 1.6 miles.
• 20 minutes of riding around my block, just for fun, 2-3 miles.

It really seems like the Solowheel makes for a lot quicker short errands, like the first two above, than driving my car. I don't have to park or wait in traffic!

Turning is getting a lot more automatic, and requires a lot less deliberate thought. Tight circles are still tough. I no longer need to wrap or pad my calves. They're still a bit tender, but I'm no longer clamping them onto the wheel, just lightly resting the red pads against my shins. I'm still getting occasional false starts, where I step on, and have to step back off to try starting again. Riding at very slow speeds is still difficult. But all of the above problems were worse yesterday than they are today.

I'll try to shoot some more video tomorrow.