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.

Day 3

No video today, but I did have to recharge my Solowheel twice!

I finally felt comfortable enough turning that I braved the neighborhood sidewalks. At first, I just ran laps around my block. This got me used to small bumps in the sidewalk and 90 degree turns. Also, I got used to watching for pedestrian traffic instead of focusing all of my attention on my own ride. After about 20 minutes of constant riding, my feet did get a little tired. Taking a short break helped a lot. Also, spreading my feet apart a little more stopped me from levering my shins into the tops of the red pads, which had made me pretty sore over the past couple of days. (The soreness is mostly gone now, but I'm still wearing an ace bandage on each leg as a cushion.)

You can only do so many laps of your own block, so I eventually began to venture forth. I rode the mile or so down the big hill to my kids' school and back. I walk this route several times a day, but I was amazed how quickly I covered the distance on the Solowheel. I rode around a local park, then I took my daughters to several nearby parks, them biking and scootering along with me. We had a great day, and I'm feeling a lot more comfortable. I can't turn tight circles, or ride one-footed, but I can keep the wheel on the sidewalk...

And people weren't kidding about the thing being a conversation magnet. It seemed like everyone wanted to talk about what I was riding, where did I get it, how hard is it to ride, shouldn't I be wearing a helmet, etc.. Great way to get to know your neighbors a little better: Ride a Solowheel around your neighborhood on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

Now I'm contemplating whether to go to sleep, or go for a short moonlight ride...

Day 2, third hour on my Solowheel

Ace bandages did the trick, and made the pressure on my sore calves much more bearable. I also realized that my feet were too close together. I opened them up by a few centimeters, so that the outsides of my feet were hanging off the platforms a bit, and this stopped the insides of my shins and ankles from getting levered into the red pads on my Solowheel when I stand up straight.

Basically, another very fun hour for me. I'm starting to feel a little more in control. At the end of today's video, I hand held the camera for a few minutes.

The morning after.

I could tell as I headed off to sleep last night that this was probably coming, but wow do my lower legs hurt. I tried to hop onto the Solowheel this morning, but I had to step right back off. The spot where the tops of the red pads rest against my inner shins and calves are lovely dark bruises covered with abrasions, and standing on the wheel poked right into those sore spots. I must have been squeezing too hard with my legs yesterday.

I've wrapped my calves with ace bandages for another try. I'll post an update later today.