As a lifelong unicyclist since the age my feet could first reach the pedals, I can tell you that electric unicycles are incredibly awesome! I would say that they are a form of unicycle because having been a pedal unicyclist, my mind automatically knew how to ride an electric unicycle. There was zero learning curve. Just took a few minutes to learn how to hop on and that was it! Riding was second nature. Because there’s no remote or other sort of interface for maneuvering the vehicle, it really feels like mind control when you ride an electric unicycle! And eWheels have evolved into serious machines that have full suspension and can go up to 60mph. They are absolutely amazing! So stop all the hating on them… especially if you haven’t ever ridden one. Have an open mind. Take one for a ride. I bet you’ll love it!
I just checked in my Unicycle on a Qantas Flight to New Zealand.
Noticed that electric self balancing devices are forbidden to be carried on the aircraft.
Yes, if you want to devolve those E-unicycles back to a traditional unicycle:
a.) Remove the gyro and computer that control fore/aft balance.
b.) Then “carefully” control only the wheel throttle.
However, you still have an added advantage on the device platform.
The pedals are stationary. They do not revolve.
Your lateral balance is not just upper body lean, but controlled by what you are standing on. Like a “see saw” for lateral balance.
On a real unicycle the “see saw” is a revolving pedal. Again, it is not just “book on your head or tight rope walking balancing” for control. It is the downward pressure on each side of the pedal during the whole cycle of pedaling that controls most of the lateral balance. This is the key to smooth pedaling that you are not even aware of when you feel “fully seated”.
Some advanced unicycle riders do not believe this, but how do you explain lateral balancing when you are riding SIF? Upper body tilting? Seat holding manipulation? Nope. All in your pedal pressure between 1,2,3,…11,12 o’clock positions.
…slam
So i have a stupid idea that might count as an electric unicycle
Attack something like like, have kh cranks to have an additional brake as potential stopping power if a brake isnt included with the motor, have it activate via a button or throttle, and very low power settings.
It seems like it could be done with off the shelf parts and be a somewhat practical.
Looks fairly bulky to me. I can’t imagine they could make it slim enough to fit between the crank and frame of unicycle, given that even some brake calipers alone don’t fit there. Fine on a bike but not for the more compact areas on a uni.
Agreed probably not this model exactly but given the fact that someone will pay $3,000 for a geared hub and the cheap availability of Chinese e-bike parts I feel like there’s a fun way to make the stupid idea work. I will not be the one to do it as I have yet to break a bone in my life and I like my collarbone in one piece but some of y’all Muni on a 36 so one of us is probably brave enough to try it and has the skill to not die
Nice to revive this thread on the non electric uni site. Now after riding uni for 9 years, I’ve decided I want to give the EUC a chance. When back from vacation I will order a KingSong S16 of 2300 euros. The balancing point is much lower than with a uni, which has it at seat height, unless you drag it of course. I figure it will feel similar to a UW, without the pedals.
EUC’s are officially not allowed on the road but there are loopholes in the law that helped many people get their EUC’s back through letters to court in The Netherlands. I already sent a letter to the government to have the ban removed from their website with all the proof I could find that their logic doesn’t hold. An answer generally takes a few weeks to be returned, but I am hopeful. Denmark managed to have a new law created for them.
I will ride in secluded areas with the smallest chance of running into police.
I also thought of getting a onewheel but there are too many cons for it. Eventually I might get one in thailand , where I visit my in-laws every year. No laws against them here.
Because EUCs are so different they can never replace my normal uni fleet of 11 uni’s
Has someone tried Bimotal on a unicycle, so far?
There might be a problem with clearance between cog and spokes.
I’m happy that we don’t UPD like this…
https://www.instagram.com/share/reel/BAN9WCcoLX
I’ve seen that before but never the 2nd angle. He actually rolled out of that pretty impressively. Could’ve been A LOT worse.
He’s clearly never heard the saying that speed is your friend!
My Segway Ninebot (low powered BC-type E-uni) gives guidance and assists in staying under you, but the rider still has to do the majority of the balancing. The same is true for most any other type of E-uni if you ask me. Especially when you’re standing up. The machine has no control over where your center of mass is; it can only respond to the angle of the footrests and the amount of power required to move the rider. It’s assisting you, a lot, but it’s still the rider’s job to keep the wheel underneath them.
Part of why the learning curve is so much easier on an E-uni is that your feet aren’t going in circles. This makes it a lot easier to “learn the balance” of the machine, in the form of staying on top of it. Once you get comfortable, steering it is similar to riding a bike no-handed, so again, an easier learning curve.
The main reason I haven’t invested in a more powerful E-uni (the Segway was a Christmas present) is that I want my hobbies to be good for my body; exercise. Going long distances on an E-uni looks kind of boring, unless the purpose of your trip is to get somewhere. Riding motorcycles is fun (I used to work for a motorcycle school), but it’s not exercise at all.
If I ever get a powerful E-uni, I’ll want it to have a seat. Standing (relatively) still for long periods is not very good for you. Ever taken a Segway tour? Unless it’s a short one, they will involve taking a break or otherwise getting off of them for a while to make sure you’re getting circulation in your legs.
This was at the Royal Palace in Madrid, Spain, before the Unicon in 2016. A cool Chinese-made E-uni, but not very fast.
I’ve dabbled with EUC/E-uni and mostly concur. It’s fun, and in some situations a useful way to get around, but not very much exercise. I haven’t ridden mine in months and keep thinking about selling it.
Standing (relatively) still for long periods is not very good for you. Ever taken a Segway tour? Unless it’s a short one, they will involve taking a break or otherwise getting off of them for a while to make sure you’re getting circulation in your legs.
This is less of an issue for me than I thought it would be. One of the first things you learn when riding EUC though is to constantly carve back and forth instead of traveling directly in a straight line. This helps keep the EUC from wobbling, and keeps you loose and limber.
The only thing that kind of gets a workout for me on my EUC is the stabilizing muscles in my feet, shins, and calves. I can ride it for about an hour or so and then I want to take a break and let them recover a little bit. I can usually cover about 10 to 13 miles in that time when riding around the neighborhood Etc
Mine isn’t particularly fast but I can generally outpace most everyone on a run of the mill bicycle without even breaking a sweat with a vehicle not much larger than a briefcase. I’m sure a very fit Road Rider on a flat straight away could beat it though
It’s also more fun than a bike too so for me I find it more fun and practical to actually get some place and it’s easy to stash it somewhere like behind or under a seat, desk, Etc
I find it completely different and in no way a replacement for a human powered unicycle, I like them both!
Ive driven/ ridden my Kingsong S16 now a few times. It is fun to do but does get boring on a longer ride. You just stand on it. Also if it is cold, you move too little to warm up. The KS can do 60 km/ h, but you can set on the app that it starts to brake way before that. So mine does up to 17. Same as a faster uni, so that if you fall, you can run out of it. I can’t roll like the dude on the video. Im wont be doing tricks on it, because it was very expensive and I dont want to break it.
Next month I will be in Denmark again, so I can go for a longer ride without having to worry about police.
I’ve ridden electric unicycles for years and slowly been learning to unicycle for over two years now.
I feel like being able to ride one has helped to learn the unicycle. There are many similar sensations.
Plus electric unicycles aren’t self balancing, if you let go of one they fall over. The gyro is just for forward and backward motion.
All side to side balance is done by the rider the same as on a unicycle.
I hardly ride my euc now as i have more pleasure from riding my unicycle and practicing small tricks. An euc is quite limited in what tricks can be done on it.
Once you can ride an euc well there’s nothing quite like it and they are awesome! Especially off road!
If an euc and unicycle aren’t related then how can a unicyclist get on an euc and ride one near enough straightaway?
I’ve seen euc riders being able to ride a unicycle after a few minutes practice too.
Putting faith in to yourself and just leaning in to a turn and keep going. Or the mental gymnastics of riding backwards are all the same sensations.
Plus riding a euc off road is a real workout.
Depends how much u paid for the euc. More expensive have better computer, gyro sensor and programming. Means easier to ride less skill. Cheaper=harder=more dangerous. Bored, now? Switch to off. Now a “real” unicycle. Oops no "rotating"pedals.
…slam
no.
Well that’s not true at all
I don’t know how much better the computer is on a more expensive EUC. I wanted to have a robust EUC that won’t just die on me and end me in a face-plant. The KingSong can possibly ride faster than cheaper models and yes for my abilities it is way over-powered. What holds me most back is that it is against the law to ride them. Stupid Dutch government that are scared of everything.
Though I like to play with the EUC, I like normal unicycling more.
As for similarities between balancing an EUC and a unicycle. The balance point of an EUC is at feet level, same as for a waveboard or skateboard. I’d say, if you can ride those, you won’t have much of a problem riding EUC.
The sideways balancing becomes easy when there is movement. I also compare it to a wheel you just push off and let roll on a path or something. The movement makes that it doesn’t fall sideways with enough speed. The same for unicycles or EUCs.
I believe for non-unicyclists, learning to ride an EUC is much easier than learning to ride a non-electric unicycle. It is mostly about trusting that the machine doesn’t turn off all of a sudden.