Electric Unicycle (EUC): Learning to Ride the InMotion V8S

In this video, I go over my progress learning how to ride the InMotion V8S Electric Unicycle. This is the first of a series of electric unicycle videos that I will use to document my learning journey.
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#euc #electricunicycle #inmotion

[@poul_yvarov]

At first it looks like that it's unreal learninig to ride EUC, but when you start to get into it, you became addicted to riding it. You're making such a great progress, in a few more weeks you'll be literally flying on this thing :) Great video actually, i'm really enjoyed your story. Good luck and be safe

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

Thank you! Very excited to learn how to ride this thing. It gets easier with each session. I’ve been doing circles around the parking lot and switched direction the other day to get some practice turning right haha.

[@EUCScotland]

I went thru all this 3 years ago and I'm 58 now... But it gets much easier... It becomes the best transport you'll ever ride and you'll want to upgrade soon enough...cover your ankles is a good to for beginners I'm on to 60mph veteran lynx now btw and it's amazing... Enjoy the journey sir rocket

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

That’s great to hear! It’s been a blast learning to ride this thing. I’ve been watching lots of videos of people riding those high power EUCs like the Lynx. They all look like they are having the time of their lives haha. I was finally able to ride about 5 minutes nonstop this past weekend and even managed to move from the large parking lot out onto the neighborhood streets. Just need to keep getting my leg muscles acclimated to this new style of workout haha.

[@EUCScotland]

@@tomsgadgetgarage ya it'll come mate... I couldn't do 5 mins, now 30 miles is nothing.... V11 is a great upgrade of u don't wanna go straight to raw power.... Had some bad crashes on v8 when I got faster... Never crashed v11

[@TroyArn]

well done. keep at it.

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

Thank you!

[@mushroomgods4707]

Well done, you're improving quickly. It took me weeks and weeks to learn to go fowards and backwards. It's well worth learning backwards now you can ride it forwards, as it make's riding and practicing inside easy. The weather is pretty bad here in the UK, so riding indoors for 20 mins a day is my current routine. Keep riding it, it's addictive.

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

Thank you! I haven’t even thought of going backwards yet. Sounds scary haha. I’ll have to give it a try tomorrow. Went out today and made it around the parking lot a couple times, which was awesome. Too bad for the weather. We had a few days of rainy weather here in Arizona, glad it finally cleared up. Haven’t tried riding mine indoors yet. Pretty sure my dog would try and eat it 😂.

[@THEAVERAGEGUY1983]

Wow that definitely looks difficult to learn. I feel that 20 minute sessions is pretty long, i would imagine my calves getting tired. But man you definitely got some guts to try unicycle riding. Thats a sport in its own category. Thumbs up for all that work and specially your honesty on riding one. 😎👊

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

Thanks! It’s definitely a leg killer, that’s for sure. It does get a little bit easier each time, but my legs usually tell me when it’s time to go home. Never thought I would get into EUCs, but I’m quickly realizing why people get hooked. Once I graduate from the parking lot I will start wearing full body protection, kind of feel vulnerable with nothing to hold onto haha.

[@THEAVERAGEGUY1983]

@tomsgadgetgarage agreed. After my accident i will definitely be promoting safety gear lol.

[@rcgldr]

Abandoning holding on to things before you learn to ride is not a good idea for many riders. It's more tiring and can lead to more bruising of the inner lower legs. Using support to mount allows the rider to get their feet centered on the pedals while looking down to do this, and then look straight ahead, rock back, lean forwards, release (don't push) from support to launch. The other issue is speed. At around 8 mph on a V8F | V8S, it will become stable and self-balancing left | right, where the rider can essentially stand still while riding in a straight line. The self-stability is due to the fact that the EUC will tend to tilt and steer (camber effect) in the direction of imbalance, and at sufficient speed, it steers back under the rider to automatically maintain balance. This is similar to teaching a kid to ride a bicycle. Someone supports the kid to get the kid started and up to a stable speed, rather than having the kid trying to learn to mount and ride from the start, constantly falling and having to mount again (not a good idea). Back to EUC, using support to mount and launch until a rider has learned to basically ride, then free mounting without support won't be an issue. I have a V8F, and started at a tennis court, doing rock back and forth and short runs along the screened fence for about 15 minutes or so before venturing away from the fence, and on my first attempt, I was able to do a lap and later laps around the tennis court at 3 to 5 mph using arm flailing to twist the EUC (flail arms left to twist EUC right and vice versa), similar to riding a bike a low speed, where constant balance corrections were needed. I would not recommend learning to ride at such slow speeds; it's better to learn to ride at a faster speed (5 to 8 mph) where the EUC becomes more stable and is how most beginners learn to ride. Midway through my second 30 minute session, I moved to an outdoor parking lot with more room for long straight runs at higher speeds, still using support to mount and launch. My slow speed constant balancing correction experience made me more aware of the self-stability of my V8F at around 8 mph. I no longer had to make balance corrections, lowered my arms, and could essentially stand still while riding in a straight line. I didn't just suddenly learn to ride, I was just going fast enough that my V8F became self-stable. It was at this point I tried steering by tilting EUC left | right. Small tilts at first to see how V8F would respond, then weaving patterns, then large radius turns. I waited until my fifth session before trying free mount, which wasn't an issue since I could already ride. Learning to turn well takes longer, since the EUC is tilted to steer, while the rider leans for balance, and this varies depending on turning radius and speed. Generally at slower speeds, the EUC is tilted more than the rider leans, and around 15 mph or faster, the EUC is titled less than the rider leans. On an EUC with a wider tire, this occurs at lower speeds. Note - I'm an old guy, I started back in August 2021 when I was 69 years old (now 72).

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

Hello! This is very insightful, thanks for sharing. Agree that having a wall or something similar to practice on helps the learning process tremendously. Unfortunately for me, the only thing I have to hold onto in my area is a light pole. All the walls have gravel for desert landscaping up against them :(. I definitely see your point with the 8mph. I went out today and was able to go around the whole parking lot a couple times in a row before hopping off. It’s way easier once you get moving. At slower speeds I struggled a lot with one foot dipping way down, putting me into a whirlpool pattern. Now that you’ve been doing this for a while, how do your legs feel during and after your rides?

[@rcgldr]

@@tomsgadgetgarage - Using a fence or wall is to get a sense of how the EUC moves, not how to learn to ride. It's actually a bad idea to use a fence or wall to learn to ride because a rider might tend to reach for the wall and fall into the wall instead of steering for balance, and riding close to a wall doesn't provide enough room for the steering corrections needed to maintain balance at slower speeds. Using a pole instead would avoid this issue. I was aware of this when I did my initial ride attempt: I rode away from the fence into open space, and as mentioned above was able to do a lap at 3 to 5 mph around a tennis court on my first attempt, part of which is due to I can ride a bike very slowly or even track stand (bike not moving forwards) for short periods, and used the same twisting steering movements for balance (by counter-arm flailing). Still as mentioned before, riding at 3 to 5 mph is something that should be done later after learning how to ride at 5 to 8 mph. At that parking lot I moved to during my second session, there were two trash bin enclosures 550 feet apart, which I used like poles (not walls) to mount and launch. Leg feel: if wearing tennis shoes with soft soles, my calf muscles get a bit sore after 15 minutes or so, due to constant tension from ankle bend and restricted movement. I can stop and get some circulation going and I'm good for another 15 minutes or so at a time. I switched to hi-top hiking boots which provide some ankle bend support and solved the problem. When I first started free mounting or one legged riding, I was getting some bruising on my inner calf, so I bought cloth shin guards and turned them inwards. I stopped using them after eight 30 minute sessions. I sent you a message via your web site with more info.

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

This is great info, thank you! Also checking out what you sent me through the site. Much appreciated! I may also switch to some high top shoes. I’m currently using Xero barefoot style shoes with no ankle support and I can definitely feel the pain in my ankles.

[@terryrccrazy6993]

Very cool, interesting to watch

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

Thank you!

[@gregoryducasse1764]

@@tomsgadgetgarage wat load me load + 110 kg 1m88 for v8s😂😅

[@linotaffoni2820]

Il tuo v8s ha i led ai lati della ruota,? Il mio no. Comunque sto perdendo le speranza.. è troppo difficile imparare.

[@tomsgadgetgarage]

Mine does not. Good news is that if you keep practicing, you will get better. I am riding about 20 minutes per week and each week I am getting better. At first I couldn’t ride even 1 meter haha. This past weekend I went about 2km non stop. I did go into the app and adjusted the pedal angle so my feet don’t hurt as much.