Segway's new $999 transporter

[AggiePhil]

Very cool. Not sure I have a use for one but cool nonetheless.

[SegwayUtah]

Originally Posted by MagiMike

-Antiskid vacuum tire

So if I start to skid- the tire vacuum sucks on the road to stop me??

Now there's an invention waiting to be made. I would worry about throwing debris up into the air and accidentally hitting other people with said vacuumed debris.

Or...maybe it's a tire that has no air (i.e. a vacuum) inside of it, the opposite of an air-filled tire. As long as we avoid any blackhole-style consequences, that could be fun too.

[SegwayUtah]

Originally Posted by JohnG

Not sure how accurate the blowout graphic is under the heading of "Aircraft grade magnesium alloy frame" is, but it seems to show just one battery under the platform. The whole design of it appears like a miniaturized version of a Segway.

http://www.ninebot.com/ninebot/ninebot-mini/index.html

Good catch, John. I suppose that they could be separating the pack into two sets of cells internally in the battery housing--but they may have also decided that "two completely separate batteries and two completely separate chargers" was overkill for a $999-$1299 consumer machine. It's probably pretty rare for a battery to suddenly incur a catastrophic failure which requires it to shut down instantly.

[GlideGuy]

Originally Posted by SegwayUtah

Now there's an invention waiting to be made. I would worry about throwing debris up into the air and accidentally hitting other people with said vacuumed debris.

Or...maybe it's a tire that has no air (i.e. a vacuum) inside of it, the opposite of an air-filled tire. As long as we avoid any blackhole-style consequences, that could be fun too.

It's just the marketing departments way of saying, the tires suck.

[AaronC]

I bought the model of the Ninebot Mini made for the Chinese market and have been using it as my main transporter for a week. Normally I'm an electric unicycle rider so I wrote a review and posted it on the electric unicycle forum, I don't have access to posting links in this forum as my account is new but you can find it if you look in the reviews sub forum at that site.

[JohnG]

Here's the forum the previous poster mentioned:

http://forum.electricunicycle.org/forum/32-ninebot/

Quite a lot about the Chinese-version ninebot in there.

I think this is the Amazon Ninebot Mini Pro link:

http://www.amazon.com/Ninebot-Mini-2...dp/B019GWOTDQ/

[AaronC]

Originally Posted by JohnG

Here's the forum the previous poster mentioned:

Quite a lot about the Chinese-version ninebot in there.

I think this is the Amazon Ninebot Mini Pro link:

Thanks for the assistance. If anybody is having trouble finding my review then they should check out the "Reviews and Impressions" subforum on the EUC forum.

After using the Mini for a week and some change I am really starting to come around on my opinion of two wheeled PTs. The general opinion of the EUC community is that they're not nearly as fun and don't do as well on challenging surfaces and while I think there is a hint of truth to those statements in some ways I have definitely been loving the advantages that a two wheel PT has. I must say though, I am not convinced that a handlebar would be anything but a detriment to riding, the knee bar gives me enough control on its own and I can safely use my hands without compromising my handling ability. Do any of you experienced Segway users have an opinion on the subject?

Personally I love that these Chinese devices are in a price range that is affordable to someone like me because I never would have spent the asking price of a Segway and being much smaller has been a huge advantage in getting it to fit in my life. That said, I think there is a desperate need in the EUC market for a company like Segway/Ninebot to offer a premium product that still has some of the safety features a Segway is known for. To clarify for any of you new to the Ninebot lineup, the Segway-like Ninebot E+ does have some redundancy built in but the unicycle Ninebot One and the Ninebot Mini do NOT. I always wear safety gear when riding these and I am very mindful of their limits but I hesitate to recommend them to just anybody and I'm afraid Ninebot is going to tarnish the safety reputation of Segway by incorporating the less safe Ninebot line of products under the Segway brand.

[electricunicyclelady]

Originally Posted by JohnG

Very cool and I'm glad to see Ninebot breathing some life and interest back into Segway. I hope people appreciate the additional value a Segway brings over those cheap (exploding) "hoverboards."

The fact they can now offer a product at a price point that many people would actually consider (on the consumer side) is awesome!

John

I totally agree! Those cheap and exploding hoverboards just aren't worth the risk. Plus, Ninebot/Segway products just seem cooler too--check out the Ninebot One!

[lilnyc]

I have the i2 and Ninebot Segway MiniPro (through Amazon).

The reviews I'm reading are mostly by hoverboard users. They seem to see this Segway MP as something that came about after the hoverboard, and think the steering bar is a seat.

[Jendrik]

When it will be available we will see if it´s really a machine who could be called "redundant" or "safe". As I know Ninebots work, their machines have never been safe enough for me to ride with. I sure will not risk my life driving that stuff.
I love my I2 and my X2. These are REAL Segways.