My Segway miniPRO just arrived - initial thoughts

[DCTenor1]

My miniPRO just arrived last night. I'll have a full review coming soon, but my initial impressions are that while it's cool, and actually usable outside compared to the trashy hover boards from China, I'm not sure it's a good commuting vehicle.

I'm comparing it to two main things: my old Segway i2, and my OneWheel (which is awesome and amazing). This doesn't have the maneuverability, cool factor, or even fun factor of a OneWheel; and it doesn't have the stability or speed of an i2. It's kind of this weird hybrid, and I'm not sure if that makes it a great compromise that hits all the important things, or a poor compromise that misses everything that makes the other vehicles great.

More soon... @lilnyc, have you gotten yours yet? (And how are you dealing with NYC's complete ban on even carrying them onto the subway?

[SegwayUtah]

Awesome. Video, photos, reviews, please!

Very interesting first impressions. At $999, the miniPRO is inexpensive enough to be a "useful for getting around campus" type of device (similar to a hoverboard). I think like you I'd still prefer the range and superior performance of an i2...but gosh, the miniPROs sure do look unassuming...

In the end, hoverboard users will probably see the miniPRO as a huge upgrade from the hoverboard. And Segway HT/PT users will probably see the miniPRO as a lower-end Segway. So ironically, the hoverboard users may be a lot more excited about the new Segways than the Segway enthusiasts...but I guess that just gives us more Segway enthusiasts.

Also: the early "verified purchaser" reviews on Amazon are super-positive so far. That's good to see.

[DCTenor1]

I've been riding it for a few days now and it's getting easier to ride but it really is making me just miss my Segway.

It's not as stable or sturdy as the i2 -- that thing was 100 pounds and built like a tank!! But maybe I'm being unfair. My friends who only had experiences on my old hoverboard say this is a HUGE improvement, and much much easier to ride. (Seriously, it took them all about a minute to become comfortable, and that was on inclined pavement outside!)

I think my main concerns have to do with speed, actually. This thing tops out at just over 10 mph, compared to the i2 which got over 13 mph sometimes, and it's REALLY aggressive about pushback. As I've gotten more comfortable with the device, I've found myself leaning almost comically forward, trying to squeeze more juice out of the machine. It stays under me, but after about 5 seconds it starts beeping to get me to slow down, and then if I don't, it aggressively slows me down by at least 3 mph. It's like it's screaming at me, "Hey! I know you like to go fast but seriously my little motors don't like what you're doing, please knock it off."

On the Segway i2, there was pushback, but it didn't actively slow me down by several mph; it just kind of stayed maxed out around 12.5, and I never felt like I was leaning exceptionally far forward to make that happen; it was more of a subtle shift of weight from my heels to the balls of my feet.

Maybe I'm just not getting it yet... I'm not sure if it's more comfortable to ride with my legs grabbing onto the knee control bar, or keeping my legs apart and just nudging the bar when I need to adjust things.

But so far the smaller form factor and less power of the MiniPRO definitely makes it feel less substantial than my Segway did.

And, again, it might not be fair that I'm also comparing this to my OneWheel experience. I'm not sure if you've had a chance to ride those, but they are a wooden board with one go-cart sized wheel in the middle, housing an engine. It zips up to 15 mph extremely quickly and is super fun, and just feels like it has more power than this guy. So perhaps I'm biased! But so far, three days into it, my Segway MiniPRO makes me A) miss the stability and power of my Segway i2, and B) miss the speed and zippiness of the OneWheel.

[lilnyc]

It arrived!!



I've only ridden it indoors so far.

Initial impressions:

I got the hang of it in about 20 minutes. It took a while to stop fearfully grabbing onto furniture to step on with confidence.

In a matter of minutes, I was stepping onto it without grabbing things, turning comfortably and zooming around my house. I find that leaning forward slightly while turning helps.

The quality's solid. The base feels cushioned. I love the new car smell.

As a short person, it's hard for me to tell what's really going to suit me by watching videos of others. But this suits me perfectly.

I knocked over a few things attempting to use the remote, so I'll have to give that a try again as well as try to pick it up properly. I grabbed it by the handle like the lady walking downstairs in the promo video, but that didn't work. This thing's heavy!

It doesn't make me want to get rid of my i2 immediately. But I cannot use my i2 where I used to due to new enforcements.

Next, I need to build confidence outdoors on the MiniPro...in NYC. That's a challenge. I also worry about getting stopped since I just got stopped (but in a park) on my e-scooter.

Using this so far, I don't understand why there'd be laws against it. It's such a small footprint, and maneuverable similarly to the i2. It turns and stops on a dime. You can stand almost still and travel amongst pedestrians safely. Because it's smaller, it's less intimidating than the i2. Sometimes people would flinch as I approached on my i2 just out of ignorance about it. I wasn't traveling fast -- bikers were.




If NYC didn't have stupid restrictions, I could use this to commute to and from work as well as do many tasks. The ability to wheel it via handle is perfect for NYC where sidewalks may suddenly become crowded and pavements may become hazardous.

I want to join with some Segway users in NYC to see if we can get these restrictions changed. I believe that the MiniPro may be a more city-friendly device from which to start.





More to come as I ride it more.

[lilnyc]

Hi DCTenor1,

I don't use the subway very often. I use a lot of car shares or I walk everywhere. When I am on the subway, I don't want to have anything of value anyway, so their restrictions are fine by me.

For those who want to cary them on public transpo, I hope things change. They have to. It's nearing 2017 and we as a society need to progress.

[lilnyc]

Small Update: I took it a few feet outside of my home in the hallway and fright area of my building. That was okay.

A small decline felt like the Segway i2 going down. The incline took greater effort and was scary to me because you have to lean forward against a hill with no lean steer. But it's in the mind.

Outdoors we have a perfectly paved sidewalk. I started to glide, but this is where the differences showed. It was moderately windy. The sturdy i2 would've handled it fine. The MP kept pushing me left toward an oncoming pedestrian. I was able to veer right with some effort, but decided that was enough for today.

Granted I've had it for less than 24 hours and my outdoors experience was all of a minute or two, but I do not see myself using this as transportation right now. Just recreational. I feel more comfortable outdoors on my e-scooter and i2. But I do love using this indoors.

Despite what people say about 'laziness,' I'd rather stand and zip around the house on my MiniPro than sit all day. Also, I tossed the box (no room), so that solidifies my decision. I'm keeping it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[gregn]

Hi all,
It's been a week of use and I am very impressed. This is the only self balancing device I have ridden so I can't compare to any others but this is one very versatile unit.
I work on a 5 acre organic farm in Vermont USA. I day requires me to cover most of the place for various reasons. Lots of walking and carrying things. I do maintenance there. I have clocked 15 miles in a day quite often. I love the exercise but the time and fatigue that comes from that isn't very efficient. Over the past week I have cut down greatly on that time and had way more energy at the end of that day to do something fun. Also I find I can pull carts with produce and other things on them with ease. I carried an large battery out to an solar electric fence installation over the gras path we have there.
Moving over rough ground does require some finesse. I am close to the Mini pro weight limit so I have to take it easy when off road. The beep warning lets me know and I ease up. I can still move fine though and get work done. I got through a full work day of quite frequent use with 30% charge left on the battery so i don't thing I was taxing the unit unduly.
I didn't get this for speed and sport. I got it to save time and work. In that it shines.

[Don M]

Originally Posted by lilnyc

Using this so far, I don't understand why there'd be laws against it. It's such a small footprint, and maneuverable similarly to the i2. It turns and stops on a dime.

It was moderately windy. The sturdy i2 would've handled it fine. The MP kept pushing me left toward an oncoming pedestrian. I was able to veer right with some effort, but decided that was enough for today.

I can understand why there are laws against them

I love my I2 and consider myself a pretty expert rider, but not everyone is (or ever will be) skilled enough to be safe around pedestrians, especially somewhere with sidewalks as crowded as NYC. Thank goodness they don't go any faster than they do - It's kinda like a motorcycle in that regard. There are expert riders and then those who can get around OK, but should never put themselves in any position where more skill than they have might be required. Riding any form of Seg in anyplace as crowded as NYC sidewalks would require more than average skill IMO. No tests of rider skill required, no laws about where you can and can't ride, no licenses required, no insurance required - Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. When someone mows down a pedestrian and puts them in the hospital, what are the legal recourses for the pedestrian who is now out of work for a month or so and has a big hospital bill they can't pay?

I think this is why the laws vary state by state and city by city. I've never ridden anywhere half as crowded as NYC sidewalks, but if I was walking there and saw someone riding coming close to me, I know I'd be fearful and try to get out of the way, *or* just pray that the rider is skillful enough not to mow me down!

I think many things are over regulated and generally hate to see any law which restricts anyone's rights to do whatever they like in a safe manner . . . . but the public certainly deserves to be protected from injuries, possibly severe ones (most pedestrians don't wear helmets) which are no fault of their own, so I can see the need for laws in some places and I think any city with crowded sidewalks should be looking at some way to protect the public - At a minimum, maybe require a license, a skills test of some sort and a requirement to carry at least $100K of liability insurance??

Sounds terrible, but I think most pedestrians would agree with something like this

Don

[SegwayUtah]

Hey Don,

Originally Posted by Don M

I love my I2 and consider myself a pretty expert rider, but not everyone is (or ever will be) skilled enough to be safe around pedestrians, especially somewhere with sidewalks as crowded as NYC.

When someone mows down a pedestrian and puts them in the hospital, what are the legal recourses for the pedestrian who is now out of work for a month or so and has a big hospital bill they can't pay?

As someone who has lived in NYC for several years and spent a ton of time on NYC sidewalks, I'll most-respectfully disagree with you on this one.

In New York, joggers run past you all the time. It's not a big deal at all. Could they run into you and push you over? Yeah, sure...but it doesn't happen often and it's not a big risk.

I've been passed on the sidewalk by a lot of foot scooters and bikes. Generally speaking, folks don't freak out when they see a bicycle coming down the sidewalk or someone zipping along on a foot scooter. People who can't control themselves generally stay off the sidewalk because they understand that hurting other pedestrians--accidentally or otherwise--is frowned upon. I'm not sure why people would ride a miniPRO or a bike or anything else around other people if they didn't have a reasonable level of comfort doing so...

At <=10mph, I can envision quite a few miniPROs on NYC sidewalks without any troubles. Sure, there's the possibility of losing control of a miniPRO...or a stroller...or a foot scooter...or one's own feet. But the relatively low risk would make me want to see real-world data from use on actual super-urban sidewalks before considering any sort of regulation. And if they got popular enough that they were everywhere and people were getting out of cabs and onto EPAMDs...then NYC can put up a barrier and create an extra lane for pedestrians-on-EPAMD.

The more popular use case for Segways on sidewalks in NYC is probably for people who want to go farther than they can walk (since one doesn't get far quickly on the sidewalk during busy times).

We live in a dangerous world. Lightning can strike. Cars hit people. Baby strollers run amok can break bones. I'm sure that it's possible to get hurt by an EPAMD too. Luckily the risk is fairly low on all of the above (except for getting hit by cars...which are really heavy machines).