Greetings from snowy CT along with questions

[Beck]

Just want to introduce myself and ask a question or two.

I live about 60 miles NE of Times Square and 8 miles from Long Island sound in a suburban neighborhood where every other street has "Hill" in its name.

I'm almost 60, male, a life long techie and a bit of a klutz.

I have trouble standing for more than 15 minutes a day as well as walking more than 100'. For a few years I've been using an electric scooter to get around parking lots, stores, and libraries. I have a handicap tag.

I have no trouble using the Segway in my office, it being a somewhat loose organization about 15 men and women have already taken test rides including two managers. All went well although two of my largest colleagues got into nasty feedback loops. Fortunately only their pride was injured.

I'm renting a somewhat beatup Segway 180 and will soon attach a SegSeat to it. I have a right to buy the Segway and the seat for $2600. Aside from cosmetic issues and a bit of clunking it seems to work well.

Questions:

? Does this seem like a reasonable price ?

? How will I know the batteries need replacement ? They seem to charge OK but I haven't gone for any long rides.

? Can someone point me to a users' manual? I haven't found one using Google.

? Assuming I can get this into my house, can a klutz use a Segway while cooking, cleaning up, etc?

Many thanks,

Beck
PS - I'll also be posting this in the disabled section

[wwhopper]

Your comment about the clunking noise bothers me though. It could be a gear box and that is not a cheap fix.

Questions?

Is this from a dealer, a friend or someone who is just selling Segways?

Is the Seg Seat the one that goes between your legs - what we know of as Mario's Seg Seat - a unicycle seat that moves back and forth. Or is it a lean seat from the Segvator folks? Lean seats fold down from posts on the side of the Segway.

How new are your batteries?

Buying from an authorized dealer, or one that works closely with one is better than just some guy selling a Segway. Make sure the unit is clean and not stolen, you can call Segway with the serial number to see if they have it listed and who it is owned by.

Batteries are an issue, with the I-180 you can use LiIon batteries, but you can't take them on a plane, just the NiMH batteries. - Make sure you got the newest batteries (for 2600 you better be getting LiIon - they are pretty thick and have little what look like vents at the botton in the center - NiMH are thinner and are just flat across the bottom and don't meet they fit in areas on either side of the center of the platform.

Try out a lean seat, I find it more comfortable than the Seg Seat.

For sure hook up with the DRAFT folks (Tarkus is on here a lot) www.DRAFT.org (http://www.DRAFT.org) and also hook up with Brooster (also on this site,) he lives in your neck of the woods and is an early user of the machine, and I know he would love a friend to talk Segways with.

CT is not the most Segway Friendly state in the Union, but there are a few up there.

Good luck and check in and post often. Your going to love the Seg it will make your life so much easier. Soon you will have one for your office and your home!

[KSagal]

I agree with everything that Will has said. From your description, I would guess you to be in Darien or maybe New Caanan, or even Fairfield hills...

There are a few other seggers around, I know one that lives in Fairfield, but while he has a tremendous knowledge, (and is a good guy to boot) he does not post here too much anymore.

The thing about segways, is that they work great, mostly all the time. But when they break, they often break big, and are very expensive to fix, and not always convenient to get it done. Many times they wind up being shipped back to their factory in New Hampshire for repair.

Because of all this, and the fact that local repair is just not that likely, it makes sense to get the machine to someone who can give it an honest assessment before you purchase it, and of course, it's service history and potential problems...

Your price was reasonable, but nothing too spectacular. The big item is trust. If you trust the person, you may have to go with that. If not, you are taking a real gamble...

Either way, it makes sense to get yourself to an authorized dealer, to see what they have to say, and get yourself a sense of perspective. They may have a used machine in that same price range, that they can back up with an in shop warrantee, or at least first hand knowledge of the battery condition and age...

Of course, the dealer may have a worse looking dog with more noises and a higher price. This will also be part of your education.

I think it is great that you are looking this direction for a solution to your mobility problem, and your education on segways... Unfortunately, there is no quick answer, other than to get yourself to a place with informed people and a frame of reference.

[Beck]

Your comment about the clunking noise bothers me though. It could be a gear box and that is not a cheap fix.

Questions?

Is this from a dealer, a friend or someone who is just selling Segways?

Is the Seg Seat the one that goes between your legs - what we know of as Mario's Seg Seat - a unicycle seat that moves back and forth. Or is it a lean seat from the Segvator folks? Lean seats fold down from posts on the side of the Segway.

How new are your batteries?

Buying from an authorized dealer, or one that works closely with one is better than just some guy selling a Segway. Make sure the unit is clean and not stolen, you can call Segway with the serial number to see if they have it listed and who it is owned by.

Batteries are an issue, with the I-180 you can use LiIon batteries, but you can't take them on a plane, just the NiMH batteries. - Make sure you got the newest batteries (for 2600 you better be getting LiIon - they are pretty thick and have little what look like vents at the botton in the center - NiMH are thinner and are just flat across the bottom and don't meet they fit in areas on either side of the center of the platform.

Try out a lean seat, I find it more comfortable than the Seg Seat.

For sure hook up with the DRAFT folks (Tarkus is on here a lot) www.DRAFT.org (http://www.DRAFT.org) and also hook up with Brooster (also on this site,) he lives in your neck of the woods and is an early user of the machine, and I know he would love a friend to talk Segways with.

CT is not the most Segway Friendly state in the Union, but there are a few up there.

Good luck and check in and post often. Your going to love the Seg it will make your life so much easier. Soon you will have one for your office and your home!

wwhopper - thanks for your responses, you've raised a red flag.

I also think that it might be the gearbox, the seller is an eBayer, not a dealer, the batteries are probably the original NiMH, and the seat is definitely Mario's SegSeat - it is brand new, having just arrived from Torrance, CA

Do you know how I can get in touch with Broost?

I've been on the DRAFT site and will try to get in touch with Tarkus.

At this point I think I'll return the unit to the seller and start looking for one in better condition.

I should add that I'm in Trumbull, CT.

Best,

Beck

[Suzined]

Welcome aboard, Beck. Wwhooper and Karl are very knoweledgeable...very reliable sources of information and advise.

You will find that with use, your 15 minutes aboard will slowly increase. Just a question of getting muscles accustomed to working again. It's probably overkill but if you have a reliable physical therapist, talk to them about muscle conditioning. I'm not sure cooking from a Segway would be all that great. I'm quite unsteady and am careful about carrying things. I tend to drop full coffee cups which is tough on the hands, shirt, etc.

I prefer the i180 because I can fly with it. Southwest is my pick for the friendliest airline but if you arrive at your departure gate very early and give the gate attendant a pitch and a ride, the friendliness quotient increases dramatically.