Solowheel sighting!
 

Yesterday, I went to an appointment in the south bay, via Segway/ferry/Segway/train/Segway.

On the return trip, as I was disembarking from Caltrain with my Segway, a guy on a Solowheel came by.

We ended up travelling together as far as the Ferry Terminal, when he headed up Market, and I headed to the boat.

It seems like a really nice commuting option, small and l ight enough to take on the train with you. 10 miles of range, handles steep hills.

The big drawbacks are it is a bit heavy (I believe he said 45 pounds?) to have to carry if you run out of battery, and it can't go very slowly, so it can't really be used when it's crowded. It is also harder to learn -- he spent 3 hours, with several falls, in the learning process.

It's also a bit slower than the Segway; I didn't try to estimate the speed, but I had no problem catching up with him quickly when forced to drop back due to pedestrian traffic. (He has an eBike that will do 28 MPH, but he finds the Solowheel to be more fun, as well as more practical for commuting via train).

He's getting a fast charger, to charge it in 30 minutes I think it was.

Interestingly, he was concerned about using it responsibly to avoid a backlash (this Is San Francisco, which banned the Segway before they even saw it).

Also, he reports having often encountered another Solowheel owner in the wild (someone who lives near the train station).

Thanks for the info!
I was under the impression it was around 20-30 pounds.

It's always fun seeing other people on some of the rarest scooters around.

You said San Fran banned segways?
Where is this banishment in effect?
Any specific regulations?

Here's news about the original ban:

http://www.geek.com/news/segway-bann...ewalks-548094/

Then in 2003, the state legislature passed a bill to make them legal, classifying them as pedestirans, rather than vehicles. This was updated in 2008. But local governments were given the option of enacting their own regulations.

San Francisco and a few other CA cities (like Mountain View) took advantage of that to impose rules. I'm not sure of the exact scope of the current SF restrictions. I do know that they're not so tight that tour groups do flourish.

The ADA ends up overruling this for use as a mobility aid.

I met Willie Brown when on my Segway in SF. He had been mayor at the time of the ban, and indicated his frustration with their going down this path.

I've also encountered some of the opposition behind the ban. They view themselves as "disability rights activitsts" and "pedestrian rights activist". A seriously misguided group -- and the ones I've encountered were actually quite spiteful.

But I haven't encountered that sort of reaction in years now. Somehow, the weight of evidence against their position seems to be winning out...

"(I believe he said 45 pounds?)"



For the record, the manufacturer of the solowheel states:
"Specifications:• Unit Weight: 24 lbs/10 kg"

Thanks. I may have heard wrong, or perhaps he was refering to weight of the unit plus a charger or something. It didn't LOOK that heavy to me...

20 lb charger?

Maybe 20 British Pounds but 20 pound weight is insane'

Who knows.

This is truely dependant upon how many gerbils and how big the wheel is. :D

I'm sorry?

I suspect he's referring to my poor memory or hearing about how much the weight is? (That seems the most likely explanation at this point.)

I thought this was techno speak about the weight of the charger is dependent upon how powerful (count of gerbils) the charger is, and how big the battery is (the wheel). (or possibly amperage and voltage capacities)

I am kind of surprised at Bob. He has been so familiar with techno speak, that several terms were actually coined by him. (and of course, several were about him and were coined as soon as he left the room) ;)