Your 2nd Favorite Alternative Transportation
 

I have owned an electric scooter (Xootr EX3), a kick scooter (Xootr Street), an electric bike (heavy and large), folding bikes (Dahon), normal rollerblades, LandRollers and Skorpions skates.

All of that and the Segway PT is my FAVORITE! It's great in NYC where the pavement's rough and stopping on a dime is cruicial. I don't have to balance and it's very easy to control. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

But...

For portability, I would love to try the:

• YikeBike
• spnKiK
• SoloWheel

The SoloWheel really appeals to me because it seems to operate like the Segway (probably copied Segway's technology), doesn't require strapping anything on and is moderately priced.

What are your thoughts? Any alternatives that you own, would like to or have tested? :)

I wish I had one of these technologies to offer up, but it might be interesting to have an exchange of sorts, kind of a conveyance technology fair. At some future event where we come for some social interaction, we could bring some other item for all to sample. I was at the segway fest where a brand new q was brought, and we all tried it.

I was interested in SpnKix too, but the specs are out now, and besides the fact that they are limited to a 5 degree incline, the stated weight limit is 180 pounds. I'm a little too fat. :(

Edit: I think I just found my answer. :)

is that per foot? That is the only way I can qualify.

I weigh in at 220. That is over the limit, but I know lots of people who are over the segway limit, and do not do too bad with that. I wonder how much margin is figured in.

The SoloWheel looks interesting to me, too. I watched some of the videos they have on their site, and the thing looks pretty simple and relatively easy to control.

I also noticed the Asian girl in one video ride it up a pretty steep incline, which seems to indicate that it has a good amount of power--although she was rather petite.

It's still hard to tell from those videos how hard it is to stop fast, and they did mention that it was hard to balance when you're not rolling. So, I don't know how well it would work in NYC crowds, Lil.

I am curious about those little stilts that remind me of the ones that plasterers use. They have a straight post, and a curved one. They had many videos out a few years ago, including some where people were running pretty fast. I do not recall their name.

I liked the solo wheel as well, most likely moreso than the motorized roller skate type devices. I have never been much of a skater, on ice or wheels. (or boards)

I am still looking for the segway sized hovercraft, or potentially a quiet jetpack (backpack).

I suppose the ultimate would be the boots that Spock wore at El Capitan.

Solowheel - not for me
 

Good question, but I just double-checked the site, and at http://spnkix.com/faq/, it says:

"Q. What is the rider weight limit for spnKiX?
A. We recommend no more than 180lbs."

I also noticed that the warranty is only 90 days. For a product that costs $700, that seems like kind of a "Sith move." (Keepin' it clean. :) )

A snarky Verge article needed some clumsy idiot to show how NOT to operate a SoloWheel.

If it were a real unicycle, that kid wouldn't have gotten across the aisle before he dumped it, assuming he hadn't put in the time to learn how to ride a unicycle.

Despite the fact that I don't personally give a hoot whether this gadget makes it or not, it does obviously have a learning curve to it, and the SoloWheel people really blew it in not have this kid do at least a little learning off camera.

This is the SoloWheel equivalent of George Bush's first Segway "glide."

What was interesting to me were the "training wheels" under the foot plates. Perhaps the company had earlier overestimated the abilities of people to get the hang of the machine without them.

I think they're a bad I idea, as they could easily catch on protuberances while someone was underway at speed.

Another interesting thing this gadget points up is the fact that both the SoloWheel and the Segway PT have their respective operational limitations--though the Segway has inherently much better capabilities than the SoloWheel.

If someone wants to buy into either, they have to do it with the realization that there IS a learning curve with each, and there IS a certain amount of hazard with each which no amount of helmets, skid gear, or insurance policies, can keep them from getting injured or killed. Same could be said about hang gliders, para gliders, small aircraft, or helicopters.

What WILL keep them safe is a substantial degree of integrity and honesty to adequately learn the operation of each, and to NEVER compromise with respecting the characteristics and limitations of each machine.

It looks to me like the real problem was he was looking at the camera instead of paying attention to what he was doing.