Thread: miniPRO Segway/Ninebot MINI PRO
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Old 06-08-2016, 01:36 PM   #26
DCTenor1
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 231
5 yr Member HT/PT Owner
Cool The miniPRO has wooed me back

Hi everyone - another long-time SegwayChat member here, although I haven't posted in a while. I purchased my i2 in 2007 to get around DC, but sold it back to the dealer in 2012 after I moved outside the city limits and it just became too inconvenient to use it to get into the city.

I've since played around with a lot of other transportation technologies, including Bionx pedal-assist on my bike (love!), the OneWheel (really really fun but not super practical as a commuting tool), and those generic "hoverboards" out of China (the ones that like to explode).

I sold my tiny little hoverboard because although it was fun to use inside, the mechanism by which you control it just didn't work well at high speed - aka anything over about 6 mph. Since the two foot pedals operated independently, it gave great maneuverability at low speed - witness all the celebrity dance videos -but at high speed it was incredibly difficult to keep equal pressure on both pedals. The end result was that the device would tend to spin out of control at high speeds, bucking you off.

I always felt this design flaw could be easily fixed with a simple firmware update: If, as the device started moving faster, the footpads became less sensitive to pressure, it would have become usable at high speed. Alas, because it wasn't - and because I was basically only using it to goof off inside - I sold it to a buddy and longed for something better to come along.

That's why, for the first time in years, I'm actually considering picking up a Segway again. I've moved back into the city, and my commute would be about 5 miles. I would never spend money on a new Segway i2 -- it's just too expensive, and the tech is so outdated. The Ninebot Elite is pretty neat, a good update to the i2, but it's still pretty expensive. So I'm really looking forward to the Mini Pro, which solves the problems of the hoverboard. Lean steer is definitely the way to go. I'm a little wary about the size of the tires; 10 inches compared to the i2's 19 inches -- I worry about traction and stability and the ability to go over the kinds of bumps and cracks you find on your typical city sidewalk. But I'm intrigued enough - and optimistic enough - to pre-order one for $999 on Amazon.

If it doesn't live up to the hype, I'll return it. But I hope I don't have to.

It's good to be back!

Last edited by DCTenor1; 06-08-2016 at 01:41 PM..
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