Maintenance on Segways - Page 3

Segman61 · 02-01-2005, 10:08 PM

Thank you Chris and Tom, you both have good points. All of which are just a hint of what is covered in our manual.

Also I don't know if I explained myself correctly as for the reason we are charging for the manual.

No matter how much each one of us loves the Segway we still all must make a living. Of course Daniel and I are no different. There are soo many enthusiasts out there who want to start a Segway rental business that we would spend days at a time producing manuals, taking phone calls, and responding to emails. There is just simply too much to go over to entertain these inquiries day after day.

For example Chris made a good point. You can't allow the quality of your training to diminish in order to "fit" more rides into a day of business. With that same token you can't take 45 minutes to train a group of 8 people that are paying to take an hour tour. It's too easy to lose their focus, which could result in a rider error during the tour. You must realize that the majority of your customers have never ridden a Segway and are not prepared to receive a super "in-depth" training on how to ride a Segway. They come having heard on TV and from others how easy it is too ride. They will want to just "hop on" and go! Once someone is in that mindset it's very difficult to explain to him or her how important the training is and that they must pay attention. Because of this there needs be a fine line as to what they need to know, what they don't and how to teach them the necessities in a way that is fast, thorough, keeps them focused, and most importantly keeps them safe. Contrary to popular belief it IS possible to train someone for a "safe" ride in under 5 minutes. Not everyone you give a ride to will need to know EVERYTHING about the Segway. Plus it will give you things to talk about with your customers while on tour. (as long as you're not busy pointing out points of interest)

Please understand that safety has ALWAYS been our #1 priority. Also understand that it has never been our intention to be Segway hustlers and take peoples money for merely standing on a Segway for 10 minutes. We also believe that being “business savvy” in part means that people should be given a choice as to how long of a ride they would like to take in order to experience the Segway. We have many customers that just don’t have time to take a long tour or just want to take a short ride to get a taste of the “magic”.

After someone has been trained quickly and most importantly correctly, you must know how to spot bad riding techniques and how to correct them. About half of the people you put on a Segway will ride the Segway exactly how you have instructed them. The other half will almost immediately develop a style of riding that could be dangerous to them and to the rest of the group. This must be corrected in a tactful and timely manner in order to optimize the number of SAFE rides you can do during hours of operation.

We had a 12 yr. old who was used to "hot-dogging" on various devices from go-carts to motorbikes. He was very receptive during the training and appeared to pick it up effortlessly. During the ride he started inching his feet to the back of the platform in order to put himself in a more aggressive stance. Before one of our employees could catch it he had moved his feet soo far back that he was no longer triggering the foot sensors and the machine put itself into power assist mode with him on the machine. Of course he fell face first towards the ground. Luckily he caught himself before smashing his face into the concrete.

Since this incident we have had many kids that start to inch their feet back while riding. Because of the previous incident we have been able to watch out for this habit in younger riders and in so doing prevent future accidents.

This is just a sliver of what we offer through our experience. As I've said I could go on for days.

If any of you have very specific questions we are happy to help. We just can't walk future Segway Renters through all the hoops without compensation. There is just simply too much to go over. "So much to do, so little time"

I am SEGMAN!

Segway City · 02-02-2005, 01:26 AM

Matt: you're right on target with a resource that's been very badly needed for a long time. It's unfortunate that, for some, safety issues have become somewhat proprietary and only spoken of in low voices. Exposing improper riding techniques is not a means to expose a dangerous device, it's the only way to show how truly safe an HT is.

After all the tours and prospective rider orientation sessions I've performed, dangerous techniques or riding styles can be obvious... or hidden. Even after a 20 minute orientation, being on guard and on point with a standardized practice is the only safeguard for the rider. Learning the ropes took time and included many errors that could have been prevented with a simple manual as you seem to have created. Glad to see it come of age.

One rider technique that is hard to see before it happens is the avid skateboarding youth rider whose balance is fore and aft, rather than side to side. They sometimes operate on instinct when slowing up, putting one foot behind them, rather than just flexing toe to heel. That tends to give them less stability, and they are apt to step off the platform as they would a skateboard, invariably causing the HT to bury the handlebars in the asphalt as it tries to cope with the sudden weight loss from the rear. If they take a "skateboard stance", beware, stop and retrain!

Florida Ever-Glides · 02-02-2005, 01:55 PM

Don't even begin to think that you can 'learn the ropes' from a manual. Ever heard of a 'black belt' earned from a book???

Tom Jacobson
http://www.floridaever-glides.com

Segway City · 02-02-2005, 07:41 PM

Ever heard of an engineering degree learned on the streets? Don't kid yourself, knowledge that is written is not valueless, it's just another tool. Those who don't utilize all tools at their disposal are apt to fail. I've not seen the manual, but I certainly would not dismiss its value nor the integrity of the author before doing so.

Florida Ever-Glides · 02-02-2005, 09:56 PM

I am not dismissing anything. I'm sure the manual is filled with all kinds of useful information and is probably worth every dollar charged. What I am saying is don't fool yourself into thinking that you can simply buy a manual and BE a successful business operator. If it were that easy, more engineers would be good business people...

Tom Jacobson
http://www.floridaever-glides.com

Segman61 · 02-02-2005, 10:31 PM

Larry and Tom,

You guys are both right on the money! A manual will not solve all of your problems when trying to start a Segway rental business.

To aid in this our services include an opportunity for myself or a trained employee to come to the location of the new Segway Renter and give some hands on training. Of course all of this does not guarantee a successful business, there are many factors that you just can't help. We recognize whole heartedly that there is NO substitute for experience.

With that being said we still feel that our services could put anyone interested in such an adventure light years ahead of the rest.

Remeber what a wiseman once said "A SMART man learns from his own mistakes. A Wise man learns from the mistakes of others".

I am SEGMAN!

Segway City · 02-03-2005, 12:35 AM

Good value for the new entrepreneur! I hope you see great success, with many new operations across the country.

02-01-2005, 10:08 PM	#21
Segman61 Junior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Holladay, Utah, USA. Posts: 19	Thank you Chris and Tom, you both have good points. All of which are just a hint of what is covered in our manual. Also I don't know if I explained myself correctly as for the reason we are charging for the manual. No matter how much each one of us loves the Segway we still all must make a living. Of course Daniel and I are no different. There are soo many enthusiasts out there who want to start a Segway rental business that we would spend days at a time producing manuals, taking phone calls, and responding to emails. There is just simply too much to go over to entertain these inquiries day after day. For example Chris made a good point. You can't allow the quality of your training to diminish in order to "fit" more rides into a day of business. With that same token you can't take 45 minutes to train a group of 8 people that are paying to take an hour tour. It's too easy to lose their focus, which could result in a rider error during the tour. You must realize that the majority of your customers have never ridden a Segway and are not prepared to receive a super "in-depth" training on how to ride a Segway. They come having heard on TV and from others how easy it is too ride. They will want to just "hop on" and go! Once someone is in that mindset it's very difficult to explain to him or her how important the training is and that they must pay attention. Because of this there needs be a fine line as to what they need to know, what they don't and how to teach them the necessities in a way that is fast, thorough, keeps them focused, and most importantly keeps them safe. Contrary to popular belief it IS possible to train someone for a "safe" ride in under 5 minutes. Not everyone you give a ride to will need to know EVERYTHING about the Segway. Plus it will give you things to talk about with your customers while on tour. (as long as you're not busy pointing out points of interest) Please understand that safety has ALWAYS been our #1 priority. Also understand that it has never been our intention to be Segway hustlers and take peoples money for merely standing on a Segway for 10 minutes. We also believe that being “business savvy” in part means that people should be given a choice as to how long of a ride they would like to take in order to experience the Segway. We have many customers that just don’t have time to take a long tour or just want to take a short ride to get a taste of the “magic”. After someone has been trained quickly and most importantly correctly, you must know how to spot bad riding techniques and how to correct them. About half of the people you put on a Segway will ride the Segway exactly how you have instructed them. The other half will almost immediately develop a style of riding that could be dangerous to them and to the rest of the group. This must be corrected in a tactful and timely manner in order to optimize the number of SAFE rides you can do during hours of operation. We had a 12 yr. old who was used to "hot-dogging" on various devices from go-carts to motorbikes. He was very receptive during the training and appeared to pick it up effortlessly. During the ride he started inching his feet to the back of the platform in order to put himself in a more aggressive stance. Before one of our employees could catch it he had moved his feet soo far back that he was no longer triggering the foot sensors and the machine put itself into power assist mode with him on the machine. Of course he fell face first towards the ground. Luckily he caught himself before smashing his face into the concrete. Since this incident we have had many kids that start to inch their feet back while riding. Because of the previous incident we have been able to watch out for this habit in younger riders and in so doing prevent future accidents. This is just a sliver of what we offer through our experience. As I've said I could go on for days. If any of you have very specific questions we are happy to help. We just can't walk future Segway Renters through all the hoops without compensation. There is just simply too much to go over. "So much to do, so little time" I am SEGMAN!

02-02-2005, 01:26 AM	#22
Segway City Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Music City, Tennessee, USA. Posts: 717	Matt: you're right on target with a resource that's been very badly needed for a long time. It's unfortunate that, for some, safety issues have become somewhat proprietary and only spoken of in low voices. Exposing improper riding techniques is not a means to expose a dangerous device, it's the only way to show how truly safe an HT is. After all the tours and prospective rider orientation sessions I've performed, dangerous techniques or riding styles can be obvious... or hidden. Even after a 20 minute orientation, being on guard and on point with a standardized practice is the only safeguard for the rider. Learning the ropes took time and included many errors that could have been prevented with a simple manual as you seem to have created. Glad to see it come of age. One rider technique that is hard to see before it happens is the avid skateboarding youth rider whose balance is fore and aft, rather than side to side. They sometimes operate on instinct when slowing up, putting one foot behind them, rather than just flexing toe to heel. That tends to give them less stability, and they are apt to step off the platform as they would a skateboard, invariably causing the HT to bury the handlebars in the asphalt as it tries to cope with the sudden weight loss from the rear. If they take a "skateboard stance", beware, stop and retrain!

02-02-2005, 01:55 PM	#23
Florida Ever-Glides Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Sarasota, Florida, . Posts: 1,677	Don't even begin to think that you can 'learn the ropes' from a manual. Ever heard of a 'black belt' earned from a book??? Tom Jacobson http://www.floridaever-glides.com

02-02-2005, 07:41 PM	#24
Segway City Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Music City, Tennessee, USA. Posts: 717	Ever heard of an engineering degree learned on the streets? Don't kid yourself, knowledge that is written is not valueless, it's just another tool. Those who don't utilize all tools at their disposal are apt to fail. I've not seen the manual, but I certainly would not dismiss its value nor the integrity of the author before doing so.

02-02-2005, 09:56 PM	#25
Florida Ever-Glides Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Sarasota, Florida, . Posts: 1,677	I am not dismissing anything. I'm sure the manual is filled with all kinds of useful information and is probably worth every dollar charged. What I am saying is don't fool yourself into thinking that you can simply buy a manual and BE a successful business operator. If it were that easy, more engineers would be good business people... Tom Jacobson http://www.floridaever-glides.com

02-02-2005, 10:31 PM	#26
Segman61 Junior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Holladay, Utah, USA. Posts: 19	Larry and Tom, You guys are both right on the money! A manual will not solve all of your problems when trying to start a Segway rental business. To aid in this our services include an opportunity for myself or a trained employee to come to the location of the new Segway Renter and give some hands on training. Of course all of this does not guarantee a successful business, there are many factors that you just can't help. We recognize whole heartedly that there is NO substitute for experience. With that being said we still feel that our services could put anyone interested in such an adventure light years ahead of the rest. Remeber what a wiseman once said "A SMART man learns from his own mistakes. A Wise man learns from the mistakes of others". I am SEGMAN!

02-03-2005, 12:35 AM	#27
Segway City Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Music City, Tennessee, USA. Posts: 717	Good value for the new entrepreneur! I hope you see great success, with many new operations across the country.

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