Don

[donandrews]

Hello: purchased used i2 last fall and am really enjoying riding it around our small (pop 1600) town of Brownsville, OR. Great for short commute to work and running errands - except that they take twice as long as they should with everyone asking me questions.

Does anyone have any practice tips about how to get off and on gracefully? I have neuropathy in my lower legs and sometimes having a bit of difficulty with my balance - especially when I am putting my foot on the platform to get on. Segway wants to leave before I am fully ready. Leaning it on the wall works, but is not always practical.

Am looking for Segway owners in my area. I seem to be the only one withing about a 50 mile radius.

Peace,
Don

[Lily Kerns]

Originally Posted by donandrews

Hello: purchased used i2 last fall and am really enjoying riding it around our small (pop 1600) town of Brownsville, OR. Great for short commute to work and running errands - except that they take twice as long as they should with everyone asking me questions.

Does anyone have any practice tips about how to get off and on gracefully? I have neuropathy in my lower legs and sometimes having a bit of difficulty with my balance - especially when I am putting my foot on the platform to get on. Segway wants to leave before I am fully ready. Leaning it on the wall works, but is not always practical.

Am looking for Segway owners in my area. I seem to be the only one withing about a 50 mile radius.

Peace,
Don

Practice! Start at the bottom of a step (with a railing to grasp if necessary.) To step up to the step, place one foot on the step. (Practice will tell you which one works best for you.) Transfer your weight and balance to that foot and then lift the other foot into place. Hang on to the railing for balance if necessary, but your goal is to do this without hanging on to the railing to lift yourself..

To step down, stand on the step, then transfer your weight to one foot Then drop the other foot down until your toe touches the ground. You are stepping down--NOT off or back. There is a big difference! Lower your weight to that foot, bending the other knee as needed. Then place the first foot firmly on the ground.

This practice exercise is based on Segway's advice that you need to be able to step up onto stairs without hanging on to something. i too had difficulty getting on and off confidently, until I worked ou this kind of practice. No further problem after only a little bit of work...

Hope this helps!

Note--you mightwant to post this in the disability section too....

[Bob.Kerns]

Originally Posted by donandrews

Hello: purchased used i2 last fall and am really enjoying riding it around our small (pop 1600) town of Brownsville, OR. Great for short commute to work and running errands - except that they take twice as long as they should with everyone asking me questions.

Does anyone have any practice tips about how to get off and on gracefully? I have neuropathy in my lower legs and sometimes having a bit of difficulty with my balance - especially when I am putting my foot on the platform to get on. Segway wants to leave before I am fully ready. Leaning it on the wall works, but is not always practical.

Am looking for Segway owners in my area. I seem to be the only one withing about a 50 mile radius.

Peace,
Don

Major neuropathy here, too. One thing is that you really don't need to worry about balancing the machine, once you get your foot on it. You just don't want it to turn, and you want to position it under you.

As you transfer your weight onto it, you can actually pull it toward you with your foot, as you lift the other one. This both pulls you forward onto it, and it backward under you. It won't tip over, and it won't go running out of control, but it'll take a while to believe that!

For getting off, you can reverse the process. But you have to be prepared for it to be tugging on you a bit, so you want to keep your own weight back to compensate. But let it go forward with your weight-bearing foot, so you don't have to move yourself and your other leg so much.

I hope that makes sense verbally. I actually find it possible to get on and off without using my hands, if there's a wall handy. It's not my preferred mode, but sometimes it's handy. It's going to do everything it can to stay under you, so if you keep your foot planted -- if it gets too far ahead, your foot will pull it back, and vice versa.

And as my mom said -- practice.

[bob@redrosesegtours]

Don,

I'm not sure if this will help, but we've found in our tour business that there is less tendency to pull the Segway toward you or push it away from you while mounting and dismounting if you use only one hand to hold the machine. We recommend that to tour participants because when you use one hand to hold the machine, your other hand is generally at your side or at least near there and you're generally standing straighter and are better balanced as you mount or dismount. If they feel they must use two hands, we recommend they hold onto a fence, wall, handrail, etc., with the other hand while mounting.

So when they mount, we tell them to hold the machine with one hand, step up with one foot, grab hold with the other hand, and then step up with the other foot.

And when they dismount, we tell them to let go with one hand and then step off the machine one foot at a time.

Glide on!

Bob

[Bob.Kerns]

Originally Posted by bob@redrosesegtours

Don,

I'm not sure if this will help, but we've found in our tour business that there is less tendency to pull the Segway toward you or push it away from you while mounting and dismounting if you use only one hand to hold the machine. We recommend that to tour participants because when you use one hand to hold the machine, your other hand is generally at your side or at least near there and you're generally standing straighter and are better balanced as you mount or dismount. If they feel they must use two hands, we recommend they hold onto a fence, wall, handrail, etc., with the other hand while mounting.

So when they mount, we tell them to hold the machine with one hand, step up with one foot, grab hold with the other hand, and then step up with the other foot.

And when they dismount, we tell them to let go with one hand and then step off the machine one foot at a time.

Glide on!

Bob

I tell people to step up or off with the foot opposite the hand they're holding on with. That way, they can't rotate away from alignment, or fall to one side, causing it to turn even more. Not that I've had any actual falls, or even close -- but it really helps to keep Segway and Glider aligned if the Glider is proceeding with both sides of his or her body.

[Nelda]

Don, welcome to segchat.
We toured Brownsville on our segways during Carriage Days this year. Fun Town and I think we should plan a group glide there this year! It is a most fun place to glide and look at the quaint houses and downtown.
Drop me a private message (top right of page) and we'll stop by for a glide.

Nelda and Jerry

[Suzined]

Definitely need Corvallis Segway to point us all in the right direction--including a Seg-friendly lunch spot with a Segway Juice Bar so our steads can refresh themselves whilst we eat.

All suggestions for mounting are good. (I bought a couple of i180s just to reduce the size of the problem.) Without practice, may I suggest a prayer group? I understand the Air Force Academy may have a few extra rocks laying about.

Ed