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Old 02-04-2008, 12:42 PM   #11
Desert_Seg

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Masked Glider View Post
.[QUOTEI learned a valuable tip when I first joined this board. I carry small pruning shears with me where ever I go and if the tree (small) or bougainvillea (aka Mimosa) with all its thorns is hanging in my glide path...snip, snip, snip.
]
Has anyone said anything about you snipping branches? I have thought about taking clippers but asking permission especially on a residence that the branches block everything about a foot above the handlebars. Other single branches I wasn't so worried about that belong to the city or in front of residences[/quote]

Not one word.

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Old 02-04-2008, 04:31 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by gbrandwood View Post
Anyone remember the 2004 promo shot of a guy leaning hard around a corner on a then new i170? I can't seem to find it right now. Anyway... I like to think I'm that guy at a particularly good corner for leaning full whack at. Especially on the i2. I know it very well, and it is edged by a hedge about two feet tall. So I can see all the way around it.

This corner is on a housing estate and so I know there is the possibility of a little child being about, but normally if they were that small, a parent would be near by so that would give a clue. There's always the possibility of a dog or some debris/rubbish or something, so I always take it wide and not quite at full speed, but I get a good lean on and imagine I am that guy from the promo (minus the helmet).

When coming back from the gym recently, I got quite a shock and laughed out loud. As I went around the corner, there was a fully grown man, backpack, bobble hat et al, sat on the floor studying a map. He was completely hidden by the hedge and boy was I glad I took it wide.

Anyway, I thought, you'd never expect that to happen - and I kept on gliding. The best part was, because he was looking at his map, he didn't even seem to notice me.

Kept me smiling all the way home!

Expect the unexpected folks!!!!
My blood ran cold. If there had been a small child running away from it's mother, as they all do (as per Cube128) and you had hit it, think of the (Worldwide?) bad publicity. There for the grace etc etc...........

I have have just written in another thread, I reckon my observation skills are pretty hot, but we all make mistakes or bad judgemets sometimes.

Gareth, you're a biker so picture this. Me, 15 years ago (yeah, with hair). On my bike down the country lanes, left, flick it over to the right, exit the corner, power down the straight, next bend lean well over to the left............horse exhaust in the middle of the road........wrote of the bike and nearly wrote me off as well. Told everyone it was gravel, could not face the mickey taking
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Old 02-05-2008, 05:16 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nickyboy
............horse exhaust in the middle of the road........
Of course, Nick, there is always the chance that something like you describe could happen - and I hope it never does, and I continue to balance responsibility with fun as best as I can.

It's obvious riding any form of transport involves taking a certain amount of risk, and how well we minimise the risk is what separates a "good" glider from a "bad" one. But even a good one, or an extremely good one, can have an off day. I keep thinking, mine must be due anytime soon, as I've been gliding for 4 years and have yet to have an accident (secretly, I don't believe it is inevitable - but I don't believe I am impervious - it's a careful balance of skill, experience, knowledge of the area, my limitations, care for myself - don't wanna die, care for others and their property and finally a little bit of luck).

I feel riding a Segway, and now a motorbike, does make you more observant. I can really feel it when I'm wandering about as a pedestrian. Looking over my shoulder, anticipating peoples movements, identifying safe spots etc... so I feel like a much better pedestrian too. I've not rushed out of a shop onto a busy high street for years! And I always place my shopping bags across the direction of a slope .

It does make you think though. There could have been a small child by themselves, away from their parents (remember I had good visibility all-around, just nothing below 2 feet immediately against the hedge - hence me taking it wide). And whilst such an incident would be bad for all involved (and even Segways public image, which is slowly being built upon in the UK and what little ground we've made is no doubt fragile), sometimes things are outside of your control - and whilst the point of this thread is to remind people to expect the unexpected, the irony is, you can't! Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.

If I did hit a child and I'll be honest, I was doing about 8-10mph, the child would come off worse. But I would ask, what was a child doing there by themselves (right next to a busy road), with no parents anywhere? There are lots of parked cars around the corner and if they toddled out in between them into the road - well, this hypothetical analysis is just getting worse. But whatever I asked, wherever any of blame truly lay, I would feel so bad, as would the parents, and it would undoubtedly be seen to be my fault. It is a bad bend, and I do give it particular care and I think I'll be even more careful next time.
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Old 02-05-2008, 10:00 AM   #14
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There are two additional phenomena to mention here:

One is the fact that in the event of a head-on collision between Segway and foot-pedestrian that the impact would most likely be lessened by the Segway being naturally slowed by the resulting lean back.

That's rather unexpected unless you've played around with it beforehand. In fact, you SHOULD play around with it in order to get a feel for the masses and accelerations involved. Do it with a friend. Try it lightly at first, and then more boldly. It's surprising how much the on-foot person can slow you if they stand their ground.

The other thing to try is running over someone's foot. Now I've only done it so far on an XT (fat tires). It was admittedly less pleasant than a caress, but it was far from bone-crushing. Perhaps others have tried or experienced it with an i2. I haven't yet. But I it's most likely true that the rolling impact of machine over foot is not all that serious.

This is not to encourage such encounters. It's just to educate the glider about what to expect if and when such encounters occur.
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Old 02-05-2008, 10:14 AM   #15
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Although bumping into a child will not be greatly affected by what you say, which I'm guessing was not your point, I agree 100% with you, and have already experimented with the "experiences" you mention.

The best way I found was to ride into a wall. Yes. That was not a joke. I purposely rode into a brick wall with an arm extended (not fast mind) and it is clear that before the Segway would touch the wall the "brakes" were applied. When rolling into a wall with no arms, the machine straightens up and the brakes are once again applied.

[No walls were harmed during any of my testing ]

I've also had people glide over my foot (on purpose). First in my boots, which were difficult for the rider to get over, then my trainers, and finally, bare foot! Yes - that hurt most but surprisingly not very much. Much less so than someone standing on my foot.

Practicing and experiencing such things is akin to practicing skidding in a car or on a motorbike. Very useful to understand how these things handle when operating outside of their envelope.

All testing was carried out on my i167. Totally stock.

And yes I am mad to try these things! It's all for the love of the seg.
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Old 02-05-2008, 10:34 AM   #16
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Pip, pip, old chap! That's the spirit! Tally-ho, and all that rot!
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Old 02-05-2008, 11:20 AM   #17
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IMHO to balance fun and responsible riding there would be plenty of chances to go through full speed turns that do not have anything blocking your vision (or half your vision). I would think the responsibility part of the balance would include slowing down when you can't see things the size of children or adults in a seated position. Those are really big things.
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Old 02-05-2008, 11:35 AM   #18
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I always take the corner plenty wide, Scott, and a notch down from top speed, which is how I managed to avoid the man squatting over his map. He was right up against the hedge (probably using it as a wind break, if he was any further out, I'd have seen him. I assure you, I wasn't wreckless as the pavement is pretty wide and has some grass verge either side of the corner - just in case! I know it very well. Still, it was a lesson for me and I will take it a little slower in future.

Whenever I cross a hedged row, I always keep as far from it as possible as I've had people run out on me. Where possible, I avoid such routes.

It makes me wonder, just how far out of the way will I go for an easy/safe glide. How about others? Do you take the most direct route, or the most Segway friendly route? I'm thinking a couple of my journey's are not the way I would walk, simply because some pavements don't have kerb cut-outs and I hate having to get off to walk the seg up a kerb.
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Old 02-05-2008, 11:50 AM   #19
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All of my gliding is just for pleasure so I am never in a hurry. If I were a daily commuter and running late for work I could easily see another mindset sliding in and becoming far more aggressive in regular situations. Luckily for me, if we want to ride aggressively we can find a big wide open spot or a nasty hill and see what happens. So for me, I usually take the route that is most Segway friendly (meaning route around obstacles, etc, not going 3 blocks over because of some known issue). I am usually gliding in an area that I do not know well or certainly haven't memorized the sidewalk issues.
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Old 02-05-2008, 12:11 PM   #20
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... he's probably on the road somewhere out West... or East, who knows... but I recall him saying that when he's gliding on the sidewalks, he never glides faster than walking speed. Mind you, this is coming from a GREAT Segway ambassador, and a person whose opinions should not be taken lightly.

I'm the king of "do as I say, not do as I do," when it comes to many things (as are we all), but maybe acting like pedestrians (ie. not speeding, etc) when we're in a truly urban pedestrian environment has it's benefits.

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