Irish police on Segway Patrols!!

[SegwayDan]

I've been following Segway Ireland on Twitter and they tweeted this photo an hour ago.



I suppose they'll learn soon enough what happens if they glide too fast over cobblestones. ;-)

[SegwayDan]

Another link:

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/1031/gardai-segways.html

[Gihgehls]

Nice pic! I'm surprised they haven't upgraded their tires. They look pretty wet, which I imagine is common.

[KSagal]

Originally Posted by Gihgehls

Nice pic! I'm surprised they haven't upgraded their tires. They look pretty wet, which I imagine is common.

The news reports dubbed them "urban segways" which may be why they are using the tires they are using...

By your comment, I presume you feel that the 'X' tires are an upgrade. Of course, you may mean some other aftermarket tire, but the only tires I know of that can come from the factory are the ones they have, and the X tires...

In many ways, I like the X machines, but they do come with a real set of disadvantages, especially when dealing with pedestrian areas and intermingling with pedestrians on foot. I feel they can be a bit aggressive looking especially when right next to them, and that may not be the preferred perspective they want to present.

Of course, there are lots of clearance issues as well for the larger tires.

[Gihgehls]

You presume too much. I was talking about something like the IRC SN-23 or similar wet/cold weather scooter tire.

[KSagal]

Originally Posted by Gihgehls

You presume too much. I was talking about something like the IRC SN-23 or similar wet/cold weather scooter tire.

Again, after market tires. Most fleets and commercial buyers are resistant to non-OEM products.

[SegwayDan]

Originally Posted by KSagal

The news reports dubbed them "urban segways" which may be why they are using the tires they are using...

By your comment, I presume you feel that the 'X' tires are an upgrade. Of course, you may mean some other aftermarket tire, but the only tires I know of that can come from the factory are the ones they have, and the X tires...

In many ways, I like the X machines, but they do come with a real set of disadvantages, especially when dealing with pedestrian areas and intermingling with pedestrians on foot. I feel they can be a bit aggressive looking especially when right next to them, and that may not be the preferred perspective they want to present.

Of course, there are lots of clearance issues as well for the larger tires.

There are probably a lot of older areas of Dublin which have narrow passages, too.

[Gihgehls]

That's why I specifically said "upgrade the tires." Lots of police officers are opposed to falling on their asses and looking stupid as well.

I'm getting a little tired of the "factory knows best" mentality, because they clearly don't.

[KSagal]

Originally Posted by Gihgehls

That's why I specifically said "upgrade the tires." Lots of police officers are opposed to falling on their asses and looking stupid as well.

I'm getting a little tired of the "factory knows best" mentality, because they clearly don't.

You can be tired of it, but it is real, and has been around a lot longer than Segway Inc.

I have heard of very few if any municipalities that would use segways with non OEM tires. Have you?

By the way, the term 'upgraded tires' is yours. Clearly, some do not agree with that term as describing a rubber tire that will mark up inside floors, and if there is a need to go in and out, like a mall or into other areas, then the silicone tires are the upgrade from a rubber tire.

I appreciate that you feel the IRC tires are an upgrade with regard to not falling on their asses and looking stupid, but I have not had the opportunity to glide on them, so I guess I am likely to fall on my *** and look stupid...

No, wait, I have not fallen on my *** on the segway yet. (It is actually fairly hard, much more likely to fall on your face, in my opinion.) And I have been looking stupid for far more than the last decade that I have owned segways...

[Bob.Kerns]

Originally Posted by Gihgehls

That's why I specifically said "upgrade the tires." Lots of police officers are opposed to falling on their asses and looking stupid as well.

I'm getting a little tired of the "factory knows best" mentality, because they clearly don't.

After 5000 miles on the factory-knows-best tires, I think I'd have noticed if they were prone to making me fall on my *** and looking stupid.

I have fallen exactly once on pavement (wet OR dry) -- that was a balance issue, and the tires did not enter into it.

I have fallen when I have run into doorways, or been knocked down an embankment by a falling bicyclist. I have fallen from high-centering on a deep rut.

I think there have been exactly three times when I have fallen due to loss-of-traction.

The first was before I even got my own Segway. It was a mile from the nearest road, on the Mount Tamalpais watershed, very steep road, loose dust, inexperienced rider. The IRC tires *might* have saved me. But this was no urban environment!

The second was at the Sugar Bowl ski resort, my first attempt to push and see how well it would do in snow, up a slush-covered foot-traffic-packed embankment. I *HAD* the IRC tires; they did NOT save me. (They did fine for the rest of the day, once I understood their limits). Again, not the environment we're discussing, but if you're going to ride in snow, I'd recommend these tires for that environment.

The third was when making a sudden and aggressive move on wet grass, well, one wheel on wet grass, the other on dry. The IRC tires *might* have made a difference there, but I think probably not. This was more of a loss-of-balance issue than a loss-of-traction one. The Segway remained upright, and I did not.

Wet streets, wet store floors, probably fully 1000 miles of my travel have been in wet suburban conditions.

I really believe the *stock tires* are exactly what they should have on their urban Segways, and are what I continue to use for normal usage. They are *just fine* for the environment, and will not dump them on their a$$es. Only the IRC tires have dumped me on mine, actually.

The IRC tires are more prone to tracking mud and rainwater. They offer no traction advantage in the urban non-snow environment -- because there is no problem with traction with the stock tires in that environment.