Thoughts?

[mark1qhorsey]

Hi folks, My home is in northern New Mexico, and fortunately
we have a Segway dealer within "only" 100 miles!

I want to purchase an i2 commuter within a year, and have thought
pretty hard about the "commitment" needed to commute on one on
most days.

The i2 general "pitfalls" I have thought of are 1. reliability after one year?
2. longevity- can it last 10 years?, 3. weather tolerance- does it leak?, are there custom covers?, 4. tolerance by others-do people jimmy with it at work?, and 5. security (theft avoidance)? Any more?

By not planning ahead and (getting approval) where/how to park ones PT at the job, could be the fatal flaw of the whole i2 concept...

I would love the Segway as a recreational device, but not much use as a potted plant holder should it be useless for its purpose (above) or break too often and early.

Please, everyone, comment welcome on mitigating the potential pits... Thanks,

[quade]

You've hit on some topics but I think you've missed a couple when it comes to commuting.

Far and away I think the most important is the route you'll take to and from work, day in and day out, rain or shine, light or dark. Think about the entire year including the winter months where the sun might not be up and the summer where it might be particularly hot. Think about the condition of the sidewalks or bike paths. I'd go so far as to suggest you ride them on a bike first to check them out.

The i2 is a wonderfully robust platform as far as weather goes and unless submerged I don't think that's going to be much of an issue. YOUR safety and enjoyment of riding through a New Mexican thunderstorm, on the other hand . . . well, I'll leave that up to you to decide if that's a great idea.

I can pretty much guarantee that there will be some days you're going to be better served with a different mode of transportation, but the good days of riding the Segway can really be an interesting and different experience.

Will it last 1 year? Absolutely. Will it last 10? Probably, but I'm fairly certain there will be maintenance involved like changing a tire or two and also getting a new set of batteries. I don't think you'll find many other $5,000 pieces of transportation that will go 10 years without some form of this.

Security depends a LOT of where you're going to be allowed to park it. I can't address that for you. Only you can answer that question. It can be fairly secured similar to a bicycle. Leave it outside in a bad area for a night or two and I think you'll find similar results and comparable to a bicycle.

[rrc1962]

Originally Posted by quade

I don't think you'll find many other $5,000 pieces of transportation that will go 10 years without some form of this.

A new $30,000 Chevy can barely go a year. Personally, I think considering the Segways price point, the warranty should be 3 years, even if the last 2 years were pro-rated. The warranty duration tells a lot about the manufacturers confidence in their product.

[mark1qhorsey]

Thanks, Quade
You have insights that will be useful. I too, am a little surprised by the lack of
an extended warranty (purchased) on the product. Look forward to glidin'
Mark