Tighter Side Cargo Support
My side cargo bag on the Segway usually has heavy stuff in it. My briefcase, or a gallon of milk, or today's lunch. So it wiggles a bit from side to side when I go over bumps, more if the bumps are larger. To help it stay secure, I put a metal cable clamp on the section at the bottom which connects to the bracket. This made it more stable, and now I can be more confident about carrying heavier weights in the bag.
I'm also shopping for a front handlebar bag, for times when I need MORE cargo capability.
'Nuff fer now..........
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Monday, April 17, 2006
Segway up to almost 300 miles now.....
I'm keeping a "rough" mileage track on the Segway, and now we are at about 285 miles of gliding. Kids biked and I Segwayed on Friday the 14th to school and work. Getting really proficient at controlling it, and figuring out that it can be fun at speeds other than "max" also.
This past Saturday, the kids biked and I Segwayed to the Mall for lunch and a movie. We just locked the bikes/Segway together at the bike rack outside the movie entrance and went inside. I took the Segway cargo bag with me.
On the way home, we stopped for a bathroom break at Wendy's and this older gentleman with a cane came out and asked me a lot of questions about the Segway. He thought it was pretty cool. He did a double-take at the price, however. Anyway, lotsa fun still going on.
Also, I figured out that Stevie can ride the Segway to school when he becomes a freshman at Tempe High, also, which solves his transportation problem. Hopefully it will be "cool enough" for that at that time in his life !!!
I'm keeping a "rough" mileage track on the Segway, and now we are at about 285 miles of gliding. Kids biked and I Segwayed on Friday the 14th to school and work. Getting really proficient at controlling it, and figuring out that it can be fun at speeds other than "max" also.
This past Saturday, the kids biked and I Segwayed to the Mall for lunch and a movie. We just locked the bikes/Segway together at the bike rack outside the movie entrance and went inside. I took the Segway cargo bag with me.
On the way home, we stopped for a bathroom break at Wendy's and this older gentleman with a cane came out and asked me a lot of questions about the Segway. He thought it was pretty cool. He did a double-take at the price, however. Anyway, lotsa fun still going on.
Also, I figured out that Stevie can ride the Segway to school when he becomes a freshman at Tempe High, also, which solves his transportation problem. Hopefully it will be "cool enough" for that at that time in his life !!!
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Even more uses for the Segway:
Today I used it to go pick up an item I bought on E-Bay from a local seller. She drove to meet me at the Starbucks at Priest and Washington, and since I was "Segway bound" today having used it for my morning commute, that's how I met her. Took me 6 minutes from work to there.
I had no easy way to carry a 15" Pizza Stone on the Segway, so I brought a "server carrier" which is a strap device used to carry a computer server onto an airplane as checked or unchecked baggage. The Pizza Stone fit perfectly into the carrier, and I used the shoulder strap to carry it back to work on the Segway. Brilliant idea, saved two more miles of driving. Boo-Yeah !!
Today I used it to go pick up an item I bought on E-Bay from a local seller. She drove to meet me at the Starbucks at Priest and Washington, and since I was "Segway bound" today having used it for my morning commute, that's how I met her. Took me 6 minutes from work to there.
I had no easy way to carry a 15" Pizza Stone on the Segway, so I brought a "server carrier" which is a strap device used to carry a computer server onto an airplane as checked or unchecked baggage. The Pizza Stone fit perfectly into the carrier, and I used the shoulder strap to carry it back to work on the Segway. Brilliant idea, saved two more miles of driving. Boo-Yeah !!
Saturday, April 08, 2006
This morning, after the HIGH SPEED CRASH from yesterday, I realized I *HAD INDEED* learned from my crash.
My left side tire AGAIN slipped off a sidewalk into some gravel when I was going almost full speed. This time, instead of crashing, however, I held onto the handlebar with my right hand, stepped off with my left foot, and pulled the handlebar back enough to slow to a stop while my right foot was still on the platform and my left foot had hopped twice on the ground. I got back on, steered it back completely onto the sidewalk, and continued onward.
I also went through the drive-thru at Filibertos for a burrito. The lady never even looked at me funny. There were two cars which came in behind me. Very cool.
Last night, on the way home, a little 12 or 13 year old Mexican girl passed me going the other way on the sidewalk and I SWEAR she looked at me like I was the Virgin Mary or an Alien or the Devil Himself. The look of amazement and confusion on her face was priceless !! I wonder what she told her family when she got home ??? :)
My left side tire AGAIN slipped off a sidewalk into some gravel when I was going almost full speed. This time, instead of crashing, however, I held onto the handlebar with my right hand, stepped off with my left foot, and pulled the handlebar back enough to slow to a stop while my right foot was still on the platform and my left foot had hopped twice on the ground. I got back on, steered it back completely onto the sidewalk, and continued onward.
I also went through the drive-thru at Filibertos for a burrito. The lady never even looked at me funny. There were two cars which came in behind me. Very cool.
Last night, on the way home, a little 12 or 13 year old Mexican girl passed me going the other way on the sidewalk and I SWEAR she looked at me like I was the Virgin Mary or an Alien or the Devil Himself. The look of amazement and confusion on her face was priceless !! I wonder what she told her family when she got home ??? :)
Friday, April 07, 2006
My first "high speed" wipeout
Well Well Well.....Segways CAN have serious, severe, BLOODLETTING crashes !!!
Today I was cruising from work to the kids' school and the ex-wife was waiting for me (she got there early). The kids had already called me on the cell phone, which I answered with my right hand while gliding (because all the steering is done with the left hand) and I told Stevie I was about 3 or 4 minutes away.
Ten seconds after that call ended, phone rings AGAIN. So I answer it, and it's my daughter asking "what street are you on?" and just about that time, I meet a bicyclist coming toward me. This is a 7 or 8 foot wide sidewalk, not a small one, so it should have been no problem. Except that I was ONE-HAND DRIVING and TALKING ON A CELL PHONE.
OK: All the following stuff happens in about three seconds.
My left tire slips off the edge of the sidewalk, into loose, fairly thick dirt and gravel. As I try to correct with ONE HAND and hold my phone with the other, the Segway just LEAVES ME and barrels up a little bit onto the sidewalk and I GO FLYING TO THE LEFT SIDE. As I land on a gravel alley, the Segway THANKFULLY TURNS LEFT as it's slowing down and is going to wipe out on it's own about ten feet in front of me. Because it turned left, it heads right for a wooden gate ( a car sized gate) in this guys' back fence. LUCKILY AGAIN it smacks into the fairly soft wooden gate, at this time probably moving at about 2 to 3 miles per hour, and then bounces off LUCKILY AGAIN into a tall bush that is just to the right of the gate, between the sidewalk and the street. The Segway is caught by the bush, never even falls down, and does an emergency shutdown like it is supposed to do in those situations.
Other than a couple of dirt marks here and there, the Segway survived fine. I, on the other hand, suffered minor wounds. I scraped my left shin in the fall to the gravel alley, and I got at least two rocks that gouged little holes into my leg right above the scrape. I also had a small skin slice on my left hand from catching myself on the ground. A little Peroxide and Anti-biotic Cream and Bandaids later, It's ALL GOOD. But I did lose blood.
And more importantly, I learned AGAIN that the Segway, when operating at high speeds and in an unstable situation, CAN AND WILL THROW MY BUTT OFF and crash. From this, I hope to A) Make sure I keep my wheels level and B) do not talk on the cell phone while gliding without slowing WAY WAY down.
Live and Learn !!!
Well Well Well.....Segways CAN have serious, severe, BLOODLETTING crashes !!!
Today I was cruising from work to the kids' school and the ex-wife was waiting for me (she got there early). The kids had already called me on the cell phone, which I answered with my right hand while gliding (because all the steering is done with the left hand) and I told Stevie I was about 3 or 4 minutes away.
Ten seconds after that call ended, phone rings AGAIN. So I answer it, and it's my daughter asking "what street are you on?" and just about that time, I meet a bicyclist coming toward me. This is a 7 or 8 foot wide sidewalk, not a small one, so it should have been no problem. Except that I was ONE-HAND DRIVING and TALKING ON A CELL PHONE.
OK: All the following stuff happens in about three seconds.
My left tire slips off the edge of the sidewalk, into loose, fairly thick dirt and gravel. As I try to correct with ONE HAND and hold my phone with the other, the Segway just LEAVES ME and barrels up a little bit onto the sidewalk and I GO FLYING TO THE LEFT SIDE. As I land on a gravel alley, the Segway THANKFULLY TURNS LEFT as it's slowing down and is going to wipe out on it's own about ten feet in front of me. Because it turned left, it heads right for a wooden gate ( a car sized gate) in this guys' back fence. LUCKILY AGAIN it smacks into the fairly soft wooden gate, at this time probably moving at about 2 to 3 miles per hour, and then bounces off LUCKILY AGAIN into a tall bush that is just to the right of the gate, between the sidewalk and the street. The Segway is caught by the bush, never even falls down, and does an emergency shutdown like it is supposed to do in those situations.
Other than a couple of dirt marks here and there, the Segway survived fine. I, on the other hand, suffered minor wounds. I scraped my left shin in the fall to the gravel alley, and I got at least two rocks that gouged little holes into my leg right above the scrape. I also had a small skin slice on my left hand from catching myself on the ground. A little Peroxide and Anti-biotic Cream and Bandaids later, It's ALL GOOD. But I did lose blood.
And more importantly, I learned AGAIN that the Segway, when operating at high speeds and in an unstable situation, CAN AND WILL THROW MY BUTT OFF and crash. From this, I hope to A) Make sure I keep my wheels level and B) do not talk on the cell phone while gliding without slowing WAY WAY down.
Live and Learn !!!
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Segway commute fun and practical....
Riding the Segway to work from the kids' school every day and back in the afternoon is really a great idea. Saving 8 miles on my car every day I glide to work. My current gas tank has 380 miles, and it WOULD have about 542 miles if I had not been riding the Segway all these days. Saving gas, saving wear and tear on the car, reducing depreciation, enjoying the nice weather, turning heads - what's not to love??
15.5 days commuting on Segway = 15.5*7.6= 118 miles
Trip with kids on 4-1: 9 miles
Trip downtown on 3-25: 20 miles
Trips to Denny's/Rubios/Parks/Misc with kids: 15 miles
Total miles of driving saved since 3-10-2006: 162 miles saved
Riding the Segway to work from the kids' school every day and back in the afternoon is really a great idea. Saving 8 miles on my car every day I glide to work. My current gas tank has 380 miles, and it WOULD have about 542 miles if I had not been riding the Segway all these days. Saving gas, saving wear and tear on the car, reducing depreciation, enjoying the nice weather, turning heads - what's not to love??
15.5 days commuting on Segway = 15.5*7.6= 118 miles
Trip with kids on 4-1: 9 miles
Trip downtown on 3-25: 20 miles
Trips to Denny's/Rubios/Parks/Misc with kids: 15 miles
Total miles of driving saved since 3-10-2006: 162 miles saved
Monday, April 03, 2006
Long Segway/Bike journey Saturday April 1st (not an April Fool Joke)
The kiddos and I left the house on a LONG trip Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. First stop was about 2.5 miles away, at a Great Clips, where I got my hair butchered by a young costmetologist who MUST have just gotten out of school last week. She was slow and bad. She left me a very short spot right on top of my head, making me look like I'm balding, which I'm not. Anyway, second stop was Kiwanis Park in Tempe, about 2.5 miles from there. We made it OK, fed the ducks some bread, I gave one smelly young 13 year old a test drive on the Segway, and the kids played while I read my book.
We wanted to get to the movies by the 12:15 show, so we left the Park at 11:20 and headed back to the Mall. Got to the Mall, locked the bikes, then took the Segway inside with me to my movie. I saw Slither, a very funny movie, and the kiddos saw Ice Age 2: The Meltdown. Then we went to a little carnival in the corner of the Mall parking lot and the kids quickly spent $26 on ride tickets and games. After that, it was "around the Mall" to the Baseline exit and on to Aunt Chiladas for a late lunch. Got home at 4:30 p.m., making the whole trip an 8-hour event. Much fun !!
The kiddos and I left the house on a LONG trip Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. First stop was about 2.5 miles away, at a Great Clips, where I got my hair butchered by a young costmetologist who MUST have just gotten out of school last week. She was slow and bad. She left me a very short spot right on top of my head, making me look like I'm balding, which I'm not. Anyway, second stop was Kiwanis Park in Tempe, about 2.5 miles from there. We made it OK, fed the ducks some bread, I gave one smelly young 13 year old a test drive on the Segway, and the kids played while I read my book.
We wanted to get to the movies by the 12:15 show, so we left the Park at 11:20 and headed back to the Mall. Got to the Mall, locked the bikes, then took the Segway inside with me to my movie. I saw Slither, a very funny movie, and the kiddos saw Ice Age 2: The Meltdown. Then we went to a little carnival in the corner of the Mall parking lot and the kids quickly spent $26 on ride tickets and games. After that, it was "around the Mall" to the Baseline exit and on to Aunt Chiladas for a late lunch. Got home at 4:30 p.m., making the whole trip an 8-hour event. Much fun !!
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Why Buy a Segway? (one might ask)
Well, for me, it's part environmental concern, part "social coolness" factor, and partly to save fuel costs.
For the environmental part, the Segway uses electricity for power, and that is generally cleaner to produce than gasoline, and the emissions are much lower.
For the "social coolness" factor, well, I am a nondescript 42 year old guy with mostly gray hair and an ever-so-slight belly paunch, and I'm raising two kids under 10 yrs old. My social opportunities are EXTREMELY limited at best, and completely nonexistent at worst. If people talk to me on the street and ask me about my Segway, that's more social interaction than I normally get, and I appreciate that.
As for the saving fuel, well, the cost of fuel will NEVER repay the initial outset cost of purchasing the Segway. But based on the 400-450 Miles Per Gallon equivalent which the Segway achieves versus a car, (even my 48.5 MPG Hybrid car) I'm saving between 25 and 31 cents in fuel cost every day that I commute on the Segway. So that extends the gas tanks in my car and means fewer $2.50 per gallon fillups. At the end of the year, I hope to save between 1200 and 1500 miles of driving on my car, so that slows the depreciation value of my car for resale purposes. So it helps in numerous ways.
In addition, I take my kids to Texas twice a year to visit family. When we do go, taking the Segway will be fun for all the family to glide on and it will enhance all the lives of those people, even for a short time and in a very minor way. It's at worst a conversation piece.
I hope those are not broad rationalizations but instead are genuinely good, sound reasons why a Segway is in my care at this time.
Well, for me, it's part environmental concern, part "social coolness" factor, and partly to save fuel costs.
For the environmental part, the Segway uses electricity for power, and that is generally cleaner to produce than gasoline, and the emissions are much lower.
For the "social coolness" factor, well, I am a nondescript 42 year old guy with mostly gray hair and an ever-so-slight belly paunch, and I'm raising two kids under 10 yrs old. My social opportunities are EXTREMELY limited at best, and completely nonexistent at worst. If people talk to me on the street and ask me about my Segway, that's more social interaction than I normally get, and I appreciate that.
As for the saving fuel, well, the cost of fuel will NEVER repay the initial outset cost of purchasing the Segway. But based on the 400-450 Miles Per Gallon equivalent which the Segway achieves versus a car, (even my 48.5 MPG Hybrid car) I'm saving between 25 and 31 cents in fuel cost every day that I commute on the Segway. So that extends the gas tanks in my car and means fewer $2.50 per gallon fillups. At the end of the year, I hope to save between 1200 and 1500 miles of driving on my car, so that slows the depreciation value of my car for resale purposes. So it helps in numerous ways.
In addition, I take my kids to Texas twice a year to visit family. When we do go, taking the Segway will be fun for all the family to glide on and it will enhance all the lives of those people, even for a short time and in a very minor way. It's at worst a conversation piece.
I hope those are not broad rationalizations but instead are genuinely good, sound reasons why a Segway is in my care at this time.
Segway Comedy
Last night we had an interesting bike/Segway ride, my two kids and me. We took a 3-mile one-way trip to Denny's for dinner. My son's bike had been having air problems in the tire (slow leaks) but we checked and he had plenty of air when we left home.
After dinner, when we started home, his rear tire was almost all the way flat. His front was low. It was 7:15 pm and already dark, and there was only one place between Denny's and home to buy any "air in a can" tire filler stuff, and that was the Food City which was about 2 miles from Dennys. So off we went into the night.
About 1/2 a mile from Food City, my son had two full blown FLAT tires. I decided to carry the bike with me on my Segway and let my son walk. So I propped the bike up on the side carry bag and held the frame with my right hand (which you don't need for Segway usage) and off we went. At Food City, we got the Fix-A-Flat, but alas, Stevie's rear tire had a hole in the stem, so it would not seal. It aired up a little, as did the front tire, but not much. We started home again with Stevie riding again.
After about 1/4 a mile, TWO FLATS again. So I had another idea: Let Maddie ride on the Segway with me, and carry the bike again on the sidebar, and let Stevie ride Maddie's bike. So for the last 3/4 a mile, that's how we rolled. Maddie standing in front of me on the Segway, Stevie riding Maddie's bike, and me holding Stevie's bike with my right hand. Very comical scene, and I wish I had a picture. Surprisingly, I felt completely safe and secure on the Segway that way, as I had told Maddie to just stand straight and not worry about leaning to slow or go, that I would do all that for us. It worked wonderfully. Segway was RIGHT AT the 260 pound rated limit, with my 190 and Maddie's 45 and the bike, which I would guess to be 25-30 pounds.
Oh, the adventures we have had and are going to have on the Segway. Stay tuned !!!
Last night we had an interesting bike/Segway ride, my two kids and me. We took a 3-mile one-way trip to Denny's for dinner. My son's bike had been having air problems in the tire (slow leaks) but we checked and he had plenty of air when we left home.
After dinner, when we started home, his rear tire was almost all the way flat. His front was low. It was 7:15 pm and already dark, and there was only one place between Denny's and home to buy any "air in a can" tire filler stuff, and that was the Food City which was about 2 miles from Dennys. So off we went into the night.
About 1/2 a mile from Food City, my son had two full blown FLAT tires. I decided to carry the bike with me on my Segway and let my son walk. So I propped the bike up on the side carry bag and held the frame with my right hand (which you don't need for Segway usage) and off we went. At Food City, we got the Fix-A-Flat, but alas, Stevie's rear tire had a hole in the stem, so it would not seal. It aired up a little, as did the front tire, but not much. We started home again with Stevie riding again.
After about 1/4 a mile, TWO FLATS again. So I had another idea: Let Maddie ride on the Segway with me, and carry the bike again on the sidebar, and let Stevie ride Maddie's bike. So for the last 3/4 a mile, that's how we rolled. Maddie standing in front of me on the Segway, Stevie riding Maddie's bike, and me holding Stevie's bike with my right hand. Very comical scene, and I wish I had a picture. Surprisingly, I felt completely safe and secure on the Segway that way, as I had told Maddie to just stand straight and not worry about leaning to slow or go, that I would do all that for us. It worked wonderfully. Segway was RIGHT AT the 260 pound rated limit, with my 190 and Maddie's 45 and the bike, which I would guess to be 25-30 pounds.
Oh, the adventures we have had and are going to have on the Segway. Stay tuned !!!
Monday, March 27, 2006
Interesting Segway ride Saturday the 25th of March....
Took my Segway to the Phoenix Park-n-Swap and into Downtown Phoenix for the Home and Garden show. About a 20 mile roundtrip - more on that later.
At the Park-n-Swap, I rode into the gate and stopped at the first food court to get a breakfast burrito. After parking the Segway and ordering, I heard an announcement over the loudspeaker system: "As a courtesy to our guests, no rollerblades, skateboards, scooters, or other motorized vehicles with the exception of motorized wheelchairs are allowed inside the Park-n-Swap." That was obviously intended for me. Someone had seen me and ratted me out. So I used the power assist mode and walked the Segway around until I was on my way out, and I rode it out the last 100 feet. Nice to be noticed, eh?
Later, downtown, I had just turned off the sidewalk into the shopping area where the AMC 24 movie theater was located, where I was going to see "Inside Man" (very good movie, long but lots of high drama and comedy.) I heard someone shouting "hey, you, stop come here, stop!" and looked behind me and a security guard was trying to flag me back to the street area. I turned around and headed over when another, older and wiser guard told the other guard, "No, he's OK, he's fine" and they let me proceed.
At the movies, I bought my ticket and was walking the Segway up to the ticket taking girl and a manager came over to open the door for me. After I got my ticket torn and was walking away toward Theater #2, I heard the manager say to the ticket girl, "Police Vehicle." They thought I was a cop !!! I should have asked for some free coffee and doughnuts !! LOL. Anyway, inside the theater near the exit door to the outside was a wall outlet, so I charged my Segway for the two hours I was in the movie. Worked out great !!
As far as the cruising range on a charge, I think something is wrong with one of my batteries - it's either not holding a charge or is depleting too fast. I ran out of juice about 5 blocks from home and had to pull the Segway the rest of the way. Not an easy task !! The Segway dealer is going to swap both my batteries for two from his shop to see if things get better. I'm sure they will. I'll likely be getting a new battery out of this issue, maybe two. I want my 19-24 mile range !!!
Took my Segway to the Phoenix Park-n-Swap and into Downtown Phoenix for the Home and Garden show. About a 20 mile roundtrip - more on that later.
At the Park-n-Swap, I rode into the gate and stopped at the first food court to get a breakfast burrito. After parking the Segway and ordering, I heard an announcement over the loudspeaker system: "As a courtesy to our guests, no rollerblades, skateboards, scooters, or other motorized vehicles with the exception of motorized wheelchairs are allowed inside the Park-n-Swap." That was obviously intended for me. Someone had seen me and ratted me out. So I used the power assist mode and walked the Segway around until I was on my way out, and I rode it out the last 100 feet. Nice to be noticed, eh?
Later, downtown, I had just turned off the sidewalk into the shopping area where the AMC 24 movie theater was located, where I was going to see "Inside Man" (very good movie, long but lots of high drama and comedy.) I heard someone shouting "hey, you, stop come here, stop!" and looked behind me and a security guard was trying to flag me back to the street area. I turned around and headed over when another, older and wiser guard told the other guard, "No, he's OK, he's fine" and they let me proceed.
At the movies, I bought my ticket and was walking the Segway up to the ticket taking girl and a manager came over to open the door for me. After I got my ticket torn and was walking away toward Theater #2, I heard the manager say to the ticket girl, "Police Vehicle." They thought I was a cop !!! I should have asked for some free coffee and doughnuts !! LOL. Anyway, inside the theater near the exit door to the outside was a wall outlet, so I charged my Segway for the two hours I was in the movie. Worked out great !!
As far as the cruising range on a charge, I think something is wrong with one of my batteries - it's either not holding a charge or is depleting too fast. I ran out of juice about 5 blocks from home and had to pull the Segway the rest of the way. Not an easy task !! The Segway dealer is going to swap both my batteries for two from his shop to see if things get better. I'm sure they will. I'll likely be getting a new battery out of this issue, maybe two. I want my 19-24 mile range !!!
Friday, March 24, 2006
Well, the Segway gets a new handlebar and handlebar guard installed today. The parts are getting delivered at 12 noon and I'm heading over as soon as Jake calls me and tells me the parts are in.
On my commute time:
Set a personal record yesterday afternoon: 20 minutes flat. It was within 5 seconds of EXACTLY 20 minutes from the time I pulled out of the Thornwood plant until I was at the front door at my kids' school.
If maps.google.com is correct, the distance is 3.6 miles from work to school. By the sidewalk route, and because I have to change sides of the road three to four times, I bet my Segway distance is about 3.7 miles. 3.7 x 3 = 11.1, so it appears I averaged 11.1 miles per hour for the 20 minute commute. That's pretty darn good, considering I stopped a couple of times for red lights and I have to slow down at every intersection and driveway.
So I guess I need to reduce my "penultimate time" since I already beat the other one. How about 18 minutes as the ultimate goal time? That would be averaging 12.4 MPH, and since the max speed of the i-180 model is 12.5 MPH, that would be indeed hard to beat. 18 minutes it is !!!
On my commute time:
Set a personal record yesterday afternoon: 20 minutes flat. It was within 5 seconds of EXACTLY 20 minutes from the time I pulled out of the Thornwood plant until I was at the front door at my kids' school.
If maps.google.com is correct, the distance is 3.6 miles from work to school. By the sidewalk route, and because I have to change sides of the road three to four times, I bet my Segway distance is about 3.7 miles. 3.7 x 3 = 11.1, so it appears I averaged 11.1 miles per hour for the 20 minute commute. That's pretty darn good, considering I stopped a couple of times for red lights and I have to slow down at every intersection and driveway.
So I guess I need to reduce my "penultimate time" since I already beat the other one. How about 18 minutes as the ultimate goal time? That would be averaging 12.4 MPH, and since the max speed of the i-180 model is 12.5 MPH, that would be indeed hard to beat. 18 minutes it is !!!
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
My thanks to the sponsors of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Because of this act, almost every curb in Phoenix has a wheelchair on/off ramp.
In the 30-40 miles I have glided on my Segway so far, including much of that through construction areas, I have only had to negotiate 1 curb. Just 1. That's amazing to me.
Another long Segway glide this morning, from the U-Haul dealer to my work, about 5 miles. Took about 33 minutes. No problems.
In the 30-40 miles I have glided on my Segway so far, including much of that through construction areas, I have only had to negotiate 1 curb. Just 1. That's amazing to me.
Another long Segway glide this morning, from the U-Haul dealer to my work, about 5 miles. Took about 33 minutes. No problems.
Monday, March 20, 2006
Something else I wanted to mention is my minor frustration with the Segway's "speed limiter" function. It makes it difficult to "push" the Segway along at TOP SPEED, which is what I want and need to do on my commutes. If I lean too forward in attempt to gain and maintain top speed, the handlebar is pushed back to me by the speed limiter function. I found that if I bend my legs more and dont lean too forward, I can hold a pretty good speed without engaging the limiter, but I need to work on it to find that SWEET SPOT which allows me top max speed without engaging the limiter. Things that make you go HHHMMMMMMM............
Well, I had planned to install my new hitch onto my car last night for hauling the Segway, but I could not get it done. Not enough tools and/or mechanical experience. Going to have to hire someone to install it for me.
My first commute from my kids' real school was this A.M. Took 28 minutes, was battling my briefcase for part of the time. I'm gonna trim that down to 25 minutes this P.M. and after the construction is finished on Washinton street, I should be able to trim a couple of more minutes off the time. I'm shooting for 21 minutes as my final, penultimate goal time.
My first commute from my kids' real school was this A.M. Took 28 minutes, was battling my briefcase for part of the time. I'm gonna trim that down to 25 minutes this P.M. and after the construction is finished on Washinton street, I should be able to trim a couple of more minutes off the time. I'm shooting for 21 minutes as my final, penultimate goal time.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
More on the Segway and how it is affecting my life:
My son said last night, "Dad, are we going on another Segway and bike ride today? That was one of the FUNNEST THINGS we have ever done !!"
That coming from a materialistic little boy who last Christmas was not very excited at all about the $800 or so in giftage that his mom and I bought him.
Funny, but remember when they said "the best things in life are free" and you laughed about it? It's semi-true in some cases. The Segway itself was definitely NOT FREE, but some of the FUN it is giving us afterward is 'somewhat' free. So that's maybe a wash.
Regardless, the Segway so far has been almost a completely positive experience, and I would recommend it whole-heartedly to anyone who might think they have a good use for it. For short trips near your home, why use a 3000 pound car to carry your 150 pound body? By the way: The Segway gets about 450 miles to the gallon, converting gas cost to the electricity cost for charging it. Sorta nice, eh?
My son said last night, "Dad, are we going on another Segway and bike ride today? That was one of the FUNNEST THINGS we have ever done !!"
That coming from a materialistic little boy who last Christmas was not very excited at all about the $800 or so in giftage that his mom and I bought him.
Funny, but remember when they said "the best things in life are free" and you laughed about it? It's semi-true in some cases. The Segway itself was definitely NOT FREE, but some of the FUN it is giving us afterward is 'somewhat' free. So that's maybe a wash.
Regardless, the Segway so far has been almost a completely positive experience, and I would recommend it whole-heartedly to anyone who might think they have a good use for it. For short trips near your home, why use a 3000 pound car to carry your 150 pound body? By the way: The Segway gets about 450 miles to the gallon, converting gas cost to the electricity cost for charging it. Sorta nice, eh?
So I made it to work with the broken handlebar. Right forearm muscle was almost cramping due to holding the bezel in place, but I made it.
After getting settled into work, I took some large 14" cable ties and a hose clamp over to the Segway and secured the bezel to the handlebar, making it pretty tight. It seems to be very solid, at least as solid as a broken Segway handlebar CAN be made to be.
I contacted the dealer with my sob story and he said the replacement handlebar is $380. OUCH !! He also said he would sell me a "handlebar guard" at his cost, $145 plus tax. So the total damage for my little crash will be $567.00 after tax. Expensive little mistake/accident/incident, huh? Yeah, duh.
After getting settled into work, I took some large 14" cable ties and a hose clamp over to the Segway and secured the bezel to the handlebar, making it pretty tight. It seems to be very solid, at least as solid as a broken Segway handlebar CAN be made to be.
I contacted the dealer with my sob story and he said the replacement handlebar is $380. OUCH !! He also said he would sell me a "handlebar guard" at his cost, $145 plus tax. So the total damage for my little crash will be $567.00 after tax. Expensive little mistake/accident/incident, huh? Yeah, duh.
So there I was, still a couple of miles from work, with a broken Segway handlebar, Segway covered in mud, the tires with about an inch of mud caked between them and the fenders, and 40 degrees outside. Segway in an unknown state, possibly unrideable.
Quite a pickle indeed.
Here's where my training as a Marine and a Dad came into play. I calmed myself and realized that the electronics inside the broken handlebar APPEARED to be intact. I realized that the front bezel was intact and was one SOLID piece that fit across the handlebar. With a little imagination, I put the handlebar back together at it's jagged edge and when I held the bezel on front, it LOOKED like it would be stable enough to hold things together if I could keep it that way while in motion.
Got my Segway keys out and tried to start the Segway. Nothing happened. DEAD? I tried again, being more careful to make the key contact all the connectors in the keypad. IT STARTED !! I had my first semi-positive sigh of relief since the crash. By holding the middle of the handlebar with my right hand around the bezel, pulling it toward the handlebar, I could keep the handlebar in place and ride the Segway !!
I started again.
Quite a pickle indeed.
Here's where my training as a Marine and a Dad came into play. I calmed myself and realized that the electronics inside the broken handlebar APPEARED to be intact. I realized that the front bezel was intact and was one SOLID piece that fit across the handlebar. With a little imagination, I put the handlebar back together at it's jagged edge and when I held the bezel on front, it LOOKED like it would be stable enough to hold things together if I could keep it that way while in motion.
Got my Segway keys out and tried to start the Segway. Nothing happened. DEAD? I tried again, being more careful to make the key contact all the connectors in the keypad. IT STARTED !! I had my first semi-positive sigh of relief since the crash. By holding the middle of the handlebar with my right hand around the bezel, pulling it toward the handlebar, I could keep the handlebar in place and ride the Segway !!
I started again.
Segway Blog continued
OK, here is the UNCOOL part:
On my first commute, I was in an area with no sidewalk and no real bike lane, so I was up on some rough gravel beside the road, just cruising along. We had just had some rains the weekend before (this was Monday 3-13-2006) and the ground under the gravel was a little muddy. No problem, because the gravel was giving the Segway enough traction to operate normally. Or so I thought.
I approached this area where the gravel thinned out and I did not really notice it until the Segway started to slip and by then it was TOO late. I tried to lean back and slow the speed, but the tires slipped and OFF I FLEW. I actually had slowed down to about 5 to 8 mph at the time, so I merely took a step left and off the Segway platform, while the Segway itself crashed to the ground HANDLEBAR first into the mud.
When I looked over at the Segway after I had recovered myself, I saw the plastic handlebar bezel FLY off and land about 10 feet in front of the Segway. First indication of bad news. When I looked back at the Segway itself, it was doing the "flashing beeping emergency shutdown" routine and I noticed a detail with HORROR: The handlebar had BROKEN almost directly in the middle. I almost crapped my pants. I had just bought this thing three days before, and I already broke a major part. I was incredulous, disbelieving, surprised, and SHOCKED.
OK, here is the UNCOOL part:
On my first commute, I was in an area with no sidewalk and no real bike lane, so I was up on some rough gravel beside the road, just cruising along. We had just had some rains the weekend before (this was Monday 3-13-2006) and the ground under the gravel was a little muddy. No problem, because the gravel was giving the Segway enough traction to operate normally. Or so I thought.
I approached this area where the gravel thinned out and I did not really notice it until the Segway started to slip and by then it was TOO late. I tried to lean back and slow the speed, but the tires slipped and OFF I FLEW. I actually had slowed down to about 5 to 8 mph at the time, so I merely took a step left and off the Segway platform, while the Segway itself crashed to the ground HANDLEBAR first into the mud.
When I looked over at the Segway after I had recovered myself, I saw the plastic handlebar bezel FLY off and land about 10 feet in front of the Segway. First indication of bad news. When I looked back at the Segway itself, it was doing the "flashing beeping emergency shutdown" routine and I noticed a detail with HORROR: The handlebar had BROKEN almost directly in the middle. I almost crapped my pants. I had just bought this thing three days before, and I already broke a major part. I was incredulous, disbelieving, surprised, and SHOCKED.
OK Ladies and Gents: I bought myself a
Segway HT i-180 Human Transporter
It's really, REALLY cool. ( Expensive and probably not worth it if you are MERELY judging it on the finances involved. But how can you put a price on COOLNESS? )
I'm going to use it for "partial commuting" from my kids' school to my work. Their school is 3.8 miles from my work, so the plan is to leave my car parked there at their school every day and take the Segway from there to work and then back in the afternoons.
This will only work for about 5 months out of the year when the weather here in Phoenix is not smoking hot and too hot to ride a Segway in the afternoons.
Another way I'm going to use it is to go on "bike rides" with my kids. They are 7 and 9 yrs old, and they love to ride their bikes. Up to now, I only really could let them ride in the cul-de-sac outside our garage door and maybe a little over on the sidewalks by our minuscule park. But now, we are SET FREE because I can go on the Segway while they are riding and we can go wherever we want to go.
The Segway has given me more quality time with my kids and more "outside fun" rather than always watching Cartoon Network or playing Nintendo games. How cool is that?
Segway HT i-180 Human Transporter
It's really, REALLY cool. ( Expensive and probably not worth it if you are MERELY judging it on the finances involved. But how can you put a price on COOLNESS? )
I'm going to use it for "partial commuting" from my kids' school to my work. Their school is 3.8 miles from my work, so the plan is to leave my car parked there at their school every day and take the Segway from there to work and then back in the afternoons.
This will only work for about 5 months out of the year when the weather here in Phoenix is not smoking hot and too hot to ride a Segway in the afternoons.
Another way I'm going to use it is to go on "bike rides" with my kids. They are 7 and 9 yrs old, and they love to ride their bikes. Up to now, I only really could let them ride in the cul-de-sac outside our garage door and maybe a little over on the sidewalks by our minuscule park. But now, we are SET FREE because I can go on the Segway while they are riding and we can go wherever we want to go.
The Segway has given me more quality time with my kids and more "outside fun" rather than always watching Cartoon Network or playing Nintendo games. How cool is that?
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