But I have a new steed, who was the most fun ever yesterday! This:
Called a Segway, it's a two wheeled gyroscopic electric "thingy" that a local farm has diversified into and we went on a cross country course. It was such a great laugh - really, really fun. If there is one anywhere near you, I recommend it wholeheartedly. It's not cheap, but the machines cost over £5000 a piece!
You lean forward to go forward, you stand up to stop and you turn by leaning to one side. They are incredibly maneouverable and it takes a while to get used to handling them, but after a while they sort of become part of you, and then it's easy and pleasantly exciting.
The most difficult bit is getting off - if you lean back to get off they come back towards you, so you have to lean them away from you while stepping backwards off them. If you get it wrong, they turn and twist your ankle which is then trapped between the handlebar pole and the mudguard. One person did, although she had ridden them before, and she was off to A&E when her husband finished the course :(
We both survived with the only damage being the mud on our trousers, but as mine were my joddies anyway, that wasn't exactly important :) And for the first 3/4 hour we got the only patch of sunshine there has been all week - how lucky was that?!?! By the time the rain started again we were all whizzing full speed round a graet big open field chasing a quad bike and none of us cared anyway.
I've still got a grin on my face.
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Three cheers for finding the solution to Ace!
ReplyDeleteThe Segway does look like fun. I was wondering how those things felt. Looks like some good cross country tires on the one you are on. I think I have only seen pictures of "street" models. Never thought they could go "in the wild" so to speak.
What fun it must have been!
Yes they have cross country tyres on them Jean. You get on best if you ride them as if they are part of your own body. It's quite a strange and peculiarly enjoyable sensation to be so mobile and yet still out in the great outdoors. I'd do it again any time :-)
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Segways are in use around here by security people at large shopping malls and office parks as well as by parking ticket writers and folks who just use them to get around. I was looking into cost recently and they can be had for about half of what your neighbor is asking.
ReplyDeleteWow, that sounds like great fun. I have heard of them, though I don't remember where. I can see that you are covered in protective gear, head to foot. Rain - what's that?
ReplyDeleteHe's not selling them, ER,he bought them to run what we did as a business. He paid £5,100 per machine for them with the ruggedised upgrade.
ReplyDeleteYes, protective clothing from head to foot ML, it would be easy to fall off it on the cross country - moguls, seesaws, adverse camber bends through trees. Two people fell off - the woman I mentioned and an overconfident "yoof" who was showing off with his mates :-) He bounced though.
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How easy is it to balance on them?
ReplyDeletevery, they are gyroscopic. It's only getting off that's a problem !
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