Living Car Free - Segway on Ice

This morning I saw my neighbor who commutes by segway dejectedly dragging the thing home through the slush. I asked her what was up and she said it wasn't doing well on the hill. I told he if the bike could handle it the segway should and encouraged her to pick paths through like I do. I noticed that she said it wouldn't start on an icy incline perpendicular to the line of motion. I rode beside her up and down the first hill till we got to well salted streets. It seemed like the bike did better on the icy road than the segway but I think with all the computing power and gyroscopes the segway should do better. It might be that she was skittish after failing the first time. I got the impression that the segway failed if it began to slide sideways on the ice.

got any videos?

People actually commute by segways?

I thought Segway wasn't doing well, even before the Depression started. The dealer here folded a couple years ago.

Like most people, I'd love to try a Segway--they look like short-term fun (especially on ice)--but I can't see myself ever buying one. When my knees blow up, I'll probably go for an electric-assist bike.

I got the impression that the segway failed if it began to slide sideways on the ice.

The Segway has been a big fat FAIL since Day One of its overhyped introduction.

When I read the title of the thread I was really hoping for a video!

I detect a little schadenfreude (http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLC,GGLC:1969-53,GGLC:en&q=define%3A%22schadenfreude)in this thread. It would be fun to see a Segway sliding in he ice, while the bike was making good headway.

:D

I detect a little schadenfreude (http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLC,GGLC:1969-53,GGLC:en&q=define%3A%22schadenfreude)in this thread. It would be fun to see a Segway sliding in he ice, while the bike was making good headway.

:D

Or even better... a bike towing a segway up an icy hill. :)

People actually commute by segways?

Well a neighbor does. This is the first time I had a chance to talk with her. I think seeing me on the bike gave her the encouragement to try again.

is there no studded-tires option for them?

is there no studded-tires option for them?
She rides the street model, there is an off road model. It wouldn't make sense for her to have an off road model for just a few days per year. Just like I don't put studded tires on my bike.

I used to see a guy here in Alpharetta, GA riding one to work each morning. I am assuming he was riding it to work. I haven't seen him in over a year now. To me, he always looked really goofy on that thing, but I'm sure a lot of the cagers say the same about me on my bike.

The Segway has been a big fat FAIL since Day One of its overhyped introduction.

And a $5,350 to $6,400 big fat fail to boot!

The segway is like a standup wheel chair for people who want to pretend that they're disabled.

Just watch out for the Segway SWAT team!

Most people who could commute by Segway could commute on a kick scooter (razor scooter, etc).

One costs $30 or so, the other costs 100+ times more and has many more ways it can break.

Do they have a version of the segway where you can push off the ground to help it when traction is bad or the battery is dead? (kidding).

One use for a Segway starting at 3:08.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnwIRYjNxmg

One use for a Segway starting at 3:08.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnwIRYjNxmg

I really dislike the smell of burning rubber.:notamused:

Just watch out for the Segway SWAT team!

i really wonder what the point is there... i mean do those things really go that fast??

and they aren't even armored, how lame. =]

I used to see a guy here in Alpharetta, GA riding one to work each morning. I am assuming he was riding it to work. I haven't seen him in over a year now. To me, he always looked really goofy on that thing, but I'm sure a lot of the cagers say the same about me on my bike.

That was probably the guy that works with my wife. Thier office was on Windward, but moved to Norcross a year ago, and it's too far for him to do the Segway shuffle now.

I saw him a couple times and thought I've never seen anything quite that geeky.

Az

I suspect a loss of traction messes with the feedback on the Segway's workings so it can't balance as well. That is, it normally detects it's a bit off-balance, and decides to move this wheel a millimeter that way to compensate, only turning the wheel the appropriate distance on ice doesn't move the machine that far.

i really wonder what the point is there... i mean do those things really go that fast??They can do 12 mph, which would be a respectable leisurely bike ride speed ...

An electric bicycle seems a lot more practical, but the Segway shouldn't be totally out of the running ...

And considering how they work, it's not surprising that even a little ice totally messes them up.

An electric bicycle seems a lot more practical, but the Segway shouldn't be totally out of the running ...

And considering how they work, it's not surprising that even a little ice totally messes them up.
They have these little pannier like things so you can haul stuff in addition to what you put in your back pack.

She seemed to do ok on the slushy ice we had, a little slower then me on my bike but I have more experience. My bike tires might have cut through the slush better but her fat tires probably did better on the ice patches. I guessed that with the gyroscopes the seqway knows when the tire slips but not when it slides sideways. That seemed to be what happened to her.

That was probably the guy that works with my wife. Thier office was on Windward, but moved to Norcross a year ago, and it's too far for him to do the Segway shuffle now.

I saw him a couple times and thought I've never seen anything quite that geeky.

Az

skinny guy with brown/black hair and a goatee?
It was definitely on Windward.

ya know, if I sprained an ankle or otherwise had to gimp around, i would love a segway.

but if I am able bodied, then they are worthless..

A couple I know commute on their shared Segway. They don't use it in winter because, they say, the battery goes dead too quickly. I can see problems with ice too, though.

skinny guy with brown/black hair and a goatee?
It was definitely on Windward.

That was him. I think his name was Kevin.

Az

I've shot past those things many times, and I'm no speed demon.

As far as gyroscopes--all bicycles have gyroscopes. Amazingly, they get more powerful the faster you go. They also have operator-controlled centrifugal force generation capacity. Face it, they make the segway look low-tech.

ya know, if I sprained an ankle or otherwise had to gimp around, i would love a segway.

but if I am able bodied, then they are worthless..

I think a bike would be far more efficient even with a sprained ankle. Just wrap the ankle with an Ace bandage for support and keep a leisurely pace. The only problem is custom has dictated that bikes are for outdoor/wide open areas not for large indoor office complexes.

Segways offend me, mostly because they're yet another way for Americans to avoid any exercise whatsoever. If your destination is close, walk. If it's a bit too far to walk, ride a bike. If it's a burden to ride the bike, use public transportation or drive. If you have health issues that prevent you from riding or walking, there are options that are more practical than Segways. I don't understand where Segways have any role at all, except as a way for fat-ass airport cops to avoid exerting themselves. It's basically a brilliantly designed machine that has no honest application whatsoever. (i.e., the brilliant designer is also a brilliant marketer.)

Segways offend me, mostly because they're yet another way for Americans to avoid any exercise whatsoever. If your destination is close, walk. If it's a bit too far to walk, ride a bike. If it's a burden to ride the bike, use public transportation or drive. If you have health issues that prevent you from riding or walking, there are options that are more practical than Segways. I don't understand where Segways have any role at all, except as a way for fat-ass airport cops to avoid exerting themselves. It's basically a brilliantly designed machine that has no honest application whatsoever. (i.e., the brilliant designer is also a brilliant marketer.)

I concur when I first heard of the Segway I thought it was a solution in search of a problem. There was so much hyperbole that it would eliminate cars and traffic problems, but they day after the design was shown to the world I could here a distinct inferred WTF from the press as it was quite evident that it would do nothing for the problems that it was purported to solve. Secondly, a scooter like the sort used by the handcapped could handle the indoor duties at industrial complexes just as well.

Segways offend me, mostly because they're yet another way for Americans to avoid any exercise whatsoever. If your destination is close, walk. If it's a bit too far to walk, ride a bike. If it's a burden to ride the bike, use public transportation or drive. If you have health issues that prevent you from riding or walking, there are options that are more practical than Segways. I don't understand where Segways have any role at all, except as a way for fat-ass airport cops to avoid exerting themselves. It's basically a brilliantly designed machine that has no honest application whatsoever. (i.e., the brilliant designer is also a brilliant marketer.)

I few years ago, I was at Navy Pier in Chicago. It is a fairly large complex with lots of people going to the restaurants, shops and tour boats. The police use Segways to patrol the area. From what I can see, they can patrol a large area with fewer people because they can cruise faster. The officer also has a better field of view as they are 6" or 8" taller than would normally be. And, they don't leave a trail of droppings...