Couldn’t they just put like a small wheel on the front that only got used if they dip too far that way it’s not a slingshot. Like it’s still “one” wheel when it’s used normally.
That still leaves the problem that when it hits top speed, the user is leaning forwards.
When the acceleration stops, the physical effect is the same as when you are leaning at that same angle, but standing still. That the board would be able to continue rolling at that same speed, doesn’t solve the fact that to get under a leaning rider and to keep them fom hitting the pavement, it needs to accelerate, not just maintain speed.
Going from top acceleration, to no acceleration, is the same as going from no acceleration, to full braking, front wheel or not.
Thanks for this detailed explanation.
These are everywhere in NYC. Last year, a guy who passed me in the bike lane on one of these ate shit for what seemed like no reason a block and a half after he flew by me. I stayed with him until the ambulance arrived and never saw him again, but I always wondered what caused his fall. Now I know.
It’s unfortunate. I met a guy who gushed about how amazing his high-performance EUC was. How it cannot fall over because it’s gyroscopically stabilized and I had to sit him down for a long talk to explain to him all the limitations of these things. He was under the impression that it had some kind of ABS braking, too, which supposedly made it safe to ride on ice.
They are often advertised to have E-ABS, which is just a marketing term for regenerative braking. It doesn’t actually provide the benefits of ABS on motorcycles and cars, which are smart braking systems which rely on traction-sensors from more than one wheel. Real ABS is not possible with just one wheel. And active balancers need 100% traction 100% of the time. They need torque to self-right, and without traction, there is no torque.
Yes, they are amazing, but they aren’t nearly magical enough to be stupid-proof. You need to know how they work to really ride them safely.
