luckie
07-29-2006, 03:56 PM
Easy glider: One week on a Segway provides ample reasons to ride — or stay off the transporter
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
By STANLEY A. MILLER II
July 27, 2006
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=476531
The gentle hum of the engine.
The wind in your face.
The Segway Human Transporter can give you the glide of your life, and riding it around town brings out the big grins. You'll have to decide whether they are laughing at you or with you. After riding one for a week, I saw reactions ranging from shock and awe to sidesplitting laughter. Drivers pulled up alongside me and asked questions as I cruised down the sidewalk. Pedestrians shouted questions from across the street. Occasionally, people driving by would honk their horns and wave. The young children in my neighborhood ran behind me, waving their arms and cheering. And the occasional car with a couple of teenagers would drive by and yell "dork!" or some other unflattering comment. I got used to the constant rubber-necking, grinning, and folks shaking their heads in disbelief or amusement. The Segway is an instant conversation starter, which is great when cruising around for a casual ride - not when trying to get work on time.
Learning to ride
My Segway experience began in the Third Ward, where I went through a training session and three-hour excursion with Segway of Milwaukee Tours. The company puts customers through an in-house obstacle course before taking them into the wild, trying to get them comfortable with moving forward, turning, stopping and uneven terrain. My first attempt to mount a Segway was shaky. The wheels lurched forward and backward several times after I stepped on it, and that was enough to get me to jump off. "OK. Rule Number One. Never bail off the Segway," said Chuck Doughty, an instructor and tour guide. The second try was a success, and after a couple of false starts and stutters, I carefully ran through obstacles with only a few bumps. The three-hour tour through the Third Ward, lakefront and RiverWalk was a solid introduction to the basics of riding a Segway.
They started us off on the lowest speed setting of 4 mph and then let us ramp up to 8 mph after a pit stop at the Milwaukee Art Museum's Calatrava addition. Segway 101 also included taking us over grassy terrain, carefully leading us through controlled intersections and pedestrian courtesy lessons for riding on sidewalks. Two days later I had my own Segway, rented for a week by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. This Segway - the HT i180 model with a 24-mile range on a single battery charge - had a maximum weight load of 260 pounds and a 19-inch by 25-inch footprint. It fit perfectly behind my desk at work and in my back hallway at home, where nearby outlets kept it charged and ready to roll out.
Good and bad
First and foremost, the Segway is fun to ride. It's a unique way to get around - a strange but satisfying feeling of gliding along on what feels like a motorized skateboard with handlebars. It's faster than walking. It's very quiet, especially when moving slowly. There is no painful fill-up at the pump. And it maneuvers as precisely as its rider can control it. Still, I didn't find the Segway to be the magical self-balancing experience some of the marketing behind the device suggests. It takes practice, and the amount will depend on the rider's natural agility. Uneven sidewalks can easily destabilize you if you're moving too fast. Going off a curb can also send you off balance, although after a week I became skilled at sticking my landings. The Segway I rode didn't absorb any shock - your legs serve that purpose - so a large crack in the sidewalk can feel like a crevasse. Bending your knees while rolling on uneven surfaces and leaning into turns can keep you stable when moving at a brisk pace.
Not for everything
The Segway became my official wheels for shopping and other errands, recreation and commuting about seven miles roundtrip to work each day. Although I hung up the keys to my SUV for the week, I reserved the right to call friends and family for rides when necessary. After seven days of almost exclusively Segway, I was glad to be back in the driver's seat. Riding it was fun, but its limited range and speed proved too cumbersome for running clusters of errands or attending impromptu gatherings with friends across town. The Segway's limitations took some of the spontaneity out of life simply because of the extra time it took to get places. And riding it late at night just wasn't an option - with no lights or reflectors, coupled with some of the areas I'd need to travel through, I felt too exposed to take it through some places I'd drive through with no concerns.
Leisurely pace
The most satisfying Segwaying was when I wasn't in a rush - the relaxed run to Starbucks to grab coffee and read the paper or visiting family and friends in the neighborhood. Trips to the closest grocery store were manageable, mostly because I typically need only a few items - enough to fit in a backpack. The Segway was fast enough to get me home before the milk got warm, but ice cream would have been a different story. Picking up the weekly dry cleaning was a nuisance, however, requiring a suit carrier to safely convey the clothes. Commuting lost its luster after a couple of days simply because the Segway turned what was an eight-minute drive in my truck from the west side to a 30-minute time trial during which I inevitably asked myself, "are we there yet?"
Riding my mountain bike to work typically takes about 10 minutes less than the average run on a Segway, and at least that offers some exercise. Granted, being able to take the Segway to its top speed of about 12 mph might have helped. Segway of Milwaukee Tours doesn't give customers access to the machine's full speed for insurance reasons, according to Dennis L. Wanless, the owner.
Despite my best efforts to urge it faster, the device stayed true to its programming and pushed back against me when it reached its speed limit. So the Segway got smoked by almost everything on the road and sidewalks, including all motor vehicles, cyclists and joggers. One summer Saturday afternoon, a 10-year-old girl on a bike - with a banana seat and plastic basket mounted on the handlebars, no less - blew by me as if I were standing still.
Meeting the neighborhood
Riding from the west side to downtown and back again was an urban adventure, requiring me to navigate through some neighborhoods with challenges ranging from sidewalks showered in broken glass, to roving bands of aggressive teenagers with too much time on their hands.
In fact, on my first ride from downtown going home, around N. 25th St. and W. State St., three boys who appeared to be 15 to 17 years old demanded I hand over the Segway. They declined to give their names or a rational reason why I would do something so absurd, but they did mention they thought the skateboarding helmet I was wearing looked stupid. After a few minutes of heated discussion and empty threats, we agreed it was best I keep the Segway. But the encounter left me wary, and frankly, suspicious of some of the strangers asking me how much it cost.
Still, that unpleasantness was the exception to my Segway experience. The rest of the week was filled with friendly conversations with passers-by and the beautiful scenery of a commute through Washington Park and usually down Highland Blvd. to the Journal Sentinel building downtown. Some of the most memorable exchanges while riding occurred with motorists gawking at me when stopped at traffic lights.
During one morning commute, I made eye contact with a rider sitting atop a custom-chromed Harley at N. 17th St. and W. Highland Ave. The biker, clean-shaven and wearing jeans and a leather jacket, revved the engine and looked me up and down. Unsure how to respond, I twisted the Segway's left handlebar forward, causing it to spin in a circle several times as quickly as it could manage. The Harley rider broke out laughing, giving me the chance to race off the sidewalk and through the intersection as the light turned green. Seconds later, he roared by, waving as he left me in the dust.
It can always go downtown
The Segway felt at home downtown for work and play. In several situations, it was more convenient than driving a car, letting me avoid parking hassles and quickly hit the road instead of walking to the parking lot. For example, a Summerfest assignment sent me to the festival grounds on a busy Saturday. Traffic was thick, and some streets were blocked. Here, the Segway shone, allowing me to roll all the way up to the bicycle parking lot at the Mid-Gate, where I chained it up. The scooter can deftly navigate through crowds at slow speeds, and it offers several inches of extra height to easily see over people's heads. The Segway also gave me one of my most stress-free escapes from Summerfest afterward, allowing me to speed away from the madness after clearing the throngs of people. Finally, the Segway extended the range of places for me to quickly grab lunch. Although I could always pull my truck out of the parking ramp and drive anywhere, the Segway was superior for reaching restaurants on the east side and elsewhere where walking would take too much time and parking could be an issue.
I kept the Segway parked behind my desk at work, where the battery charged during the day. It was so easily accessible that I made quick trips to spots I wouldn't usually choose for lunch, including Trocadero and Mimma's Café. These lightning-strike trips to places with bike racks really played to the Segway's strengths of being nimble and compact.
Does it pay off?
Segways have started appearing around Milwaukee this summer with some regularity, most notably downtown, by the lake and on the east side, where their benefits fit best and they make the most sense. They have not caught on with commuters the way fans predicted, but Segways have found uses among law enforcement agencies, with more than 100 departments worldwide using them. The transporter also has made progress in the recreation industry, including businesses in Wisconsin, with companies in Milwaukee and Door County selling tours, as well as Westhaven Golf Club in Oshkosh offering it as an alternative to golf carts.
Despite the enthusiasm among law enforcement and other specialty markets, the Segway is still far from what supporters expected when it was unveiled five years ago, when it debuted under the code name "Ginger" in a hyped-filled media circus that dogs the device to today. Its inventor, Dean Kamen, famously predicted in a 2001 Time magazine interview that the Segway "will be to the car what the car was to the horse and buggy." But the device was expensive and remains so, costing about $4,800 to $5,700, depending on the model and features. Many Segway-curious people I spoke with balked at the price range, often saying they could buy a used car for that amount. The informal consensus seemed to be Segways would fly off the shelves for $500 each, although one teenager offered to buy the one I was riding for $150 on the spot.
I think it's hard to justify paying too much for a Segway - for most people, anyway - considering the precious few warm weather months in Wisconsin. Still, it's worth riding one at least once, especially on a lazy summer day when you can take the time to enjoy its novelty and feel the sun on your face.
The Top Five Segway Questions
These are the questions that reporter Stan Miller was frequently asked by curious passers-by:
How much is it?
Where did you get it?
Can I have it?
Can I ride it?
Is that as fast as it goes?
Segway Essentials
Four gyros and an onboard computer keep the rider balanced
Speed: can be capped at 4, 8 or 12.5 mph
Cost: $4,800 to $5,700
Weight: 83 pounds
Carrying capacity: 260 pounds
Range: 8 to 12 miles or 15 to 24 miles, depending on type of battery
Ground clearance: 3 to 4 inches
http://graphics.jsonline.com/graphics/lifestyle/img/jul06/segway1072906.jpg
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
By STANLEY A. MILLER II
July 27, 2006
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=476531
The gentle hum of the engine.
The wind in your face.
The Segway Human Transporter can give you the glide of your life, and riding it around town brings out the big grins. You'll have to decide whether they are laughing at you or with you. After riding one for a week, I saw reactions ranging from shock and awe to sidesplitting laughter. Drivers pulled up alongside me and asked questions as I cruised down the sidewalk. Pedestrians shouted questions from across the street. Occasionally, people driving by would honk their horns and wave. The young children in my neighborhood ran behind me, waving their arms and cheering. And the occasional car with a couple of teenagers would drive by and yell "dork!" or some other unflattering comment. I got used to the constant rubber-necking, grinning, and folks shaking their heads in disbelief or amusement. The Segway is an instant conversation starter, which is great when cruising around for a casual ride - not when trying to get work on time.
Learning to ride
My Segway experience began in the Third Ward, where I went through a training session and three-hour excursion with Segway of Milwaukee Tours. The company puts customers through an in-house obstacle course before taking them into the wild, trying to get them comfortable with moving forward, turning, stopping and uneven terrain. My first attempt to mount a Segway was shaky. The wheels lurched forward and backward several times after I stepped on it, and that was enough to get me to jump off. "OK. Rule Number One. Never bail off the Segway," said Chuck Doughty, an instructor and tour guide. The second try was a success, and after a couple of false starts and stutters, I carefully ran through obstacles with only a few bumps. The three-hour tour through the Third Ward, lakefront and RiverWalk was a solid introduction to the basics of riding a Segway.
They started us off on the lowest speed setting of 4 mph and then let us ramp up to 8 mph after a pit stop at the Milwaukee Art Museum's Calatrava addition. Segway 101 also included taking us over grassy terrain, carefully leading us through controlled intersections and pedestrian courtesy lessons for riding on sidewalks. Two days later I had my own Segway, rented for a week by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. This Segway - the HT i180 model with a 24-mile range on a single battery charge - had a maximum weight load of 260 pounds and a 19-inch by 25-inch footprint. It fit perfectly behind my desk at work and in my back hallway at home, where nearby outlets kept it charged and ready to roll out.
Good and bad
First and foremost, the Segway is fun to ride. It's a unique way to get around - a strange but satisfying feeling of gliding along on what feels like a motorized skateboard with handlebars. It's faster than walking. It's very quiet, especially when moving slowly. There is no painful fill-up at the pump. And it maneuvers as precisely as its rider can control it. Still, I didn't find the Segway to be the magical self-balancing experience some of the marketing behind the device suggests. It takes practice, and the amount will depend on the rider's natural agility. Uneven sidewalks can easily destabilize you if you're moving too fast. Going off a curb can also send you off balance, although after a week I became skilled at sticking my landings. The Segway I rode didn't absorb any shock - your legs serve that purpose - so a large crack in the sidewalk can feel like a crevasse. Bending your knees while rolling on uneven surfaces and leaning into turns can keep you stable when moving at a brisk pace.
Not for everything
The Segway became my official wheels for shopping and other errands, recreation and commuting about seven miles roundtrip to work each day. Although I hung up the keys to my SUV for the week, I reserved the right to call friends and family for rides when necessary. After seven days of almost exclusively Segway, I was glad to be back in the driver's seat. Riding it was fun, but its limited range and speed proved too cumbersome for running clusters of errands or attending impromptu gatherings with friends across town. The Segway's limitations took some of the spontaneity out of life simply because of the extra time it took to get places. And riding it late at night just wasn't an option - with no lights or reflectors, coupled with some of the areas I'd need to travel through, I felt too exposed to take it through some places I'd drive through with no concerns.
Leisurely pace
The most satisfying Segwaying was when I wasn't in a rush - the relaxed run to Starbucks to grab coffee and read the paper or visiting family and friends in the neighborhood. Trips to the closest grocery store were manageable, mostly because I typically need only a few items - enough to fit in a backpack. The Segway was fast enough to get me home before the milk got warm, but ice cream would have been a different story. Picking up the weekly dry cleaning was a nuisance, however, requiring a suit carrier to safely convey the clothes. Commuting lost its luster after a couple of days simply because the Segway turned what was an eight-minute drive in my truck from the west side to a 30-minute time trial during which I inevitably asked myself, "are we there yet?"
Riding my mountain bike to work typically takes about 10 minutes less than the average run on a Segway, and at least that offers some exercise. Granted, being able to take the Segway to its top speed of about 12 mph might have helped. Segway of Milwaukee Tours doesn't give customers access to the machine's full speed for insurance reasons, according to Dennis L. Wanless, the owner.
Despite my best efforts to urge it faster, the device stayed true to its programming and pushed back against me when it reached its speed limit. So the Segway got smoked by almost everything on the road and sidewalks, including all motor vehicles, cyclists and joggers. One summer Saturday afternoon, a 10-year-old girl on a bike - with a banana seat and plastic basket mounted on the handlebars, no less - blew by me as if I were standing still.
Meeting the neighborhood
Riding from the west side to downtown and back again was an urban adventure, requiring me to navigate through some neighborhoods with challenges ranging from sidewalks showered in broken glass, to roving bands of aggressive teenagers with too much time on their hands.
In fact, on my first ride from downtown going home, around N. 25th St. and W. State St., three boys who appeared to be 15 to 17 years old demanded I hand over the Segway. They declined to give their names or a rational reason why I would do something so absurd, but they did mention they thought the skateboarding helmet I was wearing looked stupid. After a few minutes of heated discussion and empty threats, we agreed it was best I keep the Segway. But the encounter left me wary, and frankly, suspicious of some of the strangers asking me how much it cost.
Still, that unpleasantness was the exception to my Segway experience. The rest of the week was filled with friendly conversations with passers-by and the beautiful scenery of a commute through Washington Park and usually down Highland Blvd. to the Journal Sentinel building downtown. Some of the most memorable exchanges while riding occurred with motorists gawking at me when stopped at traffic lights.
During one morning commute, I made eye contact with a rider sitting atop a custom-chromed Harley at N. 17th St. and W. Highland Ave. The biker, clean-shaven and wearing jeans and a leather jacket, revved the engine and looked me up and down. Unsure how to respond, I twisted the Segway's left handlebar forward, causing it to spin in a circle several times as quickly as it could manage. The Harley rider broke out laughing, giving me the chance to race off the sidewalk and through the intersection as the light turned green. Seconds later, he roared by, waving as he left me in the dust.
It can always go downtown
The Segway felt at home downtown for work and play. In several situations, it was more convenient than driving a car, letting me avoid parking hassles and quickly hit the road instead of walking to the parking lot. For example, a Summerfest assignment sent me to the festival grounds on a busy Saturday. Traffic was thick, and some streets were blocked. Here, the Segway shone, allowing me to roll all the way up to the bicycle parking lot at the Mid-Gate, where I chained it up. The scooter can deftly navigate through crowds at slow speeds, and it offers several inches of extra height to easily see over people's heads. The Segway also gave me one of my most stress-free escapes from Summerfest afterward, allowing me to speed away from the madness after clearing the throngs of people. Finally, the Segway extended the range of places for me to quickly grab lunch. Although I could always pull my truck out of the parking ramp and drive anywhere, the Segway was superior for reaching restaurants on the east side and elsewhere where walking would take too much time and parking could be an issue.
I kept the Segway parked behind my desk at work, where the battery charged during the day. It was so easily accessible that I made quick trips to spots I wouldn't usually choose for lunch, including Trocadero and Mimma's Café. These lightning-strike trips to places with bike racks really played to the Segway's strengths of being nimble and compact.
Does it pay off?
Segways have started appearing around Milwaukee this summer with some regularity, most notably downtown, by the lake and on the east side, where their benefits fit best and they make the most sense. They have not caught on with commuters the way fans predicted, but Segways have found uses among law enforcement agencies, with more than 100 departments worldwide using them. The transporter also has made progress in the recreation industry, including businesses in Wisconsin, with companies in Milwaukee and Door County selling tours, as well as Westhaven Golf Club in Oshkosh offering it as an alternative to golf carts.
Despite the enthusiasm among law enforcement and other specialty markets, the Segway is still far from what supporters expected when it was unveiled five years ago, when it debuted under the code name "Ginger" in a hyped-filled media circus that dogs the device to today. Its inventor, Dean Kamen, famously predicted in a 2001 Time magazine interview that the Segway "will be to the car what the car was to the horse and buggy." But the device was expensive and remains so, costing about $4,800 to $5,700, depending on the model and features. Many Segway-curious people I spoke with balked at the price range, often saying they could buy a used car for that amount. The informal consensus seemed to be Segways would fly off the shelves for $500 each, although one teenager offered to buy the one I was riding for $150 on the spot.
I think it's hard to justify paying too much for a Segway - for most people, anyway - considering the precious few warm weather months in Wisconsin. Still, it's worth riding one at least once, especially on a lazy summer day when you can take the time to enjoy its novelty and feel the sun on your face.
The Top Five Segway Questions
These are the questions that reporter Stan Miller was frequently asked by curious passers-by:
How much is it?
Where did you get it?
Can I have it?
Can I ride it?
Is that as fast as it goes?
Segway Essentials
Four gyros and an onboard computer keep the rider balanced
Speed: can be capped at 4, 8 or 12.5 mph
Cost: $4,800 to $5,700
Weight: 83 pounds
Carrying capacity: 260 pounds
Range: 8 to 12 miles or 15 to 24 miles, depending on type of battery
Ground clearance: 3 to 4 inches
http://graphics.jsonline.com/graphics/lifestyle/img/jul06/segway1072906.jpg