1st Impressions

[sholloway]

Since TIME has posted their article I think we are officially "launched". Thanx to everyone that held their tongue (or fingers) I know how difficult that was. I look forward to everyone's riding experience. I took me about 30 minutes to like it. I actually didn't like it at all at first. Now I think it is awesome! Let's chat, I especially want to hear from others that have ridden for a while to see what you think now.

[KSagal]

I really like the idea of lean steer. We lean forward, lean back, why not lean left or in my case, lean right?

I will have to really look into this on Monday. Who knows, I may talk myself into buying a new, next generation machine!

[Dragan]

It has been tough keeping a lid on this, congrats to all who did their part. I didn't have Scott's dilema; I loved the gen 2 machines as soon as I saw it, and gliding on it just solidified my initial impressions. I found the tilt steer to be incredibly natural and very immersive, like it should have been that way from the start.

The part I HATE right now is my limited ability to stand for anything more than a few minutes. That really limits my gliding time, but hopefully that will change before too long.
Wayne

[segtownmst]

I did notice that in the video when a person came to waiting at a cross walk they steppeed off the the unit. Can you not just stand still on it indefinitely? I havent read anythign to the contrary. . . ?

[Desert_Seg]

I, as with Scott, wasn't an immediate fan of the i2 but after an extended zippy ride around Inc last Thursday I've become more of a believer. My reaction, from discussions held last week, is not unique. It appears that many Gen1 gliders tend to be slower in acceptance of Gen2 (by slower I'm talking minutes, not days) while new gliders love it immediately.

Only time will tell...

I did notice that in the video when a person came to waiting at a cross walk they steppeed off the the unit. Can you not just stand still on it indefinitely? I havent read anythign to the contrary. . . ?

Nope, you can stand as long as you want to stand, and I did during an entire presentation.

Steven

[woodenapple]

My son and I spent quite a bit of time testing out the new models at our local Tallahassee dealership. It only took a moment to let go of my stubborn idea that the original design would still be best. Just as the new product video states, if the old model was intuitive, then the new is positively instinctive!

The lean steering actually works. I was doubtfull how well it would handle gliding over side-slopes, but it works like a champ. Over obstacles that rock the platform from side to side as alternate wheels are raised, the control shaft just stays steady as it steers straight.

We found ourselves just as awestruck and dumbfounded by the leansteering as we originally were with the selfbalancing aspect a few years ago.

The only inconvenience I noticed is when you are balancing in place while facing sideways on a slope. If you are not holding onto the control shaft, it re-centers itself, so that it is perpendicular to the platform and no longer in line with gravity. That movement gradually tells the segway to turn facing directly down the slope. Even if it is such a slight slope that you hardly even notice it, the segway will turn facing down the slope unless you hold the control shaft.

In my mind, leansteer is another great leap forward. I love it!

[polo_pro]

While the overall i2 design feels more "complete" (with less compromises) and fixes many well known problems with the i-Series units, I have several concerns about usage and manuevering. Using a car analogy, the i2 feels like an automatic (transmission and steering), whereas the older i-Series units feel like a manual. By the way, did I mention I've been an avid stick driver for over 2 decades? 8^) 8^) 8^)

New users should appreciate not having to select a key for their initial rides. And during those initial rides they won't have to worry about spinnig the i2 so fast that they'll fall off. The i2 seems to control the turning rate based on the speed of travel...a nice new feature! Still with that said, the "skateboard" feel to riding the i2 might not go over so well. Despite being "intuitive", I think first time riders like to be able to grab onto something that feels stable like the older i-Series fixed control shaft and handle bar. It's a shame that the i2 doesn't have a mechanism where you can temporarily "lock" the control shaft and use some other means for turning (like maybe buttons on the fob?).

Riding the i2 takes a bit more effort. I'm surprised to learn just how much I'm leaning on the control shaft. Riding the i2 requires that I constantly be shifting my feet and weight...all the time without a point of reference! I haven't had the courage yet to ride the i2 over bumpy terrain to see how it handles the shaky input as the CSB wobbles back and forth. I do think the younger crowd will like this new paradigm in gliding (and who knows...maybe it'll become "cool"), but the disabled folks will shy away.

I am concerned about how well the i2 will work in a more demanding environment like segway polo. During a match, you are pushing your machine to the limits and getting predictable behavior out of it is what allows you to avoid collisions. If the i2 is varying the turn rate based on speed, this could be a problem (which is why all the SoCal players have red turn with yellow speed compliments of cmonkey's key programming...we don't want to have to get use to a funny turn rate). Also, during segway polo players really lean on the control shaft. Whether it's hauling back on it to do an emergency stop or just grabbing it trying not to fall off on a sudden sharp turn.

Despite what seems to be criticism above, I do like the new feel of the i2. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a new UI! And with this new UI, many problems (kickstand, changing turn rates/speeds, broken handle bars, broken control shaft wires and sharp turns that throw riders) have been solved, and some new features (security, better UI and more intuitive turning) have improved the product.

If this design continues to evolve in the same direction, maybe the next model won't have any control shaft. Instead it'll have a battery powered handle bar with built-in tilt sensors in it that radios back to the base how much the user is indicating they want the machine to turn! And with a reference point that clips to your shirt, you could simply hold the bar close to your chest to pull back and slow down or further away speed up and go fast! Of course, I can't imagine what would happen in a spill...would the base get outrageous input and start running all over the place trying to save the user who's already on the ground?!