Ramp kit and stairs.....

[jryan]

So my Seaway shipped out yesterday and should be here Monday! It will also come with a ramp kit as well. Now,, my question is, has anyone ever tried the ramp kit to help get their seg up stairs? How does that work out for you? Just wondering so I can try it if it works!

[BarryT]

I have used ramps to load into a car but NEVER riding! I'd have to imagine that trying to ride up a ramp going up stairs would be just as dangerous if not worse, even for a very experienced rider....unless you are into stunts and broken bones, etc.

These are very elegent yet powerful machines, so the ability to roll the segway up the ramp (while not on it) is essential. The only way I would ride up a ramp is if it were long enough, wide enough, sturdy enough and was built for the purpose of riding up it - meaning proper angle and such, like a wheelchair ramp for example.

It is very easy to get too comfortable quickly and overconfident with a new machine - any machine for that matter. Take the time to learn your own limits....slowly and you will have a blast. Everything has a leaning curve.

[jryan]

I have used ramps to load into a car but NEVER riding! I'd have to imagine that trying to ride up a ramp going up stairs would be just as dangerous if not worse, even for a very experienced rider....unless you are into stunts and broken bones, etc.

These are very elegent yet powerful machines, so the ability to roll the segway up the ramp (while not on it) is essential. The only way I would ride up a ramp is if it were long enough, wide enough, sturdy enough and was built for the purpose of riding up it - meaning proper angle and such, like a wheelchair ramp for example.

It is very easy to get too comfortable quickly and overconfident with a new machine - any machine for that matter. Take the time to learn your own limits....slowly and you will have a blast. Everything has a leaning curve.

Oh no, I was not planning on being on the machine while doing the ramp! It would probably be fun though (until I fell then it would probably be very messy). No, I was wondering if anyone had any experience using the ramp kit to assist in rolling it up the stairs?

[wwhopper]

The extra weight of a human would put too much stress on the ramps and break them.

I would not glide on the ramps, just use them to load in and out of your vehicle.

The ramps work very well into and out of a car, but using them on stairs, might be a bit more tricky. Of course the stairs would have to be a short run, about 3 steps. Also it would be awkard to walk up the steps and guide the seg up either before or behind you.

[cmonkey]

you're better off not using the ramps to try and take the seg up or down stairs. by using the riderless balance mode of the seg you can lift it up one stair at a time without too much trouble.

With one step at a time, you have the opportunity to stop and rest/re-orient the seg for the next step. With ramps in the way.... if the seg slipped on the ramp (as it might on a step) you might not have the opportunity to back off and try again. With a ramp you could find yourself off balance and the seg would have nowhere to go but sliding down the ramp, and if you mis-step and step on the ramp yourself..... well the factory ramp will act like a very large cheese grater.[xx(]

[Five-Flags]

The extra weight of a human would put too much stress on the ramps and break them.

I would not glide on the ramps, just use them to load in and out of your vehicle.

JR is wondering about using ramps to get his Seg up some stairs without having to muscle it up. Has anybody have any experience???

JR, how many steps are you talking about? Three or thirty makes a bit of a difference!! :):):)

[jryan]

JR is wondering about using ramps to get his Seg up some stairs without having to muscle it up. Has anybody have any experience???

JR, how many steps are you talking about? Three or thirty makes a bit of a difference!! :):):)

Thank you for clarifying that Five-Flags! I actually have about 15 stairs to take it up. They are not very wide nor steep. Well, here's a picture! Oh and just so you know Five-Flags, the timing is perfect. I'll be in your neck of the woods Sunday and Monday, and when I get back Tuesday, my glide will be a waitin'! But here's the pics!

[bugsbenny]

If the ramp is long enough, surely it's easier to use ramp to get ur pt up & down on stairs.

[mark1qhorsey]

Try finding a way to store it upstairs. :)

[KSagal]

Since the stairs are right there to support the ramp, the segway ramp you are getting will likely be too strong for what is needed, and also too short.

Again, since the stairs are there, you could get a pair of simple 1x6 planks the same length as the stairs and place them down when you want to use them. Long ramps need to be supported or heavy material so they do not sag, but with a stair right there, that is not the case. You could even use 1/2 plywood strips for even lighter ramps.

There also seem to be shoulders on that stairwell. Maybe you could hinge the ramps so they stay vertical all the time, on top of this shoulder, and you just flip them down when using the seg.

[Gihgehls]

If the ramp is long enough, surely it's easier to use ramp to get ur pt up & down on stairs.

You might think so, but in practice nothing is easier than using RBM to walk it up and down.

[SegwayDan]

I'm a little--no, VERY--skeptical about using ramps on stairs--even with Karl's idea of 1/6's. For one thing, plain boards might indeed not have enough traction and the wheels might slip, especially if the wheels are wet from the rain. If a wheel slips going up that flight of stairs you're in big trouble--especially if the Seg slips off the boards. Then it becomes a 120 lb Mexican jumping bean. Not a pretty sight going down those stairs, either with you under it, or with you chasing it.

The other thing is, controlling a Seg on a ramp over stairs would actually be dicey from a steering point of view. In normal RBM you're directly above the machine. But with your setup you'd be on the side. That makes it very dicey for steering. Very hard to control. Really not a good situation.

I'd get used to the idea of doing the standard RBM "stair shuffle."

[GlennO]

I don't have any steps to take my i2 up or down, but I do have the one step getting in and out of my house. I've been wheeling it outside before I even turn it on, which is not a problem for me, but with getting it back in under RBM mode... well, it has nearly run me over a few times, so I just turn it off before I try to get it up the step. For me at least, RBM mode is totally useless.

It might work if I was standing on a stair two steps above the i2, and maybe that does work out better, but I don't have that option.

Glenn

[dgbint]

RBM works very well.
Training is the key to being able to use it easily.

Point 1
Always stay above the machine ( whether you are ascending or descending ).
Gravity always works downwards, if anything goes wrong, you are safe if you are above it.
Machines are easier to fix than humans.

Point 2
It is the angle of the LeanSteer that controls the power.
Lean it backwards or forwards gently and smoothly to 'drive' it smoothly or gently up/down stairs.

Point 3
A little practice is a good idea.
Practice on a flat surface first to make sure that you get the'feel'.
Then practice on a single step or kerb.
Once you are quite comfortable with all of that, then tackle a set of stairs.

Good luck, and have fun.
Michael

[jryan]

Great advice, thank you all!