WHOA! Did know the Seg could do this...

[dhugger]

It was above 10 degrees above zero today, so I threw on Zorba's tires, went outside, and tested their limits. Rather than playing on flat snow and trying power stopping like I did in my video, I tried riding on steep slopes and snowbanks. This was beta-testing at its best! Check out the pix:

http://pubpages.unh.edu/~dhugger/extrm/1.jpg
This picture looks normal... but look at it for a minute. The perspective is a bit weird. Notice the direction of gravity.

http://pubpages.unh.edu/~dhugger/extrm/2.jpg
This snowbank was about 3.5 feet high.

http://pubpages.unh.edu/~dhugger/extrm/3.jpg
Riding sideways on a slope like this is a really weird feeling. I can barely reach the handle bars.

http://pubpages.unh.edu/~dhugger/extrm/4.jpg
I wish I had a video of me & the Seg coming down this hill. If you can imagine what going down a water slide standing up would be like, that's what riding down this hill feels like.

http://pubpages.unh.edu/~dhugger/extrm/5.jpg
The red & blue markings will give you an idea how steep this hill was.

http://pubpages.unh.edu/~dhugger/extrm/6.jpg
Just a snowy hill


-Derek Hugger-

[fredkap]

Derek,

How long does it take you to switch from one set of tires to the other? 10 minutes???

How far out do the studs stick out?

How do you get back to your dorm room?

That's 17 short of 20 questions but I am real curious.

Thanks,

Fred

[Sal]

Way to go Derek! I can't wait to get my pair. I move at the end of this week, and after I do, I will send away for my beta testing pair!

The Segway really is built like a tank!

-Sal

Think Different
www.apple.com

Answers that Matter
www.lilly.com

[Zorba9]

Excellent pics Derek. You always never cease to amaze me! You make my tires really look good- Thanks

KOG

Zorba9.....

[dhugger]

fredkap,
- under 3 minutes
- far enough for awesome traction, not too far as to hit the fenders
- take 'em right in with me, I change them in the hall (it's carpet, so no harm done)

I really with I had a video camera. Like I said, that hill was pretty crazy... and one pic I couldn't get was of me going up a 4" curb with no effort... that was impressive. If I go home this weekend, I'll get my dad's video camera and have some fun.

-Derek Hugger-

[defenbaugh]

quote:Originally posted by fredkap

... How long does it take you to switch from one set of tires to the other? 10 minutes???

How far out do the studs stick out? ...


Fred-Check this link http://www.defenbaugh.org/basicweb/Segway/tires_arrived.htm

Ron
www.defenbaugh.org/basicweb/Segway/segway.htm

[SegwayUtah]

A few questions:

1. Are the studded tires safe to use on the sidewalks? I mean, will they beat up the sidwalks? Will they tear up carpet, etc.

2. Have you put the tires up against something soft and let them sping? Will it tear it up? My big question is: if you were riding next to someone and accidentally bumped them with your tire, or you were riding and dismounted your HT on a slick surface and it slid around a little bit, could it hurt you? The HT seems to be designed to do everything it can to keep people safe; I'm just wondering if these tires could be appropriate to use without protection and around other people. That would be way cool.

3. Derek, where is your helmet?!? :) I always try to wear a helmet when testing "extreme manuevers."

Chris

[dhugger]

If you run into someone with exposed skin at "wheel level," yes, it would probably scratch them a bit. But, these tires really aren't made to be ridden in big groups of people. Their off roading tires. No, they don't seem to hurt pavement or carpet but I havne't been rough riding on either. In any event, if you ride responsibly, you'll be all set. I certainly never worry about hurting anyone.

-Derek Hugger-

[SegwayUtah]

Derek,

I'm thinking of an instance where the HT loses traction and tries to safely dismount the rider. I really don't know which way the HT is moving at that point, but I know the wheels will spin very, very fast to try to keep you from falling. Fast speeds with metal studs could be dangerous. But if the studs are smooth and don't "cut" it might not be a big deal at all.

Many city users may find that they want to put these on when the weather gets bad, even though it might not be Segway-appropriate weather. Some people live next to big hills, and while it might not be the smartest thing to do, they may put these tires on just to go "up the hill" to get to work.

Hey, I'm an engineer. It's my job to ask the exciting and the hard questions both. ;)

Great testing, Derek. And great photos. What kind of camera do you have, BTW (you can answer that one offline if you'd like)?

Chris

[dhugger]

Chris, in the example you gave... yep, you probably could get hurt pretty bad. While I don't think the studs are designed to "cut," given a great enough velocity, they definitely will. The regular tires don't feel too good spinning on skin, so I wouldn't imagine metal studs feeling any better. As for people using the tires just to get up a hill, I would say "don't do it." If you need the tires just for that, find a different route or use the regular ET tires. Also, if you aren't sure, play it safe and use power assist. All in all, I don't know that I'd recommend these tires to city folk, unless they're trying to commute in a few inches of snow. These tires are more for people wanting to off-road with their HTs.

Also, my camera is a POS-cheapest I could find at CompUSA in 2001-SiPix 2.1 MP digital. The pix look ok, but always seem to require a bit of color adjustment.

...And don't worry, I'm an engineer (in training) too. I know exactly where you're coming from ;)

-Derek Hugger-

[sailboss]

Great testing, Derek! The world is full of risk. I uderstand the questions about safety and spinning high-velocity studded tires. The questions are appropriate, but off the mark. Zorba's tire mods make the rider safer in a specific, otherwise unsafe circumstance. You correctly said that they weren't designed to glide through crowds at Times Square, but rather to go off road. And you have knowingly assumed that risk. Bravo!
The bad news is that some ambulance-chaser is probably licking his foul chops over the chance to sue the first person hurt by this advancement. And if we listen to the "risk management" experts, we'll never move ahead.

Go Derek! Go Zorba! Forget the lawyers and see what this thing'll really do! I hope I get picked for a beta tester too!!



"The seventh deadly sin is --Pizza!" -- Jimmy Buffett

[SegwayUtah]

Derek -- thanks for the clarification. I'll look forward to trying out a set "off the beaten path" sometime. I was thinking of buying a pair for when I go on trails with my friends. I'll have to do some testing to see where they'd be appropriate. They look very cool!

Chris