Bwahahahahahaha!
Yeah-yeah-yeah…anybody who buys one should also buy a Fez and an embroidered red vest.
That way, they’ll look even more like a trained performing monkey at the circus.
I think it looks pretty damn fun.
But it also seems like something that would get old with continued use.
After purchasing one you then have to move to a city where people magically space themselves out on the walkways so you have what appears to be a seamless flow through town. The video is clearly based on the best clips strung together to make it look more useful than it is. It’s like those car commercials where the car zooms through a city as if it’s North Korea and cars are an endangered species. What is far more likely is that you will face THIS if you work an 8-5 job.
Undeniably fun looking and a techy 21st century answer to inline skates.
Previous discussion:
What’s your opinion about the Airwheel?
Yes, that’s some of the kind of thing I think the Segway could be useful for, 10’s of miles if need be. Somewhere between walking and a motor bike.
Having spent a day traveling around on Segway, (a couple of hours travel time) I realized that I got much further than I would have done walking, much faster than I would have done running, without changing as I would have done on my m/c or my b/c, and much faster than I would have done if I had to park my car.
On the other hand, no, it didn’t have the carry capacity of my car, it wasn’t as fast traveling as the m/c or b/c.
But it really shone on the step on / step off ease. As good as a car, only better, because I was able to get close up to my destinations. As good as a b/c, only better, because I didn’t have to change / wasn’t dressed inappropriately.
How do you park a Segway and go do something else? Like maybe shopping – I imagine a lot of retail stores won’t let you in on one to cruise up and down their aisles.
They don’t let you cruise up and down their aisles in a car either.
I found that it was easy to park the Segway close to the destination in places where the nearest car parking was 20 minutes away… Your situation may be different. I didn’t find that the Segway was a stupid toy: I found that it was useful in a niche market.
I’ve never tried an Airwheel: I’ve never seen anyone using one.
It comes with a GPS system that maps to the nearest emergency room, no additional charge.
I can walk but I’m slow at it. When I see some kid hop on his skateboard and be at the end of the block before I’ve gone ten (short!) steps, I feel a twinge of envy. It would be cool to go faster, but I’ve got leg problems. I’ve never ridden a bike or a scooter, much less a skateboard. (OK, when my little sister had one many years ago, I tried, but no, the possibility of falling and doing more damage to my legs was too great a risk. I gave up pretty quick.)
Though I’d prefer a Segway, this Airwheel looks like a fun way to get around in your local area if you don’t want to walk, bike or use a gas guzzler. But I would think one’s feet would get tired of being in one position pretty quick. On a Segway you could stop and shift them quickly and be on your way. The narrow pedals on the Airwheel look like they don’t give you much of an option.
But I congratulate Omar Little on considering this bold choice. I hope he does it and enjoys it for many, many miles.
All these segway type devices get some hip 20-something who’s been skateboarding or surfing his whole life to make it look easy and fun. I’ve read that they’re actually quite challenging to operate.
Those do look like fun. I was reading reviews of them once and it mentioned there’s rather a bit of a learning curve and you need to be prepared to fall down a few times before you get the hang of it. As someone who has actually managed to fall off a Segway - twice - it’s not going to be my first choice of transportation.
That said: as a way of getting around in the city slightly faster than just walking, it might well be fun. I’ve still got a Segway on my “when I win the lottery” wish list though.
Presumably you could lock it to a nearby bike rack. I’ve only ever ridden Segways on tours, so locking it up was not a concern, but I’d bet there are places you could loop a cable lock to make it secure enough.