I decided to purchase an electric unicycle after learning they existed about two weeks ago. I've since learned a lot about them and I've come to the conclusion that they are probably a really great way to get around for someone like me.

I'm really excited about it and I want to explain why I think it's a smart choice of electric vehicle. I've never seen one in real life, so I think there might be more people out there like me who have no idea what an electric unicycle is, or why it might be a good thing to have.

The one I'm buying can go over 20mph (32 km/h) and has a range of a little over 20 miles. It weighs about 50 pounds, (23 kilograms) is the size of a suitcase, and can be rolled around with the use of an attached "trolley handle."

What this means to me is that I can easily keep this thing in my bedroom and I can hop on it and get anywhere in the town I live in within like 40 minutes. I could toss it in the trunk of a car, I could take it on a bus or a train.

Obviously, it being a one wheeled vehicle, and being called a unicycle probably makes it seem as if it's not really something for an average person to use. But I don't think that's true. It's a self balancing vehicle, like a segway, so you don't have to be a circus performer to ride one. Will it be easy to learn? No it won't. I expect to feel frustrated for a while trying to learn, but I am confident I will be able to ride it around eventually.

I rode roller blades and skateboards in the past, I ride an ebike now, and I'm going to be riding this thing in the near future. I can't wait to get this big ebike out of my apartment.

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[–] 2 points 3 weeks ago* (4 children)

Get a motorcycle helmet as others said. Also, good gloves (erides max p1 ideally. And an overlooked item is motorcycle boots that protect the ankles. I had an accident 6 months ago and broke my femur. I'm convinced that without those things, it could have been worse.

Don't cheap out on gear. Never forget: all the gear, all the time. And you don't dress for the ride, you dress for the slide.

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 3 weeks ago (3 children)

    Ouch! what were you riding when you broke your femur?

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  • [–] 1 point 2 weeks ago (2 children)

    I was riding my EUC, a Leaperkim Lynx. I was in a bike lane, passing a car that was stopped on the road waiting to turn right. Right when I was going to pass him, he moved as if he was turning, but stopped. In a fraction of a second I had to make a decision and decided I should pass him on the left side which was too late for that. I thought he was going to cut me off. Hit him in the back. I hit him at around 40-45 km/h. Shit happens. I could have slowed down a lot beforehand, that would have helped a lot, but anyway it's hard to say when you're in the moment.

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 2 weeks ago (1 child)

    Yeah I need to get some riding boots. I wore some work boots for one of my rides and the heavy leather gave me confidence but the heeled sole is not great feeling.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 weeks ago

    Some of our best riders here use work boots. I personally think they don't protect the ankle enough. I currently use the Falco Advantour 2 boots. They are between motorcycle boots that offer no ankle twist protection and full on MTX rigid boots. I'd like to find wider boots with the same amount of protection though.

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