# Interesting Personal Transport **URL:** \ **Category:** Off Topic Chat\ **Created:** [December 10, 2007, 6:40pm UTC](https://www.stridaforum.com/t/interesting-personal-transport/99 "2007-12-10T18:40:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Amuro\_Lee](https://www.stridaforum.com/user_avatar/www.stridaforum.com/amuro_lee/32/4_2.png) [@Amuro\_Lee](https://www.stridaforum.com/u/Amuro_Lee)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 6:40pm UTC](https://www.stridaforum.com/t/interesting-personal-transport/99/1 "2007-12-10T18:40:25Z")
![](https://www.stridaforum.com/uploads/default/original/2X/f/f78ac608d67a7d9f6d667edeb2c165a0a6af3edc.jpeg) ![](https://www.stridaforum.com/uploads/default/original/2X/7/7c647e75f9f1a2faf33a2997dd90ca0dc8b8190f.jpeg) ![](https://www.stridaforum.com/uploads/default/original/2X/1/1a887fd0350f7b887105f55f776f306c7d6511d5.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![John](https://www.stridaforum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@John](https://www.stridaforum.com/u/John)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 9:31pm UTC](https://www.stridaforum.com/t/interesting-personal-transport/99/2 "2007-12-11T21:31:35Z")
check this out!! [easy-glider.com](http://www.easy-glider.com) Weird trike looking thing… but it looks like fun! ---
**Author:** ![weakling-guest](https://www.stridaforum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@weakling-guest](https://www.stridaforum.com/u/weakling-guest)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2008, 6:44pm UTC](https://www.stridaforum.com/t/interesting-personal-transport/99/3 "2008-01-10T18:44:00Z")
Yeah that easy-glider does look cool but it has a motor. 🙂 Ok motor has its place too but as an old HPV one want muscle driven bikes. ---
**Author:** ![chainstrainer](https://www.stridaforum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@chainstrainer](https://www.stridaforum.com/u/chainstrainer)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 4:43am UTC](https://www.stridaforum.com/t/interesting-personal-transport/99/4 "2008-01-31T04:43:33Z")
I’ve seen the Trikke on video but the wide rocking action necessary to move it forward seems impractical to me. Also your hands are needed to steer it. For the about the same price I’d get a Magic Wheel instead. No hands to steer. No rocking back and forth to move. If you can skateboard, you’ll be up on this in no time. ---
**Author:** ![Weakling](https://www.stridaforum.com/user_avatar/www.stridaforum.com/weakling/32/8_2.png) [@Weakling](https://www.stridaforum.com/u/Weakling)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 8:55am UTC](https://www.stridaforum.com/t/interesting-personal-transport/99/5 "2008-01-31T08:55:21Z")
Magic Wheel do look great. i’ve seen the video too. Yes it looks awesome when he rides it but doesn’t it take an awful lot of practice to become so good at keeping balance? Don’t read bikeforums reaction to that Magic Wheel. They where rolling on the floor and couln’t bear themselves over how ridiculous they found it to be. I felt bad about the designer if he reads it. I thought the MW to be an innovative thing to come up with. To use it in public transport maybe even a 20" wheel would be even better than 26? easier to put into a bag if the authorities on the Train or bus get into rules on No Skating allowed here. So you have actually ride the thing? How long took it for you to master it? Are you good at LongBoards and such. ---
**Author:** ![chainstrainer](https://www.stridaforum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@chainstrainer](https://www.stridaforum.com/u/chainstrainer)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2008, 7:27am UTC](https://www.stridaforum.com/t/interesting-personal-transport/99/6 "2008-02-02T07:27:05Z")
No, I don’t use a longboard or any skateboard for that matter, not since I was a kid anyway. I’ve never tried a Magic Wheel but I have one on the way to me only because I got it really cheap and plan on making it a gift to a young skate-boarding nephew. Maybe I’ll get to try it out, too, and let you know my thoughts on it. I don’t imagine it would be suitable to anyone who had trouble balancing a Strida, though. I had a 10-second learning curve on my Strida 5.0 and have been very comfortable with its handling ever since. If you have balancing problems, maybe you should consider something with three wheels. If you’re still looking at a folder, I see that Pacific Cycles has a trike version of their Carry Me called the Carry All. ---
**Author:** ![Weakling](https://www.stridaforum.com/user_avatar/www.stridaforum.com/weakling/32/8_2.png) [@Weakling](https://www.stridaforum.com/u/Weakling)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2008, 9:59am UTC](https://www.stridaforum.com/t/interesting-personal-transport/99/7 "2008-02-02T09:59:30Z")
Yes and no. 🙂 Yes I very much do consider to buy a Carryall from Pacific Cycle when they become available late summer 2008 or so. They still have not presented the specification for it on the homepage. They still have no entry there, only early news that it is planned to be available. They still test ride it and make late changes to it. It would suite me very good when the streets is icy and snowy here. But No! 🙂 I have no problem with ordinary bikes. Me jump on any standard bike in the bike shop and have no problem keeping balance on them. I have seven and have had 9 ordinary bikes and have no problem with any of these. I’m disappointed with one of them but have no problem keeping balance on that one either. So sure I am not as good at balance as the rest of you but I’m not that bad that I have trouble with standard bikes. The ride ability of a Strida is not standard. It is a bike that is a bit unusual. Though most people do learn it in ten seconds. Standard brains are that flexible while mine is not. So standard bikes are built to even allow me to ride but non-standard bikes need the great learning flexibility of a standard brain. Take such thing as a mono-wheel. Not everybody get good at balancing on such either. Steedman who bought the rights to own design of Strida? he wanted the geometry of the Strida 3 to be fine tuned so more people would accept it’s odd behavior and people do recognize that it behaves better than the original Strida does. So they managed to make it easier to learn. I’m still too slow in head though. Attention deficit or what it could be. 🙂 (was his name Steedman or Steadman? Sorry) ---
**Author:** ![chainstrainer](https://www.stridaforum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@chainstrainer](https://www.stridaforum.com/u/chainstrainer)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2008, 6:13pm UTC](https://www.stridaforum.com/t/interesting-personal-transport/99/8 "2008-02-02T18:13:28Z")
I didn’t mean to imply you can’t ride bicycles. You’ve stated many times how you were not able to ride a Strida so I suggested the CarryAll, which you already knew about, because three wheels would eliminate balance issues and still allow you to fold the thing up. When I began riding recumbents years ago it took me a while to learn, about 10 minutes just to avoid falling over and several days to become comfortable enough for long rides. I now race an Optima Baron where I’m almost fully reclined on my back while riding. Some of my friends have gravitated to recumbent trikes because they like them, not because of balance problems. Yes, the Strida was a little twitchy at first, but my first recumbent was much more so - I’ve never fallen from the Strida but can’t say the same about the recumbent. I persevered and now ride both comfortably. ---
**Author:** ![Weakling](https://www.stridaforum.com/user_avatar/www.stridaforum.com/weakling/32/8_2.png) [@Weakling](https://www.stridaforum.com/u/Weakling)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 8:57am UTC](https://www.stridaforum.com/t/interesting-personal-transport/99/9 "2008-02-03T08:57:14Z")
Yes ,sorry my English is so and so which comes in our way sort of. So me didn’t imply things either. I fail to smooth talk in English. I come through very soically clumsy. 🙂 Yes recumbents seems to require practice for most people. That is a known thing but none told me in advance that Strida was like that. ten seconds they told me. At most 15 seconds so me are different. Maybe Strida could be used to diagnose ADD or ADHD problems? ---
**Author:** ![chainstrainer\_as\_gue](https://www.stridaforum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@chainstrainer\_as\_gue](https://www.stridaforum.com/u/chainstrainer_as_gue)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2008, 3:02am UTC](https://www.stridaforum.com/t/interesting-personal-transport/99/10 "2008-02-04T03:02:19Z")
No apology is necessary for your English, which is fine. I can’t even attempt Swedish, Cantonese, Thai, Indonesian or any of the other native languages of the posters here. I count myself lucky there are those here that can easily communicate in the English. It makes me feel pretty dumb really. The Strida may just take more time for you to adjust to than it does most others. Your test rides seemed too short to determine whether you could ultimately succeed. It has nothing to do with ADD. ---
**Author:** ![Weakling](https://www.stridaforum.com/user_avatar/www.stridaforum.com/weakling/32/8_2.png) [@Weakling](https://www.stridaforum.com/u/Weakling)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2008, 11:46am UTC](https://www.stridaforum.com/t/interesting-personal-transport/99/11 "2008-02-04T11:46:54Z")
I wrote an email to Strida in UK. Here are their answer about steering. > [@](#): > > re: steering > > very few people have difficulties after the first few moments. > > but if you have less-good balance, AND are inattentive rider > (i.e. prefer to look at birds than the road.), > > we don’t recommend the bike.) That could be their polite way to refer to people like me with ADD tendencies. I am sure of that I don’t look at birds I am one hundred percent concentrated on riding but my brain fail to keep up with the challenge. I’ve been slow like that my whole life so it is not an attitude. I don’t think it is practice either. I’ve practiced playing music instruments my whole life too and I am still too slow to be able to play with others. I’m lagging behind in tempo. Not on time. 🙂 A weakling indeed. Here is the part in my original email to Strida UK. > [@](#): > > Many but not all reviewers do report that it takes from 10 to 15 seconds > to get accustomed to the different balance and steering on a Strida. > > But most promise one get used to it within 10 seconds or so. … > > But I still want to ask. Could there be people with less good ability > to adjust to the difference in combining keeping balance and steering > at same time? > > I mean me is bad at dancing and to dance has much to do with > fast timing in response of bodily movements. I’m slow in response > to most of what I do. > > I mean have you had users who tell you they regret they bought it > cause they fail to get accustomed to the unique combination of > keeping balance and steering? Most reviews that ever mention this “difference about Strida” insist it only take at most 15 seconds but private correspondents say it took them minutes and some even more. So I did test it for two minutes in the shop. None said that two minutes would be too short to get the hang on the balance. So I am not sure of what to think of the hiding of this fact. Strida kind of downplay that Strida is very different. Only recumbent bikes have this “learning” curve but that is usually admitted by their supporters. Some of them admit it took hours to learn it and some say it took a week to be confident enough to get out in traffic with their recumbent. This wikipedia text try to explain what makes a bike behave well. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle\_and\_motorcycle\_geometry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_and_motorcycle_geometry) > [@](#): > > In bicycles, the steering axis angle is called the head angle > and is measured clock-wise from the horizontal when viewed from > the right side. > A 90° head angle would be vertical. For example, Lemond[1] offers: > > a 2007 Filmore, designed for the track, with a head angle that varies > from 72.5° to 74° depending on frame size a 2006 Tete de Course, > designed for road racing, with a head angle that varies from 71.25° to 74°, > depending on frame size. This one maybe even better text? [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle\_and\_motorcycle\_dynamics](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_and_motorcycle_dynamics) > [@](#): > > The more trail a bike has, the more stable it feels. > Bikes with negative trail (where the contact patch is actually in front of > where the steering axis intersects the ground), while still ridable, > feel very unstable. Bikes with too much trail feel difficult to steer. > > Normally, road racing bicycles have more trail than mountain bikes > or touring bikes. In the case of mountain bikes, less trail allows more > accurate path selection off-road, and also allows the rider to recover > from obstacles on the trail which might knock the front wheel off-course. > > Touring bikes are built with small trail to allow the rider to control a bike > weighed down with luggage. As a consequence, an unloaded touring bike > can feel rather unstable to ride. > > In bicycles, fork rake, often a curve in the fork blades forward of the steering axis, is used to diminish trail. ---
**Author:** ![Weakling](https://www.stridaforum.com/user_avatar/www.stridaforum.com/weakling/32/8_2.png) [@Weakling](https://www.stridaforum.com/u/Weakling)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2008, 12:29pm UTC](https://www.stridaforum.com/t/interesting-personal-transport/99/12 "2008-02-04T12:29:10Z")
I wish me could understand such technical text. Is this how the Strida is built? > [@](#): > > Bikes with negative trail (where the contact patch is actually in front of > where the steering axis intersects the ground), while still ridable, > feel very unstable. Does the Strida have negative trail? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://www.stridaforum.com/uploads/default/original/2X/9/9677fb06fc90204cc4e8d6a58413eceb2ade25dd.svg) [@system](https://www.stridaforum.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2008, 1:19pm UTC](https://www.stridaforum.com/t/interesting-personal-transport/99/13 "2008-02-04T13:19:59Z")
I dont think Strida has particularly weird steering geometry… Bikes geometry is covered by the tests they have to pass. The most unusual aspects are short wheelbase and upright riding position. This is covered in the inventors TIPs which is on Strida UK service site. (this was also put in another discussion … and yes i must join … but a couple less passwords to do each day helps 😃 ) [http://www.strida.co.uk/media/uploads/faqs/strida\_faq\_197\_Strida\_Tips\_V3\_from\_Mark.pdf](http://www.strida.co.uk/english/images/Tips-from-Mark.pdf) He makes the point that many bikes are designed more for racing which is not good around town due to bent back and neck. I like the way Strida handles it feels fun to me, and great for in traffic. I guess that if you got one you would soon get used to it and then other bikes will not feel so fun 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Weakling](https://www.stridaforum.com/user_avatar/www.stridaforum.com/weakling/32/8_2.png) [@Weakling](https://www.stridaforum.com/u/Weakling)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2008, 8:36am UTC](https://www.stridaforum.com/t/interesting-personal-transport/99/14 "2008-02-05T08:36:42Z")
> [@](#): > > The most unusual aspects are short wheelbase and upright riding position. that is not as I see it 🙂 I have used a Microbike (Swedish design now out of biz) for some 10 years and that one have even shorter wheelbase and same upright position. Steedman when he bought the rights from Mark Sanders did it with the agreement that they together would find out a better geometry and do much testing to find the best compromise. They make a test Strida that had every part adjustable. I wish somebody who know these things could measure the known bikes and tell us the numbers of each so one could compare them. I’m trying to find the wheelbase for Strida. MB has 950 mm some 37.5" Strida 16" wheel and my old MB has 12" wheels ![](https://www.stridaforum.com/uploads/default/original/2X/0/0d4270383bdc7379cf47a97d69ba51999125a3f7.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Amuro\_Lee](https://www.stridaforum.com/user_avatar/www.stridaforum.com/amuro_lee/32/4_2.png) [@Amuro\_Lee](https://www.stridaforum.com/u/Amuro_Lee)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 1:30pm UTC](https://www.stridaforum.com/t/interesting-personal-transport/99/15 "2009-02-17T13:30:11Z")
> [@chainstrainer](#): > > I’ve seen the Trikke on video but the wide rocking action necessary to move it forward seems impractical to me… I’ve found that it is not a Trikke actually. It is called SLIDER The UNscooter. They are similar in appearance but are totally different in structure and principle. [unscooter.com](http://www.unscooter.com) [youtube.com/watch?v=L42UPF\_gBHM](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L42UPF_gBHM) [youtube.com/watch?v=DTiOxfbk3vc](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTiOxfbk3vc) Unscooter vs. Trikke vs. Wave vs. PowerWing [youtube.com/watch?v=VaaFn4sjDtc](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaaFn4sjDtc) Trikke vs. bike [youtube.com/watch?v=XBv\_47RSbCs](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBv_47RSbCs) ---
**Author:** ![Amuro\_Lee](https://www.stridaforum.com/user_avatar/www.stridaforum.com/amuro_lee/32/4_2.png) [@Amuro\_Lee](https://www.stridaforum.com/u/Amuro_Lee)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://www.stridaforum.com/t/interesting-personal-transport/99/16 "2010-09-23T19:57:59Z")
Former US President Jimmy Carter riding his Trikke: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ruKPiEAzz4](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ruKPiEAzz4)