Otaki Beach

Last Friday we took a trip up to Otaki to visit a teacher at the Otaki Health Camp and School. This gave us the opportunity to take the Segway for a bit of glide along the beach.


View Larger Map


With the x2 kit on gliding on the dry or wet sand was a breeze! Despite the gale force winds and chilly weather we had to at least make it down to the river mouth.

Along the way we ran across this little fellow who immediately took off as we approached! Looked as if he'd been taking a bit of a break from the choppy seas. So we left him to go his way as went ours.

Due to the overcast conditions and the wind, it was hard to take any decent photos, so, we must return here soon! :-)



Got back to Paraparaumu early enough to pick the kids up from school, in fact I had time to spare so I took the opportunity of checking out the little place that sells electric golf carts. More on that later.......

On the way back to the school I had to pass by and visit Dayle at Gold Coast Mechanical (great guys, good service).

View Larger Map

And of course I had to let Dayle have a try of the Segway!

Great day out, must do it again soon. Have to go back and take some decent picture of Otaki!

Segway i2 Platform Exposed

Here is a cut away view of the Segway i2 platform, the electronic brain of the machine.

<>

Single Wheeled Version of The Segway

No to be out done, an Slovenian inventor Aleksander Polutnik, has come up with the Enicycle - a single wheeled Segway. And very much like the Segway it relies on multiple gyroscopes and a computer to balance (makes 100 adjustments every minute) as well as the lean forward/backward for movement. Steering, on the other hand, is hands-free and relies on the rider to 'push' the foot rests in the appropriate direction - similar to how the lean steer works in the i2 and x2 Segway models.

The current prototype has the following specifications:
- 15 km/h max speed
- 30 km range on a single charge
- 5 hours recharge time
- and weighs 28 kg

But will it surpass the Segway? At the moment there have been only 2 made so far, initially designed so that the inventor could keep up with his unicycling partner. And unlike the Segway it appears to be easier to fall off from! 8-) No costs have been published yet and real production has yet to begin. Like all new ideas and technology, public acceptance will initially be an upward battle - but then, over time it too may be accepted and wide spread.

Video Link

How Far Can You Go?

The question most frequently asked about the Segway is 'how far can it go?' As simple as the question may seem to answer it is not!

The furthest distance you could go would depend upon:

• the terrain - flat, hilly
• the environment - the wind in Wellington can make a big difference!
• what tires are being used - the x2 tires are alot heavier and wider than the i2 ones

All of the maximum distance figures listed on the official Segway site are based on flat surfaces unlike the suburbran Wellington or plain old Wellington for that matter! 8-) So of the sidewalks are ....lets just say at times it is safer to take a  chance on the road.

You mileage/kilometerage will vary, for example a 9.5km trip from the city to homebase used about 5 bars, the return trip, however only used 2 bars. I should point out that the trip home was uphill versus the return trip which was mostly down hill.

On one occasion I even had a tail wind blow/push me and the Segway up hill at a speed of 16 to 18 km/h! yes, the wind can be your friend and also your enemy, especially when it's blowing into you.

To be continued......

Where is all began(?)

Every idea had to start somewhere, is this where .....

Order your Indie Tech: Segway Beta T-Shirt now!

Off the Beaten Track #1 - Newlands

One of the joys of a Segway besides being able to get around is to get around to those places off the beaten track. One such track starts at the corner of Wakely Road and Lyndfield Lane in Newlands and ends at the bottom of Centenial Highway near Glover Street.

View Larger Map

Although it is a short (1.4km) track, it is not without its perils. Most of the track is of very loose gravel and is very steep in many places. In hind site I should have had the x2 tires on instead of the less aggressive i2s. And did I mention it is a steep and long drop if you wander too close to the edge?! 8-)

Getting back to home base was via the sidewalk along the Ngauranga Gorge and then up and over the Newland flyover.

Te Onepoto Bay, Porirua

With our x2 wheels and fenders fitted we went off to explore Te Onepoto Bay area. This is a quiet little bay just across from State Highway 1 in Porirua just North of Wellington City on the Titahi Bay peninsular.

View Larger Map

The first part of the trip was easy going along the shoreline until we came to a fork in the road, one leading to a style and the other, a gravel track going up hill. Being adventurous we headed up the hill, at the top of which we were greeted by a fantastic view of the golf course below and on the other side a wonder view of Paremata and Papkowhai.

Further up we came up to another style before everything stated going downhill, literally! Instead of a walking track we were instead faced with less than a dirt track and ruts as deep as .... well, there were deep! This 200 meters stretch of 'path' took us over an hour to negotiate, but we did it and now that we know that it is there we will avoid it in the future!

Finally down at Onehunga Bay, we took a well deserved break. The trip back was mainly across gravel and no tricky bits until we got to the other side of the style that had blocked us earlier.

The only way to get around this was either to go all the way back and find an alternative route or .......

as luck would have it, there was just enough dry mud to get around on the watery side.

It took a bit of too-ing and fro-ing and in 5 minutes we were back on our way!

Segway i2 vs x2

When I purchased the Segway I made sure I also got the x2 kit with it. The x2 kit is comprised of:

the x2 wide low pressure off-road tires, x2 fenders and frames.

Swapping out the i2 fender and wheels for the x2 takes about 12 to 15 minutes. The x2 tires make the Segway too wide to fit thru normal doors and way too agressive for pavement and street use. But once off the beaten path they are just right for the task. However, there is a trade off, the wider (heavier ) tires take their toll on the batteries and limit the distance you can travel.

As a comparisson, from the official Segway site the i2 has a range of upto 38kms (depending on terrain) and the x2 has a range of upto 19kms! Of course, the i2 figure is based on pavements an streets and with x2, well, it really depends on where you go!

Time to Blog!

I've had my Segway almost a month and have been planning to blog about the places we've seen in and around Wellington. Obviously, that the blogging bit has been missing! 8-)

For years I had been wanting to get my own Segway and finally I got one! Funny thing is that I had never ridden on a Segway before, in fact it wasn't after I had paid for it and we're we loading it onto the back of my truck did I have my first 'glide'. The moment I got on I knew I had what I wanted!

I spent a couple of weeks getting used to the lean steer and doing glides around my neighborhood (Woodridge), which fortunately offers access to a wide range of surfaces and obstacles; ranging from brush-overrun tracks, mud, steep inclines (and ascents!) as well as paved sufaces. In fact I spent a fair bit of time going down streets and roads I hadn't ventured down before.

So now we have started!