All this Segway hate..... *sigh* I've put about 350 miles on mine so far this summer, and I can honestly say that it is a wonderful solution for city living. There are millions of us, so you'd think there would be a market. The problem is the misperceptions people have. To clear some of the misconceptions:
A) The Segway is not as expensive as people think. Yes of course five grand is a fair bit of money, but think of hoe much money people spend on public transportation in the big city over a few years. No, it's not as affordable as a bike or a cheap electric scooter, but I pay about $112 a month in financing charges for mine. I save at least that much by no longer having to take the bus / subway / cabs / use my car all the time and pay for gas and parking.
B) It saves so much time. I always get places faster than I would get there using my car or public transportation.
C) It goes in and out of buildings with ease, and has a stair-assist mode. It is about as wide as a person's shoulders. It fits through doorways easily and most elevators have no problem with it. I lock mine up outside buildings all the time. It has an alarm mode, won't start without the key, and is too heavy for a thief to quickly carry away.
D) It's completely sealed and waterproof. They test them by running them through a foot and a half of water. I love leaving it out in the rain because it cleans off the dirt. :-)
E) The Segway is a BLAST to ride. 12.5 mph is pretty damn fast on the sidewalk, and it is so responsive that it feels connected to your body. I rode mine about 10 miles through downtown DC today in 90 degree heat, up and down hills, but didn't break a sweat because I had a great breeze the whole time. And it's very stable if you learn how to ride it properly (i.e. don't do stupid things like take turns too fast).
F) The embarrassment factor reduces itself after a few goes. Yes, if you *think* you look like a dork, you will feel self-conscious. But riding it is so much fun, you really don't care what people think. I will admit that all eyes are always on me, but in reality most people are just intrigued, and plenty of people think it looks very cool. I'll promise you this: no matter how dorky it might look to some people, EVERYONE wants to take a ride.
There is interest in the machine. People kept stopping me to ask where I got it, and yes they asked how much it cost but they didn't balk at the price as much as you might think. The problem is that the marketing sucked and there was WAY too much hype and it soured everyone on the machine even though it is incredibly innovative, fun, and useful.
The cost of owning a Segway isn't just the $5,000 you need to buy one. It is also the $1,650 you need to spend every 2-3 years to replace the batteries when they die. While the cost of charging the batteries may be negligible, the cost of replacing them sure isn't.
Way to make it better? Add an electric motor to a bicycle. I don't need any super expensive balance technology when I have a leg I could stick out. And maybe you could charge the battery when you're going downhill or peddle, if you don't mind your legs getting SOME exercise.
I second what Matt was saying about his ownership experience. I have put 1100+ miles on my segway since I bought it back on April 23. Its my opinion that, until you get ahold of one and use it for a day or two and see how it can be integrated into your own life, then you have no right to bash or hate it. It's amazing how the online tech-savvy community, while being so intelligent and so forward on other technologies... Its amazing to see how backwards, ignorant, and intolerant of this technology people are. The vast, and I mean VAST majority of people I know and have interacted with in the past 4 months (and it has been hundreds) love the Segway and think its the coolest thing ever.
My bateries are 5 years old and have carried me 32500miles. READ the manual and look after them. Yes the original distance has reduced and is not too keen on very high (100+) or very low temps like the newer ones but they still work. If you really have to use the full 25 miles (or close) often then get another form of transport as the Segway was developed for short trips.
I would make the burlington vermont police stop calling it "bleeding edge" technology on the news when they get interviewed on this "new" technology. I hate Vermont...
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
Add horn and GPS?
All this Segway hate..... *sigh* I've put about 350 miles on mine so far this summer, and I can honestly say that it is a wonderful solution for city living. There are millions of us, so you'd think there would be a market. The problem is the misperceptions people have. To clear some of the misconceptions:
A) The Segway is not as expensive as people think. Yes of course five grand is a fair bit of money, but think of hoe much money people spend on public transportation in the big city over a few years. No, it's not as affordable as a bike or a cheap electric scooter, but I pay about $112 a month in financing charges for mine. I save at least that much by no longer having to take the bus / subway / cabs / use my car all the time and pay for gas and parking.
B) It saves so much time. I always get places faster than I would get there using my car or public transportation.
C) It goes in and out of buildings with ease, and has a stair-assist mode. It is about as wide as a person's shoulders. It fits through doorways easily and most elevators have no problem with it. I lock mine up outside buildings all the time. It has an alarm mode, won't start without the key, and is too heavy for a thief to quickly carry away.
D) It's completely sealed and waterproof. They test them by running them through a foot and a half of water. I love leaving it out in the rain because it cleans off the dirt. :-)
E) The Segway is a BLAST to ride. 12.5 mph is pretty damn fast on the sidewalk, and it is so responsive that it feels connected to your body. I rode mine about 10 miles through downtown DC today in 90 degree heat, up and down hills, but didn't break a sweat because I had a great breeze the whole time. And it's very stable if you learn how to ride it properly (i.e. don't do stupid things like take turns too fast).
F) The embarrassment factor reduces itself after a few goes. Yes, if you *think* you look like a dork, you will feel self-conscious. But riding it is so much fun, you really don't care what people think. I will admit that all eyes are always on me, but in reality most people are just intrigued, and plenty of people think it looks very cool. I'll promise you this: no matter how dorky it might look to some people, EVERYONE wants to take a ride.
There is interest in the machine. People kept stopping me to ask where I got it, and yes they asked how much it cost but they didn't balk at the price as much as you might think. The problem is that the marketing sucked and there was WAY too much hype and it soured everyone on the machine even though it is incredibly innovative, fun, and useful.
Plenty more Segway thoughts, pictures and video at my personal Segway blog, http://www.beforeisleep.net/labels/segway.html :-)
Matt
The cost of owning a Segway isn't just the $5,000 you need to buy one. It is also the $1,650 you need to spend every 2-3 years to replace the batteries when they die. While the cost of charging the batteries may be negligible, the cost of replacing them sure isn't.
Way to make it better? Add an electric motor to a bicycle. I don't need any super expensive balance technology when I have a leg I could stick out. And maybe you could charge the battery when you're going downhill or peddle, if you don't mind your legs getting SOME exercise.
I second what Matt was saying about his ownership experience. I have put 1100+ miles on my segway since I bought it back on April 23. Its my opinion that, until you get ahold of one and use it for a day or two and see how it can be integrated into your own life, then you have no right to bash or hate it. It's amazing how the online tech-savvy community, while being so intelligent and so forward on other technologies... Its amazing to see how backwards, ignorant, and intolerant of this technology people are. The vast, and I mean VAST majority of people I know and have interacted with in the past 4 months (and it has been hundreds) love the Segway and think its the coolest thing ever.
My bateries are 5 years old and have carried me 32500miles. READ the manual and look after them. Yes the original distance has reduced and is not too keen on very high (100+) or very low temps like the newer ones but they still work. If you really have to use the full 25 miles (or close) often then get another form of transport as the Segway was developed for short trips.
Improve Segway? Make it fly.
AH
I would make the burlington vermont police stop calling it "bleeding edge" technology on the news when they get interviewed on this "new" technology. I hate Vermont...