Have you ever ridden a Segway? If you had $5,000 handy, would you buy one?

[GagHalfrunt]

The inventor of the Segway sold the company a few years ago. The new owner was riding one along a cliff and, wait for it, ....., he went over the edge and died!


Brian

Ironically, before buying Segway that guy made his fortune with a military barrier system that would protect against bullets and shrapnel, control flooding and also stop vehicles. A line of his own barriers on top of the cliff would have stopped the Segway from going over.

 

[Ns1]

Took a tour of DC in one. It was awesome

If I ever won the lottery I'd buy a pair of Ferrari Segways.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Took a tour of DC in one. It was awesome

If I ever won the lottery I'd buy a pair of Ferrari Segways.

Its all fun-n-games...until you have to buy insurance for a Ferrari Segway. Better stick with the plain vanilla one.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

No, but there was this family down the street with three boys, all of which had Segways that they would race up and down the cul-de-sac. The pudgiest and most ginger of them once proudly exclaimed his ability to do doughnuts in it. From that point on, he was known in our family as "Doughnuts".

 

[WelshBloke]

What's wrong with walking?

 

[rcpratt]

I've ridden one and enjoyed it. It's quite easy.

But no, I wouldn't spend $5,000 for one. It's more a novelty than a serious mode of transportation to me.

 

[DrPizza]

If someone told me, "here's $5k, go buy some sort of transportation," I'd run out and get a 4-wheeler. If someone said, "here's another $5k" I'd get one for my wife. Then each of my sons. Then I'd get a decent used Ski-do, then another... A Segway would probably be the last transportation device I would ever want to own.

 

[videogames101]

Why not DIY? :hmm:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Rideable-Segway-Clone-Low-Cost-and-Easy-Build/


http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums/showthread.php/ovaltines-segway-clone-89471.html

http://hackaday.com/2012/03/16/self-balancing-transport-is-arduino-controlled

I've taken a tour of the manufacturing facilities, and you wouldn't believe how much redundancy was built into Segways that DIY units will never have. Essentially at least two of everything.

That being said, I'd never buy one.

 

[FelixDeCat]

I've taken a tour of the manufacturing facilities, and you wouldn't believe how much redundancy was built into Segways that DIY units will never have. Essentially at least two of everything.

That being said, I'd never buy one.

Pshaw. How about a Hello Kitty model? Ill bet you would want one then.

 

[mmntech]

I remember when they first started getting press. People were saying they'd be the mode of transport for the future. All the cops and mail carriers were going to want them. Yet nobody did. If you can't even convince super lazy America to give up walking, you're doing it wrong.

I've never ridden one myself. They do look like a lot of fun. I just wouldn't buy one. Just can't see any advantage in day to day over a say a bike, or just walking.

 

[jlee]

I've ridden them and they're a lot of fun, but I'd never buy or own one.

This.

 

[Arcadio]

I'd rent one for $20/hour. It looks like fun, and I'd like to see what they're about.

Good idea. Maybe I should buy one and rent it.

 

[dawp]

someone at work has one and would ride it to work, haven't seen it in a while tho.

think that maybe they told him to keep it at home because his coworkers would use the hallways as a racetrack and he lives across the street and can walk it.

no, I never rode it myself.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Rode one a number of years ago on a gold course in Arizona. For that purpose it was awesome. But as an everyday traveling machine it has about as much use to me as a gold cart would. That is to say, very little.

 

[gevorg]

Nope, its too dangerous.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Why would I pay 5000 for something with a few miles of range that moves at walking speed? My legs already have range and speed to match. If I had no legs, then I would get one of those scooters designed for people with no legs, or a normal wheel chair since I would still have arms.

 

[Ns1]

Why would I pay 5000 for something with a few miles of range that moves at walking speed? My legs already have range and speed to match. If I had no legs, then I would get one of those scooters designed for people with no legs, or a normal wheel chair since I would still have arms.

a segway moves way faster than walking speed - IIRC full speed was closer to a slow/medium speed cruiser bicycle.

 

[BurnItDwn]

a segway moves way faster than walking speed - IIRC full speed was closer to a slow/medium speed cruiser bicycle.

thats not exactly "way faster" ...

I guess I see segways as useless unless they go at least 50 mph and you can use them instead of a car.

 

[Ns1]

thats not exactly "way faster" ...

I guess I see segways as useless unless they go at least 50 mph and you can use them instead of a car.

All I know is when I went to DC we were on the street in the bicycle lane - no way a person walking could have kept up.

//edit

Max speed = 12.5mph

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Rode one a number of years ago on a gold course in Arizona. For that purpose it was awesome. But as an everyday traveling machine it has about as much use to me as a gold cart would. That is to say, very little.

ATOT only deals in platinum.

 

[rsutoratosu]

we had one at work, when the battery died, we looked into replacing it.. this was in 2008/2009, it was something like replace 10 cell max for 1999.. insanely expensive