Dahon.Steve

Good post!

I didn't know it was Kasman industries who started this phenomena. Regardless, they didn't have to spend any marketing on this device because it sold itself to millions of people. That was the genius of the Hoverboard in that the company through word of mouth alone was able to create an industry out of nothing.

The Segway did not succeed because of the price as you said. There is no way they can make the Segway affordable for they cost around 6-8K and going up! The Hoverboard can only get better with larger wheels, more battery life and faster speeds.

The carfree forum members can't see the future because very few will be able to use them even when the technology improves. However, it's the younger generation who are buying them just might create a new form of transport for the carfree.

Dahon.Steve

+1000000000

Let's hope this is the start of a new electric form of transport that is both affordable and portable.

Roody

You're saying e-bikes should not be allowed, but I'm not clear on your reasons for wanting to ban them from the trails. Could you please elaborate? I'm not clear on what harm they're causing.

Do you think hoverboards should also be banned from MUPs?

Seattle Forrest

The segway was a laughing stock.

MZilliox

dumbest crap ever. i walk faster and don't fall when i walk. Toys for sure, and toys that won;t last long. even the name is dumb.

350htrr

Here is one reason it fails as a mobility device... Mike Tyson takes brutal spill off hoverboard

wolfchild

The reason why Segways aren't popular isn't because of the cost, but because they aren't practical for daily transportation use... Segways are just toys, they are only suitable for goofing around in amusement parks and not for commuting in traffic, running errands and bringing groceries home.

RPK79

Came here to post this.

Roody

Police officers use Segways a lot to patrol, so they're not "just" toys. Other than the price, they would be a great transportation choice for a few carfree people who want something faster than walking, but don't want a bike for whatever reason..

I-Like-To-Bike

At least car free people don't have the problem of having to strain themselves awkwardly lifting the grossly overweight, overpriced Segway into the trunk of a car to take it somewhere suitable to ride. Of course getting it in off of the street and up the stoop or a few flights of stairs could be a problem.

CliffordK

Personally I don't think of "car free" as replacing one form of powered transportation with another.

Do motorcycles count?

I-Like-To-Bike

Anything counts, at least when BF posters are free to make up their personal definitions to fit their own needs; even having powered transportation (mobility device) always available when the significant other, or other household member isn't using it

Smallwheels

I totally disagree with the opinion that they can't be used for shopping or commuting to work. It just depends on distance and how much you want to carry. If you're going to go that route then the same applies for bicycles.

Segways have a stair climbing mode. A person can't ride them up stairs but they can be guided up the stairs using power. Ramps also make it easy to put them into SUVs. Otherwise they are too heavy for transporting in regular cars.

350htrr

Lots of things can be used beyond their intended purpose... A fun toy does not necessarily make a good personal transportation device... JMO

Mobile 155

The E-bikes with 500 watt motors, and electric motors are called just that, can easily run 20 to 24 mph with little more than a twist of a grip. They get to 20 a lot faster than a gas powered moped because all of the torque is down on the bottom. So in fact they are faster than a gas powered bike but for a shorter distance. The one I posted can be had with a 900 watt motor and should be able to rooster dirt in the face of people following one. To me it is the same reason bikes and skateboards aren't allowed in malls. Slower moving pedestrians are in danger of being mowed down. But if we allow E-bikes on trails posted for non motorized vehicles what precludes other mopeds? And no I do not for a minute believe people will be responsible users.

Smallwheels

Segways are not just sold as toys. That is only one reason they exist. Their original intended purpose was to get rid of so many cars on the roads. They were specifically created as personal mobility devices to take people to work. I watched the debut of them on Good Morning America when the code name Ginger was removed and the name Segway was revealed.

I-Like-To-Bike

Segways are hardly sold anywhere, for any purpose. Give it up, the public did almost a decade ago.

Shimagnolo

The only practical purpose of these Segways-without-the-stick is this: Mike Tyson left down for the count by hoverboard fail ? video | Sport | The Guardian

350htrr

Oopps, I thought you were talking about the hoverboards in your first paragraph... As for the Segway's I can see how they could actually be useful,... Postman, meter readers, police,...

loky1179

That's when their popularity started to decline. If it had lived up to the hype (". . . . it could be bigger than the PC. Kamen says it “will be to the car what the car was to the horse and buggy.”"), we'd all have a couple in the garage right now.

They seem like a mildly amusing toy, but I can buy a bike for $50 on Craigslist that is faster and has better range.

I-Like-To-Bike

The failure of Segway to live up to its hype and never amount to anything but a niche product was documented almost immediately after that infamous introduction on the Good Morning America show. Segway's Breakdown | WIRED

Segways, though a giant FAIL, are good for laffs, as long as the rider doesn't mind being the target of the derision:

Walter S

For me personally any motorized form of transport will be poor way of adhering to my core values of maintaining my physical fitness and preserving the environment.

Ekdog

I agree, but what if a non-motorized form of transport isn't feasible? Do you ever have to travel long distances? What if you had to travel from Decatur to New York, for example?

Walter S

I'm really talking about mainstream lifestyle choices. If practical, I take the non-motorized option. And part of making a distance practical is a side effect of regularly embracing challenging options. But yes of course I take the motorized option if necessary. Year before last I took an airline to Salt Lake City on business for example.

Ekdog

I can see that you and I have a lot in common. My wife and I avoid motorized travel as much as possible, but there are times when it can't be avoided. We've just returned from a trip to Barcelona. We weren't going to cycle there, of course (it's over 1,000 miles there and back), so we opted for the AVE. Lovely to have such an option when non-motorized travel is out of the question.

High-speed rail travel from Seville to Barcelona on Spain's AVE trains | Travel | The Guardian