Why I Glide

Greg Ulrich from Mission Viejo, California

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 22:10:51 -0700

I’ve been commuting to work on my Segway for almost two years now. The commute is just under 16 miles each way, making a total of 32 miles a day on the days I glide. For the first 18 months of owning my Segway, I commuted two to three times a week. For the last five months, I’ve backed off a little and now commute one to two times a week.

In the morning, I leave my home at 4:30 a.m. to get to work at 6:30 a.m. That two-hour glide includes a 30-minute stop for breakfast at one of a couple places that are open that early.

The morning glide is my favorite. I enjoy the cold air, the darkness, and the quiet. There is far less traffic and no pedestrians to be concerned with. It gives me time to think about life in general and what may be coming up in the day ahead.

When I arrive at my workplace, I glide into my office and plug in the Segway. The 16-mile glide uses up most of the battery, so to get home it needs to be plugged in all day. After nine hours of charging, my Segway’s ready to go home.

In the afternoon, I leave work at 3:30 p.m. to get home by 5 p.m. There’s no stopping for food on the way home. I’ve had to push my Segway home twice. Both times it was for less than a mile. Both times it was my fault for using the Segway too much at lunch or for giving too many demonstration rides to curious fellow workers.

I use my Segway for other purposes, too. My wife and I travel about two weekends a month and usually take the Segways with us. We park our car at the hotel or timeshare and never use it again until we leave. We use the Segways to do all our sightseeing, shopping and exploring. I always ask permission to bring the Segways into the room for charging. We have pushed them through some very expensive hotels and resorts, including the St. Regis in Dana Point, California. The staff usually asks that we not ride the Segways inside the building.

I’ve had many unusual sightings while on my commutes. Most are not what people would expect to see in the middle of Orange County’s heavily populated cities.

I have run into a family of raccoons, and have come close to running into a skunk. I have scared a coyote silly because he didn’t hear me approaching him; he had a rabbit in his mouth and wasn’t about to give it up. I’ve also turned a corner to find a bobcat stalking a rabbit. He didn’t hear me approach and didn’t panic when he saw me either. I was about 12 to 15 feet away from him after I stopped. The bobcat didn’t want to take his eyes off the rabbit, but didn’t want to take them off me either. I only wish I had my camera. The standoff lasted about 10 minutes and then he walked away. Lucky rabbit ...

There is definitely a different view of life when you travel at 12 mph. Some things are really nice and some things you wouldn’t expect, like those I’ve mentioned. They are the substance behind great stories to tell people who don’t see these unusual occurrences. The problem is that there is also a lot of negative that you wouldn’t expect either.

I have been hit by a car. Many motorists don’t stop at red lights when turning right, and also don’t look to their right when turning right. This is what caused my accident.

I have had objects thrown at me from passing cars. This is “assault” and an arrest could follow. Unfortunately, there is never time to get a license plate when the car is speeding off.

I have also been harassed by the police. And yes, I mean harassed not just questioned.

I am cussed out by motorists a few times a day. Usually I am called “lazy” by the person driving by in an SUV. The drivers don’t see the humor of them sitting in their gas-guzzler calling me lazy. If they think they’re lazy for sitting in their car, then I guess I could agree—but if they aren’t being lazy, then neither am I. The alternative is to use my car. Then I would be burning their gas, contributing to their traffic problem and, to top it off, I would be taking their parking space.

I was not a “Green” person when I bought my first Segway. I wasn’t bad, but I didn’t think about it … at all. Now I see the tons of trash that people throw out of their cars. I especially see all the broken glass because I have inflated tires so I have to watch for it. I see the thousands of gallons of water that are wasted by sprinklers not being adjusted correctly. I’ve had my fair share of early-morning showers from sprinklers that are watering the sidewalks and the streets.

So the Segway commute has its ups and downs. All in all, I like gliding and will continue my long commute as long as I can or as long as my batteries hold out.

I’m Greg Ulrich, from Mission Viejo, California, and that’s why I glide.

Victor Miller from Alameda, California

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 21:12:49 -0700

Do you remember the first time you rode your two-wheeler down the block and realized at some frontal lobe molecular level that you were suddenly free from your parents’ control? The wind blew on your face, the plastic streamers on your handlebars went from limp to straight back, you could turn right or left or just snake lazy curvy arcs up the sidewalk past the vacant lot your sister told you was haunted?

Oh, God, and then you learned how to do it all without hands!

Later you realized that you were not really free, but the magical feelings from that first time never quite left you and you spent the rest of your life chasing that first buzz with bigger bikes, playing cards in the spokes, a Whizzer, a BMW, a Harley Sportster-Road-King-Custom-whatever. The lazy snake curves were taken at 75-85-95-105 mph in the car pool lane and they almost-but-not-quite matched that first escape from parents, gravity, and rules.

It’s been 60-plus years since that first break from parent/earth gravity on the two-wheeler, but my body recalls all the historical delights when I lean into the bars of my Segway and carve big easy curves up my street, across the bike lanes, sidewalks, lawns and crosswalks, almost silently, just-almost-nearly out of control.

Who’s got it better than me, Victor Miller, Alameda resident, Segway rider, polo goalkeeper, and unrepentant 5 year old?

Steve Wozniak from Los Gatos, California

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 20:42:48 -0700

I have three Segway lives. One is my home. I get on a Segway in my living room and go to the front door and roll out. I have a little ramp that goes down one little step, and then I’m out on the street and I ride down the hill about 10 minutes into town. They have a nice little town here in Los Gatos, and I might go by some shops and talk to people and see what’s going on. And I just feel great with the breeze going by me. It’s almost like I’m skiing, but I don’t have to wear a heavy jacket. I love that feeling! It’s the feeling I used to get on a motorcycle. In the summer, when the weather’s good, I go out almost every day whether I’m dining out or going out for entertainment like movies or shopping ... I’d rather do it on a Segway. I avoid the whole hassle of getting in a big car, opening the big doors, putting on the seat belts and starting things up ... carefully watching the mirrors, slowly driving into town and finding a parking spot, then getting out of the car and having to walk all the way down to where the theater is if the parking is crowded. I actually do a lot better on the Segway. It’s so much more enjoyable and wonderful. That’s Segway life Number 1.

My second Segway life is when I carry Segways in my cars. When I go to a city that I’ve never been in, or that I don’t go to very often, I’ll get on the Segway and start heading up and down the blocks to find the business centers and where all the different types of places to eat and shop are. You get a layout of the city on a Segway in maybe half an hour, up to an hour, and that’s something you could never ever get on foot. And I think even on bicycles you’re very limited by traffic in the streets and the speed the bike goes. On a Segway, you can stop at any window and peek inside, or maybe pop in and have a sandwich.

My third Segway life is Segway polo, which is probably the most fun thing I do in life right now. I don’t have any other real sports that I do, except a couple of computer games, and we play polo pretty much every other Sunday here in Sunnyvale, and it’s just so joyous to be able to play. I’m so thankful for that.

My name is Steve Wozniak, and that’s why I glide.

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David Sie from Orange County, California

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 21:00:36 -0700

Why do I glide? In getting the Segway, the decision was pretty much about rationalizing my desire for a new technology that was fun to ride. I was fascinated with the Segway, and I'm sure I enjoyed the endorphins that went with the big grin on my face too. That first night, while my Seg was on its initial recommended 12-hour charge, I can tell you I woke up more than once and had to interrupt that charge and take a little spin around the garage!

In making my purchase I went through the usual justifications: I'll save gas. I don't have to drive for the little errands. I'm helping the environment, etc etc. As it turns out, the Segway is doing just that and more!

After I got my Segway, I’d look for any opportunity to glide. It was so much more fun than using my car. After 2.5 years, it’s gotten to the point where I take care of the big errands on my way home from work, and save the little things for my trusty Segway. I just don’t use my car for those short trips anymore.

Looking back and doing a little figuring, here's what I found out:

I use my Segway an average of about five miles a day during the week, and over 20 miles on the weekends. So, by using my Seg instead of my car, I'm NOT buying about 100 gallons of gas per year! And, by the way, that also comes out to about 2000 pounds of C02 that I'm NOT pumping into the air each year. That puts a smile on my face.

I’ve even been able to take advantage of the Segway’s intended first mile/last mile design. I’ll ride my Seg a couple miles to the train station, and take a relaxed 45-minute trip to Union Station, then glide seven or eight blocks to my customer. And my “Segway smile” gets even bigger when I see that I don’t have to pay 35 bucks for parking.

OK, enough of the rational reasons for why I glide; here are some fun reasons for being a part of the Segway experience: I’m out getting fresh air; I can actually stop and smell the roses. I don’t have to fight the multitudes of cars jockeying for parking in front of my favorite coffee shop; I’ll just glide right in. I get to laugh as I pass gas stations, knowing that my energy consumption equates to something like 450 miles per gallon. And the part about being in the fresh air? It’s great! I’m out of my car, I’m back in the community, and I’m actually talking to people! The Segway is a huge conversation magnet. Because of my Segway smile, I’m probably even that much more approachable. I’m connecting with folks in my neighborhood as I never did before. I get to stop and chat, and people are no longer nameless faces but personalities that make my neighborhood more than just streets on a map.

Using my Segway has so many benefits that it’d be difficult to list them all here. I just have fun using it, and for me, the economic and ecological benefits are just another reason to keep on using it.

Aside from having fun using my Segway, playing with it is a blast! I don’t mean just taking it out for an evening roll after dinner, or gliding just to glide ... I mean REALLY playing with it, as in Segway polo! Playing Segway polo is the ultimate expression of fun on a Segway. If you ever get the chance to try it, go for it! Being part of a pick-up game is hilarious fun. If you need to give your Segway smile a boost, this is definitely the way to do it. It’s as easy as rocking back and forth a few feet to protect the goal, or you can charge across the field at a rollicking 12.5 mph!

I'm David Sie from Orange, California, and that's why I glide.

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Todd Masinter from Irvine, California

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 21:06:37 -0700

They look like a lawn mower. They make you look dorky. You can’t ride them everywhere. Maybe so. But every new technology must start somewhere. A little more than 100 years ago, a small group of people embraced a new mode of transportation that eventually changed the landscape of our planet. At first, these pioneers were mocked and ridiculed. Their choices questioned and debated, much like the modern Segway owner of today.

I glide because I can see beyond these modern prejudices. I consider myself fortunate to be living in a time where the early forms of a new mode of transportation are being explored and tested, utilizing cutting-edge technology, infinitely greener and more responsible than most current forms of transit. For the possible benefits to our globe, I’ll gladly endure the comments of the misinformed.

Also, I glide ... because it’s fun! Riding a Segway is unlike any other experience. Effortlessly moving from place to place, seamlessly transitioning between indoors and out, with complete control and dexterity.

In a day when dependence on a finite energy source is in the daily news, I’m encouraged by a renewed interest in alternative forms of energy and transportation. As Segway owners and enthusiasts, I truly feel that it’s our obligation to help spark the dialog in the direction of change and choice, like the automotive pioneers of a century ago.

I’m Todd Masinter from Irvine, California, and those are a few reasons why I glide ... why do you?

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