Promising commuter ebike? Gyro unicycle.

[cycleops612]

Marry the gyroscopic magic of hoverboards with the seemingly forgotten (except by clowns, who also seem a bit forgotten) unicycle.

It ticks many boxes.

Decent size wheel, seat, compact w/o folding, light but strong, simple, cheap...

For muscle:

https://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fassets.inhabitat.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2011%2F11%2FRyno-Electric-Unicycle-1.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Finhabitat.com%2Fthe-ryno-electric-unicycle-is-a-one-wheeled-muscle-machine%2F&docid=htndifFlVO3_2M&tbnid=IqdmvW1L_QDVUM%3A&w=728&h=532&bih=312&biw=702&ved=0ahUKEwin9oPD0dLPAhVGVj4KHSBfBukQMwgnKAcwBw&iact=mrc&uact=8

OR:

https://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.electric-bicycle-guide.com%2Fimages%2FBTbike_unicycle.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.electric-bicycle-guide.com%2Felectric-unicycle.html&docid=2yAgTFBjeFzSUM&tbnid=o3rUQs4RpqoegM%3A&w=280&h=426&bih=312&biw=702&ved=0ahUKEwin9oPD0dLPAhVGVj4KHSBfBukQMwhgKDcwNw&iact=mrc&uact=8

https://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpsipunk.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2011%2F07%2Ffuture-Electric-vehicle-Unicycle-Vasco-Oliveira-04.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpsipunk.com%2Felectric-unicycle-by-vasco-oliveira%2F&docid=T-crqmVIPJY8kM&tbnid=Ja7bDALztvJLoM%3A&w=500&h=373&bih=312&biw=702&ved=0ahUKEwin9oPD0dLPAhVGVj4KHSBfBukQMwhwKEcwRw&iact=mrc&uact=8

https://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinwheelonline.com%2Fd%2Ffile%2FNews%2FReading%2F2016-04-11%2F1b74a15bbf27107ddba34852779ab49b.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinwheelonline.com%2FNews%2FReading%2FBest-Electric-Unicycles-2016-Guide.html&docid=YD7tLJ-NqD27oM&tbnid=vym54Grag43unM%3A&w=640&h=443&bih=312&biw=702&ved=0ahUKEwin9oPD0dLPAhVGVj4KHSBfBukQMwguKA4wDg&iact=mrc&uact=8

fyi, mono skate board

https://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fimage.made-in-china.com%2F43f34j00eOGtgBPRCKcS%2FNew-Design-Flash-LED-Light-Electric-Skateboard-One-Wheel-Self-Balancing-Electric-Unicycle-Scooter.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fykzyao.en.made-in-china.com%2Fproduct%2FdXYErTVMLZkF%2FChina-New-Design-Flash-LED-Light-Electric-Skateboard-One-Wheel-Self-Balancing-Electric-Unicycle-Scooter.html&docid=YB5Xp1KF93KTTM&tbnid=8R3jt675R3n6KM%3A&w=300&h=300&bih=800&biw=1421&ved=0ahUKEwjh4dOG0tLPAhXMOj4KHYvtCZE4rAIQMwhDKEEwQQ&iact=mrc&uact=8

 

[MadRhino]

A mono is fun, but not a good commuter. It is not comfortable at all, and it is dangerous to ride in the city trafic. Its major handicap is braking, and braking is a very important factor of survival in a city. :wink:

 

[cycleops612]

A mono is fun, but not a good commuter. It is not comfortable at all, and it is dangerous to ride in the city trafic. Its major handicap is braking, and braking is a very important factor of survival in a city. :wink:

Well yes, but apart from details like survival ...

I can see it may need work, but is it insurmountable?

If it were clever enough to balance the mass of the rider (as hoverboards do now), so its inline with the braking force, the rider neednt topple forward. The braking dynamics would really be better than a bikes.

Maybe it is intuitive for the rider to lean back as he brakes?

That "muscle" link looked a pretty serious performance machine. Guess i should look for reviews.

Perception is reality tho. It would sure scare me to put that much faith in ~software.

Comfort? It doesnt sound insurmountable either, & nobodys perfect - compact will always lose to unconstricted evS. Sure, a bike is a better machine, but awkward bloody things if u r trying to combine some other form of transport into a trip - a "hybrid trip".

NB,there is no real wheel size limit despite compactness. Even 26". It would be like taking the front fork of a mtb on the train. Compare that to a bikes footprint? Far less awkward than a; bike, a kids bike, scooter or folding bike, with their uncomfortable and dangerous small wheels. Its standing space thats scarce, the vertical dimension is no problem.