Adam Jewell - Search & Affiliate Marketing

When heading out to a conference, its nice to head out a few days before the conference to check out the sights, experience the local town and do some exploring. While I had grand ambitions to do a lot in Santa Barbara prior to CJU, I did make it to the Segway dealer and get a chance to explore the novelty that is Segway.

A great guy named Bill welcomed me to the Segway shop out there. His enthusiasm for Segway was contagious. It quickly spread to me as he walked me though the necessary paperwork needed to keep the lawyers happy and he guided me through the mandatory training session prior to taking a Segway out on the roads.

A few years ago I was on an old i67, maybe i70 out at the Google Plex for the Google Dance that goes along with the annual Search Engine Strategies out in San Jose. The brief stint was after a few beers and was relatively easy. Step on, lean a little bit, crank the handlebars and the Segway will go where you want it to go.

The new “gen2″ Segways are just a bit different. Instead of a fixed shaft and handle bar assembly, the new i2 models have the “lean steer” technology. You no longer turn the handles like you would a motorcycle handle, you tilt the entire handle bar assembly and it leans with you as the Segway rotates. It is much more sensitive than I remember the 1st generation Segways being and much more tricky to ride. It’s very intuitive but at first you just need to learn to trust it.

Following the training session, which includes an overview of how the Segway works, learning basic movements, and finally navigating a little course with some cones you go outside and learn to get a feel for how the Segway can over compensate when turning on an inclined surface. The motors in the Segway can move about quarter a ton each, are pretty powerful and sometimes react in strange ways that can make riding a bit of a challenge.

Santa Barbara is a stunningly beautiful area to visit. The weather is beautiful, the ocean is stunning, the skies are a deep blue when there is no forest fire clouding up the sky and it is always a great day to cruise or walk along the beach. This was the first time gliding along the beach.

After the training was complete, it was off to the sidewalks and trails along the Santa Barbara beach and all the way up to Monticello where Oprah and Ty Warner have their luxury estates. The first day during which I spent a couple hours on the Segway, it was a feeling of total freedom. It bought a smile to my face cruising down the trails, through the parks, by the hotels and the smile spread to most everyone else along the way as they looked curiously at this guy on a contraption they had probably heard of but not seen before.

The Segway is an engineering marvel and is a blast to ride, however it does have its kinks. The machine tops out at about 12.5 miles an hour (you can push it up to about 13) but it seems programmed to push back on you and if you tried to go much faster might push back enough to trigger an emergency stop which would send you flying head over heels over the control stick. It cruised over pavement with small cracks, up fairly steep hills, though grass and dirt that was a little bumpy and would even cruise down small curbs (say an inch or two) with no problem.

When riding a Segway, its best not to try to hard to push it past the built in 12.5 mph speed limit even though 12.5 mph seems kinda slow after a while. Another tricky thing is going up ramped curbs. If you don’t hit them straight on, one wheel will apply a little to much power, the Segway will turn quickly and throw you right off like it has a mind of its own.

Take curves and turns slowly when you are first getting the hang of the Segway. If you take them to quickly or force yourself to have to take them to quickly because of an obstacle or a curb, you’re likely to go sailing and the Segway will get confused and try to keep going in some direction that is likely not where you want it to go. On one hand, it would be nice if there was a kill switch on it, on the other hand, if there was a kill switch and you hit it at maximum speed you’d go flying.

Overall, if you are careful, the Segway is a great transportation and recreation device. If you’re in Santa Barbara, be sure to visit the Santa Barbara Segway for an hourly rental or guided tour. If you come across a Segway tour operator or rental place anywhere else you may be traveling, it is a great way to get out and see the sights and have some fun!

Thinking about buying a Segway? I’ve got some thoughts on that too. While I’m by no means a Segway expert, I’ve learned a little about buying them from various places including Ebay, SegwayChat.com & dealers. You’ll find some thoughts on buying a Segway here.

Another good resource for info on buying a Segway or even to find one for sale is the Segway Chat Forums