10 ms·

$1299??? Apart from the GPS and "Free Rides Package" and "Bird Service Center", what's the value added? I could just get a Segway Ninebot ES4 for less than $800

$1299??? Apart from the GPS and "Free Rides Package" and "Bird Service Center", what's the value added? I could just get a Segway Ninebot ES4 for less than $800?

benatkin 7y ago
Or a Boosted Board. I see people riding by on Boosted Boards and sometimes think that I want one. I never think that when I see someone on a scooter. I like to ride the scooter now and then, but I don't want to own one, nor do I want to carry one into my home or office.
- 15155 7y ago
  I'm absolutely in love with the Onewheel: it may seem gimmicky, but having a massive, air-filled tire means you can go over serious obstacles and off-road (off-sidewalk) very easily. Having a single wheel also means the wheelbase/turning radius is extremely small - you can turn in-place with enough skill.
  - benatkin 7y ago
    I think I like the Boosted Board because it looks like an ordinary skateboard, and you can use it unpowered mode. https://blog.boostedboards.com/blog/practice-riding/ https://blog.boostedboards.com/blog/practice-riding/
  - dominotw 7y ago
    I ride a unicycle. I wasn't really comfortable with side riding angle of onewheel.
  - on_and_off 7y ago
    I have a boosted board and I have been wanting to exchange it for a onewheel. I am a bit more worried about the OW failure states though : For example what happens if the battery dies ? since the OW balances itself, I fear it would be worse than a boosted (for which you are already potentially in a tight spot but you might be able to slow down manually) .
    - 15155 7y ago
      I've ridden the OW to 0% battery: you have plenty of warning before it gets dangerous. The OW has a feature called "pushback" - when the battery is nearly-depleted or you are going too fast, it will aggressively adjust the angle of the board backwards, forcing you to slow down. In the event of a low battery, you'll end up traveling at extremely low speed until the back end of the board touches the ground, forcing you to stop.
      - on_and_off 7y ago
        oh that's interesting .. I definitely need to try one one of these days.
- bko 7y ago
  Boosted Board range is much lower at up to 14 miles on the top end model ($1,400) compared to 30 on a scooter.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - benatkin 7y ago
    If it runs out battery, you can still push a boosted board manually. It's technically true of a scooter but it's impractical and I think the boosted board is lighter.
  - btbuildem 7y ago
    Do you really want to stand on a scooter for 30 miles tho?
    - on_and_off 7y ago
      yes. On a boosted, I can go to the other side of my city, but I cannot do the return trip. I can do the 6 miles to go there (since there are slopes, we are far from the theoretical and inflated max range) Spend several hours .. and I would love to be able to go back on my skateboard afterwards.
      - benatkin 7y ago
        That's unpalatable for most people, and probably unpalatable for everyone if you consider the wear on your joints. I'm not an expert but I think that even if you feel fine you're probably setting yourself up for osteoarthritis. Running a full marathon on a single day is more dangerous than running two half marathons on different days, and riding that far has gotta be sort of like running a marathon in terms of moving the joints.
        nradov 7y ago
        There is no proof that long distance running causes osteoarthritis. Please stop spreading that myth. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22632690 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22632690
- fossuser 7y ago
  If you're in Palo Alto and want to try one sometime I'd be happy to let you use mine.
  - benatkin 7y ago
    I live in Miami but am going to the Bay Area for a week or two at the end of July (lived in Oakland, SF, and Redwood City from mid 2014-early 2018). I'd love to try it while I'm there. I'll send you an email :)
  - spike021 7y ago
    How difficult are they to use if your balance isn't necessarily optimal? I tried to ride a cruising board back in college and.. well, broke my wrist when I fell (shrug). I have fine balance normally so I've always wanted to try a Boosted because it'd be handy when I go into our SF office or when I do stuff in San Jose.
    - Cerium 7y ago
      In my experience learning to ride a regular longboard takes about 10 hours of practice across 5+ sessions. Learning to ride a boosted board to the same level of competence is a half hour endeavor. Really, the hard part of skateboarding is pushing, not standing.
    - fossuser 7y ago
      I rode a skateboard (badly) when I was in middleschool so I'm not sure how hard it is for a completely new person. I'm not super athletic, but I find it pretty easy. The trickiest part of skateboarding is foot breaking and pushing, with the boosted board you really don't have to do either so it's generally a lot easier. I'd guess given a couple hours and a week cruising around a bit you'd be comfortable going pretty fast. I wear a helmet and sometimes wrist guards depending on how risky I'm feeling. If you're in town and want to try it let me know.
    - benatkin 7y ago
      Pushing the board accounts for a lot of the opportunities to lose balance. I don't have much experience with a powered board but I think it would be easier for me to keep balance on it. A scooter's handlebars help but not as much as a bicycle, and I think it lulls you into a false sense of security.
leetbulb 7y ago
At first glance, I saw $299 on the product page and for a second I thought, "well maybe... just maybe... could come in handy some day...?" Then I saw your comment... nope.
1023bytes 7y ago
The Bird Service center would be actually extremely useful. I bought a Xiaomi M365 (which is what Bird initially used) and dealing with tire punctures is really difficult. The first time I changed the tube, it took me a week to finish it. The bolts on the holding wheel are extremely tight from the factory and tire is such a tight fit too, I broke and bent multiple tire levers trying to get it on. I tried bringing it a couple local bike shops, but none of them would look at it.
- universenz 7y ago
  There's your problem right there... Why make a scooter with tyres instead of solid rubber with suspension? That's what Segway did with the Ninebot, and their scooters are great. So confused right now.. Tyres are meant for the low end/cheap scooters, not the high end stuff.
  - zed88 7y ago
    Funnily enough, both m365 and Ninebot model you are referring to, are made by the same company.
    - universenz 7y ago
      I've heard this statement a lot, but does anyone have a source? First I heard they were manufactured by Ninebot, then I heard that they were just designed by Ninebot. The build quality is actually quite different between the different brands.
      - zed88 7y ago
        I have both models, I discovered it in the manufacturing label and was surprised as well. Turns out Segway is owned by Ninebot and a large chunk of Ninebot is owned by Xiaomi. In terms of build quality, both are pretty similar. Here is the source: https://www.engadget.com/2015/04/15/segway-ninebot-xiaomi-acquisition/ https://www.engadget.com/2015/04/15/segway-ninebot-xiaomi-ac...
  - 7y ago
stale2002 7y ago
There are even cheaper options that are just as good. The xiaomi m365, for example, is one of the most commonly owned electric scooters, (I am pretty sure it used to be the model that Bird based their scooters off of), and you can buy them for ~425$ or so.
komali2 7y ago
I could get an ebike or even an entire motorcycle for that price. Doesn't make any sense.
ourmandave 7y ago
$800 for a Segway Ninebot ES4??? You could upgrade to a Bird for only $600 more. /s Of course I wouldn't spend that kind of money for either a scooter or whatever the hell the Ninebot wants to call itself.
ak217 7y ago
The GoTrax GXL v2 can be had for less than $300, and the only downside compared to the Segway is slightly less range.

$1299??? Apart from the GPS and "Free Rides Package" and "Bird Service Center", what's the value added? I could just get a Segway Ninebot ES4 for less than $800?

benatkin 7y ago

Or a Boosted Board. I see people riding by on Boosted Boards and sometimes think that I want one. I never think that when I see someone on a scooter. I like to ride the scooter now and then, but I don't want to own one, nor do I want to carry one into my home or office.

15155 7y ago
I'm absolutely in love with the Onewheel: it may seem gimmicky, but having a massive, air-filled tire means you can go over serious obstacles and off-road (off-sidewalk) very easily. Having a single wheel also means the wheelbase/turning radius is extremely small - you can turn in-place with enough skill.
- benatkin 7y ago
  I think I like the Boosted Board because it looks like an ordinary skateboard, and you can use it unpowered mode. https://blog.boostedboards.com/blog/practice-riding/ https://blog.boostedboards.com/blog/practice-riding/
- dominotw 7y ago
  I ride a unicycle. I wasn't really comfortable with side riding angle of onewheel.
- on_and_off 7y ago
  I have a boosted board and I have been wanting to exchange it for a onewheel. I am a bit more worried about the OW failure states though : For example what happens if the battery dies ? since the OW balances itself, I fear it would be worse than a boosted (for which you are already potentially in a tight spot but you might be able to slow down manually) .
  - 15155 7y ago
    I've ridden the OW to 0% battery: you have plenty of warning before it gets dangerous. The OW has a feature called "pushback" - when the battery is nearly-depleted or you are going too fast, it will aggressively adjust the angle of the board backwards, forcing you to slow down. In the event of a low battery, you'll end up traveling at extremely low speed until the back end of the board touches the ground, forcing you to stop.
    - on_and_off 7y ago
      oh that's interesting .. I definitely need to try one one of these days.
bko 7y ago
Boosted Board range is much lower at up to 14 miles on the top end model ($1,400) compared to 30 on a scooter.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- benatkin 7y ago
  If it runs out battery, you can still push a boosted board manually. It's technically true of a scooter but it's impractical and I think the boosted board is lighter.
- btbuildem 7y ago
  Do you really want to stand on a scooter for 30 miles tho?
  - on_and_off 7y ago
    yes. On a boosted, I can go to the other side of my city, but I cannot do the return trip. I can do the 6 miles to go there (since there are slopes, we are far from the theoretical and inflated max range) Spend several hours .. and I would love to be able to go back on my skateboard afterwards.
    - benatkin 7y ago
      That's unpalatable for most people, and probably unpalatable for everyone if you consider the wear on your joints. I'm not an expert but I think that even if you feel fine you're probably setting yourself up for osteoarthritis. Running a full marathon on a single day is more dangerous than running two half marathons on different days, and riding that far has gotta be sort of like running a marathon in terms of moving the joints.
      - nradov 7y ago
        There is no proof that long distance running causes osteoarthritis. Please stop spreading that myth. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22632690 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22632690
fossuser 7y ago
If you're in Palo Alto and want to try one sometime I'd be happy to let you use mine.
- benatkin 7y ago
  I live in Miami but am going to the Bay Area for a week or two at the end of July (lived in Oakland, SF, and Redwood City from mid 2014-early 2018). I'd love to try it while I'm there. I'll send you an email :)
- spike021 7y ago
  How difficult are they to use if your balance isn't necessarily optimal? I tried to ride a cruising board back in college and.. well, broke my wrist when I fell (shrug). I have fine balance normally so I've always wanted to try a Boosted because it'd be handy when I go into our SF office or when I do stuff in San Jose.
  - Cerium 7y ago
    In my experience learning to ride a regular longboard takes about 10 hours of practice across 5+ sessions. Learning to ride a boosted board to the same level of competence is a half hour endeavor. Really, the hard part of skateboarding is pushing, not standing.
  - fossuser 7y ago
    I rode a skateboard (badly) when I was in middleschool so I'm not sure how hard it is for a completely new person. I'm not super athletic, but I find it pretty easy. The trickiest part of skateboarding is foot breaking and pushing, with the boosted board you really don't have to do either so it's generally a lot easier. I'd guess given a couple hours and a week cruising around a bit you'd be comfortable going pretty fast. I wear a helmet and sometimes wrist guards depending on how risky I'm feeling. If you're in town and want to try it let me know.
  - benatkin 7y ago
    Pushing the board accounts for a lot of the opportunities to lose balance. I don't have much experience with a powered board but I think it would be easier for me to keep balance on it. A scooter's handlebars help but not as much as a bicycle, and I think it lulls you into a false sense of security.

leetbulb 7y ago

At first glance, I saw $299 on the product page and for a second I thought, "well maybe... just maybe... could come in handy some day...?" Then I saw your comment... nope.

1023bytes 7y ago

The Bird Service center would be actually extremely useful. I bought a Xiaomi M365 (which is what Bird initially used) and dealing with tire punctures is really difficult. The first time I changed the tube, it took me a week to finish it. The bolts on the holding wheel are extremely tight from the factory and tire is such a tight fit too, I broke and bent multiple tire levers trying to get it on. I tried bringing it a couple local bike shops, but none of them would look at it.

universenz 7y ago
There's your problem right there... Why make a scooter with tyres instead of solid rubber with suspension? That's what Segway did with the Ninebot, and their scooters are great. So confused right now.. Tyres are meant for the low end/cheap scooters, not the high end stuff.
- zed88 7y ago
  Funnily enough, both m365 and Ninebot model you are referring to, are made by the same company.
  - universenz 7y ago
    I've heard this statement a lot, but does anyone have a source? First I heard they were manufactured by Ninebot, then I heard that they were just designed by Ninebot. The build quality is actually quite different between the different brands.
    - zed88 7y ago
      I have both models, I discovered it in the manufacturing label and was surprised as well. Turns out Segway is owned by Ninebot and a large chunk of Ninebot is owned by Xiaomi. In terms of build quality, both are pretty similar. Here is the source: https://www.engadget.com/2015/04/15/segway-ninebot-xiaomi-acquisition/ https://www.engadget.com/2015/04/15/segway-ninebot-xiaomi-ac...
- 7y ago

stale2002 7y ago

There are even cheaper options that are just as good. The xiaomi m365, for example, is one of the most commonly owned electric scooters, (I am pretty sure it used to be the model that Bird based their scooters off of), and you can buy them for ~425$ or so.

komali2 7y ago

I could get an ebike or even an entire motorcycle for that price. Doesn't make any sense.

ourmandave 7y ago

$800 for a Segway Ninebot ES4??? You could upgrade to a Bird for only $600 more. /s Of course I wouldn't spend that kind of money for either a scooter or whatever the hell the Ninebot wants to call itself.

ak217 7y ago

The GoTrax GXL v2 can be had for less than $300, and the only downside compared to the Segway is slightly less range.