Trifter

Have you ever wondered how hard it would be to ride one of those strange looking two wheel electric Segway contraptions? It is a peculiar machine that some people look upon as they do the mechanical riding bull in Gilley’s Bar in the movie Urban Cowboy. We recently took on the challenge of a first Segway ride, and we are here to tell you – it’s not like a bull – it’s more like an escalator. 

Get out and try one

Our adventure started in Pacifica, California, just 15 miles south of San Francisco on scenic Highway 1. We dropped in on Silicon Segway, and talked with owners Joe Trimble and Jim Heldberg about how the Segway transporter works.

 It didn’t take long and we were involved in a brief training session, watched a how-to video, and selected safety helmets. Before we knew it, we were rolling Segways out the storefront door and preparing to take on the byways of beautiful Pacifica.

 The Silicon Segway shop is located in a great spot for training and tours. Just a few yards from the front door, is a piece of property that is ideal for basic field training. It’s a brick surface with a convenient sloping driveway and round cement barriers that make an excellent obstacle course during practice drills. 

Jim Heldberg was our tour guide, and he quickly had us up on our machines practicing all the basic maneuvers. Within minutes, we were sufficiently confident in our ability to ride a Segway that we moved off the practice pad and took off along an Oceanside trail.

The Segway is an amazing machine 

When you turn on the power, the Segway lets you know when it’s time to climb aboard. You step up, one foot at a time, and the machine automatically balances itself for your weight and proportions. You lean forward to move forward and backward to move backward. It should be more complicated than that, but it isn’t. 

You turn the stick right and you go right. Turn it far right and you will spin around in a perfect circle. Lean forward a little and you will spin faster, lean backward and you will start to spin backward. That’s all there is to it. 

After a very short while, the electric scooter feels like an extension of your body. You learn to adjust your speed by leaning forward and backward in a matter of minutes, and then away you go. Your forward top speed is 12 miles per hour, and the machine will gently pull back if the limit is exceeded. 

Jim took us for a tour of an old rock quarry, and up a sizeable hill with twelve switchbacks – and a spectacular view of the ocean. By the time we reached the hilltop, we were all confident in our ability as novice Segwayers. 

 If you decide to try a Segway 

Silicon Segway provides tours and salesof Segway transporters. Check herefor tour schedules. Joe told us, “Jim and I recently initiated a new Segway tour of Treasure Island, and it has fabulous views of San Francisco.”  We cannot wait to take it. 

After riding a Segway, you may want one for Christmas. New machine prices start at $5K+, and used machines are available. 

The Segway range is about 24 miles per charge, and it costs about ten-cents worth of electricity for a full charge – very GREEN. 

A Segway tour is great family fun, but check with the owners for age and size restrictions. We know there is no top age limit because Jim said, “So far our oldest tour participant was 92.” 

© Travels with Wayne and Judy (syndicated)

Photos © Wayne and Judy Bayliff