Rewind to before my experience. As a fanatic of all weird vehicles, I naturally came across the device called the Hovertrax during my online browsing. It may have gone by a different name, but it was the one invented at Inventist. I recall it being priced over $2,000 at the time. Though less than 1/2 the cost of an actual Segway, it was still very pricy. I didn't think much of it.
When I "discovered" this thing on the Internet, I realized not many people knew about it. Surely it solved the issue that the Segway had with true portability, but the pricetag was just way too out there to be practical. It would never be in the mainstream. Just some one-off product that's built to order for anyone crazy enough to fork over the money.
Fast forward about 5 years....
SEEING IT IN SOCIAL MEDIA FOR THE FIRST TIME:
I vaguely remember seeing it on Instagram. Celebrities were riding it. The device looked a lot different. Not as sleek, much bulkier. I figured the a knockoff company was giving these away to celebrities for promotion like they do clothes.
Then I saw it popping up everywhere and all over Youtube. Once I saw photos of "regular" people riding these, I realized it's no longer a $2,000 piece of equipment. It was getting mainstream. I expected a lot of vendors on Ebay, but was shocked when I saw how many were available from various vendors on Amazon. Then we started seeing it on tv in the news.
SEEING IT FOR THE FIRST TIME:
It was at a BBQ when I learned from the host that there was a "smart balance wheel" directly behind the bench I was sitting at in his backyard.
I turned around and by eyes bulged out.
I couldn't believe the gadget I had been eying for so many years was right there. It was when my friend invited me to try it that I think I almost wet myself.
Yes, yes, yes, I'm getting on that thing!
RIDING IT FOR THE FIRST TIME:
My friend was BBQ'ing, so I was at this alone. After one foot set on it, I got freaked out. Although I failed at an attempt to learn how to unicycle, I figured my experience with various sports gave me an edge on dropping the learning curve.
Nope.
Getting that second foot on there was freaky. And even after successfully landing both feet on what the media is now referring to as the "hoverboard," I was still not comfortable on that thing. Determined to actually get this rolling, I continued and took my friend's advice to take it out to the asphalt where it was smoother and more predictable than in the backyard filled with uneven tiles.
5 minutes later, I got it! 10 minutes later, I was able to get to the top speed. It started shaking. Ugh oh. I don't recall if I jumped off or not. My friend recommended that I try a little hill climbing, so I went for it and it definitely gets slower, but it does manage to go up his neighbor's driveway.
Bingo. I did it. I learned to ride in around 15 minutes. Time to get one?
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