Thursday, May 20, 2010

Segway To Work Day

At least it isn't a car parked in the lane! I wonder what our friend David thinks about this? He is the guy on the Dutch bike with the green jacket.

Alex Clemens (left) opted to commute to work from Noe Val... Paul Chinn / The Chronicle
photo by Paul Chin

See the whole SFGate slideshow here.
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19 comments:

  1. AdamMay 20, 2010 at 8:14 AM

    Segways are 12 mph vehicles. They belong in the bike lane. Nothing wrong with this at all. Plus the guy is all the way to the right, leaving plenty of room for cyclists to pass if they want to ride too fast. ;)

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  2. Adrienne JohnsonMay 20, 2010 at 10:33 AM

    I don't care that he is there, I just want to know why people think they don't look silly on that but would on a bike? And why the helmet?

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  3. didrikMay 20, 2010 at 10:52 AM

    The helmet with the chin strap 4 inches below his chin. He's just conforming to social expectations to avoid persecution.

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  4. Pensando la BroncaMay 20, 2010 at 11:46 AM

    good post i liked

    saludos

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  5. MandGMay 20, 2010 at 12:53 PM

    I think Segways are enormously funny looking...and I'd totally love to try one out sometime LOL!

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  6. townmouseMay 20, 2010 at 2:22 PM

    yes the helmet struck me as odd, too. He's basically going at walking pace, and upright. Maybe he's frightened of meteors?

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  7. EthanMay 20, 2010 at 3:32 PM

    Synchronicity. I followed a lady on a Segway in to work this morning.

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  8. Adrienne JohnsonMay 20, 2010 at 6:47 PM

    M&G- everyone wants to try one, they just don't admit it : )

    townmouse- There would be precedence for his fear, but still....

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  9. CarlosMay 20, 2010 at 7:49 PM

    My wife and I did a Segway tour in New Orleans; they're not as much fun a bikes, and after a while your legs start to hurt because essentially you're just standing in place and leaning forward or backward to regulate the speed. But the technology is fascinating. Here's a list of cities where you can try it out, too:
    http://www.segwayguidedtours.com/

    I think it's a preferable alternative to automobile use for people whose health may complicate bicycle commuting, but you don't get the same rush of blood pumping through your veins that you get from bedaling your bicycle. As for this guy's helmet, he probably saw what happened to President Bush:
    http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/images/blbushsegway.htm

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  10. CarlosMay 20, 2010 at 7:50 PM

    That should say pedaling your bicycle, not bedaling. Sorry for the typo.

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  11. SiouxGeonzMay 20, 2010 at 7:57 PM

    Hey, Carlos, you didn't say peddling, so you are MY FRIEND :-)

    I agree that the segway belongs there - at a recent City Council "meeting of the whole" where plans for Main Street was a big item on the agenda, most citizens spake for making things Better for Drivers or Better for Bicycles (happily, many many more cyclists)... but one man spoke of thinking further forward and that including bike lanes in the plan would allow for assorted alternatives such as segways and skateboards and twikes, as well.

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  12. Yokota FritzMay 20, 2010 at 10:28 PM

    I rode a Segway once.

    Hey, will anybody from CYLRAB be at Maker Faire this weekend?

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  13. Adrienne JohnsonMay 20, 2010 at 11:24 PM

    You may find one or two of us there. One of us may be trying very hard to not spend money : )

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  14. BillMay 21, 2010 at 12:10 PM

    Interesting, if you look at the gentleman in the green jacket, he is in as much of an upright standing position as the guy on the Segway. If you photoshopped out the bike he would basically be walking.
    And his "recharge" probably amounts to a coffee and some engaging conversation.

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  15. Colleen CarboniMay 21, 2010 at 3:39 PM

    Segways used instead of a car would be great but Segways used instead of walking it turns into another energy hungry apparatus that gets us out of transporting ourselves around on our own power.

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  16. DottieMay 24, 2010 at 8:20 PM

    Helmet? Interesting choice.

    Whatever, he looks quite dapper and much better than a car :)

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  17. Kristin TiecheMay 26, 2010 at 9:18 AM

    David looks way better on that Old Dutch.

    Funny pic!

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  18. Alex ClemensAugust 2, 2010 at 9:50 AM

    Howdy, all - just found this blog post. That's me on the Geek Chariot, with a sour look on my face. (Sorry about that - I try hard to be cheerful, but failed when the Chron photog shot me.) I know David Baker (in the green jacket) - we didn't see each other that morning, inexplicably, even though he passed me.

    I bought my Segway a year ago when I tore my Achilles - it gave me plenty of mobility at a time where I had nearly none. And since then, I've grown to love it - it plugs into the wall, stands up on my balcony or in my office, and trundles along nicely in the bike lane (and yes, thanks for noticing, I do stay to the right to allow the faster bikes to go by). I get to work faster and more reliably and cheaper and in a more environmentally clean fashion than the folks on buses and in cars - and yes, for those of you who want to point this out, I stipulate that people on bicycles and those who are walking are being even better to the environment and to their health than I am.

    I stand up at my desk at work, because I've got a bad back. That's another reason why the Seg is a great transpo choice for me - I stand up while riding (much less stress on the back than when sitting) and I don't have to pedal myself along (and, to be sure, miss out on the exercise I'd get by doing so.)

    Why the helmet? I'm in the bike lane. People on bikes wear helmets, so I do too. Seems fair. While it makes me look even sillier, it's probably safer. Glad I haven't tested that hypothesis yet.

    And yes - they're fun. Completely intuitive, easy to balance upon, and fun. If any readers of this blog want to try one out and are willing to come to the Financial District for a glide, please email me at clemens@barcoast.com, and we'll find a time to make it happen.

    Best,

    Alex Clemens
    clemens@barcoast.com

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  19. Adrienne JohnsonAugust 2, 2010 at 3:15 PM

    Alex!!! Than you for chiming in! I am totally in for trying your Segway! I'll even take a picture of you smiling : )

    I love that you were able to use it to recover from AT injury. Those can take forever to heal up and the bus would be murder on it if you had to stand the whole way (especially on something like the Geary or California bus lines).

    Do they let you park it in the office?

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