Segway - the future of inner city travel?

Last weekend, myself & Mrs Blogger spent a couple of days in London, to finally enjoy a Christmas 2008 present, which was a Segway race for two.

A seg-what I hear you cry?

Well, if you've never heard of them before, or not been on one before, you're missing out believe me!

A Segway is a relatively new conception of transport, on two wheels, but perfectly balanced, it's pretty much a stand up scooter, that runs off a battery, and something that is so easy to use.

The talk was that this would be the next mode of transport, something that you'd see people in the big city heading to work on, some day that may still happen, although I would bank on that in maybe the spring & summer months rather than autumn & winter.

Anyway, we were given an introduction on how to get on & off them, and yes, you do need to know how to do this properly, but once on, it's all about balance.

Not as in, if you tip one way you'll fall off, as that's not the case, more though a case of balancing your feet, as your movement if the Segway is dictated by the pressure in the front and heel of your feet.

I must admit, I thought it was a case of push the bar forward, and you move forward, and vice versa to go brake, but no, it's all in the feet.

Once you're on, you put the pressure in to your toes and the front of your feet, and you start to move ahead, and once mastered, you really do build up a bit of speed, and you get more confident as time goes on.

When you want to brake, you simply put the pressure down in your heels, and the Segway brakes, and not so much that you go flying off!

We actually were given the intro then were taken to a slalom where we practiced turning, speeding up, and braking, before we were unleashed onto the course, which was the one in the video below.

As it was a race between 5 people, I really went for it at one stage, and having just come down off a slope, hit the stump of a tree that was sticking out, and went well and truly flying off it, having gone off balance - I flew off straight into a mudpatch, which wasn't the greatest feeling ever, but was a bloody good laugh at the same time!!!

Anyway, I jumped back on, and away I went again, I didn't do too badly, having finished in 3rd place following my George Bush style crash, but it's something I'd definetly recommend, and would advise anyone to have a crack at if they get the chance!!

I must admit though, when I asked how much they would be to buy, I was quite staggered when they told me it would be about £5000+, you can get a decent car for that now - and you get a radio in a car!!!

So, I probably won't get one, but you never know in the future if the prices come down, and they are licenced for the road, they may just become the next best way of going to and from work - it's certainly an eco-friendly way of doing so!