Segway to end production

[Mark Gregory]

https://www.kbtx.com/2020/06/23/segway-to-stop-making-its-original-personal-transporter/

Washington, DC (CNN)The Segway PT, which earned a place in pop culture but never realized its creators' world-changing ambitions, will come to an end this summer.

China-based Ninebot, which acquired Segway in 2015, will halt production of the PT, short for Personal Transporter, on July 15. Twenty-one staffers will be laid off at its Bedford, New Hampshire plant. Fast Company first reported the news.

The Segway PT made a splash in December 3, 2001 when it was unveiled on Good Morning America. Inventor Dean Kamen said that an urban transportation revolution was coming and cars would be obsolete. Kamen felt it was absurd to use 4,000-pound cars and trucks for short trips. 

But last year the Segway PT accounted for only 1.5% of Ninebot's revenue, according to Tony Ho, vice president of global business development at Segway. With a price tag starting at $6,000 and sometimes reaching $10,000, only police departments and tour groups could afford it, he said.

[DB26]

I thought they had ended production years ago. I’m surprised they made it this far. Never seen one in person  

[alsancle]

29 minutes ago, DB26 said:

I thought they had ended production years ago. I’m surprised they made it this far. Never seen one in person  

 

You are much better off walking.   But the technology is very cool.

[joe_padavano]

As I get older, I always thought one of these would be the hot ticket for cruising swap meets. The trouble with those Rascal chairs everyone uses is that you are too low and can't see what vendors have in their spaces. Standing up on a Segway would make that a lot easier. Fortunately, I'm not yet at the point that I need either, but always planning for the future.

[JimKB1MCV]

Saw at least one at  Nearfest,  New England's premier ham radio flea market in years past.  They are somewhat of a hazard as are the electric scooters.

Never has the experience of riding one but I can see the possibility of damage to several body parts.

[zepher]

2 minutes ago, plymouthcranbrook said:

The idea of charging for trying out something you are trying to sell to people struck me as somewhat elitist.  Thank goodness car dealers never thought of that. I expect if the had most of us would be riding bikes and taking the bus.

 

Nah, private party sales would then dominate the used car industry and used car dealers would be a thing of the past except for dealers that sell very high end brands.

[dustycrusty]

Too many wheels.....!

[joe_padavano]

At the risk of careening off topic, yet another creative use of the Oldsmobile aluminum 215 (no that is not a Buick or Rover version).

[Guest]

It seems most peculiar that one would be intelligent enough to design this mode of transport, yet blunder completely on the price point. 

Hoping to use it as a replacement for the automobile on short local trips it should have been priced in the hundreds of dollars rather than the $6K-$10k range of a decent used car. 

The elitist price niche was it's death knell from the beginning.

Greg

[bdc]

I rode 1 once, and you get the hang quickly. It's fun but the price tag was a killer for me. Good luck dragging a bumper with you at a swap meet with this.

[JamesR]

Last year or so, I saw a couple of guys riding around on those one wheeled powered skateboard things, and I thought, okay, I'll be seeing a million of these in a couple of months, but I never did. I guess people aren't as trendy as we think they are.

 

Maybe Paul Blart killed the cool factor of the Segway.

[Bhigdog]

I rode one. Pretty easy to get the hang of, and kind of neat, but once the novelty wears off it's just another seldom used $6K toy that's way too easy to have stolen...Bob

[8E45E]

2 hours ago, dustycrusty said:

Too many wheels.....!

I wonder if one of those four smaller gauges is actually a peephole for the driver to see if the Big Wheel is actually moving from his vantage point.

 

Craig

[SC38dls]

Where do you put the license plates? 

[TerryB]

Improvements in battery technology has made electric bicycles more viable and at a much lower price point.  Most people know how to ride and control a bicycle so much less of a learning curve.  The Segway had promise in limited applications but I would guess the death of the inventor on one got it all the wrong kind of publicity that did not help sales.  City bike, the bike rental company may have also helped curtail Segway sales.

[padgett]

Lots of interesting things were too expensive to sell new. Are several here but the most I paid used was 25% of MSRP and less than 8% for the most recent. I'd probably pay $600 for a Segway with a new battery. Dunno if suitable for someone with no balance though.

[TerryB]

Another one that looked like fun but did not generate big sales.

 

[alsancle]

Never rode one but the rumor was they were underpowered.

 

[TerryB]

Needs a Hemi. 😀

[padgett]

I remember it as a Go-Stick but evidently is was a Hop Rod.

[joe_padavano]

1 hour ago, padgett said:

I remember it as a Go-Stick but evidently is was a Hop Rod.

 

I remember one Hershey meet a few years ago where there was not one but TWO Hop Rods for sale - at opposite ends of the swap meet. One was NOS in the box. I really should have bought one to go with my lawn darts.

[padgett]

Was a crankless two stroke engine, piston on bounce end and combustion chamber & carb on the end you held.

[Billy Kingsley]

Most places banned them. I know Rhinebeck did. Saw a few around but always seemed dumb to me. No benefits of exercise yet makes you stay in the most pain inducing position...I'll pass. And that's before I knew the price, which is insane.

[CarlLaFong]

I always thought the basic idea was sound but the execution was poor. Too expensive, too heavy, too much to go wrong with the gyro, computer, etc. To me a motorized Razor scooter makes more sense. Put bigger wheels on it for extra stability or maybe three wheels

[Restorer32]

If you have to stand up might as well walk.

[SC38dls]

5 hours ago, Restorer32 said:

If you have to stand up might as well walk.

Unless your legs are like mine!  7 knee operations later and braces on both to walk I ride when possible. 

[TerryB]

13 hours ago, SC38DLS said:

Unless your legs are like mine!  7 knee operations later and braces on both to walk I ride when possible. 

Take care my friend, do the best you can.  I’m in a wheelchair permanently, it’s not much fun.

[yachtflame]

I’ve used them several times to explore visiting cities.  Newport, Boston,  Berlin and Carcassonne. Really fantastic. Easy to learn and fun to use. The only problem with them is they make your cheeks hurt.....from smiling so much!

[Restorer32]

Or make your cheeks hurt from clinching them so tightly when you thought you were going to take a tumble.

[bryankazmer]

The idea of Segways in Carcassonne is pretty revolting - kinda jars the atrmosphere

[keiser31]

Interesting. I have not seen one in years. After the post about them, I went up to the post office and some guy rode by me on one.

[MochetVelo]

 

[keiser31]

I came up with these years ago....

Edited June 30, 2020 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[JamesR]

On 6/26/2020 at 8:24 AM, TerryB said:

Take care my friend, do the best you can.  I’m in a wheelchair permanently, it’s not much fun.

 

 

And the best to you, too, Terry. My sister's been is a wheelchair her whole life so there's a special place in my family's heart for those afflicted with such problems. I've sure enjoyed reading your posts on this forum.

[JamesR]

On 6/30/2020 at 12:38 PM, keiser31 said:

I came up with these years ago....

 

 

Hey, you were supposed to be using that paper for your schoolwork!!😆

[keiser31]

16 minutes ago, JamesR said:

 

 

Hey, you were supposed to be using that paper for your schoolwork!!😆

That was the '60s....I was a rebel.