Veteran Sherman EUC on the Airline Trail, CT USA (Ride and Review)

Saturday – Sunny 😎, 85F, and breezy

I took my fully charged Veteran Sherman EUC to a local trail today. Here’s the quick journal entry from the experience! I hope you get some cool vibes from this write up.

RELATED: FULL REVIEW OF THE VETERAN SHERMAN ELECTRIC UNICYCLE

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My Veteran Sherman Ride Location: Off Road, Packed Dirt and Crushed Gravel

The Airline Trail is a mixed pedestrian and biking path, unpaved, that runs alongside the Connecticut River in Middletown, CT USA. The trail winds through wooded areas and crosses over streams as it makes its way from Route 17 to the town of Cromwell. It’s about 50-60 miles long, depending how you measure it on a map.

The Airline trail has with plenty of spots for picnics or exploration along the route. Ice cream shops, hotdog stands, and other nooks and crannies resting spots dot the trail. This has become my favorite place to cruise along on any of my EUCs.

I’ve only been on my Veteran Sherman electric unicycle for a few weeks now, but it has already become my go-to device for exploring places your car or your feet alone can’t take you.

I’m not sure why exactly, but there’s something special about being able to explore this beautiful landscape near where I live by myself without having to worry about cars or other obstacles. It’s also fun to pass other bikers and hikers who have no idea what I’m riding, especially when they’re looking at their phones. It’s a special kind of thrill.

“Bruises, Blood, and Sweat”–The Tax of EUC Riding, Anywhere

I mean, not everyone can just pick up an electric unicycle and ride it. Well, some can. But, most won’t even know where to begin. My ability to ride an electric unicycle was paid for in blood, sweat, and bruises. We, the e-unicyclists, all earn the ride, and every ride after.

It has taken me some time to get used to the feel of balancing on this machine but now that I’ve found my center of gravity. It feels completely natural–the wheel is almost like another extension of my body.

Speed: Fast Enough to Feel….Super and Safe

My Veteran Sherman electric unicycle runs on a lithium battery pack that gives me about 4-5 hours of ride time (traveling around 20-25mph). Not too shabby, given my 170lb fully geared weight. It has both forward and reverse by merely changing the pressure on my pedals, fore and aft.

A low speeds (under 15mph) with a twitch, I can swerve out of the way quickly for other bikers or hikers–even on the unpaved dirt pathway I rode on.

My comfortable riding speed ranges from a low of 5 miles per hour to a high of 28 mph–I rarely exceed 20mph when others are on the trail. This cruising speed is plenty enough for me to enjoy the scenery while feeling safe.

Stop and Smell the Veteran Sherman Photos

I’ve been taking video with my iPhone as I ride through different parts of The Airline Trail and plan on putting them together into a short film that shows what kind of fun can be had on an electric unicycle.

I’m hoping that it will inspire other folks to give this mode of transportation a try and spark more conversation about the possibility of expanding electric unicycles as an alternative form of transportation.

The Future of Personal Electric Mobility?

Let’s get this out of the way. I don’t think electric unicycles will ever go mainstream. They are too difficult to ride for the average person. You have to be pretty determined, or talented in the balance department to learn how to ride an EUC.

It doesn’t help that you also need to wear all the safety gear just to ensure you don’t seriously injure yourself going anywhere with an electric unicycle. And, let’s not mention the cost of an EUC that usually starts around $500 and goes up to the moon (e.g., thousands of dollars), depending on the make and model.

Nope, EUCs will not take over the world. Too scary, too risky, and too niche. But…

Everyone has heard about how cars are killing us with air pollution, wasting our time by making us spend hours in traffic every day, and eating up all our money with gasoline prices. Even public transportation is polluting, taking up extra space on the roads and leaving us with a longer commute than we need.

However, many people don’t know that there are alternatives to these wasteful modes of transport that can get us where we want to go without negatively impacting the environment or wasting our precious time!

I think my electric unicycle is one of these alternatives. It’s fun and exciting, while also being a clean, quiet form of transportation for short trips that don’t require a full-sized vehicle. Plus, it’s easy to get started and doesn’t cost very much money.

The Veteran Sherman: Take Home Message

I want everyone reading this to consider trying an electric unicycle as a way to get around. Even if you have to take some time off work or school, it will be worth it once you can start putting those hours of wasted time back into your schedule. Trust me, as soon as you learn to ride one of these electric unicycles you will wonder how you ever survived without it.

It was serene riding my Veteran Sherman on the off road path. I felt free and easy going. It was an amazing experience as I could enjoy every second of it. This was a good opportunity to test the knobby tires at higher pressure as well. I wanted to know how comfy (or not) these tires would make the long journey (>40 miles round trip).

In word, the off road path was a bumpy one, with stones and ruts that seemed to be there forever. The ground was not smooth at all and it made me glad I was riding my Sherman and not my KS 16x. I had the opportunity to test the Sherman on the terrain I wanted to, and as far as I can tell, it was very effortless.

The comfort and confidence of the wheel allowed me to relax a bit and enjoy the ride.

The scenery of this place was absolutely breathtaking. There were beautiful landscape overlooks to the horizon; rivers reflecting the sky in the distance, and all from a elevation and open biking trail that took me no effort to climb with electric power. I stopped a few times to snack and check my phone for messages (who doesn’t when they’re riding?).

The trail was such a nice place to hang out at and it definitely made me want to stay for awhile.

The weather was great and it was easy to see the road ahead of me. I felt like I could go fast on some parts because it was open and there was nobody around. Breaking speed limits if there were any isn’t my cup of tea, but there were a few stretches where I passed at 25-30 mph on open packed dirt.

Good visibility and a tail wind helped. Anyway, I wanted to be responsible and not cause problems. So, most of the time I was happy cruising around 15-20mph. At the end of the ride, my GPS told me my average riding speed was around 14-17 mph, which is close to the pace I ride my road bike.

Conclusion

This electric unicycle ride through Connecticut was more than adventure. It was a thought experiment into how awesome the Veteran Sherman is as a transportation device on pathways that only hikers, bikers, and horses dared travel. Loose dirt and gravel precluded anyone with inline skates, skateboards (the normal or e-kind), or any other “device” with tiny wheels.

When I needed to stop for a break or walk into a shop for a snack or drink, the Veteran Sherman’s trolley handle made it easy to push around inconspicuously. When riding, I could zip and cruise at effortlessly.

Sure, I feel like everyone should have one of these e-unicycles, as they are a lot more fun than walking. Of course, I know that few will ever want to get an electric unicycle, let alone ride one; but, I’m actually pretty alright with that. We’re a unique bunch.

Overall, yup, it was a great day with the Veteran Sherman electric unicycle. 🖖⚙️

Until next time, keep your e-wheel on the ground! 🥇