La Grange company owner prefers riding at Hands Free Scooter dealership
Tooling around a campground on getaway in Florida on his Segway, Dave Rempfer often will get second seems as he utilizes the personal transport device to obtain to a cafe or to Bingo.
He gets precisely the same shocked seems to be and head turns in his hometown of Elgin, wherever he hops on his Segway to retrieve his mail or go for any brief trip around the neighborhood.
"Half the people will say some thing about it along with the other fifty percent will turn and seem," Rempfer of the machines that happen to be still a novelty 15 years immediately after currently being unveiled on Excellent Morning The united states.
Rempfer, 65, that is retired, obtained his two Segways from Segway of Chicago in La Grange, the only seller in the Chicago place and among only about thirty nationwide. It's owned by James Reynolds of Riverside, an early adopter on the personalized transportation devices.
Reynolds, who also operates an antique retail outlet, Father Time in Chicago, noticed the debut from the two-wheel electric motor vehicles that are battery-powered, self-balancing and can go as much as 12 mph.
"I saw Diane Sawyer riding 1," mentioned Reynolds. "I thought it had been genuinely fascinating. I believed 'I am planning to invest in one of these.'"
Reynolds, who also is fascinated by watches and various mechanical gizmos, stated the Segway appeared a realization of predictions he'd read in his childhood regarding how all people in the future would get close to.
"When I used to be a child they promised all varieties of different transportation -- flying carpets and area ships," he said. "This was the initial thing I'd witnessed that actually was a distinct form of transportation."
Reynolds' wife, Chandra, also was fascinated from the device.
"She liked it," he explained. "She told me 'You're not going to get 1 and trip about with no me.'"
Soon after Reynolds received his to start with two Segways, he and a couple of other early adopters decided they wished to host the 1st conference of Segway lovers in Chicago. Reynolds attained out on the inventor, Dean Kamen, whose company endorsed the convention such as by providing a equipment to get a free of charge give-away and enabling their engineers to show up at. Kamen also was a visitor with the event held in August 2003. It attracted 250 people from 38 different nations.
Reynolds was thrilled to forge a individual connection with the inventor whom he considers the "Thomas Edison of our age."
A year later on, in 2004, Reynolds opened his dealership in La Grange. Despite the fact that he declined to reveal the number of automobiles he sells a yr, he mentioned his clients include things like tour operators, firms, colleges and police departments together with the La Grange and Oak Park departments.
La Grange Law enforcement Main Renee Strasser explained her division owns two Segways they use at big local community events for example the yearly Pet Parade.
"We make use of them in scenarios wherever we desire to get from 1 place to another just a little faster," Strasser mentioned.
Reynolds said the road for his dealership hasn't always been simple. Early predictions that anyone will be working with Segways didn't occur correct. But Reynolds stated the media would be to blame.
"Kamen never ever stated it was going to the rule the planet," Reynolds explained. "That was media hype."
The enterprise was in turmoil after it had been purchased by British businessman Jimmi Hesleden, who died soon after he accidentally plunged off a cliff in 2010 when making use of a Segway.
"The business was in cost-free fall for any 12 months and also a 50 percent. It just bottomed. Fortunately, we will not rely on that business only," explained Reynolds, whose antique shop helped him climate the challenges.
Segway is now owned by Xiaomi, a Chinese enterprise, which has launched the Ninebot mini as well as Ninebot One particular, that are smaller sized Segway-style units.
Reynold expects these smaller, lighter devices to appeal to new consumers.
"That's what we seriously assume will likely be the breadwinner to the subsequent 12 months," he said.
Rempfer, who spent about $14,five hundred on two new Segways, was delighted together with his working experience in the dealership.
"They were incredibly pleasant," he said. "Jim invested one hour with me to make sure I recognized how to run it which I realized what I used to be obtaining."
Rempfer would suggest anybody contemplating acquiring a Segway to obtain insurance coverage, which he stated costs him about $175 each year for each car.
He is having exciting along with his devices.
"If I had to justify them I couldn't," he said. "Fortunately I am in a point in my lifestyle in which I do not really need to justifythem."
