Solowheel Classic, 4+ years

[wheeler]

In 2013, I purchased a solowheel classic.  It was expensive, but worth it because I'm still using it.  That makes 4 years of use.

I never did change the battery, so the battery has degraded--about a quarter of the capacity, so I only use it as a backup wheel now.

But for the first 3 years, I used it daily to commute about 2 to 8 miles, over hills and through rain.  As far as it's durability,

the case still has no cracks, even after tumbling a few times on hard concrete.  Nothing on it is rusty, including all the little screws,

and where I live, everything rusts, due to a tropical salty climate. The rubber pad is still in good shape.  I do like the slime design

because I feel like my foot is closer to the center of gravity which helps with control.

It has not cutout once and I have not seen or heard of any cases where a solowheel has cutout.

I think the safety measures built into the unit are quite good--that's the most important thing for me.
 

[kasenutty]

If it's your backup wheel, what is your regular wheel these days? 

[Marty Backe]

4 hours ago, wheeler said:

In 2013, I purchased a solowheel classic.  It was expensive, but worth it because I'm still using it.  That makes 4 years of use.

I never did change the battery, so the battery has degraded--about a quarter of the capacity, so I only use it as a backup wheel now.

But for the first 3 years, I used it daily to commute about 2 to 8 miles, over hills and through rain.  As far as it's durability,

the case still has no cracks, even after tumbling a few times on hard concrete.  Nothing on it is rusty, including all the little screws,

and where I live, everything rusts, due to a tropical salty climate. The rubber pad is still in good shape.  I do like the slime design

because I feel like my foot is closer to the center of gravity which helps with control.

It has not cutout once and I have not seen or heard of any cases where a solowheel has cutout.

I think the safety measures built into the unit are quite good--that's the most important thing for me.
 

I find these long term reviews very useful. Although I wouldn't be interested in a Solowheel it's good to know that it's such a robust design and the batteries are still providing rideable energy.

[wheeler]

My primary EUC is also a solowheel classic, 2014 model--had it for a year.  it's higher wattage--1500.  Well see if it lasts as long.

 

[wheeler]

The 2013 solowheel classic hit the 5 year mark.  It's in exactly the same condition as the 4 year mark.  I'm amazed at the durability of this device--I still have not had to service it in any way.

Yes, I wish it went faster.  But it still has not cut-out, which I'm thankful for.  

 

 

[wheeler]

On 7/22/2018 at 8:00 PM, wheeler said:

The 2013 solowheel classic hit the 5 year mark.  It's in exactly the same condition as the 4 year mark.  I'm amazed at the durability of this device--I still have not had to service it in any way.

Yes, I wish it went faster.  But it still has not cut-out, which I'm thankful for.  

 

 

The 2013 inventist solowheel classic is still working.  That's 9 years of use.  I took a peak to see what kind of battery cells it has, they are A123.  The A123 batteries have a long life-span.  Not a lot of capacity left after 9 years, so I just use it for the local market.  Later models have Sony batteries which have issues climbing hills after couple of years.  The A123 batteries don't seem to be affected by hills, despite it's age.  I know president Obama gave A123 a grant, but for whatever reason that company didn't survive.  I know general motors selected LG Chem instead of A123:because they didn't want to take a chance on a new company. Too bad for US manufacturing.  The few A123 batteries out there are still being used.  People are pulling them out of old medical equipment and making battery packs out of them despite being old.  I'm not aware of any of them catching on fire.  And that includes all the crazy tests people do on the internet, including placing a cell in a fire, short circuiting it, etc.  A123 cells had a crazy large CDR (constant discharge rate) of 70 amps.

 

 

 

 

 

[Tawpie]

A123 was sold to a Chinese outfit... IIRC the chemistry was LiFePo. Sad that the energy density was so low or they would have been quite the battery.

[wheeler]

yes low energy density, but the 70 amp CDR, at only 52 volts, and very low resistance, which means it can charge quickly, in less than an hour.  I'd rather have a battery that has low voltage and low resistance.  low resistance has a lot of other benefits.  it stays cool, which means it lasts longer.  also, sustains constant current, so you can climb hills easily without needing high voltage.

 

[360rumors]

Because I don't ride very long range, I don't mind the short range in return for the other benefits of LiFePO4.  The RS Resolute has a battery that uses this chemistry.  It's available from AlienRides. Begode RS Resolute Electric Unicycle – Alien Rides  I hope that there are more wheels that offer a LiFePO4 option in the future.

[wheeler]

Not all LiFePO4 are the same.  The 2013 Inventist Solowheel Classic came with A123 LiFePO4 cells.  I'm still using it, so that's 10 years of use.  I think the difference is the nano-scale technology, also the extremely low-resistence, and very stable chemistry.  You can do your own research, the A123 batteries are still being pulled out of old equipment and people are building battery packs out of them.  So they have a 2nd hand market.  Also, there's youtube videos where people abuse them for experiments, like short-circuiting it, tossing it into a fire, and the cell never catches on fire, at worst it smokes or pops.  It is true that the A123 went bankrupt, and it got sold many times, so perhaps the manufacturing cost was too high, so perhaps not a sustainable business.  Or it could just be that consumers only care about low cost and capacity with little regard for other factors, like safety, constant current with low-voltage/low-resistance.  Instead the trend is to use high-voltage which increases fire risk.  Would A123 have survived if General Motors chose A123 over LG for their Chevy Volt/Bolt?  Not sure, but that vehicle is still prone to fire (even in 2022).  I'm certain it would not have possed a fire-hazard if it had A123 cells.