Jump to content

Seeking opinion from Seattelites on first purchase


ArtisanV

Recommended Posts

Hi everyone, 

Firstly, thank you everyone, this forum made it much easier to determine whether or not I want to purchase an EUC and which ones to go for.

There's just a few things I could not sort out. These primarily have to do with Seattle conditions. 

So firstly  I am thinking of buying either a InMotion V8 or a KingSong 16s. The reason is that regardless of which one I buy it will still be much cheaper for me versus the uber rides I take in a given year. My intended uses are the following: 

  1. Commuting to and from work and the in between stops I have. (So about 5 miles daily trip, hilly)
  2. Going to Meetups and back (15 miles round trip maximum) 
  3. Going to friends in Redmond (30 miles round trip but I can charge the EUC for a few hours at their place or take a bus back. This trip is very low in priority for decision)
  4. Carrying my skis to ride shares (I have no idea how well this will work, but I'm hoping, distance can range)
  5. Doing groceries (I shop daily but the only place walking distance to me is Whole Foods, this would be additional savings I didn't factor. Should only be a few miles a day, preferably right after work).
  6. Using it between public transport (distance varies)

I would also like for it to last atleast two years. I have no intention of becoming an advanced rider just intermediate. Going fast and doing a few easy tricks (also going up (and down?) steps, very convenient). 

Portability is also important. Since I will need to store them easily while I do other things. 

What I am not sure about is the following: 

  1. Do the two models above deal well in Seattle Rain?
  2. Do they work well with Seattle hills? 
  3. Do they work well in the Seattle cold (which by East coast standards is quite warm)?

It only makes sense for me to purchase it (besides the fun factor) if I can use it all year round. 

Also, I really like the Ninebot models. They look great, are a better price point and seem to fit most of my requirements. I've just read that they are pretty poor on hills, especially with weight on you. I am 6 feet tall. Weigh 175 lbs and I have a target of reaching 185 lbs this year and 200 lbs the year after. I don't imagine I'll be carrying extra weight that would exceed 25 lb (that already seems a lot). 

Does anyone in Seattle own an Inmovtion V8, KingSong 16s or any of the Ninebot models that could offer some wisdom? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

46 minutes ago, ArtisanV said:

So firstly  I am thinking of buying either a InMotion V8 or a KingSong 16s.

Both are good choices. I'm not from Seattle, but some thoughts:

  • V8 is over a year old and there will be a bigger battery V8 successor (we don't know more, just confirmed rumors of its existence, something like 840Wh like the 16S, no idea about motor power) in 2 months or so. Meanwhile, the 16S is only a few months old.
  • Both wheels should fare well in rain. I've literally ridden the V8 for one hour in the rain and it was no problem at all. 16S will be the same. Even Gotways are quite rain resistant, rain is not such a big issue for electric unicycles as one might think. Same for riding in snow/cold temperatures (just never store one at cold temperatures).
  • I'd go for the 16S or wait for the V8's upcoming bigger brother (You won't want to wait, so just get that 16S:efee8319ab:). $1000 V8 vs $1300 16S for basically doubled battery size and a newer, stronger wheel.
    The bigger battery gives you more range and safety (think emergency braking while downhill in cold temperatures while on low battery), and the 16S's more powerful motor will be more enjoyable and safer on hills. Same for speeds, the 30km/h limit of the V8 is ok, but there's a big difference to the 35km/h the 16S can easily do.
    The V8 is borderline too weak (30km/h speed limit, 800W motor for a 16 incher) nowadays, especially if hills are involved.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

so first off, a ninebot is wayy far behind the curve at this point, remembering that available torque output is directly linked to safety the 500w ninebot is actually a bit risky (i have 3 of them and i am same weight as you.) and each time i go back to ride one i go "wow this is outdated feeling" plus a small battery has a lot of power sag during a long hill making the battery levels and output consistency poor.

all the wheels are (puddle proof) you can ride them in intense rain no problem.

hills in Seattle are big, but any wheel over 800 watts can pull you up them, but remember if you use all that power to climb hills there will be little left for safety. 

don't go v8. battery is too small for long day rides i promise you this.  I ride in Seattle all the time and have had a few wheels for sure and the "solid long rides" need at least  840wh of battery.

have you thought about a gotway tesla or acm2. they are 1020wh+? plus the available speed destroys the ks and v8 let alone way more power for safety.  my 2 cents is if you could only have one wheel that you master, a higher power output than both the v8 and 16s is great to have. Go tesla, at 1900 watts mine EATS seattle like a snack! it is actually ridiculous. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It seems to me that both wheels should work in your case. Both are reliable (which can't be said for many wheels) and powerful enough. With the V8 you get a decent 15 miles range (though it could be a few miles less  in temperatures below freezing), whereas for the 16S it's probably above 20 miles. On the other hand, the main advantages of the V8 are that it is slimmer, almost 4kg lighter, and has a kill switch to lift it more easily over stairs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is where Wheels can actually be investments, which is to say it puts money in your pocket after an initial period of time. That's not to say wheels are cheap but rather cars are very expensive even when you shuffle the cost mostly onto the Uber driver.

I have a ninebot S1. I wouldn't consider it anything beyond a half mile commute because of the lack of speed and power.

Either wheel would work fine except for the 30 mile trip. You would be better off with a 18 incher.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, dmethvin said:

Oh yeah? Well then, where's the nearest Starbucks from your house?

 

Which direction? 3 in one block distance around me. There’s lots of better coffee places though in that same radius and even two pot shops.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

39 minutes ago, Mono said:

What is it that makes you hate that what your children love?

They might just love it because they never tried the ACM:efee47c9c8: Wide stance is so much better in my book. I tried the V8 and didn't like the wobbly, narrow thing, no comparison to the ultra-direction-stable ACM. It's a completely different riding style, caaaaaaaaaaaaarefully shifting weight between the legs only (V8) vs. full effort upper body turning (ACM). The movement producing a small directional correction with the ACM is basically inducing a full 180° narrow turn with the V8.

You'll like whatever wheel you start with. But once you try a "better" one, hard to go back. I believe this is the case with the V8 vs. ACM. For kids, the narrow V8 will be less of a downside as for an adult, too.

Guess the 16S is somewhere in the middle or close to the ACM. Almost same width. But I never tried one. So I don't know.

 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I own a V8 and love it but in your use case I would recommend the 16S or, as already suggested, if not in a rush wait to see that the new wheel from Inmotion/Solowheel will be.

Why not the V8?

You expect to be 200lb soon.
You are surrounded by hills.
You would like to do a 30 mile round trip with just a few hours of charge in between.

200lb on a big hill with a 800W motor powered by a 2 parallel battery pack would give me some pause for concern, especially in the winter. Plus I expect at your weight and riding conditions you could expect to use almost all the battery on your one way 15 mile trip. To fully replenish the battery for your return ride in just a few hours you'd need a fast charger adding $100 to you costs. With the 16S you have a 1200W motor to better handle the hills and your weight as well as a 4 parallel battery bank to spread the current load. I expect that with the larger battery to start with the standard charger will put enough back in the battery while at your friends to get you back home.

The V8 is a great wheel. It is well built and reliable. Mine has never missed a beat and I can get 23 miles of range from mine in my near perfect riding conditions (160lb rider, flat terrain, warm riding conditions almost all year). I'm just not sure if it will fit the bill for you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, WARPed1701D said:

Plus I expect at your weight and riding conditions you could expect to use almost all the battery on your one way 15 mile trip. To fully replenish the battery for your return ride in just a few hours you'd need a fast charger adding $100 to you costs. With the 16S you have a 1200W motor to better handle the hills and your weight as well as a 4 parallel battery bank to spread the current load. I expect that with the larger battery to start with the standard charger will put enough back in the battery while at your friends to get you back home.

 

The standard KS charger is pretty slow, it seems to consistently use at least an hour charging for each 20 minute trip, or two hours charging for a trip under an hour.

I suspect most EUC riders develop a range skill whereby they are very aware of exactly how much power they have at all times. Kingsongs knock back the available power when you hit 40%, so you realistically get a 40%-100% range.

One of the big appeals to having a Gotway 1600 is the liberating feeling of no range anxiety. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you everyone for your informed advice. I will go ahead and get the Gotway Tesla once it actually comes in to stock. The price point is even higher than I was expecting but still cheaper than the yearly Uber/Lyft rides it will replace. Strange how your decisions change when you actually do numbers. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, ArtisanV said:

Thank you everyone for your informed advice. I will go ahead and get the Gotway Tesla once it actually comes in to stock. The price point is even higher than I was expecting but still cheaper than the yearly Uber/Lyft rides it will replace. Strange how your decisions change when you actually do numbers. 

Are you a DIY person? Otherwise there is some chance that it may not replace as many Uber rides as you may hope for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Mono said:

Are you a DIY person? Otherwise there is some chance that it may not replace as many Uber rides as you may hope for.

Yes, I certainly am a DIY. Why do you ask? Are there significant costs to maintenance?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, ArtisanV said:

Yes, I certainly am a DIY. Why do you ask? Are there significant costs to maintenance?

I can't really comment on maintenance costs, but reliability has not been the strong side of Gotway in recent years. That is, the chance you will have to change the main board rather sooner than later may be smaller than 50%, but is probably larger than 5%.

See e.g.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was on the fence for a while between the Gotway Tesla and King Song 16S.  When it came down to it, reliability was more important than having a bit more speed, power and battery capacity.  I can ride a little slower (not that 22MPH is slow at all) and for less distance whenever I want.  But I can't ever ride a broken EUC.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, ArtisanV said:

Yes, I certainly am a DIY. Why do you ask? Are there significant costs to maintenance?

I got a chuckle out of @Mono s question but not for the reason he later, specified.  Somewhere on this forum recently, some photos were posted of one or several Teslas all smashed to hell, in unremarkable accidents.  Contrast that with the extreme abuse of a KS14d, recently posted by @Sidestreet Reny including submersion in a stream. Maybe a Tesla could be padded up to survive some rough and tumble, I don't know.  It's something to consider, as replacing shell parts is time-consuming and expensive.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/9/2018 at 2:44 PM, ArtisanV said:

Does anyone in Seattle own an Inmovtion V8, KingSong 16s or any of the Ninebot models that could offer some wisdom? 

I'm not in Seattle but I do own all three models. I did a demonstration this past summer ascending a 20% grade. Here are some shorts clips I threw together for your review. The ACM 1600 definitely has more power than the KS16S and V8 but you would be fine climbing hills in SW with any of these wheels. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Rehab1 said:

I'm not in Seattle but I do own all three models. I did a demonstration this past summer ascending a 20% grade. Here are some shorts clips I threw together for your review. The ACM 1600 definitely has more power than the KS16S and V8 but you would be fine climbing hills in SW with any of these wheels. 

 

I love when people are able to do direct comparisons and share data.  Data points don't lie!  I'm glad the wheel with the most advertised power did the best for the test.  It would really be an issue if it didn't!  lol

From the video it is difficult to tell the difference since it seemed like consistent speed going up the incline with all three.  If you don't mind me asking, what is your weight?  Do you feel that any were struggling going up the hill where someone that was a bit heavier may not have been able to reach the top?  

Did you just do the test once or multiple times?  If multiple times, did you happen to note motor/board temperatures before and after?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, Cranium said:

From the video it is difficult to tell the difference since it seemed like consistent speed going up the incline with all three.  If you don't mind me asking, what is your weight?  Do you feel that any were struggling going up the hill where someone that was a bit heavier may not have been able to reach the top?  

Wt: 77kg 

The V8 and KS16S did struggle a bit which is exhibited by my arm movements. Certainly weight would play a factor. I would rather be riding the ACM 1600 if I were heavier going up that grade. 

21 minutes ago, Cranium said:

Did you just do the test once or multiple times?  If multiple times, did you happen to note motor/board temperatures before and after?

The only multiple test I conducted was with the ACM 1600.  I ascended and decended both 20 and 30 % grades, Here is the link and video. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Rehab1 said:

Wt: 77kg 

The V8 and KS16S did struggle a bit which is exhibited by my arm movements. Certainly weight would play a factor. I would rather be riding the ACM 1600 if I were heavier going up that grade. 

The only multiple test I conducted was with the ACM 1600.  I ascended and decended both 20 and 30 % grades, Here is the link and video. 

 

Very good test with the modified ACM 1600.  If you still own all three, it would be great if you were able to run all three up and down the 20% grade hill at the same slow speed until each one reached a certain [hot] motor or board temperature.  But not too hot where something could shut down thermally.  The Ninebot had temperature warnings but I don't know if others do.  And then record how many times each made it up the hill before reaching said temperature.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...