Chris Chaput

I have a V3 Pro from inMotion and it has two wheels side-by-side. It's great for someone who has never tried to mount an electric unicycle because they can succeed within minutes. The biggest problem is twofold - they don't turn easily and they don't go straight well. Seriously, to really turn you have to commit to leaning it over until it's riding on just the inside wheel. It's easy (albeit weird) for an EUC rider but it's a little terrifying for a newbie to leave the comfort of having two wheels down. Early turns are therefore done by just putting pressure on the inside wheel making it "smaller" than the outside wheel that has less weight on it. You kind of creep around making big wide turns. Going straight it kind of has this "tracking" feeling that an EUC rider isn't used to. The wheel isn't as nimble and doesn't easily do the small "adjustment" turns that one does to balance when going straight. I don't want to completely throw it under the bus because they put an amazing number of refined features into the wheel. The trolly handle is flush and stylish, it has speakers, a USB port, a nice headlight and tail light, a spring loaded sliding charge port with a Lenovo connector, a dual (front/back) kickstand, a stylish shell with a two-tone look, an 84V charger and it's own vinyl cover. It has a trippy touch sensor on/off switch and sometimes when you turn it on it leaps to its feet and stays upright on its own. If/when you are overpowering the wheel it will talk to you and tell you to slow down. I got it because I knew that I would be teaching complete newbies to ride a wheel, and in that respect it has been great. I don't like that I have to keep TWO wheels inflated and that it's weak and slow and only has a 160Wh battery pack, but a newbie doesn't need speed, power and range. A newbie wants to make progress and RIDE at first, and that's what this wheel does better than just about everything. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/mg5VGodaH0k

What I don't understand is this idea of a "one wheel fits all" mentality. I have a mountain bike and road bike. I've tried "hybrids" and found them to be dangerous combination of the two. With motorcycles look at what you'd want for Moto GP versus motocross. The fact that both bikes have suspension doesn't mean they're the same thing, nor should they be. In my skateboard quiver I have three different boards just for slalom. A huge mistake is trying to have a freeride board that can also be used for downhill racing. Life isn't fair. It's expensive. And when it comes to performance, rarely is the solution to try and make "one thing" work in every situation. Know thyself. Figure out what's most important to you and choose a wheel accordingly, recognizing that if the answer is "I want to do it all", no single wheel is going to dominate in every category. It's called a compromise. And where that may sound like a dirty word to some, there's no avoiding it. If you're getting one and only one wheel, choose wisely and be happy. But please don't try and defend your purchase by pretending that it's all things to all people all of the time. Reality will humble you. I prefer a "quiver" mentality where depending on the environment or group I'm riding with, I grab the wheel that makes the most sense. It costs more money and it takes up more space but at least I won't be bringing a knife to gunfight or a sledgehammer to kill an ant.