glide3/tesla680/v10/ks16s ??

[stuartg]

 I've spent the past couple of weeks researching and learning all I can about these wheels. i'm about ready to take the leap but need a little advice about which to get. 

at first it was going to be either the glide 3 or ks14s.  I spoke to  ewheels and after asking about my needs and desires he recommended the acmv2. but before talking to him I had already decided to eliminate any gotways from the decision so I had to think about that one a little bit. and then found an almost new one for sale so started a conversation with the seller. he was an honest guy and told me one of the reasons he's selling is because the acm2 doesn't have the retractable trolley.( i would have bought it anyway but he wanted to only sell locally and not ship so the deal fell through.)  I was nervous about the gotway already but after learning that and since there are other good choices in the same price range  I've decided to  eliminate that model from the decision..  and have decided i want a 16" wheel so eliminated the 14s.      so the models i'm down to now from lowest price to highest  are;

solowheel glide 3 (v8)-   i'm pretty sure if I get this one i'm going to want more speed/power in a pretty short time. I've eliminated it from the list over and over again and then it keeps getting put back on due to overall positive reviews and a significantly lower price. 

gotway tesla 680wh-  again price is keeping me from eliminating this one.  it seems to have the most bang for the buck.  but I've not seen a review on the 680 version. only the 1020. also a question about this one. it's 67v which I thought was not as good as 84v but gotwayamerica told me that the 67v is more dependable.  thoughts on that?  another  concern about this one is I don't think it has the feature to stop the wheel from turning when you pick it up?  is that a non-issue?  

inmotion v10-  this is the one that seems to make the most sense for me but it's a pretty big jump in price and all the reviews i see are for the v10f not the v10. that jump in price (10 to10f)  is one i'm not ready to make. if i get the 10 i'm afraid i'll wish i would have gotten the 10f instead.  i also don't like the trolley handle on it but don't know if that's enough reason to eliminate it. 

kingsong ks16s-  almost all positive reviews and seems to be a great wheel but now that the new stuff is coming out those reviews  might be a little outdated. it's also the most expensive of what i'm trying to decide between. and slower than either the tesla or v10. 

actually i think i already know what i want to do among these choices but would like to get feedback from you more experienced wheel owners anyway. something might come up that i hadn't thought about or didn't know.  i hate the thought of making a $1k mistake.  another thought that keeps coming to mind is to just get the glide 3 knowing it won't last and keep researching to make a good decision on my next wheel. thanks in advance for any advice. 

 

  

[Marty Backe]

1 hour ago, stuartg said:

 I've spent the past couple of weeks researching and learning all I can about these wheels. i'm about ready to take the leap but need a little advice about which to get. 

at first it was going to be either the glide 3 or ks14s.  I spoke to  ewheels and after asking about my needs and desires he recommended the acmv2. but before talking to him I had already decided to eliminate any gotways from the decision so I had to think about that one a little bit. and then found an almost new one for sale so started a conversation with the seller. he was an honest guy and told me one of the reasons he's selling is because the acm2 doesn't have the retractable trolley.( i would have bought it anyway but he wanted to only sell locally and not ship so the deal fell through.)  I was nervous about the gotway already but after learning that and since there are other good choices in the same price range  I've decided to  eliminate that model from the decision..  and have decided i want a 16" wheel so eliminated the 14s.      so the models i'm down to now from lowest price to highest  are;

solowheel glide 3 (v8)-   i'm pretty sure if I get this one i'm going to want more speed/power in a pretty short time. I've eliminated it from the list over and over again and then it keeps getting put back on due to overall positive reviews and a significantly lower price. 

gotway tesla 680wh-  again price is keeping me from eliminating this one.  it seems to have the most bang for the buck.  but I've not seen a review on the 680 version. only the 1020. also a question about this one. it's 67v which I thought was not as good as 84v but gotwayamerica told me that the 67v is more dependable.  thoughts on that?  another  concern about this one is I don't think it has the feature to stop the wheel from turning when you pick it up?  is that a non-issue?  

inmotion v10-  this is the one that seems to make the most sense for me but it's a pretty big jump in price and all the reviews i see are for the v10f not the v10. that jump in price (10 to10f)  is one i'm not ready to make. if i get the 10 i'm afraid i'll wish i would have gotten the 10f instead.  i also don't like the trolley handle on it but don't know if that's enough reason to eliminate it. 

kingsong ks16s-  almost all positive reviews and seems to be a great wheel but now that the new stuff is coming out those reviews  might be a little outdated. it's also the most expensive of what i'm trying to decide between. and slower than either the tesla or v10. 

actually i think i already know what i want to do among these choices but would like to get feedback from you more experienced wheel owners anyway. something might come up that i hadn't thought about or didn't know.  i hate the thought of making a $1k mistake.  another thought that keeps coming to mind is to just get the glide 3 knowing it won't last and keep researching to make a good decision on my next wheel. thanks in advance for any advice. 

Since your biggest constraint is $$$ I think the KS14S would offer you the biggest bang for the buck. You can ride 35 to 40 miles on the wheel, it's very robust, and offers lots of features. If I only had one wheel and it was the 14S I would be pretty happy. I love mine.

The Tesla would also be a great choice, but expect ~half the range of the 14S.

Apparently you told EWheels about your needs but you haven't told us anything. We can offer better advice if we know what your expectations and limits are.

[stuartg]

well, maybe i need to put the 14s back in the running.  i eliminated it because the seller of the acm told me that was his previous wheel and he didn't like it because of the small wheel size. he told me to stay with at least 16". he actually was trying to encourage me to go to 18".  where i'll be riding  is hilly everywhere. there's not much flat.  even if i'm on a nice smooth trail i'm liable to encounter pine cones/rocks/holes in the asphalt/etc.  i don't expect that i'll be wanting to go on long rides (several hours at a time) but at this point i can't be sure of that.  the main reason i think i'd outgrow the glide 3 soon is speed. the 14s is not fast either (when i ski i aim straight down the hill)  my body is 56 years old but my mind is something like late 20's. i'm 5/11" 180 lbs.  i rode a unicycle quite a bit when i was a kid so i expect to be able to figure this out and get comfortable fairly quickly. but i could be completely wrong about that. i won't be using this to commute. at least not on a regular basis.  just for fun.   i would estimate i'll be half the time on pavement and half on dirt trails. 

[kasenutty]

Which one do you like the most? Like, which one sets your heart aflutter more than the others? There's gotta be a favorite in there. They're all great wheels, so you can't really lose

[meepmeepmayer]

Don't be afraid of Gotways per se. The ACM2 really is the most bang for the buck. Not sure if it is a good choice if a trolley handle is important to you (it has an external one, but maybe it isn't the most easy wheel to push, carry, etc.)

I'd also go with the 14S over the V8/Glide3. It's just newer and nicer.

Not many (no?) people here have a 67V Tesla so not sure what to expect from that, but there is going to be a 25% performance difference to 84V. But still not a bad wheel!

The good thing about the V10 is, it does not have less battery cells than the V10F, just lower capacity ones - so you can expect the same speed and safety from both of them - just the range is different.

The 18L is a bit away, but it's going to be a very competitive (price) wheel for comfortable riding also on rougher terrain. In a way, the "new 16S" with a little tire size upgrade. And very fast.

This really is between good and very good choices All would work, 14, 16, 18 inchers.

5 minutes ago, kasenutty said:

Which one do you like the most? Like, which one sets your heart aflutter more than the others? There's gotta be a favorite in there. They're all great wheels, so you can't really lose

Also, that! Which one gives you the tingles...

[mezzanine]

You might find you learn a hard lesson by relying on the enthusiasts here instead of patiently making your own researched decision.  That's just my take.  

[stuartg]

should i care about the tesla not having the turn-off feature when picking it up?  i just looked at the specs for the ks18s. it's 56 lbs. so i'm not gonna add any 18" to my choices.   i go up 20 stairs to get to the front door of my house.  the tesla and v10 are both about 45 lbs. that's gonna be my limit for weight. I've seen videos of people riding these things down stairs but never up.    the 14s is gaining points.  

[Marty Backe]

1 hour ago, mezzanine said:

You might find you learn a hard lesson by relying on the enthusiasts here instead of patiently making your own researched decision.  That's just my take.  

 

[Marty Backe]

2 hours ago, stuartg said:

well, maybe i need to put the 14s back in the running.  i eliminated it because the seller of the acm told me that was his previous wheel and he didn't like it because of the small wheel size. he told me to stay with at least 16". he actually was trying to encourage me to go to 18".  where i'll be riding  is hilly everywhere. there's not much flat.  even if i'm on a nice smooth trail i'm liable to encounter pine cones/rocks/holes in the asphalt/etc.  i don't expect that i'll be wanting to go on long rides (several hours at a time) but at this point i can't be sure of that.  the main reason i think i'd outgrow the glide 3 soon is speed. the 14s is not fast either (when i ski i aim straight down the hill)  my body is 56 years old but my mind is something like late 20's. i'm 5/11" 180 lbs.  i rode a unicycle quite a bit when i was a kid so i expect to be able to figure this out and get comfortable fairly quickly. but i could be completely wrong about that. i won't be using this to commute. at least not on a regular basis.  just for fun.   i would estimate i'll be half the time on pavement and half on dirt trails. 

There are lots of choices, and probably better ones than my suggested 14S. However, you clearly have stated how sensitive you are to price. That's why I go back the KS14S.

My riding weight is ~175-pounds.

Here's one of my KS14S videos. Are your streets this bad?

 

[Scott Henley]

51 minutes ago, stuartg said:

should i care about the tesla not having the turn-off feature when picking it up?  

It’s not just the Tesla ...No king song or GW wheels have this feature. (Well ....the 18L will , but it’s not out yet ) 

[stuartg]

the trails here are probably pretty similar to that.  I've seen that video before and also have seen that you've said that you actually prefer the smaller wheel for that kind of riding. (i think you are the reason the 14s was in my original lineup.)  but  i'm sure you know that is not the traditional opinion. everything else I've read says bigger is better for rough terrain. do you think it's more fun because it takes more skill on the smaller wheel?  i'm not arguing- you know a lot more than i do-   just wondering why you differ from the more common opinion. that did look like fun. downhill looks like more fun than up.  but it also makes me rethink the range thing. once you get started on a ride like that it'd be a shame to have to turn around before you want to because you know you've got to worry about battery.  when you were at the top of the hill going backwards a couple of times i thought you were gonna go backwards right off the edge of the mountain. at one point it overheated going up a hill.  when that happens do you just wait for it to cool down and then it's good to go again?  is that hard on the machine?  at another spot the transition to get to the trail caused the wheel to go out from under you. in that same spot do you think a bigger wheel would have made the transition? have you ever had something break  that means it can't be ridden back. i'd hate to have to carry 45 lbs. for several miles.  that's something i hadn't thought of until now.  yes, i am sensitive to price but i also want to make the right choice.  if i get the wrong thing and end up carrying it home for several miles because i didn't want to spend another couple hundred dollars i'd be cussing myself out the whole way home. actually i'd probably just bury it right there and walk home- cussing  myself out the whole way.  

[stuartg]

oh, i thought the ks16s had that feature. so is that an important feature that i'd want?  if it is that lets me cross off 2 contenders. 

[stuartg]

15 minutes ago, stuartg said:

oh, i thought the ks16s had that feature. so is that an important feature that i'd want?  if it is that lets me cross off 2 contenders. 

actually 3 contenders. i wasn't thinking about the 14s is also kingsong. we might already have a winner.   

[Marty Backe]

1 hour ago, Scott Henley said:

It’s not just the Tesla ...No king song or GW wheels have this feature. (Well ....the 18L will , but it’s not out yet ) 

Ahem, the Gotway MCM5 (which I'm eagerly waiting for from Jason) has this very feature. 

[eddiemoy]

4 hours ago, stuartg said:

well, maybe i need to put the 14s back in the running.  i eliminated it because the seller of the acm told me that was his previous wheel and he didn't like it because of the small wheel size. he told me to stay with at least 16". he actually was trying to encourage me to go to 18".  where i'll be riding  is hilly everywhere. there's not much flat.  even if i'm on a nice smooth trail i'm liable to encounter pine cones/rocks/holes in the asphalt/etc.  i don't expect that i'll be wanting to go on long rides (several hours at a time) but at this point i can't be sure of that.  the main reason i think i'd outgrow the glide 3 soon is speed. the 14s is not fast either (when i ski i aim straight down the hill)  my body is 56 years old but my mind is something like late 20's. i'm 5/11" 180 lbs.  i rode a unicycle quite a bit when i was a kid so i expect to be able to figure this out and get comfortable fairly quickly. but i could be completely wrong about that. i won't be using this to commute. at least not on a regular basis.  just for fun.   i would estimate i'll be half the time on pavement and half on dirt trails. 

Having unicycle experience definitely speeds your learning.  I would stick with the 16” to start.  It is the best all around wheel, stable at speed, more nimble than the 18”.  If speed is what you are after, I would go with the Tesla.  I bet @Marty Backe is surprised at my recommendation.   Though the Tesla does come with build quality issues.  The shell is flimsy and while learning it may break from dropping it.  The KS16S is built like a tank and will take any abuse you through at it.  But it is a little slow once you get used to it.  I think the sweet spot is somewhere around 25-28mph or 40-45kmph.  

[eddiemoy]

2 hours ago, stuartg said:

should i care about the tesla not having the turn-off feature when picking it up?  i just looked at the specs for the ks18s. it's 56 lbs. so i'm not gonna add any 18" to my choices.   i go up 20 stairs to get to the front door of my house.  the tesla and v10 are both about 45 lbs. that's gonna be my limit for weight. I've seen videos of people riding these things down stairs but never up.    the 14s is gaining points.  

Lift to turn off is over rated.  Don’t need this feature don’t want this feature.  If you want to turn it off use the power button.  Never been an issue for me except once I forgot to turn it off while lifting my KS18S.

Mid you have that many steps, you may want to push your wheel up the stairs instead of carrying it.  So you would want the wheel on, not off.  

For me, I don’t like wheels that are smaller than 16”.  I absolutely hated the 10” Mten3.  Marty doesn’t hate any wheel, I do.  Lol.  I hate being on a 14” also.  

I didn’t suggest the V10 because I don’t can know if I would like it.  I only had a few minutes with it and there were a couple of things I didn’t like about it such as the pedals.  Marty had the same feeling. Don’t know if grip tape will fix that feeling of insecurity.  Also the first batch is sold.  So you will have to wait a few months. 

[Marty Backe]

53 minutes ago, stuartg said:

the trails here are probably pretty similar to that.  I've seen that video before and also have seen that you've said that you actually prefer the smaller wheel for that kind of riding. (i think you are the reason the 14s was in my original lineup.)  but  i'm sure you know that is not the traditional opinion. everything else I've read says bigger is better for rough terrain. do you think it's more fun because it takes more skill on the smaller wheel?  i'm not arguing- you know a lot more than i do-   just wondering why you differ from the more common opinion. that did look like fun. downhill looks like more fun than up.  but it also makes me rethink the range thing. once you get started on a ride like that it'd be a shame to have to turn around before you want to because you know you've got to worry about battery.  when you were at the top of the hill going backwards a couple of times i thought you were gonna go backwards right off the edge of the mountain. at one point it overheated going up a hill.  when that happens do you just wait for it to cool down and then it's good to go again?  is that hard on the machine?  at another spot the transition to get to the trail caused the wheel to go out from under you. in that same spot do you think a bigger wheel would have made the transition? have you ever had something break  that means it can't be ridden back. i'd hate to have to carry 45 lbs. for several miles.  that's something i hadn't thought of until now.  yes, i am sensitive to price but i also want to make the right choice.  if i get the wrong thing and end up carrying it home for several miles because i didn't want to spend another couple hundred dollars i'd be cussing myself out the whole way home. actually i'd probably just bury it right there and walk home- cussing  myself out the whole way.  

When people comment about bigger wheels being better for trails, they are referring to the comfort factor. In that regard I agree. When I ride my 22-inch Monster on those same trails it's super comfy. But the bigger wheels have less torque (they climb slower) and are less maneuverable.

So if I'm trying to ride to Grandma's house for dinner - take the bigger wheel. But if I'm out for some fun, twisting and turning and climbing, give me the smaller wheel.

When the wheel overheats, I just stop and wait a few minutes. I don't think it's hard on the wheel - I've only overheated the 14S less than a handful of times over ~500-miles. It's not like a car where overheating puts stress on the hoses and such.

I'm not sure what part of the video that you're referring to, where the wheel came out from under me.

Riding any wheel off-road carries risks of a break-down. It's happened to me and I've seen it happen to others during group rides. The worst was a flat that occurred 8-miles from the nearest road   At least for flats, I carry tools with me including a portable pump and extra Slime so that I can increase my odds of wheeling out.

For the price conscious I think the KS14S is hard to beat for all-around functionality, performance, and convenience. My favorite general purpose wheel is the 16-inch Gotway ACM2. It's incredibly powerful, robust (I think of it as my tough little warthog), long range,  and middle-of-the-range price point.

I know how hard it is to pick a single wheel, particularly now that we have so many nice wheels to pick from. But my first wheel was an earlier version of the ACM which at the time was also the most powerful wheel available. In hindsight I'm grateful that I was pointed in that direction because I started with the most powerful wheel and thereful I had no urge to upgrade because there was nothing to upgrade to (at least until more powerful wheels were released later). If I had bought a lesser wheel I know that after a few months I would have been itching to get something better.

20 minutes ago, eddiemoy said:

Having unicycle experience definitely speeds your learning.  I would stick with the 16” to start.  It is the best all around wheel, stable at speed, more nimble than the 18”.  If speed is what you are after, I would go with the Tesla.  I bet @Marty Backe is surprised at my recommendation.   Though the Tesla does come with build quality issues.  The shell is flimsy and while learning it may break from dropping it.  The KS16S is built like a tank and will take any abuse you through at it.  But it is a little slow once you get used to it.  I think the sweet spot is somewhere around 25-28mph or 40-45kmph.  

[mezzanine]

4 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

 

What percentage of the time you or meep recommend Gotways to newbs do you make a point of mentioning their failure rate?  ☺️

[Esash]

The best deal I've seen on a new wheel is from GotwayAmerica, but you haven't mentioned it.

The 14" Gotway MCM4 680wh is only $650.  That's like 50% more battery than the V8, which costs $250 more. MCM4 also goes faster, top speed of like 21 mph, and cruising speed above the V8's max speed.  680wh is also the same size battery as the V10, and the Tesla model that you're already looking at on GotwayAmerica.

Living where there's lots of hills means you're going to want more battery power than the V8.

I'm sure the Tesla and V10 are better wheels than the MCM4. Are they worth twice as much, when you could buy one used in a year for much cheaper than they are now?

For the price of the V10 or KS16s you could buy a brand new MCM4 and a used ACM now, or an MCM4 now and a used Tesla in a year. 

The MCM4 and V8 used to be priced the same, and I'm not sure I'd call the V8 the better wheel. Just like the ACM with a bigger battery is considered a better wheel than a smaller battery Tesla, even though they're the same price. 

The MCM4 being $250 cheaper than the V8 makes it a no brainer, in my opinion, unless you're treating yourself to a distinctly superior wheel with a big motor and huge battery.

The ACM2 is a much better value than the KS16, Tesla, or V8. Just not as good a value as the MCM4 680 at $650.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[fryman]

The 16S has been a good first wheel for me. It has a built in trolly and weighs 39 pounds. 

[stuartg]

i did see the mcm4 at gotwayamerica  but that was when I was eliminating any 14"'ers.  now that i'm reconsidering the 14s i'll check it out. sounds like it might be a good place to start. this is confusing. i'm starting to understand why all you guys own multiple wheels. still a little nervous about anything gotway. from what I've gathered they're just recently trying to redeem themselves from a bad reputation because of trouble wheels. isn't the mcm4 from the troubled years era? I want to do this hobby for fun. I know crashes can and will happen but to be riding along and have the wheel stop unexpectedly and randomly would take the fun right out of it for me.  

[eddiemoy]

44 minutes ago, stuartg said:

i did see the mcm4 at gotwayamerica  but that was when I was eliminating any 14"'ers.  now that i'm reconsidering the 14s i'll check it out. sounds like it might be a good place to start. this is confusing. i'm starting to understand why all you guys own multiple wheels. still a little nervous about anything gotway. from what I've gathered they're just recently trying to redeem themselves from a bad reputation because of trouble wheels. isn't the mcm4 from the troubled years era? I want to do this hobby for fun. I know crashes can and will happen but to be riding along and have the wheel stop unexpectedly and randomly would take the fun right out of it for me.  

If you want reliable, just go with the KS16S

[Marty Backe]

47 minutes ago, stuartg said:

i did see the mcm4 at gotwayamerica  but that was when I was eliminating any 14"'ers.  now that i'm reconsidering the 14s i'll check it out. sounds like it might be a good place to start. this is confusing. i'm starting to understand why all you guys own multiple wheels. still a little nervous about anything gotway. from what I've gathered they're just recently trying to redeem themselves from a bad reputation because of trouble wheels. isn't the mcm4 from the troubled years era? I want to do this hobby for fun. I know crashes can and will happen but to be riding along and have the wheel stop unexpectedly and randomly would take the fun right out of it for me.  

You hear from the people that have had problems with Gotway wheels and people who like to spread Gotway FUD. Ask yourself, why are so many people riding Gotway wheels? It's not exactly a minor brand.

But buy KingSong if it makes you sleep better at night.

[stuartg]

I just watched a couple reviews on the mcm4. not considering that one anymore

the  most recommended is the acm2. and maybe it is the best bang for buck -- but that add-on trolley just looks like a problem waiting to happen. the way it screws into the body of the unit. it seems inevitable that eventually its gonna be all bent up and not extend/retract like it should or its gonna just get ripped off and leave big holes in the body. it looks  like they designed the whole wheel and then at the last minute somebody said  oh crap, we forgot to put on a trolley! 

[Scott Henley]

14 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

Ahem, the Gotway MCM5 (which I'm eagerly waiting for from Jason) has this very feature. 

Yes yes, sorry . I always forget about that wheel