Doubting KingSong

[Issah]

Hello there, Forum, I've been lurking around since early May, when I decided to move on from my "Learner" wheel, the Airwheel X3

I've had nothing but bad experiences with KingSong as a EUC brand since I got this thing. I purchased a KS16 (Yes, the older model) with a 520Wh battery. Selections aren't as good over here, though now I know I can use ewheels for future purchases. My current retailer takes 3 days to a week to reply to my emails.

First off, it arrived with a defect that made it show and perform as if it only ever charged up to 76%. I don't care what people say about not fully charging due to battery longevity concerns. When I charge a device, I expect it to show as 100% charged when the brick lights green. And yes, I've tried multiple chargers to no avail, and lacking a multimeter, I've chalked it down to a bad board or battery failure.

Then the application on both Android and iOS. Holy moly, is it bad. I'm stuck on v1.20 and I can't seem to find any way to upgrade it. It's probably not a big deal, but I hate being stuck on outdated firmware, regardless of what device it's regarding. 

Then I had a puncture a good ways from home. Had to stroll it some 14 or so km.
I did some research on how to take the wheel apart, bought a more rugged tyre for it, and eventually set to work. My biggest issue here, is that the screws used in this machine are bottom of the barrel, slag metal, and they are generally soft as butter in midsummer heat. Yes, my bits fit well into the screwhead, but that doesn't help when several screws had partially missing treads near the "tip" and decidedly did not want to go back inside, after I spent an hour slowly coaxing them out in the first place. The screw in question here, is the big ones connecting the chassis to the foot pedals. But it's a learning experience nevertheless, and I managed to repair the punctured inner tube and mount the new tyre. Of course, as luck would have it, yet another puncture sprung up, this time around the valve base. This happened literally on the first test-ride I did after my first repair endeavour. I have my doubts that I'll be able to fix it, and I also doubt whether the screws in this machine can handle being unscrewed and screwed back in once more.

Have I just been very, very unlucky, or is  there something I could've done differently? At the rate of correspondence I have with my retailer, I fear that the summer will be over before I get a chance to ride again, and every day I can't is worse for it.

Pictured: New tyre mounted on the hub.

[kasenutty]

Looks good. My old kingsong 14c is a piece of shit, my 16s is way nicer. So yes, the old ones aren’t as good as the latest models. 

 

Tire looks cool though, tell us how it rides.

[Issah]

1 minute ago, kasenutty said:

Looks good. My old kingsong 14c is a piece of shit, my 16s is way nicer. So yes, the old ones aren’t as good as the latest models. 

 

Tire looks cool though, tell us how it rides.

I only got to ride about half a kilometer today after fitting the new tire, and it was constantly, slowly deflating while doing so. However, I can tell you right now that the characteristics of it is very different from the stock one. It's a little less responsive, but more stable at low speeds, and goes basically in a straight line when you accelerate. I felt very confident on that. However, turning at speed was very different. Need more data on that point. First I need to either get the tube fixed (again) or wait until the vendor replies to me about returning it so I can buy a 16s or Tesla.

[kasenutty]

Looks good for trails.

[Issah]

7 hours ago, kasenutty said:

Looks good for trails.

That's where I was hoping to use it. Lots of great trial riding possibilities north of the city, which I live very close to.

[Marty Backe]

3 hours ago, Issah said:

That's where I was hoping to use it. Lots of great trial riding possibilities north of the city, which I live very close to.

That looks like the same tire that I put on my ACM2, dedicated for trail riding. I really like it.

Have you tried using Slime to see if that repairs your flat. What do you have to lose?

[UKJ]

On 5/20/2018 at 4:12 AM, kasenutty said:

 My old kingsong 14c is a piece of shit,

 

I would fully agree with you if I had not been able to have my bent, cracking axle replaced for free under warranty, and enjoying new mother board with new motor!

Also just had to rebuild both pillar parts because of broke nut bolt heads, but now washers carefully sanded to fit perfect in spaces and loctite used with brand new strong bolts.

Other than that which could be considered a lot, I still love the power and long rides my good old a few times fixed KS14c!

I will say, sure sucks that I can`t enjoy a good Ios app, makes me angry!

ukj

[kasenutty]

I don’t like it really. It’s just too small and uncomfortable even when it’s working good for me.

[Issah]

9 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

That looks like the same tire that I put on my ACM2, dedicated for trail riding. I really like it.

Have you tried using Slime to see if that repairs your flat. What do you have to lose?

I have used something called Weldtyte. It says that it's only a transient fix, and in my case it didn't last for more than half a trip around my block. I have looked into using Slime, and have seen your video where you used it yourself, but I'll have to import it from Amazon. Truth be told though, right now I'm hoping the vendor I bought my wheel from will accept a return so I can buy something slightly more powerful, like a 16S or Tesla. (I need that trolley handle) 

I just hope me having messed around with taking the thing apart won't somehow give them a reason to refuse my return claim.

[Issah]

Update! Excuse the double post.

I patched the tube again today, after failing several times to have the patch seal the leak, my final patch seemed to do it. My test drive an hour or so later seemed to go great. I told myself I'd have to go to a gas station to get the tire pressure up to about 36-40 Psi after my initial test run, as it seemed just a little soft, still. 

However, as I was about to make good on that word, I had a sudden blowout, thankfully at low speeds, because this wasn't a slow gradual leak, but more like a switch had been flipped. It was very, very scary. Thankfully I was going fairly slow at the time. I think this inner tube is officially consigned to the garbage now, and I'm going to see about getting a new one, if the vendor doesn't reply to me about a return soon.

[Circuitmage]

Wow, a 3rd blow out?

I've been watching my tire for wear but had not issues other than checking air every week or so. At first it seemed like my tube was leaking about 10 psi per week, but lately it has been holding fairly well. 

Hang in there. If you really like it, it's worth the effort. You are certainly racking up more XP in the tire realm than I have had to do in my ~1 year on EUC's.

[Chriull]

2 hours ago, Issah said:

However, as I was about to make good on that word, I had a sudden blowout, thankfully at low speeds, because this wasn't a slow gradual leak

While replacing you should look carefully for anything irregular at the rim and the valve hole.

Or you had just bad luck with the tubes....

[Issah]

On 5/20/2018 at 6:28 AM, kasenutty said:

Looks good for trails.

It's great for both trials and Tarmac, I find. Though my active time on said tire is very low as my inner tube is made from hope's dreams and children's play-dough.

1 hour ago, Circuitmage said:

Wow, a 3rd blow out?

I've been watching my tire for wear but had not issues other than checking air every week or so. At first it seemed like my tube was leaking about 10 psi per week, but lately it has been holding fairly well. 

Hang in there. If you really like it, it's worth the effort. You are certainly racking up more XP in the tire realm than I have had to do in my ~1 year on EUC's.

Technically, a second blowout. Turns out that the leak I had after my first fix was just the first fix not being actually sealed. I spent today re-doing that patchwork, but my guess is that I either didn't let it set for long enough, (2 hours) or that the glue used was bad. I'm inclined to think it's the latter. And yea, I am getting quite skilled at dismantling my EUC, but I'd rather be out riding right now than sitting here, staring defeated at it.

11 minutes ago, Chriull said:

While replacing you should look carefully for anything irregular at the rim and the valve hole.

Or you had just bad luck with the tubes....

The wheel was made in '16. This puts the rubber at some risk of age related durability loss. To further make the issue worse, the part of the tube that was punctured has little rings on it, for what reason I don't know, but they're there.

[Larryyla]

I'm sorry to hear some of you have had such bad luck with your KS wheels. Last year I bought a KS 14B because I didn't want to have too much invested in the event I should find it too difficult. I didn't realize that having the less capable battery and motor would make it less safe and capable for my 180 lb carcass, as I found out one time when I tried to accelerate too quickly. Still, with a little extra caution, I have managed to rack up many trouble free miles and now find it as easy to ride as a bicycle. It now feels very natural to me.

My tiny 174 wh battery lasts longer than my feet. I added air to the tire when I got it a year ago and once again last week. I have learned to love the BT speakers and would not by a wheel without them. The only problem I have had so far is one of the spring plates that hold the pedals firmly up or down broke, so I made another one from a piece of banding steel. Quick simple fix and it works good as new. Now I am considering getting a KS 18 with a seat so it really is discouraging to hear about others having KS troubles. 

Regarding your tire problems, you are not pinching your innertube during installation, like, say with a screwdriver, are you? Most bicycle tires are designed to be installed by hand. Additionally, knobby tires have less rubber in contact with the pavement and can have less traction, as demonstrated by dirt bikes on pavement. If the majority of your riding is on pavement you may wish to consider a street tread design. The tire that came on my KS seems perfectly suited to the use I put it to.

[Issah]

15 minutes ago, Larryyla said:

I'm sorry to hear some of you have had such bad luck with your KS wheels. Last year I bought a KS 14B because I didn't want to have too much invested in the event I should find it too difficult. I didn't realize that having the less capable battery and motor would make it less safe and capable for my 180 lb carcass, as I found out one time when I tried to accelerate too quickly. Still, with a little extra caution, I have managed to rack up many trouble free miles and now find it as easy to ride as a bicycle. It now feels very natural to me.

My tiny 174 wh battery lasts longer than my feet. I added air to the tire when I got it a year ago and once again last week. I have learned to love the BT speakers and would not by a wheel without them. The only problem I have had so far is one of the spring plates that hold the pedals firmly up or down broke, so I made another one from a piece of banding steel. Quick simple fix and it works good as new. Now I am considering getting a KS 18 with a seat so it really is discouraging to hear about others having KS troubles. 

Regarding your tire problems, you are not pinching your innertube during installation, like, say with a screwdriver, are you? Most bicycle tires are designed to be installed by hand. Additionally, knobby tires have less rubber in contact with the pavement and can have less traction, as demonstrated by dirt bikes on pavement. If the majority of your riding is on pavement you may wish to consider a street tread design. The tire that came on my KS seems perfectly suited to the use I put it to.

Mine is really an edge case. I'd be surprised to have the same kind of issue twice in a row from two models. 

I use tire-levers to get the tire off or on the rim initialy, then I use my hands for the rest. I tinkered a lot with bikes in my teenage years, and I'm not new to fixing flat tires. However, I think traditional patches struggle with Unicycles, as there's more weight on the wheel. Could be wrong though.

I ride on a mix of pavement and gravel, and while a street tread would benefit me more on pavement, the extra ruggedness of a knobbly tire makes me feel more secure on the more uneven surfaces of gravel paths, and in the future, I want to go riding deep into the trails that surround most of my city, hence the choice of a more rugged tire. Though I might wanna go for something with a bigger battery. I have my backup wheel, an Airwheel with 130Wh battery, but this thing is too small for me now it feels like, and I need to be much more careful when accelerating, as being too rough will get you thrown off it. 

[Euc-rider]

Kajakk og fritid Drammen?

[nute]

@Issah, once you get a new tube try some slime in it. I found it works great. If you can't get any in Norway drop me a PM and ill post you some from here. 

[CptSalami]

On 6/8/2018 at 7:08 PM, Euc-rider said:

Kajakk og fritid Drammen?

I'm guessing it has to be the retailer he is talking about, it's the only EUC shop in Norway I'm pretty sure.

I've had nothing but bad service from them for the 3 years I've been a customer. If there were other options I'd buy there instead...

[Issah]

On 6/8/2018 at 10:43 PM, nute said:

@Issah, once you get a new tube try some slime in it. I found it works great. If you can't get any in Norway drop me a PM and ill post you some from here. 

Haven't needed slime yet. New tube working great, thank god.

On 6/11/2018 at 8:51 AM, CptSalami said:

I'm guessing it has to be the retailer he is talking about, it's the only EUC shop in Norway I'm pretty sure.

I've had nothing but bad service from them for the 3 years I've been a customer. If there were other options I'd buy there instead...

@Euc-rider
Yea, must be. I only knew them as Airwheel norway, and they haven't replied to a mail since late May. I'll be buying my next product from Jason instead, as they actually ship to Norway. Or Speedy-feet in the UK.

[mrelwood]

2 hours ago, Issah said:

Haven't needed slime yet.

Slime (and many others) are of the type that are applied before you need them. You put it in the tire, inflate and forget about it. You'll probably never even know if/that you needed it.

I recently found out that while Slime includes latex, there are competitors (fe. "Goop") that don't, and which will last for years instead of months. I wrote more about this in here:

 

[steve454]

23 minutes ago, mrelwood said:

Slime (and many others) are of the type that are applied before you need them. You put it in the tire, inflate and forget about it. You'll probably never even know if/that you needed it.

I recently found out that while Slime includes latex, there are competitors (fe. "Goop") that don't, and which will last for years instead of months. I wrote more about this in here:

 

Wow, this Goop looks great!  Can be used on tubed or tubeless tires also.  I never heard of it before, thanks for the info!  https://www.amazon.com/GOOP-Tire-Sealant-Bottles-Toxic/dp/B0756ZVBQ1/ref=asc_df_B0756ZVBQ1/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=241975700326&hvpos=1o4&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17875742843154881278&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9027214&hvtargid=pla-448878298502&psc=1