Ks18-L magic smoke ;( after falling off

[Toshio Uemura]

1 hour ago, Marty Backe said:

I agree with you. Yes the Z10 may be the perfect performance wheel for a newbie. In this case, the OP was focusing on KingSong wheels so I didn't change the subject to other brands.

Right! My bad. That’s the problem with addicts: They can’t think but ONE (Z...ng). It’s called love. I probably should restrain myself from making any further comments on this forum ... ?? ... at least until everybody else turns into addicts. ? 

[chafouin]

Thx for the inputs, much appreciated.

Chicago does not seem to have an ewheel community (surprisingly), so it’s hard to get info/feedback from experienced users here. (and if i just offended some of them, PM me to connect)

The 18l seems right here, when you would use your wheel to commute, climb stairs up/down to take the train (Z10 would be too heavy) and deal with potholes (18“>16”), and deal with snow/ice roads . But I suppose I could start with a 16” and resell it locally and grow the commmunity...

[Lutalo]

1 hour ago, chafouin said:

I read some comments that the KS-18l was actually not so bad for learning. Are there other folks who used it for learning that could attest of the real nature of the challenge? 

An KS-18l seems much more manageable than a KS-18s for learning purpose.

Buying a KS-16s just to learn, and eventually buy a KS-18l as the real deal,  sounds like an expensive proposition, if not a total waste.

I learned to ride EUCs on a KS18" wheel. I have tried the smaller sized wheels and like their preciseness and agility, but maintain a preference for 18" wheels for their greater power and comfort. I am 6'+ in height and over 200lbs so I didn't find the 18" unwieldy when learning.

While out riding about a week ago, I bumped into a random rider who was on an 18L. He explained that the 18L was his first wheel and that he had learned to ride on it. I happened to be riding the very KS18 upon which I had learned to ride that day because my son had the 18L. He seemed to be enjoying his ride just fine. His wheel had taken some falls, bit had been nicely protected with vinyl wrap; so, it still looked great.

I learned on the older KS18 model and I have no regrets except that the 18L was a long way from available when I learned.

[Toshio Uemura]

19 minutes ago, chafouin said:

Thx for the inputs, much appreciated.

Chicago does not seem to have an ewheel community (surprisingly), so it’s hard to get info/feedback from experienced users here. (and if i just offended some of them, PM me to connect)

The 18l seems right here, when you would use your wheel to commute, climb stairs up/down to take the train (Z10 would be too heavy) and deal with potholes (18“>16”), and deal with snow/ice roads . But I suppose I could start with a 16” and resell it locally and grow the commmunity...

For commuting the Tesla is also a good option. It is fast, stable, beautiful at night, not to heavy and the trolley handle is very practical for quick mount and dismount (see below). 

 

[chafouin]

20 hours ago, Toshio Uemura said:

For commuting the Tesla is also a good option. It is fast, stable, beautiful at night, not to heavy and the trolley handle is very practical for quick mount and dismount (see below). 

 

The Telsa looks nice.

Not to be argumentative here, but what does make the Tesla better than an 18l for learning?

They have the same weight (the 18l is slightly lighter than the Tesla actually) and while the 18l is 1" higher,  it is thinner.

The pedal height is within 1/2" of each other: from a spec/paper point of view, they seem to present the same learning challenges.

[Toshio Uemura]

2 hours ago, chafouin said:

The Telsa looks nice.

Not to be argumentative here, but what does make the Tesla better than an 18l for learning?

They have the same weight (the 18l is slightly lighter than the Tesla actually) and while the 18l is 1" higher,  it is thinner.

The pedal height is within 1/2" of each other: from a spec/paper point of view, they seem to present the same learning challenges.

Weight is not the issue here. It is the size of the wheel. A 16 Inch wheel is very flexible. But of course it also depends on your size and weight. If you are tall then the 18l might be for you what the Tesla is for me. At the end of the day it’s all a matter of personal taste and usage. I used the Tesla for the city and at night, the MSuper V3s+ for touring and long distance cruising, the 9bot E+ (later the V8) for riding in crowded parks or practicing tricks. Now I ride the Z10. It is perfect for all these situations. Need no other wheel. ? 

[neurokinetik]

On 8/17/2018 at 2:49 PM, chafouin said:

I read some comments that the KS-18l was actually not so bad for learning. Are there other folks who used it for learning that could attest of the real nature of the challenge? 

 

I used mine for learning.  I was concerned that it might be too much wheel to learn on at the outset (it seems really heavy when you are first starting out - I'm 5'7 and 150lbs), but now I'm about two weeks in, and have already racked up my initial 200kM.  I practiced on grass for the first couple of tries, which was very difficult and exhausting, but once I tried it on tarmac, I really picked it up quickly.  Once you get to a point where you are rolling about 10mph, it is not so hard.

In the early rides, I frequently encountered the wobbles, more at a medium speed like the OP did.  I found that I could either speed up or slow down and they would subside.  After that, I increased tire pressure to 35psi, and now the wobbles are rare and much less intense if they do occur.

I had a couple of bails in the first couple of rides, one that sent the wheel tumbling into the woods, and another that had it rolling down the bike path.  Almost no cosmetic damage aside from some scratches on one of the LED strips.  I think the pavement actually took more damage from the pedals than the pedals took from the pavement.