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First Impressions & Photos of the KS18XL


Jason McNeil

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7 hours ago, Unventor said:

Ohh that is not that far away. Only like 200km so it us possible to reach by car and meet up at some point. I wanted to take the car and wheel in the trunk to go out explore places. But I kinda got my KS18L a little late and lag of ride experience this summer so it is next year's goal.

At least I went to Copenhagen at the weekend before Halloween. That is about 330km away.

There are a lot of scenic routes to ride around here, and I plan to explore Glaskogen nature reserve in the summer, hoping to catch a glimpse of wolves, but we could find something closer to you. My girlfriend and I are both Norwegian, been living in Sweden for 18 years, and we have a dream of using the wheels on mountain hikes in Norway. There are a lot of rideable trails there, and public cabins where we could sleep and charge the wheels.

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It handles 10 cm snow like a champ. Where it is plowed it looses grip sideways on small edges in the snow, but it is manageable.. sort of.. It is tempting to order this:  https://eunicycles.eu/en/tires/114-opona-16-cali.html, but it is hard for me to travel anywhere without going on salted roads. I just wan't to go to sleep and wake up in April. Anyone got any experience with hibernation?  

XL Snow.jpg

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24 minutes ago, Espen R said:

It is tempting to order this:  https://eunicycles.eu/en/tires/114-opona-16-cali.html, but it is hard for me to travel anywhere without going on salted roads.

I use Schwalbe Mad Mike tire with almost identical tread, which proven to be really outstanding in winter conditions. It not only performs well in pure snow, but literally crushes icy snow. Of course it's noisy and have higher rolling resistance, but it's not a big problem. However I'm not sure if CST tire will be as reliable as Schwalbe.

I will show you how to deal with salt... stay tuned, I have to make a short video clip this evening :)

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6 minutes ago, Seba said:

I use Schwalbe Mad Mike tire with almost identical tread, which proven to be really outstanding in winter conditions. It not only performs well in pure snow, but literally crushes icy snow. Of course it's noisy and have higher rolling resistance, but it's not a big problem. However I'm not sure if CST tire will be as reliable as Schwalbe.

I will show you how to deal with salt... stay tuned, I have to make a short video clip this evening :)

Thank you for the tips! I'll look out for your video:)

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3 hours ago, Espen R said:

Anyone got any experience with hibernation?

Hibernation is for noobs. Cryosleep! The quick freezing part already works, just jump into some liquid nitrogen. As for the surviving and waking up part, just imagine the future Gotways when they have figured that out!

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4 hours ago, Espen R said:

Thank you for the tips! I'll look out for your video:)

 

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1 hour ago, Seba said:

 

I truly admire how you guys in those very snowy climates do not let the snow hold you back. For me, it's a strong deterrent, but for you guys, not so much. 

The issue of salt and my wheel will not happen because I practice snow-riding abstinence.

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1 hour ago, Seba said:

 

Awesome! That is a great solution! Thank you so much!! Couldn't find the tire you recommended in 18" 2.125. Schwalbe Mad Mike where only available in 16 and 20", but they did have two 18", one dubbed, unfortunately both of them where to narrow. 

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@US69 can you ask if Kingsong can make a caterpillar mod for snowy conditions rides? Maybe it could work in swamplands too like Keywest/Florida 😁 just j/k

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9 hours ago, Lutalo said:

The issue of salt and my wheel will not happen because I practice snow-riding abstinence.

From my personal point of view riding an EUC is like young love - it is easier to withstand pain than longing :efee612b4b: In the city I live, winter traffic jams are an even bigger problem in getting to work by car or bus. And I have noticed that probably thanks to riding in winter I'm much more immune to infections.

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9 hours ago, Espen R said:

Awesome! That is a great solution! Thank you so much!! Couldn't find the tire you recommended in 18" 2.125. Schwalbe Mad Mike where only available in 16 and 20", but they did have two 18", one dubbed, unfortunately both of them where to narrow. 

There is also Duro company that makes many bicycle tires. However they have only one 18x2.5 tire for city bikes, you'll find few interesting 18x2.125 tires. However I failed to find any Duro retailer within EU :( I would give a try to CST tire anyway.

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I found 18x2.3 BMX tire that is called Fiction Troop. Tread seems like a compromise between original semi slick and Mad Mike and could perform quite well in winter conditions.

fiction-18-troop-bmx-tire.thumb.jpg.acfc459478c0c2c6570e9f0ab8dbdba9.jpg

https://fictionbmx.com/products/16-18-troop-tires

https://www.skatepro.com.pl/374-31307.htm

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1 hour ago, Seba said:

There is also Duro company that makes many bicycle tires. However they have only one 18x2.5 tire for city bikes, you'll find few interesting 18x2.125 tires. However I failed to find any Duro retailer within EU :( I would give a try to CST tire anyway.

I'll probably order the CST or this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/18x2-125-Mountain-Bike-Tyre-VC-5010-03/382177258177?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

Kenda K050 is another alternative.

1 hour ago, Seba said:

I found 18x2.3 BMX tire that is called Fiction Troop. Tread seems like a compromise between original semi slick and Mad Mike and could perform quite well in winter conditions.

fiction-18-troop-bmx-tire.thumb.jpg.acfc459478c0c2c6570e9f0ab8dbdba9.jpg

https://fictionbmx.com/products/16-18-troop-tires

https://www.skatepro.com.pl/374-31307.htm

Thank you for the tip! This looks like a more versatile replacement for the original tire. The rolling resistance would not increase that much and it will have more grip on off-road trails. Interesting! I think the treads are to narrow for winter use and it will clog up with snow.  

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3 hours ago, Seba said:

From my personal point of view riding an EUC is like young love - it is easier to withstand pain than longing :efee612b4b: In the city I live, winter traffic jams are an even bigger problem in getting to work by car or bus. And I have noticed that probably thanks to riding in winter I'm much more immune to infections.

Perhaps, but I would rather avoid infection like this.......... :D

IMG_20181219_061822.jpg

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36 minutes ago, Lutalo said:

Perhaps, but I would rather avoid infection like this.......... :D

IMG_20181219_061822.jpg

I could agree with you if we just add a bottle of medicine to it ... :cheers:

1762149087_Beznazwy-2.jpg.59992eac02a293c70d11aa79c062c76a.jpg

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1 hour ago, travsformation said:

The ones I've found for 18" are 18x1.75. Is the width enough for the 18XL?

I'm afraid not :( You should target for 2.125 at least, but not for 1.75 nor even 1.9.

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2 hours ago, Seba said:

I'm afraid not :( You should target for 2.125 at least, but not for 1.75 nor even 1.9.

I had hoped @US69 could add a suggested/recommended tip from Kingsong.

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3 hours ago, Seba said:

I'm afraid not :( You should target for 2.125 at least, but not for 1.75 nor even 1.9.

Thanks for the info. Will see what I can find (will wait for my 18XL to arrive first though) :efee612b4b:

It's not as if the winters in the Barcelona area are particularly harsh, but I've found the V8's stock tires to be AWFUL for off-roading; the slightest bit of gravel (I won't even bother mentioning mud), and MAN do they slide! (even at slow speed)

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7 hours ago, Seba said:

I could agree with you if we just add a bottle of medicine to it ... :cheers:

1762149087_Beznazwy-2.jpg.59992eac02a293c70d11aa79c062c76a.jpg

A good ol' hot toddie always does the trick:

- Part rum/whiskey, part lemon juice, part boiling water, a teaspoon of honey.

Or for the more gourmet among you:

- Make a ginger and thyme herbal infusion (fill only 2/3 of the cup, leave space for the booze!). Let sit for 10'.

- Add rum (the sweetness goes well with the ginger and thyme), lemon juice and a touch of honey.

- Drink

- If unsure of the cold-preventing/fighting effectiveness of the beverage, repeat.

- If still unsure, repeat again, skipping all ingredients except the rum :cheers:  :efee612b4b:

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On 12/18/2018 at 3:44 PM, Seba said:

I use Schwalbe Mad Mike tire with almost identical tread, which proven to be really outstanding in winter conditions. It not only performs well in pure snow, but literally crushes icy snow. Of course it's noisy and have higher rolling resistance, but it's not a big problem. However I'm not sure if CST tire will be as reliable as Schwalbe.

I will show you how to deal with salt... stay tuned, I have to make a short video clip this evening :)

So, have you ridden 18L in winter conditions  at all?

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