Sherden Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 Hi all,I commute everyday to work by bus. It takes 1 hour circa (7 miles) and I am looking for an alternative solution. Do you think unicycle or any other self sufficient alternatives might be suitable? What type or model can be considered for use on a daily basis? Living in London, I guess it might be better having good tyre and coping easily with rainrain and bad weather. Thanks in advance for your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaleOsaurusRex Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 Is it 7 miles each way, or total? Will you be at charging while at the destination (estimate 1-2 hours plugged in)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citi Wheel Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 Hi all,I commute everyday to work by bus. It takes 1 hour circa (7 miles) and I am looking for an alternative solution. Do you think unicycle or any other self sufficient alternatives might be suitable? What type or model can be considered for use on a daily basis? Living in London, I guess it might be better having good tyre and coping easily with rainrain and bad weather. Thanks in advance for your help!I commute 3 miles each way to work with my ninebot one E+, riding on the streets and the sidewalk. The road I ride on has a lot of bumps, so 16 inch wheel is necessary. If the road you will be riding on is very smooth, you will be able to get away with a 14" wheel. On my E+ I get about 12-13 miles going at top speed (I weigh 160 lbs), before the battery gets down to 20% (which causes it to limit the speed to 7 mph). So, if you're looking to do 14 miles in a day total, you may need something with a bit more battery (the E+ has a 320 Watthour battery). 7 miles one way is also a long time to be on an EU. 7 miles in city riding on the ninebot would take me 40-45 minutes without stopping. Until you build up some endurance (which will probably take about 1000 miles of riding), you're feet will be killing you by the time you get to work. You may want to opt for a faster will then, like the Gotway or Kingsong, which I don't know if I would recommend to a first time user. Personally, I think everyones first EU should be a generic 14" wheel. This way you won't care if you destroy it while learning and also you're not too invested if you find out electric unicycles are not for you. I got my generic 14" EU from china for $330 shipped and the thing was beat to death within the first 3 months while I was learning. Then once I felt more comfortable riding and knew EUs were for me, I upgraded to a faster, more expensive wheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherden Posted September 16, 2015 Author Share Posted September 16, 2015 thanks for your suggestions. I didn't know it would have been so tiring. Yes, once at destination I can charge the wheel. But if it's so tiring, I'll probably should take a lighter approach, buying a cheap 14'', without using it for the whole journey but getting on a bus once tired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimlet Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 That is the great thing about eucs in that if it starts raining hard or you get tired or if something goes wrong, puncture or anything else you can quite easily transfer to a bus, train or taxi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jag_Rip Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 I got a similar commute, not that long, about 4 miles one way and in the first week I had to step off the wheel halfway to walk a a bit to get the numb feeling off my feet. But since that first week I take it in one stint. After 300 miles, I dont have any issues at all anymore, the battery dies before I feel the need to step off.I went for the other option, buy once, the right one. With the risk that if its not working out for you (though I gotta find someone yet that didnt like it after learning a few days), but then at least you got a good device someone else will gladly buy second hand. With a generic, I am not so sure if you find someone as easy, since they can get new devices as easy.Riding the wheel is not tiring at all, if you are used to it, its similar as simply standing upright for 30 minutes (although this already poses a problem for some people, I'd know as professional couch potato can tell you first hand). The problem is you are tense as a beginner, you try too hard (instinctively) to squeeze and control the wheel between your legs and that makes your feet numb. The more experienced you get the more relaxed you can ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daan Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 I went for the other option, buy once, the right one. With the risk that if its not working out for you (though I gotta find someone yet that didnt like it after learning a few days), but then at least you got a good device someone else will gladly buy second hand. With a generic, I am not so sure if you find someone as easy, since they can get new devices as easy.+1 I know many people advice to start with a cheap generic but I would also advice to buy the 'right' one right away. This saves you the money for a generic, which are hard to sell afterwards, and it may save you falling down or having a bad ride experience. Especially when going to use it for a commute you need a premium wheel that is safe in traffic (i.e. no cut-off). So, my advice is to stay with the latest models (usually more round and not blocky) of the major brands (IPS, King Song, Gotway, Ninebot, Solowheel etc). I would look at the IPS Zero or Xima Lhotz, the King Song 14c, the new Gotway MCM4, Ninebot E+ (perhaps you can get a used one when the new P model comes out), or Solowheel Xtreme.Just IMHO of course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esaj Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 All I'm wondering is where the information that used generics are hard to sell comes from? I think there have been some people asking for cheap second hand wheels here on the forums, and the private sales-sections isn't exactly full of ads for generics? Also I've been asked a couple of times if I'd have a wheel to sell, or know where to get used, and the domestic web-shops selling (new) cheap generics are showing slightly negative stock all the time, so it seems they're being ordered faster than they get them?Of course a different matter if your generic is broken, then nobody's probably going to buy it, unless they know where to get spare parts for very cheap or free (not much point in using a lot of money to repair a cheap wheel)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetricUSA Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 I, in fact, just gave up on my car for bike/eu/ufo commutes, tired of the prick cops, and greedy judges 2 o'clock in the morning not worth it.... Eu are well worth the cost, so don't think cheap, work well with buses and trains, planes not no much... besides you need backup if bus strikes or holidays.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 All I'm wondering is where the information that used generics are hard to sell comes from? I think there have been some people asking for cheap second hand wheels here on the forums, and the private sales-sections isn't exactly full of ads for generics? Also I've been asked a couple of times if I'd have a wheel to sell, or know where to get used, and the domestic web-shops selling (new) cheap generics are showing slightly negative stock all the time, so it seems they're being ordered faster than they get them?Of course a different matter if your generic is broken, then nobody's probably going to buy it, unless they know where to get spare parts for very cheap or free (not much point in using a lot of money to repair a cheap wheel)...Yeah, I've scratched and cracked my cheap wheel in the 4 days I've owned it and I'd still recommend starting with a cheap wheel for this reason, I can't imagine giving a shiny new Ninebot some of the abuse this wheel has had whilst learning how to use it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esaj Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Yeah, I've scratched and cracked my cheap wheel in the 4 days I've owned it and I'd still recommend starting with a cheap wheel for this reason, I can't imagine giving a shiny new Ninebot some of the abuse this wheel has had whilst learning how to use it!True, that's why I started with a generic too (although it wasn't exactly cheap, I wanted one fast and was ready to pay extra for that ). My point was that it seems that at least here there's a lot more demand for generics (new or used) than the supply is. It seems many people would prefer to buy one domestically than ordering abroad, and maybe even preferably as used (for cheaper cost). Scratches and cracks probably won't matter that much, as long as it works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 True, that's why I started with a generic too (although it wasn't exactly cheap, I wanted one fast and was ready to pay extra for that ). My point was that it seems that at least here there's a lot more demand for generics (new or used) than the supply is. It seems many people would prefer to buy one domestically than ordering abroad, and maybe even preferably as used (for cheaper cost). Scratches and cracks probably won't matter that much, as long as it works.Ah I forgot to actually address the point you made I would imagine scratches on a cheap model would have much less impact on its resale value. The biggest threat to resale values with EUC is the fact that new and better versions seem to be coming out so frequently! This is actually the main factor stopping me buying a really expensive one yet (that and the fact I'm still learning to ride mine properly). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jag_Rip Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 All I'm wondering is where the information that used generics are hard to sell comes from?No information in any way, its just my personal gut feeling. If I'd go for a used EUC, i'd look for brands not generics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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