mike_bike_kite Posted September 29, 2019 Share Posted September 29, 2019 I've never ridden one of these things yet but keep looking at them a little enviously when I see them. I'd prefer to get something 2nd hand as I suspect it will get damaged while I'm learning. I'm not looking to commute but just wanted a fun transport to do errands nearby. I'm unlikely to go off road. A cruising speed of around 15mph would be fine. I weigh about 96Kg or 211lbs and I'm roughly 190cm or 6'3" tall. Not sure if there's an age "limit" on these things but I'm in my mid fifties though I'm fairly athletic. I'll stop there otherwise this will begin to sound like a personal add. Any suggestions for a good solid wheel, preferably second hand? Do folk get stopped by the police riding these things in London? Thanks for reading Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodbick Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 As someone who has never seen one close to, is there anywhere in SW uk where it is possible to get a bit of "hands on" before buying one. I am old. I am not looking for a freeby! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_bike_kite Posted September 30, 2019 Author Share Posted September 30, 2019 It would be nice if there was a recommended list for beginners - there's loads out there for experienced riders but not a lot for beginners. I love the idea of the Gotway ACM2 but can't justify the price and I suspect it will be way too much power for a learner and would prefer a handle. The Mten3 looked perfect for my needs if I was a already a great rider and was cheaper Currently considering the Inmotion vf5. Would welcome suggestions. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pengloong Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 3 hours ago, Rodbick said: As someone who has never seen one close to, is there anywhere in SW uk where it is possible to get a bit of "hands on" before buying one. I am old. I am not looking for a freeby! @Rodbick Hi, welcome to the forum. Whereabouts in the South-west UK are you? Three to four of us meet up and ride regularly in Devon, mainly Exeter and Torbay but do go further afield sometime. I'm sure we can help you out if you are nearby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrelwood Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 11 hours ago, mike_bike_kite said: It would be nice if there was a recommended list for beginners - there's loads out there for experienced riders but not a lot for beginners. Such list is a bit difficult to make since it depends largely on rider weight, use case and so on. 11 hours ago, mike_bike_kite said: I love the idea of the Gotway ACM2 but can't justify the price and I suspect it will be way too much power for a learner On an EUC all the power is used solely for keeping the wheel and the rider upright. So it’s a safety feature. Can there really be too much power for that? 11 hours ago, mike_bike_kite said: Would welcome suggestions. What is your weight, how much can you justify to pay, will the weight or size of the wheel be an issue, how far do you wish to ride, and in what kind of environment? That should narrow down the models a good bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_bike_kite Posted October 1, 2019 Author Share Posted October 1, 2019 Thanks for replying. I weigh about 96Kg or 211lbs and I'm roughly 190cm or 6'3" tall. I was quite taken with the Inmotion V5f as the price is good and I seem to be in it's weight range. It also has a handle which makes it useful going into shops etc. The weight also isn't bad if I need to pick it up and run up the stairs for a train. Opinions? I understand what you say about the high power models but these models cost much more and are double the weight. There's a similar adage in motorcycling about more power allowing you to get out of trouble but it tends to get most riders into trouble. The cost thing is probably the biggest issue though and obviously any beginner is going to drop the thing many times in the first week or two (and probably quite a bit afterwards). I did try buying 2nd hand on ebay but prices seemed fairly high. A list of learner friendly models could just be a list of models that can be had for say $600 or less if possible. The amount is arbitrary but I suspect few people even want to spend that much when trying a new sport. Then organise them by weight range. Then put a few pros and cons against each model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 30 minutes ago, mike_bike_kite said: Thanks for replying. I weigh about 96Kg or 211lbs and I'm roughly 190cm or 6'3" tall. I was quite taken with the Inmotion V5f as the price is good and I seem to be in it's weight range. It also has a handle which makes it useful going into shops etc. The weight also isn't bad if I need to pick it up and run up the stairs for a train. Opinions? I understand what you say about the high power models but these models cost much more and are double the weight. There's a similar adage in motorcycling about more power allowing you to get out of trouble but it tends to get most riders into trouble. The cost thing is probably the biggest issue though and obviously any beginner is going to drop the thing many times in the first week or two (and probably quite a bit afterwards). I did try buying 2nd hand on ebay but prices seemed fairly high. A list of learner friendly models could just be a list of models that can be had for say $600 or less if possible. The amount is arbitrary but I suspect few people even want to spend that much when trying a new sport. Then organise them by weight range. Then put a few pros and cons against each model. I've posted 2 here i recommend the tesla You don't want anything less in power tbh You'll be glad you bought a good wheel first instead of buying a cheap one then have to sell and buy again 👍👍 https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F303302340071 https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F123921547152 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_bike_kite Posted October 1, 2019 Author Share Posted October 1, 2019 Many thanks for for your suggestions, they both look like great wheels, but you must remember that you guys are all fully committed to this sport but a beginner looking for a wheel isn't so certain they'll even be able to ride one let alone be able to justify paying £1000 for a 2nd hand model. Buying 2nd hand is also a little risky as a beginner wouldn't even be able to spot that there's an issue with a wheel. It's a bit of a shame that EUC retailers can't rent out a suitable learning wheel and then perhaps offer a discount if the person then buys a new wheel from them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 2 hours ago, mike_bike_kite said: Many thanks for for your suggestions, they both look like great wheels, but you must remember that you guys are all fully committed to this sport but a beginner looking for a wheel isn't so certain they'll even be able to ride one let alone be able to justify paying £1000 for a 2nd hand model. Buying 2nd hand is also a little risky as a beginner wouldn't even be able to spot that there's an issue with a wheel. It's a bit of a shame that EUC retailers can't rent out a suitable learning wheel and then perhaps offer a discount if the person then buys a new wheel from them. We all started just like yourself and bought wheels to learn .i don't know that many people who bought a wheel and didn't like it and then sold it, Btw there's a few of us here in the region of 50 years old😬😬😬 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gasmantle Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 12 hours ago, mike_bike_kite said: I was quite taken with the Inmotion V5f as the price is good and I seem to be in it's weight range. It also has a handle which makes it useful going into shops etc. The weight also isn't bad if I need to pick it up and run up the stairs for a train. Opinions? I bought a V5F as my first wheel about 5mths ago and loved it. I found it to be a great wheel to learn to ride on but found once I had got the hang of riding then the limited range became a problem. Having now upgraded to a KS16s I regret selling the V5F - as you say it is light, very agile and the trolley handle is in my opinion far better than the more common telescopic suitcase style handles. It is quite likely that if you do buy a V5F after a few months you may want to upgrade and that's something to factor into your descision but even after upgrading the V5F is worth keeping for short commutes particularly if it involves carrying. I like the added range and performance I get from my KS16s but I really do miss the lightness of the V5F for short trips. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrelwood Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 (edited) Quote There's a similar adage in motorcycling about more power allowing you to get out of trouble but it tends to get most riders into trouble. There are no situations in traffic where a low powered MC will inevitably crash and a high powered one won’t. With a rider of your weight (same as mine) on an EUC, there are numerous. And I wouldn’t look at the weight ranges or distance figures that manufacturers declare for their wheels as they are pretty much just made up. I think many 2000W wheels mention 100kg as a maximum rider weight. 2.5 years ago I fell on my back riding downhill on a 500W wheel as it just gave out from under me without me even realizing there was a bump in the cycleway. There is a big difference how a low powered wheel can carry a 150lbs rider over sudden obstacles, compared to us 200+ lbs ones. The V8 has a 800W motor on a 16” wheel, and there have still been several 200lbs riders overleaning (= crashing) with them. The safe power requirement for us heavier riders is not to be overlooked. I still (mostly) happily strolled away with the 500W Lhotz for 4 months, including three other crashes due to the wheel being underpowered. But it was almost 3 years ago, the available models have since twice entered very different safety levels. I’m not expecting you to find a 2000W wheel for $600, but a 1200W KingSong 16S might even be a possibility, and it could well serve you a full year or more. Mine had it’s first bigger maintenance at 8000kms. All that said, a V5F would work well as solely a learner wheel that you would soon upgrade to a proper wheel for your needs. But a $600 purchase that can only serve the first few weeks of the hobby is expensive. A used $200-300 wheel can do that just as well. Edited October 1, 2019 by mrelwood 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 I still think this is the best deal for you https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F123921547152 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gasmantle Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 15 minutes ago, stephen said: I still think this is the best deal for you https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F123921547152 Steve, he said he wants a cheap wheel preferably less than £600 and can't justify £1000 on something he might not enjoy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_bike_kite Posted October 1, 2019 Author Share Posted October 1, 2019 You're right, a cheap wheel would suit me better. I suspect you guys just get more spending money than I do. I really do hope that I'll take to it and get to use it as often as I hope then I might be able to justify something a little more upmarket. Mrelwood, I do understand your point about power but I guess I'll just have to be careful to avoid situations that stress the circuits. I did just watch a review of the 16S and it certainly looks like a great wheel. One day ... I have now just pressed the button on a V5f at price that I'm happy with. Sadly it takes them 30-40 days to ride it over to me. I already have various motorcycle helmets but I'm now looking at wrist guards and some protective wrapping to go round the wheel. I'll admit 40 days seems like a silly amount of time to wait but I guess I can read and reread the beginners guide. Role on Christmas! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gasmantle Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 (edited) Mike, I don't think you'll regret buying a V5F, I had a great deal of pleasure from mine Like I said earlier there is a chance once you have got the hang of riding then you'll want something better but if that happens then it's worth keeping the V5F for short journeys. Incidentally I'm close to 60yrs old and it was my first wheel but I learnt to ride it without too much difficulty. Everyone has their own way of learning but I favoured grass until I could reliably ride 100yds or so - I guess riding on grass isn't as easy or responsive as tarmac but it hurts a lot less when you take a tumble and doesn't damage your wheel as much. After I had learnt to ride I then found a nearby park had an outdoor tennis court with a kind of rubbery playing surface - that would have been great as a training area so it may be worth looking for something similar in your locality. Edited October 1, 2019 by Gasmantle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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