IPS i5 and Mten3 Comparison - New rider

[lennlen]

Hi Everyone, I’m very new to the hobby and wanted to leave a review so others might find some useful information to get them started if they’re considering the same wheels.  I started on the IPS i5 about 3 months ago and put on 100 miles.  60 miles learning and cruising around on the weekends and approximately 40 miles commuting in NYC.  I picked up a Gotway Mten3 very recently.  With only 10 miles on the Mten3, the jury is still out on which one I’ll be keeping, but wanted to share my thoughts.  For reference, I am about 160lbs, 5’8 in my mid 30’s.  Probably very similar to many others here, I am not particularly active and also own a few eSkate boards and motorcycles.

The IPS i5 a great wheel that really delivers on the last mile promise.  The wheel is light and very easy to carry on the train or bus.  The thin form factor and flat black body is inconspicuous and easy to handle.  I commute 3 miles round trip into midtown manhattan and work in an office with open desk spaces.  The metal (magnesium?) body is very well built and doesn’t look or feel like a toy.  My commute is 50% bike path, the rest is with moving midtown traffic.  Riding at the edge of beeping (13mph speed warning – a very noticeable difference after the app update), I am able to keep pace with most cycling commuters.  As you can imagine, the i5 will struggle to keep speed when crossing lanes of traffic but the problem is solved by crossing slowly with pedestrians at the red lights.  Although the thin tire transfers a lot to your feet, the i5 handles uneven/rough roads well because it does not feel twitchy.  Bumps can be jarring, but I feel in control the whole time.  I’ve ridden a little bit of woodchip, gravel and grass with the i5 at a fast walking pace.  The thin wheel would catch ruts easily and feel twitchy, but it was not enough to throw me off or feel unsafe.  I was pleasantly surprised it was able to climb a ~20* grassy hill.  The pedals are very wide, comfortable, don’t scrape and look sleek to boot.  I particularly enjoy the wide carrying handle, simple headlight/taillight and the 20700 sized batteries under the hood.  While the acceleration is fine, my negatives for this wheel are the top speed, lack of weatherproofing and the poor power-button design that others have mentioned.

Although my time on the Mten3 has been short, I will say that the Mten3 is 5lbs heavier and you can feel the 30% weight.  The wide form factor and small/thick handle makes it difficult to carry.  While the speed and vertical bump absorption has been great, the Mten3 wanders a lot on uneven pavement.  The wide tire diameter also makes it harder to turn when going at speed.  The pedals are noticeably smaller than the i5 so mount/dismount is still awkward until I get used to it.  The white plastic egg-shaped shell and rainbow lights that cannot be disabled also drew a few comments at work already, but still beats walking in with a eSkate.  The speed is definitely a huge advantage, but factoring traffic lights only nets a small gain over the i5 in my overall commute time.  For comparison, the i5 can go door to door in 12 minutes, the Mten3 10 minutes, my eSkate in 8 minutes.

At this point in time I am still partial toward the i5, but I plan to stay on the Mten3 for a 100 more miles before selling one or the other in the spring.  They are both great wheels, but it really depends on how you plan on using it.  Happy to field any questions!

[7th1rt3en]

The main issue at this point is less durability in the i5 with it's open design, noted problems with qc and supposedly the possibility that they are closing their doors. Spare parts are available for the MTen3, but for the i5? I wanted an i5 but there are just too many reasons not to buy one. A 67v MTen3 with fewer cells would be more comparable.

[mike_bike_kite]

The reason the EUC is so slim is because of that open design but has the durability actually been worse on this EUC than any other?

[pico]

May I suggest a change of pedals on the Mten3. Yes, it does make a difference.

I had also been interested on an off also about acquiring the I5 for it's last mile practicality but so far have resisted the urge. 

[7th1rt3en]

To be clear, I'm just going by what I've read online and I haven't even bought my first EUC yet. People mention not riding after a rain or through puddles because that might damage the i5. I guess I don't understand why it could not be sealed and still slim. If I owned one, I would look into applying some sort of electronics sealer I think. As far as durability based on a large number of sold units, I guess that would be best answered by a retailer. No spare parts are available for it, right?

[lennlen]

On 12/23/2019 at 10:15 AM, 7th1rt3en said:

The main issue at this point is less durability in the i5 with it's open design, noted problems with qc and supposedly the possibility that they are closing their doors. Spare parts are available for the MTen3, but for the i5? I wanted an i5 but there are just too many reasons not to buy one. A 67v MTen3 with fewer cells would be more comparable.

 

On 12/24/2019 at 9:11 AM, mike_bike_kite said:

The reason the EUC is so slim is because of that open design but has the durability actually been worse on this EUC than any other?

 

On 12/24/2019 at 10:07 AM, 7th1rt3en said:

To be clear, I'm just going by what I've read online and I haven't even bought my first EUC yet. People mention not riding after a rain or through puddles because that might damage the i5. I guess I don't understand why it could not be sealed and still slim. If I owned one, I would look into applying some sort of electronics sealer I think. As far as durability based on a large number of sold units, I guess that would be best answered by a retailer. No spare parts are available for it, right?

I read a lot of the same opinions prior to buying the i5 but I did not encounter any of the problems that others ran into or hypothesized over.  I think part of this is the way I use and treat my unicycles like the investments they are, and use them within what they're designed for. More specifically to the i5, the manufacturer states an IP54 rating - somewhat dustproof and splashproof only.  I never ride in the rain, through puddles or when the road is wet.  The i5 was trouble free for the first 100mi, and should easily do a few hundred more. 

On 12/24/2019 at 10:07 AM, pico said:

May I suggest a change of pedals on the Mten3. Yes, it does make a difference.

I had also been interested on an off also about acquiring the I5 for it's last mile practicality but so far have resisted the urge. 

Thanks for the suggestion!  The pedals I saw were a bit more than what I wanted to pay.  I've been spending more time on the mten3 and my feet are starting to get acquainted.  I am finding the mten3 great for blasting around on weekend duty, but the i5 is still leaps ahead for commuting. The weight and bulk advantages are hard to ignore.  I hate that the mten3 weighs as much as my boosted v2. 

I'm still splitting my time 50/50 for fun and commuting though.  In the end, I really only need 1 wheel and will end up selling.  Happy to pass forward the i5 and you'll make the decision easier for me, hahaha. 

[Ben Kim]

I would choose a larger faster wheel for NYC (Manhattan) commuting. As an mten owner I wouldn’t have a good time traveling within Manhattan on that wheel (i would use my 100V wheels for that) but it’s great for the outerboroughs without as much vehicle traffic. 

The mten is my favorite wheel (enjoy it more than my 100V Monster and Nikola) but I could see why it would be sketchy in Manhattan. Perhaps an MCM5 would be a good middle ground? The IPS i5 is a virtually useless wheel given its poor range and top speed, imo. 

[danne]

I bought an I5 which I start using from the end of Nov, I have done 480km so far, after 300km you can change the speed to 30km/h, I'm a heavy chap and I get around 10 miles range and up to 18mph, The things I dont like about it is been so slim you get silt and leaves stuck between the wheel and the case, so have to use a spray bottle to jet washes it. the case isnt very strong, I've broken 2 of the bolts in the housing the 2 times that I open it, one was to clean it and again when I had a puncture 2 weeks ago, If the casing was made from aluminium it would be a very strong machine, Its very light and easy to carry on the train and the range is very good for what I need it for. Oh another thing I dont have any problem riding when its wet