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‘Suburban Commuter’ SEEKING ‘Suitable Unicycle’


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I absolutely love the idea of personal mobility devices since going electric.  Now I feel compelled to challenge myself with an EUC but wonder if it’s able to reliable and effectively handle real world suburban commutes.

I am currently using an off road e-scooter to comfortably traverse going up and over 2cm to 3cm raised lips that one often encounters on ramped entrances and exits to suburban sidewalks and ‘raised’ island refuges commonly found in between busy multiple lane roads.  This is not something I am seeing advertised and probably for good reason.  That said, I wanted to ask if there are any among you that have progressed to this level of Real World Suburban Commuting.  Not just bike paths and clean flat open fields.

BUMPS – CURBS?
Could anyone recommend a commuting EUC that is better suited to the wide array of bumps, lipped curbs and pedestrian islands.  Perhaps something that is easier to shimmy or raise off the ground slightly without feeling the need to jump every time you encounter anything larger than 2cm or 3cm?  Will this issue come down to wheel size and or tire thickness?  

BRAKING?
What braking technology is best suited for commuting?  - Beyond speed and riding style?

BALANCE?
Beyond skill … do some UECs design come with better balancing performance than other competitors?  Pros and Cons?

KNEE CLEARANCE?

It seems knee bending is necessary for comfortable and effective maneuvering. I’ve heard talk about the distance between the standing board and the ground in relation to doing tight turns in a crowded environment.  Question: Would not a short legged person be restricted in some way if their knee caps are positioned at a certain point ‘below’ the top of the unicycle? 

Rider Specs:
Height = 169cm tall
Bottom of Knee Cap = 46cm
Weight – 86kg/190lbs

Absolute MAX funds = $2000us  (preferably just under)

I value comfort of ride over weight of device – yet I don’t want a EUC that does not fit my short legs.  I might possibly need something smaller but still has larger wheel, thicker tire, but does not obstruct my knees whilst not being too large yet is powerful with plenty or torque for inclines and hills? Do you know of such a EUC to fit smaller people without giving up too much?
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I do not have the ongoing income to progress from a starter EUC to another.  That is a luxury I cannot afford.  I am just wishing to sink my current available funds into what others would recommend meets my commuting needs; not my current skill.  I will deal with the latter after I have pick the most appropriate device for my commuting environment and riding style.

Edited by Scooby-Do
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Hello!

34 minutes ago, Scooby-Do said:

BUMPS – CURBS?

...

Will this issue come down to wheel size and or tire thickness?  

Something with a big and wide tire is going to be the most comfortable.

The bigger the tire diameter, the better any vehicle will deal with uneven ground. E.g. bike (big tire) vs e-scooter (small tire). A wide tire is softer, more stable, and more comfortable on bumps.

So a wide tire 16 incher (King Song 16X, Gotway Nikola, Inmotion V10/V10F) or 18 incher (KS 18XL, Gotway msuper X or the coming msuper Pro) would be a possible recommendation. But any wheel will fare much better than a small tire diameter scooter. You don't have to go for these high end wheels.

34 minutes ago, Scooby-Do said:

What braking technology is best suited for commuting?  - Beyond speed and riding style?

Defensive driving and religiously looking where you are going will always be the best techniques, especially for an urban environment where sudden obstacles may appear (but they can appear everywhere else, too).

You brake by leaning back. The harder you lean back, the harder you brake. Worst case, you let yourself fall into a squat and backwards. The wheel will catch you.

34 minutes ago, Scooby-Do said:

Beyond skill … do some UECs design come with better balancing performance than other competitors?  Pros and Cons?

I don't think there's a real difference between the brand models. They don't all ride the same, but they all ride great.

34 minutes ago, Scooby-Do said:

Question: Would not a short legged person be restricted in some way if their knee caps are positioned at a certain point ‘below’ the top of the unicycle? 

I don't think so. If you want and normally, only your shoe soles touch the EUC. You can "grab" the body with your legs to apply more pressure/lean, but I don't think the knees are of particular concern there. I'm not entirely sure of that, though, so if someone else says otherwise, believe them.

34 minutes ago, Scooby-Do said:

Absolute MAX funds = $2000us  (preferably just under)

That just means you can get pretty much anything you want:)

Edited by meepmeepmayer
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It got too much theory for me, still thought I'd give my 2 cents.

 

I have a Gotway Nikola 84V 1600wh. I love it. I've done quite a lot of modifications to it and the stock tire unfortunately only lasts about 3k km IMO.

 

I use it as my commuter. I ride it to work (5 km each way), and I don't encounter any places I can't ride. Curbs are no problem.

I used to ride it to school (13 km each way) through city traffic and neither did I not encounter any places I couldn't ride.

If I were to buy my first EUC at this point, I'd probably have chosen the nikola 100V 1800Wh because I'd love some more speed and the comfort on the nikola is fantastic IMO.

 

I have also tried the msx, but I didn't feel that comfy on it (maybe because it wasn't optimized for me and I didn't have enough time to get used to it. It's smaller in terms of hight than the Nikola, so my knees just kinda hangs in the air, where on the Nikola, my knees is against the side and I use them to turn. I'm 180cm), but if I did so, I'd probably consider it (Msx 100v or MSP. MSP due to head light and powerful motor etc. And msx 100v for speed.)

 

Since I think im a performance and speed guy, I'd 99% go with Gotway. I know there are other brands out here with great performance, I just feel like Gotway might push the wheel a bit more and is easier to do modifications to, if you're into that. They make some pretty good wheels IMO, however I definitely recommend taking your EUC apart and upgrading everything that can be upgraded :) there is room for upgrades :)

Also, pads are key to feeling comfy on a EUC and being able to do jumps without falling off.

 

Edited by Legend27
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16 hours ago, Scooby-Do said:

using an off road e-scooter to comfortably traverse going up and over 2cm to 3cm raised lips that one often encounters on ramped entrances and exits to suburban sidewalks and ‘raised’ island refuges commonly found in between busy multiple lane roads. 

Whether an EUC, eScooter, eBike, moped, or car is usable depends mostly on how the area around you is designed. A lot of these "busy multiple lane roads" (actually called stroads) make using anything except a large car or SUV extraordinarily dangerous, although you can stick to the sidewalks if available which afford some protection from drivers who lose control of their vehicles.

On the other hand these suburban areas are so inhospitable to pedestrians that the sidewalks are usually completely empty, and so you can use your wheel without others complaining.

Another factor that might help is using public transportation + your wheel. It's so difficult to load a bicycle to the front of a bus, yet trivial to haul even a 50 pound wheel up a few steps in to a bus. I actually used this public transportation+wheel combo and I spent way less money than using a car. However, public transportation is not likely to be available in your area.

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