First Ride King Song 18XL

[bigwave]

7 minutes ago, Rywokast said:

how much of an angle are you leaning it at? you can lean any wheel against something and it wont turn off but it sounds like you are describing the tilt angle cut off... all remotely modern wheels have an angle at which they will cut power to the motor in case of an accident to prevent the wheel from thrashing around.. it is generally around 5 degrees greater than the angle that the pedal would hit the ground, so it wouldnt be possible to hit it while actually riding... when leaning it against a wall just stand it up more straight and it should never turn itself off until the battery dies

Pretty much vertical . Just enough lean so it won't fall over. I did read a thread where this issue was brought up. @Jason McNeil said

Last year King Song added a 18L/18XL firmware 'feature' to try to prevent the motor from freezing up—this required the Wheel to be opened & disconnected from the power input to the controller. A byproduct of the change, is that occasionally the Wheel will do this random reset, if the controller thinks it's in this frozen/locked condition. When under rotation, firmware suppresses lift sensor input & this reset routine.  

This is what's happening.

[Rywokast]

2 minutes ago, bigwave said:

Pretty much vertical . Just enough lean so it won't fall over. I did read a thread where this issue was brought up. @Jason McNeil said

Last year King Song added a 18L/18XL firmware 'feature' to try to prevent the motor from freezing up—this required the Wheel to be opened & disconnected from the power input to the controller. A byproduct of the change, is that occasionally the Wheel will do this random reset, if the controller thinks it's in this frozen/locked condition. When under rotation, firmware suppresses lift sensor input & this reset routine.  

This is what's happening.

what the hell.. never heard of that before, mine certainly doesnt do it.. strange,, well that answers that then, i guess you should just find a position to lean it while its powered off so it wont fall over.. it shouldnt, KS wheels are very well balanced front to back so it shouldnt fall over on its own if you just tilt it a bit more so its weight is pressing the cushion against the wall, ive never had a wheel fall over on its own while off but you just have to lean it a bit more

[.....]

42 minutes ago, Rywokast said:

what the hell.. never heard of that before, mine certainly doesnt do it.. strange,, well that answers that then, i guess you should just find a position to lean it while its powered off so it wont fall over.. it shouldnt, KS wheels are very well balanced front to back so it shouldnt fall over on its own if you just tilt it a bit more so its weight is pressing the cushion against the wall, ive never had a wheel fall over on its own while off but you just have to lean it a bit more

News to me too. Mines the opposite, its near impossible to lean it against a wall at it not want to roll and fall down. Ive the habit of laying mine on its side when its off, especially in a home with nice walls. Too bad the pedals are hard on tile floors too. I havent ever had mine fall over while on. Never seen it turn itself off either. Interesting tidbit to learn that some of them do.

[Rywokast]

4 minutes ago, ShanesPlanet said:

News to me too. Mines the opposite, its near impossible to lean it against a wall at it not want to roll and fall down. Ive the habit of laying mine on its side when its off, especially in a home with nice walls. Too bad the pedals are hard on tile floors too. I havent ever had mine fall over while on. Never seen it turn itself off either. Interesting tidbit to learn that some of them do.

really? you must have slippery walls haha.. strange in almost 4 years it has never happened to me.. perhaps you could go to a dollar store and pick up a roll of that non slip rubber material.. ive used this stuff before and it works great, should be good for stability or even an accidental knock on the unsuspecting wheel

[.....]

Ive a neoprene cover, maybe has something to do with it? Ive used that stuff too, nice and cheap, good idea.

[Rywokast]

8 minutes ago, ShanesPlanet said:

Ive a neoprene cover, maybe has something to do with it? Ive used that stuff too, nice and cheap, good idea.

check my profile pic ;P

[travsformation]

4 hours ago, bigwave said:

Had a great first week on the King Song 18XL! Put on about 80 km with not really going anywhere...

Great! Without going anywhere physically...the journey is just as exciting even if you're going up and down the street!

4 hours ago, bigwave said:

Had my first get off and the Hockey Equipment worked great(slow tip over) !. I don't care what Batman says! 

Batman drives a 4-wheeled Tumbler, he's never tried an EUC and doesn't have a clue what he's talking about

4 hours ago, bigwave said:

@travsformation your advice on turning is excellent! I practiced quite a bit on left and right slow tight (for me). What seem to work for me was getting the wheel to "fall into the turn " ,then a hip/shoulder combo to control the radius. Still thinking about it but I guess that's expected.

That's a very good way of putting it. That "falling into it" is actually a combination of weight transfer from one pedal to another, flexing the outside knee and slightly leaning into the curve (which you compensate for, as can be seen in the video, by raising to outside arm), then "finishing" the curve with the shoulder/torso/hip twist. From what I can see, you're doing it right---all you're lacking is a bit more practice and more confidence. Watching your video might be a good way to learn too, you can clearly see that you're doing all the things I mentioned in my previous comment!

One of the things that helped me gain confidence was trying to turn a little more aggressively, leaning in further and "trusting the tire's grip", that the wheel isn't going to slide out from under you and you will indeed be able to counter-balance; it's just a matter of being careful not to apply accidental throttle by leaning forward too much (aka falling into the turn too much), which will detract control from the turn (which is why I'd also advise not to upgrade to firmware 2.0 quite yet, that extra throttle will make the wheel harder to control at the stage you're currently in). But you're progressing very quickly and doing well, so trust your gut and do what's comfortable for you (I tend to push my boundaries a bit too much sometimes...)

4 hours ago, bigwave said:

The only weird thing its done 3-4 times is it beeps twice and then falls over when leaning against a wall. Its very random. I'll send eWheels an email about it.

Try disabling the lift sensor, I bet you anything it'll solve the issue

[The Fat Unicyclist]

5 hours ago, bigwave said:

The only weird thing its done 3-4 times is it beeps twice and then falls over when leaning against a wall. Its very random.

Try recalibrating your lift sensor.

[Unventor]

4 hours ago, The Fat Unicyclist said:

Try recalibrating your lift sensor.

I would expect it to have a digital sensor since it is a new wheel bought within 1 month. This type of sensor you cannot calibrate, so it show up ghosted in app. If you see it having the option to calibrate it is with the analog sensor system, you see this as a possible selection option. 

[Rywokast]

25 minutes ago, Unventor said:

I would expect it to have a digital sensor since it is a new wheel bought within 1 month. This type of sensor you cannot calibrate, so it show up ghosted in app. If you see it having the option to calibrate it is with the analog sensor system, you see this as a possible selection option. 

digital sensor? i was under the impression all version 2+ wheels and the newest 16S as well as the 16X used a physical switch, and the digital sensor was exclusive to the original KS18L.. the ones that were very finicky.. mine is a V2 18XL (latest white inner shell, all black handle etc) and it has the physical switch

[Seba]

22 minutes ago, Rywokast said:

digital sensor? i was under the impression all version 2+ wheels and the newest 16S as well as the 16X used a physical switch, and the digital sensor was exclusive to the original KS18L.. the ones that were very finicky.. mine is a V2 18XL (latest white inner shell, all black handle etc) and it has the physical switch

I think @Unventor meant this switch when he talked about the digital sensor. Actually, old sensor was analog  It was just a tensometer, which outputted analog signal. Due to design error, it was unreliable however good mechanical calibration helped a lot. Starting from 2.0 firmware there is no longer lift sensor calibration manual procedure (using app). New firmware performs automatic calibration.

[bigwave]

4 hours ago, Seba said:

I think @Unventor meant this switch when he talked about the digital sensor. Actually, old sensor was analog  It was just a tensometer, which outputted analog signal. Due to design error, it was unreliable however good mechanical calibration helped a lot. Starting from 2.0 firmware there is no longer lift sensor calibration manual procedure (using app). New firmware performs automatic calibration.

@Jason McNeil informed me that this issue has been resolved with the new FW 2.0 . He has suggested I update to 2.0. 

[seage]

Your scenery looks eerily similar to mine, and I noticed you're in Canada too. May I ask what city you're from?

[mrelwood]

 

11 hours ago, travsformation said:

Batman drives a 4-wheeled Tumbler, he's never tried an EUC and doesn't have a clue what he's talking about

True. Although he’s way overconfident on a manual unicycle:

 

Ps. These are clearly just Chinese clones of questionable quality:

 

[bigwave]

57 minutes ago, seage said:

Your scenery looks eerily similar to mine, and I noticed you're in Canada too. May I ask what city you're from?

I live in Keswick. North of Newmarket on Lake Simcoe. Where are you?

[bigwave]

5 hours ago, mrelwood said:

True. Although he’s way overconfident on a manual unicycle:

@mrelwood That was really funny! See, if he had some hockey equipment on he'd have been fine!!! Lol

Edited February 24, 2020 by bigwave

[travsformation]

8 hours ago, Seba said:

New firmware performs automatic calibration.

It does a terrible job with 1st batch 18XL's...My lift sensor was switched off in FW 1.X, and remains off in 2.X...

[seage]

3 hours ago, bigwave said:

I live in Keswick. North of Newmarket on Lake Simcoe. Where are you?

Ahhh, no wonder. Im over in King City. I've been out your way before.

[Unventor]

3 hours ago, travsformation said:

It does a terrible job with 1st batch 18XL's...My lift sensor was switched off in FW 1.X, and remains off in 2.X...

It might need some tlc... Adjustment. @Seba had a great guide on this. 

[bigwave]

I rode for about 100 km this week before winter returned to the tune of 20cm of snow! I went on my first "trip" ,a 20km tour of "Lake Drive" which as it implies ,right beside a lake. It will be a very nice ride in the in the summer months. This was the first time in slightly more traffic(more on that). Just a nice 20-30 kph pace with the odd burst of speed to 40 kph. First time going up and down a reasonable grade too. Uneventful . 

Some observations. The FW 2.0 is awesome!. I'm riding on Hard Pedal Mode and they are very firm compared to the previous FW. The acceleration is impressive(well at least to me).

Traffic. A couple times I was very nervous when cars were making left hand turns in front of me. I swear this one lady(older, white hair AKA "White Death") did not see me at all even though its clear unobstructed visibility , I'm 20 ft from her with my arm signalling left and still i felt she was going to go at any moment. I guarantee you, everybody who has seen me ride has seen a EUC for the first time here.I'm sure I'll get more comfortable.

I couldn't believe how sore my feet were. I decided to ride on Tuesday night to go for a night ride before the snow and wow, my feet ,especially my left painful, kinda numb like. I'm sure I will build up a tolerance with more riding.

Its funny how in just a couple weeks how I missed riding the EUC today due to the weather . I did do some hallway practice using my left leg(non dominant ) doing starts and controlling the wheel. Thats it, just looking at other wheels now. I think a MTen 3 is in my future....lol

[Espen R]

@bigwave A 20km ride around a lake at 25-30kph in the mid of winter, can feel more like a polar expedition than a nice cruise, because of the wind chill, but when you live in the north you have to accept that having fun in the winter comes with some pain:) I was born above the arctic circle, and I’ve been alpine skiing and cross country skiing in around -20c more than few times, and I’ve slept in a ill-suited summer tent at -35c, so I should be used to bone chilling experiences, but riding an EUC on flat surfaces at 30kph in below zero temperatures is not far from that. If we get more normal (colder) temperatures next winter, I’ll buy a snowmobile suite, or perhaps a pair of hockey pants;)

Pain in the feet is something that sticks around for a while, but eventually goes away. There is a lot of muscles that needs to build up, and that takes time. For every 10km I ride, I still need get of the wheel and walk 10-20m to loosen up a bit in the ankles and the foot sole.

The feeling of being invisible in traffic does not go away though, brightly coloured clothes helps a bit, but we don’t see with our eyes, we see with our brain, and if the brain can’t make sense of what it sees, it sometimes doesn’t register, at least that is my theory of why some drivers doesn’t see me.

The Mten3 is on my wish list as well. Being tall and heavy, the 800W motor doesn’t feel that comfortable though. I don’t know how many nose dive cut outs I got on the 750W OW+, but it was enough to gain a slight distrust in low powered balance PEV’s, so I haven’t pulled the trigger yet. I think I’ll wait to see what Inmotion and Kingsong brings to the marked this year, and if Gotway comes with a new Monster that has a functional trolley handle, dual charge port, larger pedals, mud guard, less brittle case, a motor that matches the size and avoids adding silly things like speakers close to the foot, I’ll be all over it.

[mike_bike_kite]

28 minutes ago, Espen R said:

The Mten3 is on my wish list as well. Being tall and heavy, the 800W motor doesn’t feel that comfortable though. 

With the small wheel diameter on the mten3 I don't think it needs a powerful motor even for big guys. I don't have any experience riding one though.

[Espen R]

36 minutes ago, mike_bike_kite said:

With the small wheel diameter on the mten3 I don't think it needs a powerful motor even for big guys. I don't have any experience riding one though.

Well, the Onewheel has an even smaller wheel diameter, but when you ride at 25kph a small bump was all it took get nasty cut outs. Mten3 is 50W stronger than a OW+, and the riders body weight is at its side, not front and back, so there should be more head room for cut outs, but I know I won’t be able to take a fun thing like the Mten3 seriously enough to respect its limits, and after a 47 year long history of injuries and broken bones that haven’t been able to put fear in my silly brain, it’s perhaps time to smarten up. It takes a lot of time to heal when you’re at my age. Besides, I also have a KS16S, and that feels like a tiny wheel to me:)

[travsformation]

12 hours ago, bigwave said:

I rode for about 100 km this week before winter returned to the tune of 20cm of snow! I went on my first "trip" ,a 20km tour of "Lake Drive" which as it implies ,right beside a lake. It will be a very nice ride in the in the summer months. This was the first time in slightly more traffic(more on that). Just a nice 20-30 kph pace with the odd burst of speed to 40 kph. First time going up and down a reasonable grade too. Uneventful . 

Some observations. The FW 2.0 is awesome!. I'm riding on Hard Pedal Mode and they are very firm compared to the previous FW. The acceleration is impressive(well at least to me).

Traffic. A couple times I was very nervous when cars were making left hand turns in front of me. I swear this one lady(older, white hair AKA "White Death") did not see me at all even though its clear unobstructed visibility , I'm 20 ft from her with my arm signalling left and still i felt she was going to go at any moment. I guarantee you, everybody who has seen me ride has seen a EUC for the first time here.I'm sure I'll get more comfortable.

I couldn't believe how sore my feet were. I decided to ride on Tuesday night to go for a night ride before the snow and wow, my feet ,especially my left painful, kinda numb like. I'm sure I will build up a tolerance with more riding.

Its funny how in just a couple weeks how I missed riding the EUC today due to the weather . I did do some hallway practice using my left leg(non dominant ) doing starts and controlling the wheel. Thats it, just looking at other wheels now. I think a MTen 3 is in my future....lol

Nice! Starting to reap the fruits of your practice!

The feet pain is normal...you'll gradually build up a tolerance, but it can take a little time. I've had to stop on many occasions to walk around, stretch, sit down, because my feet were literally going numb (it wasn't winter, so the cold had nothing to do with it). The static position isn't great for circulation...

I find that wiggling my toes around and moving my feet a bit (lifting my heel & toes) from time to time helps. So does shifting my feet around on the pedals, or placing one foot more forward than the other and using one to brake and one to accelerate, and shifting which foot does what from time to time. I actually find the wheel easier to control like this, but have to admit I wasn't comfortable doing so until several months into riding. It's good practice for gaining better ambidextrous (or am-bipedal) control 

As to "traffic invisibility", I had a few issues with this in the beginning (as we probably all have), especially when I moved from the countryside to the city, where people drive much more aggressively. I eventually adapted my riding style. I ride much more defensively, am extra cautious around crossing, T-junctions, etc., and always assume drivers will fail to see me, fail to yield, pull out in front of me without looking, etc., and react accordingly so I'm prepared when/if their brain fails to register me, which is the case at least 60% of the time. I figure this approach has spared me quite a few scares and potential accidents...

Edited February 28, 2020 by travsformation

[bigwave]

Well, finally got back on it today after almost a week of crappy weather! I reached a milestone this afternoon, went past the 200 km mark so the wheel is unlocked. Honestly , I was a little disappointed with lack of fanfare. I was like thinking maybe an announcement  from the wheel would be appropriate like " Please ACCELERATE " lol . I think I'll change the alarm to 40 kph and the tilt to 42 kph.  I feel at my weight 210lbs , pushing the speed to the advertised 50 kph would be dangerous? I kinda think a "buffer"  is prudent . I've was cruising around 30 -35 kph today and thats the fastest yet. I really liked that speed , it felt comfortable. 

It was interesting that after a week of no riding (little bit of Hallway practice) I was doing slow figure 8s better...lol . Also did several starts with my non dominant left foot on the wheel .I was going to start learning some basic backwards today but I chickened out...lol