Stuck between High Power eBike or Gotway MSX

[Aaron Lu]

Hello!

I currently stuck between a high power eBike or the Gotway MSX. 

Both would cost the equivalent amount, but I cannot make the decision. 

1) I will be attending university that is on a very steep hill. I am not concerned that the EUC won't make it up, but if it would cut out on the way down as the circuit would want to protect itself from burning itself up. Meanwhile the eBike would have hydraulic friction brakes.

2) Range, the bike would be left in the dust.

3) Reliabilty, as in the wheel sending me forward. I won't have the luxury of being able to change out of pads and protection gear. But I see all these people online looking like a stormtrooper that makes me question the probability of the EUC cutting out (I won't be going fast) or hitting a rock and loosing control (is that common?).

I have experience with electric skateboards and eBike but am just venturing into the world of EUC

[RockyTop]

I would not worry about the brakes giving out. The only time it becomes a problem is when you start out with a fully charged battery and ride a few miles or so down a steep hill. Just to be clear the brakes don’t give out. What happens you over charge the batteries. When the wheel brakes it uses the energy to charge the batteries. The brakes on the bike have a better chance of failing. 
I am not suggesting that you get an EUC. EUC’s are great and have many positive features. I think that they are the best form of personal transportation out there but if you don’t feel a strong draw to them they might not be for you. They take time to learn and a cut out or more likely a slip in judgement or skill will put you on the ground quickly. 
I use my EUC to get around a university and it works very well. Once you are skilled you can travel in crowds of people better than you could on a bicycle. 
P.S. I don’t use safety gear when riding on campus. 
 

Edited April 14, 2020 by RockyTop

[FlyboyEUC]

Ditto to the above. Stormtrooper gear and added pads to the unicycle is only for people who want more out of the wheel. Wrist guards would be a good thing to wear always. If this is for University riding, why not get an Mten3 or similar wheel. The MSX is very inconvenient to lug around if you are not riding it. But if you want reliability, the MSX is by far the best choice for going over bumps. For me personally, I chose the EUC over the e-bike because of portability, power, and cost. I can walk or ride an EUC into class and keep it under my desk. You can't do that with an e-bike.

Edited April 14, 2020 by Flyboy10

[Unventor]

So a few things jump into mind and this goes pretty much for all EUCs.

Have you thought of parking? EUCs are hard to lock down properly on the other hand they can be trolleyed with you. As for the MSX..the trolley is not it selling point (at sll).

What about weather and seasons? EUCs can ridden in snowy wintertimes but not ideal. Bike handles this in general better. As for rain most bikes do this better too. Rainy weather rides can be tricky.

There are other wheels to that makes once there life a bit easier....and weather wise better too.

[meepmeepmayer]

3 hours ago, Aaron Lu said:

I am not concerned that the EUC won't make it up, but if it would cut out on the way down as the circuit would want to protect itself from burning itself up.

That doesn't happen with EUCs. You would simply get an overheat warning, if you can even get an overheat warning going down a hill. If you can go it up, you can go down, in the end that's still less stress on the wheel.

How long and steep is that hill actually?

3 hours ago, Aaron Lu said:

2) Range, the bike would be left in the dust.

What's your concrete range requirement? You can always pedal a bike so it has unlimited range in a sense.

3 hours ago, Aaron Lu said:

Reliabilty, as in the wheel sending me forward. I won't have the luxury of being able to change out of pads and protection gear.

Wheels are reliable. Crashes are 99.99% not related to the wheel, but some unexpected obstacle. EUCs are inherently unstable and unforgiving in the face of obstacles, and you should absolutely wear gear riding one. Wrist guards are always a must, and knee pads and a (full face) helmet are equally important if you go above 25kph/15mph (which is - despite what you may think - very slow and which nearly everyone will soon exceed). The gear also protects against the exceedingly small chance of a wheel failure, but that's more of a side effect.

-

In the end, do you want a EUC or an ebike? Because both would surely work. The ebike may be the "safer" option if you don't care about the EUC itself - 2 wheels are more stable than one. But of course EUCs have their singular advantages, even if you're not addicted to them

Edited April 14, 2020 by meepmeepmayer

[Sebrios]

I would get a smaller euc. The msx may be to bulky to carry around.

Maybe a mcm5 for you would be awesome.

I have several bikes, but if its only by convenience, I use the euc. You can get everywhere, and just keep it at your side

[atdlzpae]

- The slope is not gonna be a problem - I can easily climb worse slopes than Burnaby Mountain on my MSX (with weight of 130kg).
- The range is also fine - it's gonna do 40km easily, much more if you're slim.
- MSX is very reliable, I didn't have to do a single maintenance for the last 3k km.

The bigger problem is what you're gonna do with it when you're finally at your destination. The handle on MSX is atrocious, so I wouldn't want to carry it all around the campus for classes.
If there are bicycle stands, you could fasten it with a big chain... Maybe install a GPS inside too? IDK. How is the crime rate in the area?

If you want better handle, buy KS18XL. It's slightly worse cruiser than MSX, but good enough for your purposes and it has the best trolley handle available.

Edited April 16, 2020 by atdlzpae

[RetroThruster]

If you have a good place to park the e bike, I'd go that route, especially if you outfit it with racks, it's just more versatile, I had a Trek Powerfly and it was awesome, BUT, if you can swing it, I'd get both, maybe a used wheel at a lower price for those days when you're not carrying a lot and the weather is nice, just my .02

[scotchtape]

Ebike for communting to school is my vote, even though I love EUCs.

It's easier to park and lock up a bike if you're going to be on campus, although of course you'll worry about getting an expensive e-bike stolen on campus...

But if you get an EUC and try to lock it up you'll worry about it as well, and then if you choose to carry it around it's going to be a huge pain.  For convenience sake the e-bike is the way to go since I'm assuming you're going to have classes in different locations throughout the day and can't just leave your EUC somewhere safe nearby like if you're working in an office.

EUCs are better on hills though, so if it's really that steep I don't know how the e-bike is going to do.

[FreeRide]

It's really a personal choice, the road I presume is regulation, so a good EUC in the price of a good e-bike (i will not say high powered e-bike because all those cost at least double that of an EUC), will be able to get you up the hill without much trouble (gears petals, motors).

A bike can carry lots of cargo, so good for grocery shopping, or extended outings, no need for a backpack while riding.  A bike can be more stable it wet weather, easier to dress for in all weather (I believe when on an EUC safety gear is essential, YVMV), easier to share if needed.  Many e-bikes are so easy to swap batteries on, for longer range or when you just were unable to charge.  e-bikes in the price range of an EUC have relatively small batteries a few might reach 1kW.  An e-bike can be easier to maintain for some people, easier to replace, and no learning curve. Range on a 750W e-bike with a 600-700Wh battery can easily be 30miles, and if the battery dies you might still get to where you are going (they are heavy). 

I think you can see on the forums why an EUC would be nice, starting with how compact it is. 

I presumed in my response you were prepared to spend about $2k for either your bike or EUC since you said "High-Powered", but that was a big assumption.

Edited April 19, 2020 by FreeRide

[Skecys]

You are on a EUC forum so most people will try to get you into that here . Looking at your needs I would go with the bike. Or a small EUC (mcm5 or V8s).

Riding a EUC without protection is asking for trouble. You don't have to go fast to have a nasty accident. With a bike you still have some bike in front and behind you to absorb whatever you hit or get hit by, on a EUC your body is the bumper. 

Also keep in mind that a EUC has a relatively large learning curve before you can confidently ride in and around traffic. Let alone in bad weather.

There is no reason whatsoever you should be looking at an MSX for your use-case. It is huge, heavy and fast (and it has a lousy trolley-handle).

[MetricUSA]

Why I choose an euc over e-bike... More compact, easier to get in to house, bus, car, train...etc, bikes are highest stolen vehicle on Earth, if stored outdoors, you always take an euc indoors...I would not lock my unicycle outdoors in the weather like rain...some e-bikes are way more expensive!!! Both are funny to ride, just euc way more so, no more numb bum or hands, ok feet, but you just lift/move them!!! Way more cooler... 😎

Edited April 21, 2020 by MetricUSA

[scotchtape]

4 hours ago, MetricUSA said:

Why I choose an euc over e-bike... More compact, easier to get in to house, bus, car, train...etc, bikes are highest stolen vehicle on Earth, if stored outdoors, you always take an euc indoors...I would not lock my unicycle outdoors in the weather like rain...some e-bikes are way more expensive!!! Both are funny to ride, just euc way more so, no more numb bum or hands, ok feet, but you just lift/move them!!! Way more cooler... 😎

You're fine with lugging an MSX indoors through different classes/room EVERY HOUR with your backpack and books? You bringing this into the bathroom too?! Classes on second or third floor, no elevator... what you going to do?

I have locked my MSX up with u-lock through wheel, there's enough space for that, but I wouldn't leave that unattended all day.

Edited April 21, 2020 by scotchtape

[mike_bike_kite]

You should say how heavy you are, how far is your commute and do you have a locker available at the college? I found ebikes a pain because thieves liked to target them and I didn't like leaving it outside in all weathers. My EUC just trolleys straight into whatever building I'm going into. I liked the mcm5 suggestion but I'd also look at the V8F, KS16S, Tesla and mten3 (which might fit in a locker).

[someguy152]

42 minutes ago, mike_bike_kite said:

I found ebikes a pain because thieves liked to target them and I didn't like leaving it outside in all weathers

I feel the same way, but there is something about simultaneously getting better exercise than an EUC and  feeling like ur super human with pedal assist. it's so fun. plus i feel like it's a better idea for grabbing groceries.

[.....]

Bike in most cases. I LOVE my euc, but i also recall bicycles. I dont know much at all about e-bikes, but how many miles are you REALLY going each day as a campus tool? If a bike can manage the range and its for campus, I'd do that. Most campus' are already setup to handle the issues of bikes. You have bike stalls, bike chains, bike paths, and people won't think much about it. I assume an ebike can be waterproof or covered up and easily left in the rain. I dont know about theft, but if its not a worry on campus, the benefits of parking a bike, outweighs the burden of carrying/rolling an euc with you. I rode bicycles around everywhere for years, there's a reason it is a common choice for personal transport.  I would definitely trust my ability to carry books and equipment and oddities, on a bike, over an euc. Hell, they make bike racks too.  I think longevity of either, is dependent on how you use it, what brand you buy and pure luck. If this is your ONLY transportation, you need to be mindful of service and parts availability. Changing out brake pads is easy....IF you can get the damn things. Changing out an euc battery or tire... same deal.

I dont think we know enough about your needs and the crime in your area. Ultimately, I'd have a cheaper bike to use and lock it up. Something to not worry about. THEN I'd get an euc for nice days or pure joy. So much good advice here already. Maybe its just that Ive only 300miles on an euc and a lifetime on a bicycle, but a bicycle wins hands down in safety. You see a lot of us geared and not, much the same you see some bicyclists geared and not. If you arent going above running speed, you may do okay with very little gear. Of course, if your hands are constantly full, maybe you wont fare so well. I still remember the 80's, when kids rode bikes and skateboards and got busted up and it was just part of it. Still, I would bet money that the euc is not the safer option. A LOT of the people you see here that are riding eucs are either.... Young and pushing limits/wearing pads.   or   Older and unwilling to risk a long healing time from a simple fall.  Of course theres a mix of all kinds, but you see all the pads because YES, euc requires more skill, and just like skateboards, you will eventually fall and it will most likely be your fault.

[someguy152]

On 4/14/2020 at 3:13 PM, Aaron Lu said:

that is on a very steep hill

mcm5? one of only a few eucs to not die from this hill, which is guaranteed to be bigger than any hill at school lol

plus u seem like a small guy, so probably ks16s, 14s, mten3 would all work and be portable with good range. downsides would be wet weather or snow conditions

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[LanghamP]

Riders will tell you they crashed their EUCs due to some bump, cutoff, or other such nonsense. In reality, and I'm sure 100% of veteran riders will agree with me, the reason riders crash their EUCs is because the EUC is an extension of their body until, suddenly, it isn't. Could your shoes just suddenly fall off your feet while walking? No, of course not! Wearing safety equipment is silly; it's like wearing hockey equipment walking around your house. Now if you're looking for trouble on your EUC, then that's different.

I'd just recommend a simple bicycle, not even an eBike, for most situations including yours. A simple bike provides cheap transportation while exercising you. My Claris-equipped gravel bike I use the most over my two eBikes and two EUCs.