KS 16X after 1500 miles

[Beekersguy]

Hey guys, quick intro -

Hi, my name is Ken, and I live in northern Illinois. I started on a refurb NB1E+ in March that I picked up for $300 on eBay, and after 130 miles, I upgraded to the KS 16X on April 8th. I bought it from a shop in Vancouver WA called Rev Rides. More about them in a bit.

The first time I got on the 16X I thought I made a huge mistake. It was just an unwieldy beast that didn't listen at all. I literally had to learn how to ride all over again. Where I could ride the Ninebot, I found that I had to drive the 16X. Initially there had to really be intent behind what I wanted to do on it. Additionally, it came with a defective tire that had a lump in it. The guys at Rev Rides immediately sent a replacement, and as soon as I mounted it, I fell in love.

It's become an intuitive extension of me. Driving takes zero effort. Acceleration is exhilarating and smooth. Cruising is a dream. Carving is as easy as breathing. 

I currently have 1490 miles on it (~2400 km) and I couldn't be happier. This thing has taken everything I've thrown at it, and it begs for more.

I took it to Chicago a couple weeks ago, and about an hour in, it got run over by a bus. Long story short, the bus rolled over it, there was a lot of crunching, and the only victim was the handle. I rode away on it like nothing happened. I've since replaced the handle, and you'd never believe it got hit by a bus from looking at it.

Every mile on this wheel has brought a smile to my face, and I'm looking forward to many more. It's built like a tank and it demands the attention of anyone passing by, either on foot or driving.

I have had zero issues. It shipped with 1.06, which I upgraded to 1.07. I ran most of those miles on 1.07. I downgraded to 1.05 to see what all the buzz was about, but it didn't feel as polished. I've since upgraded to 2.02, and wow. I feel like this is the further polished, and much matured firmware version for the 16X.

For me, this is a perfect wheel with amazing characteristics that I initially had to coax from it, but that now just feel natural.

I don't have any bad things to say about the 16X. I feel confident and safe riding this wheel at its limits, and riding slowly through a crowded bike path or city sidewalk. It's convenient and powerful, fast and nimble. It's also easily serviceable. I've changed the tire and handle assembly without issue. 

The only bad thing about the 16X is the terrible stock Kingsong app, but there are enough alternative wheel management apps to make this a non issue.

tl;dr - The 16X rocks

[Kryziss]

I am so happy to read this while the 16X is on its way to my door. Can't wait to forget about range anxiety and frequent tiltbacks.

[mike_bike_kite]

Nice review. What sort of range do you get from the wheel? What speed do you cruise at? top speed? Can I ask how much you weigh? No photo of the wheel?

[stephen]

Nice review 👍 the 16x is an awesome wheel I love mine

[Beekersguy]

On 5/29/2020 at 2:21 AM, mike_bike_kite said:

Nice review. What sort of range do you get from the wheel? What speed do you cruise at? top speed? Can I ask how much you weigh? No photo of the wheel?

Thanks.

I get about 45 miles, cruise around 25ish, maybe a bit less. I hit top speed of 31mph every ride, but I don't keep it there. 

I weigh 180ish in gear, and I'm 6 feet tall.

I have a ton of pics on IG. thatonekenguy

Edited June 1, 2020 by Beekersguy

[EUC Endurist]

nice review 

Also riding the KS16X. Im looking forward to my 500km review. I mainly ride offroad paths, wet and dry, so I plan to open it up and look for dirt etc inside the housing. Also I hear something clacking when jumping which I´m pretty sure comes not from the pedal mechanic, so I´m very curious to find out if some sillicone could remove the sounds. I have the problem that the silicone protection for the usb ports got ripped off. In speaking with our local 3d printer, will add this to the review

I´m with you in regards to the original tire, its hard to get used to it but when its done it´s so smooth to ride.

if you´d like to check me out on youtube: 

nearly 300 from 500 km will be ridden on this type of paths :D

 

thanks very much for summing up 

 

[stephen]

31 minutes ago, EUC Endurist said:

nice review 

Also riding the KS16X. Im looking forward to my 500km review. I mainly ride offroad paths, wet and dry, so I plan to open it up and look for dirt etc inside the housing. Also I hear something clacking when jumping which I´m pretty sure comes not from the pedal mechanic, so I´m very curious to find out if some sillicone could remove the sounds. I have the problem that the silicone protection for the usb ports got ripped off. In speaking with our local 3d printer, will add this to the review

I´m with you in regards to the original tire, its hard to get used to it but when its done it´s so smooth to ride.

if you´d like to check me out on youtube: 

nearly 300 from 500 km will be ridden on this type of paths :D

 

thanks very much for summing up 

 

Nice riding mate those tree roots are unpredictable good handling though 👍👍

[EUC Endurist]

thanks for the comment I really like to find out what people keeps watching, hard to start from here

 

1 hour ago, stephen said:

Nice riding mate those tree roots are unpredictable good handling though 👍👍

 

thanks for the comment I really like to find out what people keeps watching, hard to start from here 

 

[mhpr262]

Do I get this right, it was the defective tire that made the wheel so unpleasant to ride at first?

[Kryziss]

The original CX tire made the ride similar to being on a Z10 : gyro effect when turning at higher speed. It wasn't defective but it took some getting used to. Some people liked it and they miss it now that they have the new tire but the new one is less challenging.

[postbio]

Great to know! I now have ~150 miles on the KS-16S starting a total noob, and wanted more power so I ordered the KS-16X. 

I got a KS-16X yesterday, but the system Bluetooth was unable to connect even though the Music Bluetooth could. Replacement is coming next week and reading this post makes me even more excited.