Suspension wheel owners, are you going back?

[ir_fuel]

Something I have been wondering:

I see people start receiving/riding their suspension wheels, S18, V11. I am seriously contemplating getting one too, but as most of you my current fleet is non-suspension (of course).

For those of you that got a suspension wheel, do you still hop on your non-suspension wheels or do they feel harsh and outdated once you get used to the feeling of suspension under your feet?

E.g. I have a Z10 and a KS16X. The first one has the battery capacity of the S18. the second one of the V11.

Would those wheels still be used if I got a S18 or V11? I think it would have zero sense to go ride in the forest with a Z10 or KS16X once you have suspension at your disposal, but in a way the same goes for city riding.

 

@Marty Backe said suspension is the way forward in one of his videos. I wonder what his opinion is on this.

[Marty Backe]

The difference isn't quite so stark that you feel all your others wheels are now irrelevant. Right now the choice is being made for us because of the small batteries.

If I owned the V11 (I may) I would certainly choose it for many types of trail riding, but my other wheels still offer compelling reasons to ride them (better pedal clearance, far greater range, disco lights, music, style, etc).

I really do think that within 2-years we won't have to make the choice because every serious wheel will come with suspension.

P.s. Your KS16X most certainly has greater range the V11 which is why I'd be grabbing it for many of my rides instead of the V11.

[ir_fuel]

Point taken concerning the battery range, but I'm not a hypermiler. My longest rides have been 25 miles.

[Marty Backe]

1 hour ago, ir_fuel said:

Point taken concerning the battery range, but I'm not a hypermiler. My longest rides have been 25 miles.

Exactly, we're all different. My shortest rides are 25-miles 

[Darrell Wesh]

12 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

Exactly, we're all different. My shortest rides are 25-miles 

Even for “short” trips to the grocery store Marty picks the store 12 miles out so he can get a good ride in. 

[Marty Backe]

35 minutes ago, Darrell Wesh said:

Even for “short” trips to the grocery store Marty picks the store 12 miles out so he can get a good ride in. 

We've all been there, haven't we 

[M640x]

10 hours ago, ir_fuel said:

Something I have been wondering:

I see people start receiving/riding their suspension wheels, S18, V11. I am seriously contemplating getting one too, but as most of you my current fleet is non-suspension (of course).

For those of you that got a suspension wheel, do you still hop on your non-suspension wheels or do they feel harsh and outdated once you get used to the feeling of suspension under your feet?

E.g. I have a Z10 and a KS16X. The first one has the battery capacity of the S18. the second one of the V11.

Would those wheels still be used if I got a S18 or V11? I think it would have zero sense to go ride in the forest with a Z10 or KS16X once you have suspension at your disposal, but in a way the same goes for city riding.

 

@Marty Backe said suspension is the way forward in one of his videos. I wonder what his opinion is on this.

I own a Z10 as well.  I still ride my Z10 because we'll it's awesome and very relavent.  Plus I had to send my first V11  back and I'm still waiting on the replacement.  The V11 is extremely smooth, in fact it's the smoothest wheel I've ever been on and it was extremely easy to get used to.  The Z is staying in my stable.

[AtlasP]

After having tried the V11 for at least an hour, I ordered one and decided it will replace/I'll be selling both my Nikola+ and V10, but I'll still keep something small in the class of V8F/KS-16S. That should fill my needs efficiency and eliminate any redundancy in my current set, while pairing down sufficiently to feel free to pick up a third wheel again in the future the next time something catches my eye.

Edited August 16, 2020 by AtlasP

[Mark Wilson]

On 8/11/2020 at 9:59 AM, Marty Backe said:

If I owned the V11 (I may) I would certainly choose it for many types of trail riding, but my other wheels still offer compelling reasons to ride them (better pedal clearance, far greater range, disco lights, music, style, etc).

Just an FYI, the production V11 has much higher pedals than the preproduction, which is the one I think you tested.

[UniVehje]

On 8/11/2020 at 2:00 PM, ir_fuel said:

For those of you that got a suspension wheel, do you still hop on your non-suspension wheels or do they feel harsh and outdated once you get used to the feeling of suspension under your feet?

Two days of riding with my V11 and there’s no way I would buy an unsuspended wheel again unless it’s for a special case. Two days was enough to make my old 18XL feel weird, stiff and low. It’s the feeling of not slowing down all the time for obstacles. Not that you could just ram forward without looking at the ground but more like not caring too much about bumps. Just be prepared and it’s pretty smooth and comfortable.
 

Another benefit is the added safety. In a case where you accidentally miss a bump and ride over one without being prepared, suspension takes the edge off and you might survive it. Sometimes shadows make it tricky to see all the pot holes especially on gravel roads. We had this incident happening yesterday. My girlfriend was riding my 18XL up a hill pretty fast and completely missed some bumps because there were shadows from the trees masking them. The wheel took a couple of jumps and her feet jumped forward on the pedals and she took a nasty faceplant. Suspension might have saved her. She’s fine but now talks about also buying a V11. 

[RockyTop]

Will I go back?.......... Yes ...... I just don't want to. I sold my old MSX to buy a MSP. Then the S18 hit the headlines. I bought the S18 and love it. I still want a MSX yet the S18 has filled part of the need that I had for the MSX.  Soooooooo  ........ I am just going to have to buy the GW EX. The things that we have to do.  

[Marty Backe]

9 hours ago, Mark Wilson said:

Just an FYI, the production V11 has much higher pedals than the preproduction, which is the one I think you tested.

I know, but when the suspension is compressed I suspect the pedals will still be lower than the MSX/MSP

[UniVehje]

12 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

I know, but when the suspension is compressed I suspect the pedals will still be lower than the MSX/MSP

I seriously doubt that. They raised the pedal level by 5 cm / 2”. @mrelwood you have access to both, can you measure?

[Tinkererboi]

32 minutes ago, UniVehje said:

seriously doubt that. They raised the pedal level by 5 cm / 2”. @mrelwood you have access to both, can you measure?

Looking forward to news on this too. 2 inches is plenty. Possibly enough extra clearance for me to pull the trigger and forget about locksong for good.

Have been thinking of proper pads for the S11. Tested my existing pads with only a small strip of velcro down the middle and found out it still works and jumps fine.

Might be still be possible to use full sized pads on the V11 afterall- as long I can stand the sound of fabric rubbing on the main shell.

[Marty Backe]

8 hours ago, UniVehje said:

I seriously doubt that. They raised the pedal level by 5 cm / 2”. @mrelwood you have access to both, can you measure?

We're both guessing right now. I'll need to see some hard numbers.

[UniVehje]

31 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

We're both guessing right now. I'll need to see some hard numbers.

They also raised the angle to 9 degrees. I just went and measured mine. The bottom edge of the pedal is at 24 cm / 9.45" and my usual sag is set between 1-3 cm or around an inch. Naturally it bottoms out at 15.5 cm / 6". My normal riding height measured at the bottom or the pedal edge would then be somewhere between 21-23 cm. 

Edit: Inmotion own spec sheet says 25 cm. That is probably the top of the pedal. 

Edited August 17, 2020 by UniVehje

[AtlasP]

7 hours ago, UniVehje said:

Edit: Inmotion own spec sheet says 25 cm. That is probably the top of the pedal. 

Unfortunately each manufacturer measures every physical dimension differently, making all their numbers useless to compare anything. (Pedal height from bottom of pedal or top of pedal, at the outside edge or inside by standoff. Case width including pedal stand-offs/pedals folded up, or minus pedals/pedal stand-offs entirely, or with pedals down(!?). Etc etc.)