Kingsong 16x or 18 XL - Pls help me to decide !

[Bruno Grimmjow]

Hello everyone !
I would like to ask for help in deciding which one to buy as an upgrade from my v10 (I love it), I will not buy models with suspensions for now, here in my country it is extremely expensive and out of the question, and now there are great opportunities to buy one of these two 16x and 18xl models with nice price.
I weigh about 185 lbs (85 kg) and use it as the main form of transport and going to work, I can say that the streets are not the best, there are very smooth places and others with small holes.
Considering the latest FW and possible known issues, which one would you recommend buying?

Thank you!

[johnyz89]

18xl allows you to cruise a little bit faster than 16x and is more stable at 40+kph. On the other hand 16x has better acceleration. Both wheels wont allow You to reach 50kph - 16x is really only 45kph wheel and 18xl is overinflating shown speed so You wont reach 50. My bet is rather go with Gotway MSP or RS. 

Edited October 3, 2020 by johnyz89

[RayRay]

1 hour ago, johnyz89 said:

You wont reach 50. My bet is rather go with Gotway MSP or RS. 

He doesn't even mention speed and you recommend Gotway. (I love it!) 

Apparently, 18XL too slow and he would know. (I don't use for commuting, but handles road well.)

[johnyz89]

14 minutes ago, RayRay said:

He doesn't even mention speed and you recommend Gotway. (I love it!) 

Apparently, 18XL too slow and he would know. (I don't use for commuting, but handles road well.)

You can be happy even with s2, but I think 18xl and 16x are the same price or more expensive than MSP so why one should waste money one something weaker ?

Btw MSP is like 16x witch 18 inch wheel, event better. Why chosing between 18xl and 16x when You can have both worlds ?

Edited October 3, 2020 by johnyz89

[erk1024]

2 hours ago, Bruno Grimmjow said:

I weigh about 185 lbs (85 kg) and use it as the main form of transport and going to work, I can say that the streets are not the best, there are very smooth places and others with small holes.

I weigh 265lbs and the big reason I sold my 18XL is that the thinner 2.5" tire on it is not very forgiving over bumps--especially at the tire pressure I had to run it at for my weight. Just when you're having fun and going fast, the bumps make you slow down. So I'd go with something with a 3" tire. The Nikola+ is surprisingly comfortable for a 16" wheel. I haven't ridden the 16X, but it has a 3" tire. And certainly the Gotway 18" wheels are an option, as well as the InMotion V11.

[Bruno Grimmjow]

Hey Friends !

To be more informative, i'll try to convert  the models to USD.

How you can see below every model here is expensive,  but MSP i cannot get now unfortunately.

MSP - USD 3600~3660(a lot money here)

18 XL/ 16X - 1.981 USD ~ 2.000 USD

For me is enough 40~45 km/p (25 - 27 mph)

 

[meepmeepmayer]

People who have both an 18XL and 16X tend to prefer the 16X, I believe.

(I have neither.)

[johnyz89]

11 hours ago, Bruno Grimmjow said:

Hey Friends !

To be more informative, i'll try to convert  the models to USD.

How you can see below every model here is expensive,  but MSP i cannot get now unfortunately.

MSP - USD 3600~3660(a lot money here)

18 XL/ 16X - 1.981 USD ~ 2.000 USD

For me is enough 40~45 km/p (25 - 27 mph)

 

Holy cow. Gotway Rs is 1.999 directly from gotway...

[travsformation]

I own both. I don't think you can go wrong with either one of them, they're both excellent all-rounders. Having said that, they're similar yet different beasts. And yes, they are both beats; maybe they aren't at the front of the pack among all the contenders on the market nowadays, but they're both powerful performance wheels and very solid options.

The 16X is definitely more fun to ride. It has much better acceleration and is much more agile, manoeuvrable and nimble (better for urban riding, for example). That's also its downfall: it's "bouncier", as in it'll jump up in the air with bumps in a way the 18XL won't. To the contrary, the 3" tire makes it easier to ride slowly, greatly improves higher-speed stability and absorbs road irregularities much better (it's also cushier and more comfy). It's great for off-roading because of the wider tire and how easy to maneuver it is (and that torque!). Range-wise I find it to be about the same as the 18XL as long as I don't ride too aggressively. Trolley handle is great on both, although because of its form factor, I find the 16X is more comfortable to trolley around (the 18XL is still excellent, don't get me wong). Headlight better on the 16X (but not great either). 

The 18XL is probably more comfy for long rides, feels much more planted, like a sedan, and not as playful, but not lacking in power either. Feels heavier, is not as nimble. At higher speeds (40+ kmh), its advantage over the 16X is the larger tire, it just feels more solid and less "bouncy", while on the other hand, the narrower tire takes away from that sense of stability a little. For offroading, what it loses in nimbleness it gains in "just-roll-over-it", and the torque, while not as good as the 16X's, is fine for most off-roading, unless you're trying to tackle stupidly steep hills. In my experience, build quality is a fair bit better than the 16X's, the shell is thicker and more rugged. Its weatherproofing is also much better. 

Yet if I were to choose one of the two, I'd go for the 16X. It can do everything the 18XL does, and it makes up for the cons because it's just so damn fun to ride 

But that's just me. It also depends on your riding style. Is it playful? Agressive? Laid back? What's your usual cruising speed? How long is your commute? Do you also use it for leisure riding? Do you enjoy carving or just take it easy? What's the max. speed you're comfortable riding at? All these things are relevant in terms of tipping the scale in favour of one or the other. 

 

Edited October 16, 2020 by travsformation

[cbgti]

@travsformation  Thanks for your explainations!  Good Job!

[mrelwood]

@travsformation, kudos for the greatly detailed answer!

I don’t know if it’s more of a rider size thing or riding attitude thing, but I greatly prefer the 18XL over the 16X. I’m 193cm tall and weighed about 95kg when I last rode either wheel. The train-on-tracks style stability of the 18XL is a huge joy to me which I never quite found in the 16X.

I haven’t properly off-roaded with either though, and I can see that the 16X may have a few benefits over the 18XL in those scenarios. But for my legs, 16X always felt a lot like a 16” wheel, which I definitely dislike, for all riding situations.

 For trustworthiness, I think the 18XL might overall be better. I still haven’t seen much issues written about on the 18XL, despite being in production for a very long time in EUC market years.

 Then for the Begode recommendations… Come on guys! The OP clearly asked help choosing between two KS wheels. Besides, the MSX and its successors require a large amount of work to make it even remotely comfortable, while both KSs are quite comfortable right out the box. I would much rather ride the 18XL than any stock GW/BG. If the KS speed is enough, there’s rarely any reason to choose GW/BG.

[UniVehje]

I’ve owned both. 18xl is more relaxed for long distance and 16x is more agile as it turns in smaller circles. Easy turning is more tiring when riding long distance as it reacts faster. And faster reaction means every small movement affects riding. In long distance riding you want the wheel to react slowly so small unintended movements don’t change the course so much. And if you ride in city traffic, you want the wheel to be reactive. This is the most important difference between these wheels. Everything else is almost the same. Both are very good for every usage. Your most common riding should decide. 
 

stop and go traffic with lots of tight turns -> 16X

Long straight rides with relaxed stance -> 18 XL

Edited November 25, 2021 by UniVehje