An advocacy for heavy wheels

[UniGrad]

First off I'll just mention that I don't believe any wheel should ever exceed 45kg (100 lb). Should probably keep it below 40kg.

Okay so I've heard a lot of people saying how heavy wheels aren't "true" EUCs. Because a true EUC is meant to be very portable.

Here's how I see it. A heavy wheel like the Sherman has far more range than lighter wheels meaning it does a much better job at replacing your car, the bus, train, tram ect. It can be your standalone vehicle.

Another thing is that the extra weight in itself brings several significant advantages.

1. More theft proof. If you leave it laying around for a minute at the shops ect. and someone get the idea of "hmm I might take this thing". When they go to lift it they'll realize it's gonna be real weird trying to carry it away inconspicuously.
Think Mr Bean trying to rob a bank 
Or they lift it while it's switched on and the wheel spins to 100 km/h while they're stuck holding on to it as it beeps like mad. They'd probably think it's a bomb at that point and start running.

2. Far more stable at speed and over road irregularities. I personally own a 16x and a Sherman, and I can tell you that the Sherman is far far more stable at speed. A good example is that I can ride the Sherman on sand at over 50km/h. Whereas I can only ride the 16x at about 20km/h on the same sand. And on the road it's about the same difference in stability. The Sherman can ride at 60km/h over fairly large bumps and potholes without the wheel twisting much. Whereas the 16x would twist a lot and cause dangerous wobbles over those same size bumps and potholes.

3. Far more stable for leaning into corners. This is actually one of the biggest things I've noticed. It's too bad that the Sherman pedals are so low because otherwise you could do much harder leans on it. Okay so.... when I lean hard on my 16x it feels far less stable and I need to control the angle of the wheel with my legs by applying a lot of force so that it stays at the correct lean angle. Other wise it wants to flap about from side to side. But with the Sherman when you lean it feels like a motorbike. The difference is night and day. The Sherman holds its lean angle steadily and doesn't require that you hold it in position with your legs.

4. Exercise. By lifting the heavier wheel you get a good workout. I've actually been using my Sherman as a dumbbell quite often and now enjoy lifting it whenever I have to because it has those bars that make it easy to grab. With my 16x I never had the desire to lift it. After lifting the Sherm a few times it's turned into a habit. Now I can lift it with one hand and do several bicep curls with it. Whereas when I first got it I needed 2 hands to lift it. Thanks for that extra strength Sherman! I'm not a big dude, I only weigh 130 lb so many people can train themselves to easily handle this wheel. And now the 16x feels super light whereas it used to feel heavy.

For many people lighter than myself the large wheel may be too difficult to take up and down stairs. This is what I say. If you have a large diameter wheel and you struggle to carry it up stairs. Then why not roll it up? Since the wheel is larger, it can easily be rolled up/down the steps. Turn on the wheel and it is pretty easy to do because the motor does half the work.

And the other complaint is about lifting it into a car. I'd ask how often do you really need to do this if the wheel is meant to be replacing the car in the first place? It's like complaining that you can't lift your motorbike onto your pickup truck all by yourself. If you ever do need to lift your EUC into your car and can't handle the weight, you can still do it! Get someone to help. But at the same time many people can manage lifting a 40kg wheel into a car so it would still have the benefits of a smaller wheel in terms of portability.

I also wanna mention that I still love more nimble wheels like the 16x. They are extremely nimble which is super fun and fantastic for commuting in super busy areas. But for very long and fast journeys, the heavy wheels are where it's at. And with the Sherman it feels like it has suspension with that super thick tyre. Talking about suspension though, I wouldn't want that on my wheel because I'd much rather have more range, more power, more reliability and more robustness for the weight penalty. And the wheel will have a way more compact design without the suspension.

If I could have suspension without any weight/size penalty then I'd want it. But it's not possible. And that weight/size penalty takes a lot away from any EUC due to the nature of these devices. That is that they're simple, small and lightweight vehicles.

Lastly I'll say this. Heavy wheels are fast and fast wheels are like drugs. For me it's more thrilling to ride the Sherman that it was to ride my Yamaha R1 superbike. And it's safer. And way cheaper to run. Win Win Win

But the Sherman doesn't have to be all about adrenaline doses. It's also a great wheel for long slow rides and enjoying nature trails.

[KiwiMark]

If you have a Veteran Sherman and a KS-16X then you do have a more portable wheel AND a longer range wheel, I see that as having both bases covered nicely.  Lighter is all good until you want to go on a longer ride that the light wheel just doesn't have the range to do.  I don't think there is anything wrong with owning more than one wheel so you can use a lighter one when you don't need the range or when you need something that can be carried easier, while using the heavier one for when you do need the range.

[.....]

11 minutes ago, KiwiMark said:

If you have a Veteran Sherman and a KS-16X then you do have a more portable wheel AND a longer range wheel, I see that as having both bases covered nicely.  Lighter is all good until you want to go on a longer ride that the light wheel just doesn't have the range to do.  I don't think there is anything wrong with owning more than one wheel so you can use a lighter one when you don't need the range or when you need something that can be carried easier, while using the heavier one for when you do need the range.

and then toss an mten in the mix and you are all set. No one wheel is best at all of it. Gives good excuse to have at least 3, possibly 4 if you like a lot of offroad.

[Crooznfbroozn]

23 hours ago, ShanesPlanet said:

and then toss an mten in the mix and you are all set. No one wheel is best at all of it. Gives good excuse to have at least 3, possibly 4 if you like a lot of offroad.

How does the offroad wheel profile itself differently than say a KS16X?

On the thread topic, I much prefer a lighter wheel in slippery conditions.

[.....]

42 minutes ago, Crooznfbroozn said:

How does the offroad wheel profile itself differently than say a KS16X?

On the thread topic, I much prefer a lighter wheel in slippery conditions.

I dont have any 'off road' wheels, nor have I ridden a 16x, so i cant answer that for you. I would suspect that eventually one of these suspension wheels will have some actual BALLS and not be made of brittle plastic and recycled coke cans. Until then, I think a good off road wheel is one that offers torque and a wide enough tire to offer tracton. Also would need some pedal clearance. I think thats the msp? I havent been looking for new wheels lately, I have NO idea which i would choose for offroad, I only know which ones I wouldnt.

[Crooznfbroozn]

3 hours ago, ShanesPlanet said:

I dont have any 'off road' wheels, nor have I ridden a 16x, so i cant answer that for you....

Ooooh right okay I got you, I wasn't even thinking of suspension at all - hence the confusion. 😳

[mike_bike_kite]

Many folk live in cities. Often in apartments without lifts. We also need to navigate past security guards at work or supermarkets and, if the wheel looks like a motorbike or a piece of military equipment, it's not getting past the door. In my own country, EUCs aren't even legal, so travelling at speed on a big wheel is more likely to get you noticed. I'm actually waiting for delivery of my new Nik+ which might be a small wheel to you but it's a huge wheel to me. I'm worried that I'm not going to be able to just walk into stores like before and I'm worried that it's just too heavy for me to lift.  I'm not sure about your arguments either:

• "More theft proof" - with a smaller lighter wheel you don't have to leave your wheel outside the shop, you just take it in.
• "Exercise. By lifting the heavier wheel you get a good workout" - I used to have a Motoguzzi 1000cc bike that needed push starting all the time, it might of been good exercise but I didn't see that as an advantage.
• "[stairs] Then why not roll it up?" - my wife (who is a force to be reckoned with) would soon question any burnouts or divots appearing in the stair carpet.

It's odd how we have different youtube EUC reviewers who all seem to have there own specialist test - wrong way goes up inclines, marty goes up mountains in the desert, Ian runs his dog down long forest paths, kuji practices slalom through dense city traffic. Perhaps I could start a new wheel review channel just trying to get the bloody things up a flight of stairs. Maybe even have some side speciality tests of seeing how long it takes me to turn all the lights off on a wheel and then how long it takes to turn all the lights back to my chosen setting.

[Planemo]

13 minutes ago, mike_bike_kite said:

 I'm actually waiting for delivery of my new Nik+ which might be a small wheel to you but it's a huge wheel to me.

You're not wrong. My first thought when I saw a Nik in the flesh was 'bloody hell it's massive'. It even dwarfed my MSX. Surprising for a 16" wheel. And appears wide across the top too as the handle doesn't sit proud like the MSX, so all you focus on is the width from edge to edge.

That said it's a 'pretty' looking wheel, especially in white so doesn't look 'aggressive' or as you put it 'military'. But yeah, I don't know if you have been next to one but they are a big wheel! Theres a reason why they can cram 2664Wh of juice into one but can't in an MSX!

[mike_bike_kite]

I've never seen one in the flesh. I've seen MSX's and briefly ridden a KS18XL which didn't seem that different to the 16S but it accelerated slower. I suspect I'm in for a surprise when it arrives. I agree about the white stripes - I think it makes it look almost future nostalgic, a bit like one of those 1950's American cars with the fins on the back.