Upgrading shortly but cant decide - KS16x or Nikola 100v?

[Hangman]

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The 16x seems to be a highly regarded wheel but it would appear the Nikola has a higher speed and I think looks nicer.

90% of my riding is on tarmac with little off road.

For what it's worth, I had my heart set on the V11 ... now with all the extra maintenance & other 'issues' they've been having, I'm also leaning toward the KS16X.  I was very recently introduced to the Nikola though & need to do more research before committing to anything.  From what you said in the OP though (90% tarmac), if you are planning & comfortable to ride 25-28 mph (41-46 kph) I'd lean toward the Nikola.  From what Marty Backe said in his KS16X review & his Love Letter to Gotway, if you know what your physical limits are (if you are comfortable with 25-28 mph), then you really don't want the KS16X as you will be pushing it to its limits eventually & that is where most people tend to face plant the pavement is because they are pushing their wheels to the very edge.  Again, if you are comfortable with 25-28 mph, give yourself some flexing room & go for the Nikola.

My comfort zone (currently) is 14-18 mph.  So I'm really leaning to the KS16X.  However, I'm sure in the future I may get more comfortable with 20-25 mph in which case I want the flexibility in my wheel so I need to go research more on the Nikola.  I currently do not know the differences between the Nikola & Nikola + but as eWheels.com is advertising the Nikola thus, I am very intrigued by it.  I know I'll never be doing 35-40 mph as an average speed on a single wheel controlled by electronic components that do fail, but I would like to have that extra speed if I need it in a traffic crisis.  What I do like is the 75-100 mile range on a single charge.  Now that's a ride!

[mike_bike_kite]

5 minutes ago, Hangman said:

What I do like is the 75-100 mile range on a single charge.

I don't think the 16X or the Nikola+ will give that range. 100 km yes, 100 miles no.

[Hangman]

36 minutes ago, mike_bike_kite said:

I don't think the 16X or the Nikola+ will give that range. 100 km yes, 100 miles no.

For the 16X, no! Absolutely not.  @Marty Backe got 63 miles (101 km) out of his.

For what it's worth, eWheels is advertising the Nikola wheel at ~70-100 miles (~113-161 km), at the same time they are also saying

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There’s a tendency for range inflation on the spec sheets. In practice, even under ideal conditions, the typical range of an Electric Unicycle is 25Wh/mile = 84 miles with a 2,100Wh battery pack

The Nikola (I have to believe this is the Nikola + they are advertising but there's not definitive answer by the website, we'd have to call them) is also using the upgraded 21700 cells which if I'm not mistaken, use energy a bit better than the 18650 cells which is what the mentioned calculation is based on.

They currently have the 100v/1800wh battery in stock at $50 more than the 16X.

So ... yeah, your right, 100 miles not likely.  I guess depending on the conservancy.  I think one could get really close if they were on a relatively flat surface, little to no wind, conserving power usage & cruising at 15-18 mph.  But it's crumbs on a sandy beach at this point, potato, potauto, ... at 75 or even 84 miles I'd be too tired to care anyways. 😉

[stephen]

I think speed also depends on where you live i live in UK and barely have long stretches of roads to go fast all the time I've got a v11 and had msx and still don't hit top speeds  , the 16x is best of both worlds for me , what you need it for depends on what  wheel you should buy