KS-S18, IM-V11 or RS19 for offroad and mountain riding

[Unipsycho]

Hi everyone, I'm still tying to consider these wheels for my first wheel.  I'm a pretty hardcore classic pedal mountain unicyclist and ride some seriously technical offroad trails but want to get into a EUC now as well.  Not concerned at all about learning to ride it, but do intend to ride only offroad, some dirt roads, mountain fire roads and mainly single track.  For that I think the suspension is probably superior although guys (like Chooch) are certainly pushing the limits with MSX or RS units.  The speed/extra power could be nice. I intend to ride like Chooch does, lots of offroad single track style of trails and all in the mountains, so a fair bit of elevation changes, again similar to him.

I've been reading a lot of mixed thoughts on RS19, with potential bearing issues, is that still a problem or a thing of the past?  Is the extra 10 lbs in the wheel a big thing compared to a more nimble S18?  At least at the moment, I think I'm leaning to the S18, does that sound like the right match up for me?

Thanks for any thoughts and help.

[Kurtosis]

From the picture, I'd say go with the S-18.

[Scottie888]

Hi as a canuck, I welcome a fellow canuck to the forum. Judging from the pic background, my Sherlock powers detect you're in BC or maybe on the island? LOLs

As a unicyclist, I think you'll pickup EUCs like a fish to water. Being that you're mainly into gnarly (based on the pic) trails, the S18 would likely be your best best esp if you can source a knobby for it.

The RS, like other GW/BG Msuper series are also quite popular to the offroad wheeling enthusiasts. For sure, the RS, in whichever iteration will have more power & likely better hill climb capabilities. However, as you already alluded to, it's having its birthing issues with bearings & less than stellar water/moisture proofing. Also

As a S18 owner, suspension makes quite a diff esp in higher drops. Everytime I jump on the S18, I feel like a superhero able to traverse multi terrains with ease. I too love the dirt & the S18 is my weapon of choice. However that's me & since I haven't tried the RS (or MSP for that matter) I'll let you choose your own poison.

[Unipsycho]

Hey Seet Scottie888, actually I live in the country, near okotoks, so just outside Calgary.  The pic is out in kananaskis and where I'll be doing most of my rides.  Thanks for the thoughts and sounds like the S18 is the weapon of choice then.  My plan to to keep riding my classic pedal muni and after a ride on it (maybe shorter before I'm exhausted) then hop on the EUC for some trail action right afterwards.  I will like do a few bike and hikes with it too, as I really like getting out deeper into the mountains with my bike but I think the EUC will be even better for that.  Hike a few hours, then haul home on it again.  Once I pick one up (almost ready to pull the trigger) I'd love to meet up sometime for a ride....

[Scottie888]

Awesome! I shoulda guess Kananaskis Canmore region as well as there's lots of pine & such but I though BC would be the more likely choice. I too am in the heart of Calgary & I do most of my offroading on Nose Hill. Not optimum as its nowhere as scenic & the trails are easy pheasy but hey, Its a couple miles away & I just picked this mono offroad thangy last fall so still a knob at this. Would love to do the Kananaskis. But where would I find a guide🤔🤪

Anyhoos, I ride on the Calgary bike paths alot so let me know if you wanna take do a Bow river scenic ride. Once you get your wheel ofcos

[Unipsycho]

I'm sure I'll be somewhat limited as to what trails I can take the EUC out on, so the more rugged stuff I'll be sticking to the classic mountain uni, as I can go anywhere with it since its light enough to carry over brutal terrain..  The heavy EUC is not something I'm carrying up though, that is for sure.  But, I'm sure I'll find some new places and distance trails I can't reach otherwise on it, so it should be a nice addition, really looking forward to it.  Are there many guys in the Calgary area who offroad with their EUCs?  I've not come across any yet, though most say that about me with my muni.

Thanks Scottie888, I'll definitely let you know when I get mine for a meet up.  I plan to ride some of fish creek as well as there are some great trails there also and want to see how the EUC compares to the classic muni.

 

[Scottie888]

I rode with another guy on a 16x & 3 others on esk8s last year. I think we'll likely hookup for more rides & hopefully get others too. I've met quite a few OWs these past few days as I'm guessing peeps are coming out of hibernation. I don't mind riding with OWs too as they look fun (& cool) as heck. Infact I pick up an esk8 myself for a bit of change as they look fun too.

PS: don't know if you know this but unless your hoofing on near vertical climbs & rocks, you can roll the wheel around like mobile luggage even on nasty stuff with perhaps the occasional lift & carry over some. That said, I'd likely shaat my undies if I had to go down that hill/mountain on the pic🥴. You're way more hardcore (& skilled) than moi👍

[Unipsycho]

Cool, thanks man.  I think it will be a lot of fun.  We'll see how well it performs in my kind of terrain and adjust to ride what works best.  I'm sure I'll be riding both classic and electric still.  Anyway, ya hope we can ride then sometime once I do finally get one and get some quick practice on it.

[Scottie888]

No worries Psychodude! Glad to find a fellow wheeler nearby. Some fellas from the Pothole Capital of Canada might be hoofing it down to Cowtown as well this summer so hopefully its gonna be more rowdy & boisterous this year! Afterall, what else can we do in these lockdown times. Its a boon to PEVs I think but not for much else.

Don't worry about munis & eucs as it'll be a cinch for someone as dexterous as you. That said, a lil voice says munis are primarily upper body with lower providing assistance while IMO the opposite is true for eucs. Once you get it, you'll be flying with little effort. I'm assuming thats the major diff btwn munis & eucs.

[Unipilot69]

I received an RS C30 for my birthday in January. I had one bearing go bad. I received replacements under warranty. The bearings were packed with vasilene. I repacked them with waterproof grease. Since then I've run through some heavy rain/ sleet, and yesterday mud. So far they are holding up. These electric unicycles are very addicting. I weigh 250 pounds. I'm too heavy for most of the euc's. I've been using the euc mostly for last mile commuting. Yesterday I took it to my local park. They have some mtb trails. I've been on those with my muni. The RS survived my riding. The euc can out climb my old and faulty legs. I've been riding regular unicycles for 40 years. I have a geared 36 inch unicycle for commuting and I have a Nimbus Oregon for municycling. I built a 29 inch wheel for the Oregon. I switch between the two depending on where I ride. 

[Unipilot69]

16 minutes ago, Scottie888 said:

No worries Psychodude! Glad to find a fellow wheeler nearby. Some fellas from the Pothole Capital of Canada might be hoofing it down to Cowtown as well this summer so hopefully its gonna be more rowdy & boisterous this year! Afterall, what else can we do in these lockdown times. Its a boon to PEVs I think but not for much else.

Don't worry about munis & eucs as it'll be a cinch for someone as dexterous as you. That said, a lil voice says munis are primarily upper body with lower providing assistance while IMO the opposite is true for eucs. Once you get it, you'll be flying with little effort. I'm assuming thats the major diff btwn munis & eucs.

When I received my mten3 I rode it the first try. I did scrape the pedals but didn't fall. When I got the RS I jumped on it the first attempt and rode it like I had been riding for a while. The euc's take time to condition your legs. I have 230 miles on the RS and the mten3 has barely 100 miles. I thought my geared 36er was heavy at 20 pounds. The RS is about 60 pounds.

[Scottie888]

@Unipilot69ya I thought so. Munis are definitely much harder to learn as there's no balance assistance & gyro would depend the legs. Weight is definitely a huge burden for eucs but the trick (as you know) is to let the elec motor do the work while one would have to muscle it on muscles. Too much work for me as I'm lazy. I'd much rather get into emtbs instead if I wanted to do hardcore trails.

[Unipilot69]

My arthritis is getting much worse the last few years. That doesn't stop me from getting out though. Since I got my eucs, I haven't ridden my regular unicycles much. Last month I went with my brother up to the mountains for snow biking. He has a fat tire bike and I put the fat tire on my Oregon and used that in the snow. The snow was a bit soft for the unicycle. Next year I'll have to get out in January to enjoy harder snow.

[Unipilot69]

Yesterday I ended up talking the RS down a very steep section. I would call it slightly less than a cliff. It was very steep but only about 50 feet of elevation. I made it down but the pucker factor was high. 

[Unipsycho]

Thanks for the feedback everyone and for your own experiences, this is a cool forum and seems to be a very cool community of folks.  Just my kind of sport, among a few others.

[.....]

Are you hardcore for short jaunts or are you conditioned for hard core all day? Range anxiety is a VERY real thing. Not too many power outlets in the woods and the sun doesnt like to wait 4 hrs for you to charge em...  Im curious to see which wheel you start with first and how it compares to your style of riding, against the other 3 youll have within mere weeks. Screw buying more safety gear, you better budget for a camera. I dont feel your pain, but i totally enjoy watching that x-games stuff! I'm thinking torque, heat mitigation and range are primary for you. Maybe not tho, perhaps you plan on more technical and shorter jants. Being heavy and expensive are things you can somewhat compensate for. Conditioning the old legs is easier than increasing a battery's range. Well, until you reach a certain age. Power and torque... well, that costs ya in other areas.

If you want to ride like chooch, ride what chooch does. Im pretty sure he can afford and justify WHATEVER wheel he deems to fit his riding needs. They are all compromises, but perhaps he has found the right match. If he seems to be doing what you aspire to, and we can assume he isnt limited to what he can choose... pretty simple. If I was dead set on a certain wheel but it had known bearing issues... I would evaluate my ability to repair, evaluate the warranty and probably accept the compromise. Accepting a compromise on range and power tho.... can't fix that. I guess it all depends on your inteded use and where youll give a little and where you won't. Dont think too long, just buy one. You will own 2 or 3 in a short time anyhow.

Edited March 15, 2021 by ShanesPlanet

[Rich Sam]

I concur!  I ride a v11 which is a great jack of all trades wheel and I love it.  The S18 really is a better dedicated trail machine in my opinion.  @Marty Backe has some EXCELLENT vids showing the s18's accolades.

[Scottie888]

18 hours ago, ShanesPlanet said:

Are you hardcore for short jaunts or are you conditioned for hard core all day? Range anxiety is a VERY real thing. Not too many power outlets in the woods and the sun doesnt like to wait 4 hrs for you to charge em...

Don't mean to dispute that but 30kms or 20mile of a ave mtb trails is a looonnnnng run. Thats like 2-3 hrs of riding & likely not fast either. Unless one wants to do unending all day forest exploration, the 40-60km range of an S18 is more than enough for some very fun times.

18 hours ago, ShanesPlanet said:

If you want to ride like chooch, ride what chooch does. Im pretty sure he can afford and justify WHATEVER wheel he deems to fit his riding needs. They are all compromises, but perhaps he has found the right match

Not slighting chooch in anyway which way whatsoever but the mtb trails he does are at green or at best green/blue runs, at least as shown on his vids. While its nothing to sneeze at, its no where close to the some of the black trails available at my end of the woods (pardon the pun). Kananaskis as referred to (& as shown in his pics) by @Unipsycho are as nasty as it gets. Kananaskis is our local designated provincial park right at the foothills & front ranges of the Canadian Rockies. Some of the trails are equal in difficulty to whats found at Moab & St George Utah.

At least I haven't seen any EUC do a serious black trail as yet, suspension or otherwise. The trails chooch does can be had by the majority of the current gen of EUCs provided the needed skills are on call ofcos. 20miles of that is enough for any adrenaline junkie

 

Edited March 15, 2021 by Scottie888

[Rich Sam]

Man @Scottie888 the trials out there sound fuuuun! I want to up my trail riding game.  I have dabbled on some pretty green runs here getting my bearings but would like to try some bigger challenges.

[Scottie888]

5 minutes ago, Rich Sam said:

Man @Scottie888 the trials out there sound fuuuun! I want to up my trail riding game.  I have dabbled on some pretty green runs here getting my bearings but would like to try some bigger challenges.

No doubt! Right next to Kananaskis is Banff National Park if one wants to do some trails with serious elevation changes but with million$$$ scenery for company. Try to hike it over to visit us esp on Stampede week. We'll all hook up for some nice rides.

If the border ever reopens ofcos.

[Unipsycho]

Thanks everyone for the thoughts.  Ya, I think I'll be good with the 40-60km range of a S18, as you are right in saying about stamina, that will die before the battery will likely on the trails I intend to ride.  The legs will likely thank the suspension most so I'd rather have the lighter weight and more agility for my style of rides.  I'll mostly be riding uphill to get up to higher peaks, if the battery is dying, I'll hide the wheel, finish the hike on foot, then get back on the wheel to ride it downhill (no problem with battery then) so its kinda just what I want. The bike and UNI for that now are perfect but too tiring if I'm adding 15km each way to my hike.

As for Kananaski, its the biggest and best playground around, no doubt, I've summitted over 60peaks in it and as far as I'm concerned, far superior to Banff, as Banff has too many rules, rangers and no random camping, which is just what I am looking for.
 

Already got the 360 camera, use it now for my awesome backpack paramotor flying machine and some MUNI. This is just one more crazy sport to add now. Its gonna be fun!

Edited March 15, 2021 by Unipsycho

[Crooznfbroozn]

I do offroad trail beyond what chooch does on a ks16x. One thing to keep in mind is ruggedness of the wheel. Ive smashed mine more than once. I havent tried a suspension wheel but Id be nervous to smash the s18 into a tree with all those delicate bits exposed.

Fyi, the advertised distance of the s18 is lower than that of the ks16x. Depending on the weather and the slowdown of the wheel at lower battery Id take 40-60km with a pinch of salt.

[Unipsycho]

Croozn*, ya you can do a lot on these wheels it seems.  The S18 is my first wheel but the suspension is critical as far as I'm concerned, I can barely keep on my feet over the trails at any decent speed, with the suspension working full tilt, and my knees would be ruined without it, they are sore after a rough 2hr ride as it is, so I can't even image not having suspension on offroad trails, no thanks!

Distance wise I can only get about 35km in a ride on the S18, by that time, (2hr) the battery is about 10-15% and I don't really care to ride how I ride below that. It usually recovers to about 20-25% after 10 minutes, so I assume I could get 40km on a ride, but not continuous or in rough terrain that eats battery fast.  If I just rode flat trails or pathways (which I will never do) it could maybe do 50km but I doubt it.  

[Crooznfbroozn]

10 hours ago, Unipsycho said:

Croozn*, ya you can do a lot on these wheels it seems.  The S18 is my first wheel but the suspension is critical as far as I'm concerned, I can barely keep on my feet over the trails at any decent speed, with the suspension working full tilt, and my knees would be ruined without it, they are sore after a rough 2hr ride as it is, so I can't even image not having suspension on offroad trails, no thanks!

Distance wise I can only get about 35km in a ride on the S18, by that time, (2hr) the battery is about 10-15% and I don't really care to ride how I ride below that. It usually recovers to about 20-25% after 10 minutes, so I assume I could get 40km on a ride, but not continuous or in rough terrain that eats battery fast.  If I just rode flat trails or pathways (which I will never do) it could maybe do 50km but I doubt it.  

Yeah I get you on the knees part Would love to give suspension a try, who knows, might open up a brave new world for me. But I like my upward propulsion you get on a "stiff" wheel lol

[GPCAPN]

This old thread matches pretty close to what I'd be asking this community. So I'm reviving rather than starting a new thread. Would advice be any different now that the Eagle is coming? I've never ridden an EUC. But I used to race DH. So I expect to be off-roading with this thing once my learning curve allows. As I've read....that curve could be extensive. I'm game. I know the Eagle is pricey compared to other wheels. But I happen to have more dollars than sense. I don't really care about the price tag on these. I just want the one that would work best for me so I'm not having to trade up in a year. 130mm of suspension sounds important to a mtb guy like myself. No? Can you tell this newb with it would be a good or bad idea to grab an Eagle as opposed to a tried and trued wheel??