First purchase question.

[Hetzau]

I am looking to maybe get my first EUC. I have been wanting one for the better part of a year but never pulled the trigger. I am looking at maybe an mten3 as a starter wheel. My concern is my weight. Thanks to Covid and isolation I've out on my weight. I'm sitting pretty at about 260. 

 

Do you think the mten3 would still be functional, or should I lose some weight first? 

[RetroThruster]

Mten in my opinion is a good portable wheel and would certainly be a great addition to your lineup, if it were me, I'd start with something larger, like a 14-16" wheel, they're all good, just decide what kind of terrain you'll be riding and mileage you'll be asking out of it.  The Tesla V2 has good spec and would do the job nicely.

As far as losing weight goes, trust me, you'll be having so much fun, you'll forget all about eating:)

Edited March 17, 2021 by RetroThruster

[Tawpie]

I'd be in the camp of a bigger wheel than the mTen3, besides, the little fella can be a bit more difficult to learn on because it's quite spritely (meaning: it'll angrily spin around and whack you while you're learning). It's common for folk to learn on a larger diameter wheel, then get the mTen3 for kicks and giggles. No need to wait to lose weight before pulling the trigger though, just size up. You get more power with the larger wheels, which is always a safer option at any weight (power is not just about speed and hill climbing, it's also a big factor in safe riding because when you overpower the wheel, it'll plant you on your face. Right now.).

[.....]

16-18" larger battery wheel. Mten is fun, but @Tawpie summed it up perfectly. The mten was a MUCH better deal when only $600 (for us lighter folks). At your weight, you definitely want to err on the side of bigger and more sturdy. Especially as a first wheel as you may keep it for a LOOOONG time. Good luck!

Edited March 18, 2021 by ShanesPlanet

[madbikes]

How about the KingSong 16X? It's rugged and will support heavy riders as well. Battery and motor spec is decent that will let you go places once you start to get the hang of it.

[Scottie888]

At your weight & if the budget's at Mten3 range, I'd consider the MCM5v2. I'd argue its the best value (&perhaps performance as well) real world allrounder. Don't get me wrong, the Mten3 is a great device & there's nothing like it out there. However that also comes with a load of limitations which makes it IMHO, a non starter as the only wheel in the house. As a 2or3 wheel, fo sho! 

As an owner of both the Mten3 & MCM5v2, its my experience that the M5v2 is almost as agile & playful as the little wheel but without its limitations except form. It has longer range, faster with a higher safety margin at higher spds, more comfortable, more forgiving on rough stuff & I'd argue easier for novices.

The TeslaV2 is a good choice as well but I'd argue the M5v2 is a better choice as 1st wheel. The 10lbs or so in heft (or lack thereof) makes a big diff & IME, 14x2.5" tire is just as comfy.

[Camp X]

On 3/18/2021 at 7:31 PM, Scottie888 said:

The TeslaV2 is a good choice as well but I'd argue the M5v2 is a better choice as 1st wheel. The 10lbs or so in heft (or lack thereof) makes a big diff & IME, 14x2.5" tire is just as comfy.

@Scottie888 as an owner of a Tesla V2 and MCM5v2, which one do you think is better for offroading? How would you recommend these against the KS 16S, V8F and V10F for first time (100+ kg) EUC riders? 

[mrelwood]

19 hours ago, Camp X said:

@Scottie888 as an owner of a Tesla V2 and MCM5v2, which one do you think is better for offroading? How would you recommend these against the KS 16S, V8F and V10F for first time (100+ kg) EUC riders? 

I wasn’t asked, but I’ll answer anyway.

Tesla and MCM5 are both very non-offroady wheel’s by heart, so choosing the better off-roader between them is not taking them up for what either one is good at.

 Being a 105kg rider myself, the V10F is the only one of the mentioned wheels I can honestly say I would feel confident with.

 The 16S has a great balance of size, weight and performance, but since it’s birth (2017) it has gone from a solid mid-sized performer to being on the larger side of the small wheels. V10F with it’s 2.5” tire has taken it’s place as the solid mid-sized performer.

V8F tries hard to fight with the 16S and the Tesla, but even without having only ridden the old V8, I can say that it’s in a different group. V8F seems to be the king of the truly compact wheels, while 16S and Tesla are large-compact champions. Tesla of course beats the 16S in speed and battery, but loses in lightness and comfort.

 The 16x2.125” tire size has been dead to me since the day I modified my 16S to fit a 16x2.5” tire. Still, the modified 16S is a small wheel for a guy my size. V10F is pretty much where I’d start if I was looking for my only wheel.

[EUC Sharkman]

I have a Tesla v2 as my first wheel (not counting my trainer Ninebot E+) and was able to swap in a 16 x 2.5" tire for that extra stability. Good wheel that you can learn with and grow into for speed up into the high 20 mph range, distance roughly in the 30 miles range, weighs less than 50 lbs and costs less than $1500.

 

If I were to honestly do it over, I saw some used MSX 84v 1600Wh pop up recently in the used market under $1500 range that I think I would have liked as my first wheel too.

[VikB]

I had a MTen3 pre-ordered as my first wheel then changed my mind and got a V10F. I thought the small wheel would be easier to get started on and perhaps it would have been, but I was riding my EUC on Day 1 so I am glad I have the bigger wheel or I'd be ordering my 2nd EUC already. I'm also not sure if the smaller wheel would have been easier to ride as there is a trade off between lightweight/ease of slow speed control vs. stability at higher speeds. 

This review ^^^ also got me worried about the durability of the Mten3 for my 185lbs + gear. Finally the lack of a trolley handle made me concerned it would be a hassle to use for errands.

I can't say for sure what life would have been like with the MTen3, but I am not sad I decided on the bigger wheel. I'm happy with the V10F and plan to ride it for this year and potentially get something with a bigger wheel/range for next year. Some people like the MTen3 as a stunt wheel and I can see that appeal, but I don't want to have to buy and take care of a herd of wheels so that's not enough of a use case for me.

Good luck on your EUC journey. Have fun. Stay safe! 

Edited April 1, 2021 by VikB

[mrelwood]

1 hour ago, VikB said:

I had a MTen3 pre-ordered as my first wheel then changed my mind and got a V10F.

You surely made the right choice! The Mten3 is a toy wheel compared. It’s an incredibly capable and stupendously fast for a toy, which make it a really really fun toy. But it’s still a toy, not a vehicle like the V10F.

For noodling around in the park or a parking lot, no wheel is as much fun as the Mten3. For traveling from A to B there hasn’t been a wheel being manufactured in years that would be less fun than the Mten3.

[VikB]

1 hour ago, mrelwood said:

You surely made the right choice! The Mten3 is a toy wheel compared. It’s an incredibly capable and stupendously fast for a toy, which make it a really really fun toy. But it’s still a toy, not a vehicle like the V10F.

For noodling around in the park or a parking lot, no wheel is as much fun as the Mten3. For traveling from A to B there hasn’t been a wheel being manufactured in years that would be less fun than the Mten3.

As a pre-newb looking at their first EUC it's very easy/tempting to think a lot about that Trying to Get on the Wheel Phase, which seems so daunting/important. The thing is that although an EUC is challenging to ride most people are rolling around in one to a few days and as soon as you are riding the wheel your needs/priorities change. So I understand my initial attraction to the MTen3, but I am glad I looked further down the road so to speak and got a more capable wheel.