KS16S upgrade to KS18XL or KS16X ?

[dani31]

Hi all !

I currently have a KS16S 840wh that I really like, and I'm thinking about changing the wheel to have more range and comfort, because sometimes I'd like to ride for longer, I can ride between 30 and 100km, but I can also use it for short rides on holidays on much shorter distances, I would also like a wheel that can easily run at the speed of a walker.

Sometimes I can ride on roads with a bit of gravel. I have read on a few places that the KS16X is less well protected against dust and water... I'm looking for a versatile wheel as I only want one.

I would like to stay with KingSong because I like this brand and I trust it.

I am hesitating between the KS16X and the KS18XL.

I weigh 57kg.

I would have liked a wheel that is easy to ride for someone of my weight.

Which one do you think would be best for me?

I'm aware that the new wheel will be 8kg heavier than the 16S, which is huge, so that's why I also wonder if the difference in terms of comfort will be really noticeable.

Thank you !

Daniel.

[dani31]

I forgot to mention that I am 1.67m tall

[Kurtosis]

I'm also upgrading from 16s but I'm waiting to see the V12 which might be a leap past either of the comparable KS wheels. 

[dani31]

Yes but from what I read the V12 will weigh 29kg, which is huge, and surely it will have suspensions, I'm not a fan of suspensions, I prefer to avoid mechanical parts on the wheel, because by experience I know that after a while noises will happen or adjustments to be made, and this is not for me

[Kurtosis]

V12 will not have suspension.

[jimjam.nyc]

2 hours ago, dani31 said:

Yes but from what I read the V12 will weigh 29kg, which is huge, and surely it will have suspensions, I'm not a fan of suspensions, I prefer to avoid mechanical parts on the wheel, because by experience I know that after a while noises will happen or adjustments to be made, and this is not for me

V12 won't have suspension. I have a 16x and really love the wheel. I feel like it may be a bit more fun than the 18xl. The 18xl is just a really tried and true wheel. It's a tough decision, but feel you can't really go wrong.

16x is a smaller wheel but Def more beefy than the 18xl. If that is a factor for you. It just is a bit wider and feels a bit more dense 

I am also waiting to see what v12 is, but I won't be getting rid of my 16x so quickly. I really enjoy it and am not so quick to move on from it. But I guess we will see.

[e_kjellgren]

I just ordered a 18XL after riding the 16S for many years.

Chose it over the 16X based on other discussions, and let's hope it's nice!

[dani31]

22 minutes ago, e_kjellgren said:

I just ordered a 18XL after riding the 16S for many years.

Chose it over the 16X based on other discussions, and let's hope it's nice!

Thank you for your intervention.

Can you explain why you chose the 18XL rather than the 16X?

What were the things that made you choose the 18XL?

[French KaMiKaZe needs helm]

Hello dani 
If you're going to use it more on city commute, choose the 16-X. Really good maneuverability.
If you prefer to use it on offroads & need a larger tire but with less reactivity, choose the 18.

With my brother we made our choice, the 16-X. We need sharp turns here in Paris.

This morning, obligatory King-song app update for the 16-x. 15 sec after the update, the wheel began biping really hard, then shouting the "warning your device is overcharging / overheating", motherboard went from 15°(C) to 40+
Motor went from 15° to 95+
I don't know what went wrong, it was only charged around 63%
With my bro' we put it on the balcony waiting for it to cool down, and since then, we can switch it on, but the motor doesn't operate anymore.

-------------
Salut Dani'
Mon frère a eu le même dilemme, et a choisi la 16-x. On vit à Paris, et ici on a plus besoin de réactivité que de batterie. Le pneu très courbé permet de prendre des virages extrêmement serrés, et dans certains cas très dangereux, c'est très utile pour faire une esquive.
Apparemment, niveau résistance à l'eau et à la poussière, c'est quand-même correct !

Elle n'a qu'un mois mais on l'adore déjà.
Enfin petit problème ce matin, mise à jour logicielle officielle King-song.
15s après la mise à jour, bip bip bip bip be carefull, overcharging, la carte mère est passée de 15° à 40, le moteur de 15° à 100.

Donc on l'a foutue dehors sur le balcon le temps qu'elle refroidisse, puis mise hors tension. Depuis, on peut l'allumer mais le moteur ne fonctionne plus.
Y à-t'il un fusible qui a crâmé pour protéger la carte mère ? ou pas de fusible et la carte / le capteur du gyro est mort. Voire la très haute température du moteur a démagnétisé les aimants ? Qui sait x)
Demain on ira à la boutique. 

Enfin bref j'espère ne pas te donner une mauvaise image, c'est une excellente roue.

[dani31]

Hi and thanks for your reply French Kamikaze,

I have to admit that the waterproofing problem worries me, plus apparently the 16X is sensitive to Wobble.

The 18XL is very well designed for waterproofing, and it is safe, there are very few problems found on this wheel.

I've read that it's very easy to drive for an 18"...

---------------

Salut et merci pour ta réponse French Kamikaze,

J'avoue que le problème d'étanchéité m'inquiète, en plus apparemment la 16X serait sensible au Wobble.

La 18XL est très bien conçu niveau étanchéité, et elle est sure, il y a très peu de problèmes remontés sur cette roue.

Par contre j'avais lu qu'elle se conduisait très facilement pour une 18 pouces...

[Fer9001]

I use the 16S for City comuting 3 years now. In my town the potholes are frequently on the road and i like to have some biger wheel and the convinience to ocasionaly  ramp up more than the 35Kmh. Also long time proven relaible tested now is the 18XL and still keeping the same multimedia characteristics of the smaller 16s. So 18XL with 18" is a safe choice for me.

[Mossi]

I ride my 18 xl for two years now and put over 12.000 km on it. I use it for commuting and for long offroad rides, basically everything. The only issue I had was a broken inner shell. Changed it to the white one (still black outside) because it's less brillte. Today I changed all screws holding the outer shell because they are really crap and become round. On two screws I hat to cut a new thread and another broke off. But other then that it is a great wheel and I can confirm water proofing is absolutely fantastic. I ride my wheel in heavy rainstorms in summer or during winter when we have rain every day for month. After 12.000 km there is still no sign of water ingress.

[null]

1 hour ago, Mossi said:

After 12.000 km there is still no sign of water ingress.

Only 7000 here, but no ingress, and when you look at the design it is done so that if water got in, it would flow out through the openings under the trolley sliders. The 18XL is probably not the most fun wheel around, but it is a solid and handy general use EUC with great range.

Edited April 15, 2021 by null

[Hangman]

11 hours ago, dani31 said:

Thank you for your intervention.

Can you explain why you chose the 18XL rather than the 16X?

What were the things that made you choose the 18XL?

I recently ordered the 16X.  Just received it yesterday afternoon!  After all the research I had done on the two wheels (18XL & 16X), for me it came down to looks.  Everything else about these two wheels is minuscule.  The 18XL debuted first about two & a half years ago.  The 16X just under two years ago.  KS has done some updating with the 16X & my understanding is the water & dust ingress is no longer an issue.  It's hard to verify this though as most reviewers aren't doing a two year old new-wheel review.

The tire on the 16X measures more around 43.8cm & not the 41cm listed from the research I'd done so really, there's not much difference in the circumference of the tire & the only width between the two wheels is 1.27cm.  The 18XL does have the longevity of a tried & true wheel though where the 16X is from a new design KS wanted to try.

They are the same height, same weight, same ... almost everything.  Like I said, it came down to looks for me.  I like the look of the 16X better.  I really don't like the headlight/taillight combo on the front & back on the 18XL but that's me.

[.....]

3 hours ago, Mossi said:

I ride my 18 xl for two years now and put over 12.000 km on it. I use it for commuting and for long offroad rides, basically everything. The only issue I had was a broken inner shell. Changed it to the white one (still black outside) because it's less brillte. Today I changed all screws holding the outer shell because they are really crap and become round. On two screws I hat to cut a new thread and another broke off. But other then that it is a great wheel and I can confirm water proofing is absolutely fantastic. I ride my wheel in heavy rainstorms in summer or during winter when we have rain every day for month. After 12.000 km there is still no sign of water ingress.

I think the brittle black shells were reformulated on the newer models of 18XL. I have an 18L and made sure to get white, as that was back when it was an issue.

I am finding the 18l/xl size and format to just be a great all around wheel. Its not a very wide wheel and is very easy to trolley. It speaks of refinement to me. Damn fine choice fora  wheel if you could have only one. I haer the 16x is a great wheel too. I would think the wider tire and smaller format would lend itself to a little more offroad flavor. Take my ideals of what the 16x is, witha  grain of salt. I really would like to try one, but i really couldnt fathom finding it more reliable, more all purpose and more comfy than my current favorite of all time, the 18L. When it dies, Im grabbing an 18XL. Unless of course, the v12 proves to be a great wheel for at least a year or two... No beta testing for me thanks, I've already had my fill of that. Suspension done right will be nice I'm sure, but the simplicity of the 18L/XL done right, is already here, proven, affordable and well.... Im in love.

Edited April 15, 2021 by ShanesPlanet

[Tawpie]

tl;dr The 16X has outgrown its early issues with water resistance

As is true with almost all wheels, early batches of the 16X had issues and one that got a lot of airtime was water getting into the power switch. KS has added a copious helping of the white goober stuff since then and I at least, can attest to the wheel's weather resistance. I've ridden a few times in light rain (very unpleasant with rain on my face and glasses), a lot after the rain, on icy roads and in the snow—I let the wheel dry on its stand and haven't had any sign of water inside the wheel. I am reluctant to ride in a steady/heavy rainstorm, but that's because of my weather preferences, not the wheel's. I wouldn't volunteer to go sailing in the rain for the same reason.

Do get a Roll.nz cover though. It really does slow the rain down and I believe it keeps it from getting in through the shell seams.

oh. at 57kg you'll find either wheel has delightful acceleration. I'm a shade lighter than you and can scare myself if I lean on it (no pads either).

Edited April 15, 2021 by Tawpie

[dani31]

Thank you guys.

I like to do small accelerations, the KS16S gives a good little feeling.

Is the 18XL fun like the 16S?

I think the 16X will always have a bad seal, for me it's a design issue, I'm also afraid that moisture will get in more than on the 18XL and damage the batteries, I store my wheel in my garage.

[mrelwood]

9 hours ago, dani31 said:

I like to do small accelerations, the KS16S gives a good little feeling.

Acceleration is all about the tire diameter. If you don’t think you’d become to like a slower acceleration, you might want to avoid 18” wheels altogether.

Then again, you won’t know how you feel about the different riding style until you ride a new wheel for a few batteryfuls! Expecting a new wheel to be similar to your old one is doomed to disappoint. You’ll grow into any modern wheel really.

9 hours ago, dani31 said:

Is the 18XL fun like the 16S?

No, it’s a very different ride. 16X has more of the immediate acceleration response you seem to like in the 16S. But for me, “fun” is a stable wheel, so the 16X is not for me.

9 hours ago, dani31 said:

I think the 16X will always have a bad seal, for me it's a design issue, I'm also afraid that moisture will get in more than on the 18XL and damage the batteries, I store my wheel in my garage.

I’m not sure it’s the batteries that would damage first, they are after all sealed packages. But while the main board is somewhat protected by being on top, the top cavity isn’t protected in any way, and the routes to the lower shell (and the sealing issues) are really wide.

[Tawpie]

11 hours ago, dani31 said:

I think the 16X will always have a bad seal, for me it's a design issue

Since this is what you believe (I happen to disagree, but that doesn't matter if you don't trust it), you should go for the 18XL!

[jimjam.nyc]

16 hours ago, dani31 said:

I think the 16X will always have a bad seal, for me it's a design issue, I'm also afraid that moisture will get in more than on the 18XL and damage the batteries, I store my wheel in my garage.

I have been riding a 16x for a little over a year now. Rain (not heavy), and snow over this winter have not caused any issues. 

You have to trust whatever wheel you buy and since you don't trust this one, I would probably avoid it. 

But I have to say if you buy from a trust worthy vendor, ask them some of these questions. These wheels change over every batch, and speaking to your vendor should answer any concerns you may have with the most up to date info on the models you are looking at.

 

[Meserias]

I own 18XL and I still love comfort and stability of this wheel
now it has more that 6600 km on it and I can also tell you that I have absolutely zero issues with it.

It's narrower than 16X on the top side and this makes it very comfortable wheel for long rides.
It was my first learning wheel (!) and now it's ridden mostly by my wife, and she loves it.

if you choose 18XL make sure you will buy it with large pedals installed.
or put some NyloNove pedals on it.

 

at your weight 18XL it will go more than 120Km per one charge !!!!!
(that's something)

Buy ONLY new if possible,  make sure vehicle serial number doesn't have "P" letter in it.
and make sure it has a white inner shell (you can check this around pedal hangers)
 

Edited April 20, 2021 by Meserias

[Crooznfbroozn]

To me the 18XL is a 'cruiser' type wheel; solid, immovable, boring - perfect if you just need to go from A to B with as little fuss as possible. 16X is zippier, manoeuvrable, feisty.

As far as build goes, my 16X has done some pretty bad tumbles and what breaks for me so far are: the mudflap, the body/shell connectors (which can be taken out and replaced). The connectors have a sharp side to them that pokes into the battery, so I cut off the sharp corner and put some padding in between. (the padding is done factory standard but it still pokes too much)

(btw, opening the thing up and servicing is a breeze compared to my inmotion wheels - the price you pay for water proofing?)

Given the shell has quite a bit of give as its soft plastic, it doesnt crack; downside is you can push the body against the tire doing one legged riding etc. (to me, still a positive all in all)

And water proofing, well, there is sealing put in to make things better; but the shell is screwed against the body without any overlapping materials to stop ingress. You can peer through the cracks between the body/shell easily. I offset this with the NZ cover + sealing tape (in winter only). Biggest problem that is left is the handle, the way it goes into the body creates wells where water will naturally collect/drip into. I had a funny lift sensor for a few days after water got in - letting everything dry got it to work again.

All in all, it is a design flaw that needs to be factored in and mitigated. I wouldn't trust it in heavy rain, but not worried when it starts drizzling either. (been driving in heavy snow etc)

For my purposes, the 16X is a great wheel!

 

[Singasong]

I have both, they're totally different animals. 18xl is awesome for light trails and fast aggressive carving. It's stable at speed and has better speakers, you can really lean it over on pavement but the 18" wheel makes tight turns and tricks a bit tougher than the 16x. But the pedals are too low for real trail riding and the tire is too narrow. The 16x is much better suited for MTN bike style trails, jumps, and tight turns. It has almost an inch more pedal clearance, and a half inch wider tire. Both these make massive difference in the technical stuff. You can really lean the 16x over too and both can be adjusted to cut out at 70 degrees tilt! Also, the 16x is much twitchier and sketchy at speed, so it's best suited for the tough stuff. 16x is also a better trick machine as the 16" wheel is easier to whip around. Plus it accelerates a bit faster too, and feels more powerful all around. I prefer the 16x as speed is becoming less important to me nowadays, but both are really fun

[.....]

11 minutes ago, Singasong said:

I have both, they're totally different animals. 18xl is awesome for light trails and fast aggressive carving. It's stable at speed and has better speakers, you can really lean it over on pavement but the 18" wheel makes tight turns and tricks a bit tougher than the 16x. But the pedals are too low for real trail riding and the tire is too narrow. The 16x is much better suited for MTN bike style trails, jumps, and tight turns. It has almost an inch more pedal clearance, and a half inch wider tire. Both these make massive difference in the technical stuff. You can really lean the 16x over too and both can be adjusted to cut out at 70 degrees tilt! Also, the 16x is much twitchier and sketchy at speed, so it's best suited for the tough stuff. 16x is also a better trick machine as the 16" wheel is easier to whip around. Plus it accelerates a bit faster too, and feels more powerful all around. I prefer the 16x as speed is becoming less important to me nowadays, but both are really fun

EXACTLY! Well said.