Short and heavy

[Blacksword]

So I am shorter, 5'6" on a good day with a 29" inseam. I probably weigh close to 230lbs.

I m a complete beginner. I need a EUC that is easy to learn on for my height but one that can handle my weight and not struggle on hills or at distance.

Budget is not limited as I am selling a few things to finance the wheel.

Can anyone suggest an EUC suitable for me and anyone been in the same height/ weight position as a learner, what has your experience been?

 

 

[mrelwood]

I’ma tall guy so I might not be able to consider all aspects that affect your riding experience, but two things seems clear to me: you need a powerful wheel that is not very tall or wide, at least at the top. That drops Nikola and possibly the 18XL as well from the list.

18” wheels require more effort to overlean already due to physics and geometry. The most powerful wheels also tend to be 18” due to unparalleled stability at speed. Therefore I’d recommend an 18” wheel for you. The MSX/MSP/RS shell design is quite low above the pedals, so it won’t be in the way as much as the Nikola and 18XL I mentioned above.

 Other 18” wheels: V11 pedals are probably high enough to be a problem, S18 usually requires several hours of work to get the suspension functional and it’s underpowered, and EX/EX.N seem very large.

 Besides the MSX or its descendants, Veteran Sherman might even be the best bet for you. It has a huge battery, tons of power, and a ridiculously high top speed. If I’ve understood correctly, it’s starting to have it’s growing pains fixed by now, so it should be a safe choice.

But it is really, I mean REALLY heavy.

[RockyTop]

I agree with @mrelwood except I don’t think that the 18xl should be off the table. It is taller however the pedals are a bit higher too. The wheel is narrow at the top making it easier to move around beneath you. My wife and daughters are under 5’6” and love the wheel. My favorite thing I like about the wheel is that it is rugged and has the strongest pedals on the market. 

[Scottie]

2 hours ago, RockyTop said:

My favorite thing I like about the wheel is that it is rugged and has the strongest pedals on the market. 

And when the pedals are folded up, they make excellent grab handles to lift and manipulate the wheel while on its side ... such as when putting it in a car trunk. 

Edited May 3, 2021 by Scottie

[Scottie]

7 hours ago, Blacksword said:

Can anyone suggest an EUC suitable for me and anyone been in the same height/ weight position as a learner, what has your experience been?

I am 6 feet tall and 240 pounds, so I cannot answer your question ... sorry. But this is leading somewhere. I am probably somewhere in the middle of the range height-wise; and somewhere in the upper range weight-wise. One of the things that rolls through my mind when I am riding is the dynamics. What would this wheel feel like for me if I were taller, shorter, lighter, heavier, had a lighter upper body and heavier legs (vice-versa), etc.?? Our bodies are the biggest part of the combined traveling package and seems like that fact would have a tremendous effect on the riding experience.

 

3 hours ago, mrelwood said:

18” wheels require more effort to overlean already due to physics and geometry. The most powerful wheels also tend to be 18” due to unparalleled stability at speed. Therefore I’d recommend an 18” wheel for you. The MSX/MSP/RS shell design is quite low above the pedals, so it won’t be in the way as much as the Nikola and 18XL I mentioned above.

 

@Blacksword To give you a sense of the wheel differences, watch Young Brandon, a riding sensation on the Pacific side of the USA. I would guess he is still under 5 feet tall, maybe 4 feet and a half, or so. He is riding the MSX/MSP/RS (the shorter boxy one with the bigger 18" wheel) and the Nikola (bigger round one with the smaller 16" wheel), so you can see how they both fit him in relation to each other. The Nikola takes up almost all the space between his legs. He seems to manage both wheels like a champ! ... probably because he is a champ!     

 

The Nikola will easily handle your weight. The 16 inch wheel models accelerate and climb with less lean effort due to the easier to access torque of a smaller diameter wheel. Usually, power pads are not as much of a requirement for 16 inch wheels like they are for 18 inch wheels. More aggressive, trickster riders still opt for pads on 16 inch wheels because they want to get the most from the wheel. 

 

 

 

 

[Rich Sam]

My personal suggestion is that anyone over 200 lbs and strongly suggest anyone over 220 lbs invest in a wheel with > 2000 watts nominal power.  That limits the field a bit.  Its a safety thing.  Sure smaller wheels could support you in the best of conditions but when you hit that bump traveling 15-20 mph you need to know you have reserve power to keep you up.

 

V11 is a high step up as mrelwood pointed out.  I have trouble at 5'10".  This was my first wheel and I love it dearly. I have 400+ miles on it and still mount like a newb LoL.

Nikola I know folks who ride and they love that wheel, it would do you well as well as  scottie pionted out

Sherman heavy, pedals low should work as well. [I have one on order myself]

Alot of folks get 16x as their first wheel.

 

Edited May 3, 2021 by Rich Sam

[mrelwood]

17 hours ago, RockyTop said:

I agree with @mrelwood except I don’t think that the 18xl should be off the table.

You are probably right. The small issue I have with the 18XL is probably more due to the shape of my own legs (the natural sideways bow of my knees) than an actual issue with the wheel geometry.

If I stand relaxed and put my feet together, the first part that touches are my knees. We actually just talked about this in the group ride in Sunday, as one guy could fit a fist between his knees as his ankles touch first.

 If the 18XL pedals reached just a bit further away from the shell, I’d have zero issues with the geometry. So if the op’s knees are not bowed inside, the 18XL could indeed be a great choice. It has after all been the #1 blanket recommendation for several years already, for very good reasons.

[Scottie]

30 minutes ago, mrelwood said:

If I stand relaxed and put my feet together, the first part that touches are my knees.

My knees also touch the 18XL body a little sooner than I would like, but not too bad. And during some riding conditions I like that it happens that way, and sometimes I wish for a little more room there for better tilt steering at slower speeds.

We are all built differently, in many ways. Finding the perfect wheel is something similar to being fitted for a suit, or finally finding that perfect pair of blue jeans.

[Blacksword]

Thank you for all the recommendations. I had a few recommendations for a King song 16x any thoughts on that model as well?

[mrelwood]

16X is a nice wheel up until 40km/h or so, after which the power reserve becomes too narrow. If you have enough self constraint to keep the top speed limit at 40km/h, it should be a good wheel.

Hope you don’t mind all the KS connection beeps though...