KingSong S18 Progressive Review

[Ek.]

I have now hit 50km total distance on my S18 which seems to be a generally-agreed minimum distance before anyone is allowed a proper opinion on any given EUC model. So, it's time to start my review!

"Start", because as demonstrated by Speedy Feet and other well-known contributors to this canon, a good EUC review is an ongoing progressive discussion. I hope this helps other new S18 owners determine what might be a kind of "normal" when first trying the wheel, and later what developments they can expect as they get used to it.

Background

I have come from a KS14D which is quite a leap in size and power. I also have an Mten3. I have briefly ridden KS16x, IM V11, GW RS as well. Most of my initial impressions are as compared with the 14D. I have always ridden with a Roll.nz bodyguard on.

Initial thoughts

50km isn't much, so these are half-formed thoughts collected together haphazardly to form my initial impressions.

• My wheel has only been charged once (by the retailer) and after 50.08km I now have 47% battery remaining as reported by EUC World. I will leave it to the reader to interpret this. Riding weight ~72kg. Very low average speed (compared to users who share their riding habits online, not compared to my own usual average speed).
• It's very wide. Even relative to its own footplates. My two smallest toes hang off the sides of the pedals as much as my largest toes are off the front (the latter is pretty normal). Sideways force due to the leverage of legs on sidepads causes the feet to slip more, to the extent where I could not ride safely with the little foam things that come on the pedals to protect the shell from the grip tape. I am gradually getting used to it, but still haven't found a perfect default foot position (normal adjustments notwithstanding).
• On balance, I like the 'Kuji' pads (i.e. the ergonomics). I find riding up steep hills very easy due to being able to push on the shell with my shins. I also find the 'heel bump' cutouts for the feet give extra control when the situation gets shaky. I haven't tried jumping up a curb yet but I intend to. The top pads that make contact with the inner knee/shin are perhaps not the most comfortable, but I notice this less the more I ride.
• The wheel feels heavy when mounting, dismounting and holding with one foot. I think the centre of gravity is a lot higher than I'm used to. It also feels a bit out of control going down hill due to the weight and momentum. In fact, downhill is downright scary! Having said that, it's a manageable weight in a lifestyle sense. I can lift it over the sides of my (old) truck, but I wouldn't want to carry it as a dead weight any distance.
• Although the trolley handle takes getting used to with the lift-disengage half-stop thing going on, I actually quite like this feature. Many people disable it but I think I'll keep it. I don't find myself unable to catch the wheel with the handle all the way down. I do wish the release button was a bit less finikity (sp?) though. Always press in the middle...
• I think I probably have a bit too much air in the top chamber of the suspension at 200psi (iirc) but I want to get used to how it feels before making changes too often. It's awesome at handling driveway curbs and I can drop down off the footpath no problem, which I have never been brave enough to do on any other wheel. Smaller frequent road surface bumps are not dampened all that much with my current settings. I will continue to experiment.

I think that will do for now. Once I have collected some more k's and some more observations I will post again.

Edit: one more thing! With a fairly wide tyre it definitely wants to ride perpendicular to the surface. This results in pressing on one leg or other depending on the road camber, and also, like the Mten3, requires a somewhat relaxed sideways control of the wheel or you end up being chucked in all directions when the surface is undulated. This can be an unpleasant surprise if you're not ready for it.

Edited August 2, 2021 by Ek.

[The Fat Unicyclist]

2 hours ago, Ek. said:

The wheel feels heavy when mounting, dismounting and holding with one foot. I think the centre of gravity is a lot higher than I'm used to.

Definitely... and obviously, the pedals need to be higher to allow for compression (without compromising pedal clearance).

Over the last couple of weeks, what I have found useful (for both the S18 and V11) is to change the way I mount... I push off and step up like normal, but I also "bounce" at the start, pushing downward significantly as I start moving and lift my second foot. This noticeably increases the compression of the suspension  as I lift (my Fat Unicyclist ass) upward, dropping the pedal to a "normal" height, making the progression much smoother...

[Tawpie]

Adding studs to your pedals will really help with the feeling that your feet might slip sideways. They really should be standard equipment. I've tried several options: studded grip tape ($35) is still on my 16x, and Chaput baby bumps on my MTen ($100, purchased before the wheel arrived because of how much better the 16x felt with studded pedals and the overall feistiness of the little fella). I'm totally happy with both but am waiting on Hextech's for the 16x because they 'look cool' and should shed mud. The Koffler studded grip tape sheds snow like a champ, but does collect mud.

[Ek.]

On 8/2/2021 at 7:47 PM, The Fat Unicyclist said:

Definitely... and obviously, the pedals need to be higher to allow for compression (without compromising pedal clearance).

Over the last couple of weeks, what I have found useful (for both the S18 and V11) is to change the way I mount... 

Exactly, I definitely expected a difference in mounting with the higher pedals. I wasn't expecting the wheel to want to fall over more, though I guess it's a fulcrum/leverage thing. I think, though, despite the pedals being higher there is still more relative weight *above* the pedals which also adds to the difficulty of holding it upright with one foot once it's started tipping.

On 8/3/2021 at 4:53 AM, Tawpie said:

Adding studs to your pedals will really help with the feeling that your feet might slip sideways. They really should be standard equipment. 

I have my eye on the Nylonove pedals as they are studded, hex-holed and also look a bit wider at the front. Not sure if I can get them in NZ though...

[fbhb]

1 hour ago, Ek. said:

I have my eye on the Nylonove pedals as they are studded, hex-holed and also look a bit wider at the front. Not sure if I can get them in NZ though...

The NyloNove pedals can be ordered from NZ (I got a pair of XL's for the Sherman several months back), but the online outlet for them Hulaj Market in Poland presents a bit of a challenge to find them in stock KingSong S18 (hulaj.market)

Another thing you can try if you are dead set on getting the NyloNove for your S18, is to PM Paweł Gutkowski, the manufacturer, on Facebook and ask if he will alert you as soon as Hulaj have them back in stock. Be warned though, that stocks of All the popular NyloNove pedals tend to sell out within 1 hour or so of customers being alerted of their availability at Hulaj market.

The wait to get a hold of a pair of these pedals can be long and drawn out, but the very high quality of manufacture and the massive improvement in grip more than makes up for the drama.

Good Luck.

Edited August 4, 2021 by fbhb

[Ek.]

@fbhb thanks for the advice! 

[.....]

19 minutes ago, fbhb said:

The NyloNove pedals can be ordered from NZ (I got a pair of XL's for the Sherman several months back), but the online outlet for them Hulaj Market in Poland presents a bit of a challenge to find them in stock KingSong S18 (hulaj.market)

Another thing you can try if you are dead set on getting the NyloNove for your S18, is to PM Paweł Gutkowski, the manufacturer, on Facebook and ask if he will alert you as soon as Hulaj have them back in stock. Be warned though, that stocks of All the popular NyloNove pedals tend to sell out within 1 hour or so of customers being alerted of their availability at Hulaj market.

The wait to get a hold of a pair of these pedals can be long and drawn out, but the very high quality of manufacture and the massive improvement in grip more than makes up for the drama.

Good Luck.

Yup, yup and yup. If you have patience of a saint, wallet of a doctor and desire like a crackhead, you'll do just fine with ordering the nylonove. They are simply outstanding quality and really do make it obvious how 'mediocre' the build of an euc is, in compare. If you want some pedals BEFORE your wheel is half worn out, I suggest looking elsewhere. If you simply have to have the best... they are the answer.

Edited August 4, 2021 by ShanesPlanet

[Ek.]

So I posted to the Nylonove thread in the mods and parts forum because I was very surprised to find that I've had exactly the opposite experience ordering Nylonove pedals (except a couple of months waiting for them to be in stock). They're not here yet, just held up in Auckland (which is in lockdown) so maybe I'm speaking too soon.

Anyway, I wanted to add to my progressive review some thoughts about offroading now that I have reached something like 180km on the S18, including trails. The other day @That Guy and I rode an actual mountain bike trail, so I'm talking about both flatish nice offroad trails as well as "proper" offorad. It was green grade, if that makes a difference to anyone, so not an expert trail by any means, but uphill, a bit rocky and with plenty of switchbacks.

I can now compare both kinds of offroading on the S18 with my experiences on the same trails with the 14D.

Gentle trails

One of the main reasons I wanted to buy the S18 is because there are some amazing scenic trails in my area and I could only manage shorter trips on the 14D before fatigue sent me home. These are unpaved but mostly well-tended trails, and the S18 is totally at home in this environment. Less twitchy than the 14D and of course with the suspension ironing out bumps, I feel I could ride all day without a rest. I am still to have an opportunity to do more than about 10km in this environment on the S18 whereas I did about a 20km trip on the 14D, so watch this space. Note: my longest trip ever on a wheel was 30km on the S18 on paved paths.

MTB trails

Different story. Yes, the suspension is very helpful. Especially on the way down. Pedal clearance also a big plus. However, on this kind of trail I go much slower so the stability gains of the larger wheel at higher speeds are reversed on this kind of trail. In other words, the manoeuvrability and ease of control at slow speeds of the 14D was an advantage over the S18 in this environment. Having said that, the only obstacle that I failed at on the S18 having achieved it on the 14D was a very sharp "loop turn" (I did not try to loop on either occasion, just took the corner sharply). The 14D did it but I dropped the S18. I think with a bit more training on the S18 I will get both faster and stronger, making the S18 the overall better wheel for offroading. In the mean time I recommend a smaller (even 16") wheel for those thinking of tacking terrain like this for the very first time. I think the V12 might be perfect because of the high pedals. @That Guy could comment on how the 16X faired.