Has anyone gone from Ninebot S2 to Gotway Mten3?

[RooEUC]

I own the Ninebot S2 (with the 30kph speed hack) and have been riding it for several years.  It has never let me down.  But it has no trolley handle and carrying it in the EUC backpack thing I have is not very comfortable after about 20 minutes.  It's also a chore to get it into the backpack thing and secure the straps.  Carrying it by the handle is something I can manage for only 3-5 minutes before needing to rest my wrist. 

I am thinking about switching to the Mten3, mainly because it's smaller, lighter and fits in an ordinary backpack.  It weighs 5lbs less and has a lot more range, speed and power.  But I don't know if I'll like the little 10" wheel.  And I don't know if carrying a 22lb EUC in a backpack for 45 minutes will be all that much more comfortable than carrying the 27lb Ninebot on my back.

So I am wondering if anyone who has owned both can tell me what their experience of switching has been like and if anyone who carries the Mten3 in a backpack regularly can share their experience.

Edited February 16, 2022 by RooMiniPro

[Tawpie]

i don't qualify... never owned an S2 and don't carry my MTen in a backpack. But you can get an aftermarket trolley handle rig for the MTen... I don't have that either, but it's an option. Although, if you put the trolley handle on it might not fit in a backpack anymore.

Not much help, right?

[RooEUC]

2 minutes ago, Tawpie said:

i don't qualify... never owned an S2 and don't carry my MTen in a backpack. But you can get an aftermarket trolley handle rig for the MTen... I don't have that either, but it's an option. Although, if you put the trolley handle on it might not fit in a backpack anymore.

Not much help, right?

You know what?  I appreciate that you tried.  I don't suppose you came to the Mten3 after owning a 14-16" wheel similar to the S2?  Like the Inmotion wheels?

[Tawpie]

Got there from a KingSong 16X... wanted something teenie to goof around on, learn backwards etc. The 16" is for going places, the MTen is for putzing around the neighborhood picking up litter. I'll probably start tossing it in the trunk of the car just to have something along. The 16" with all my riding gear takes half the trunk, MTen gear load out can be reduced to skater gear cuz I just don't go fast on it.

Edited February 16, 2022 by Tawpie

[pico]

59 minutes ago, RooMiniPro said:

anyone who has owned both can tell me what their experience of switching

Both are uncomfortable to carry in a backpack for more than 30 minutes(at least for me at 6' 170lbs). 

The S2 is large for a backpack but the Mten digs all the weight in a very small area of your back.

The S2 you can take easily take one battery out to make it even lighter! (becomes a S1)

They really are two quite different beasts to ride.

The forte of the Mten3 is the compact form factor and ease for someone that wants to learn to ride backwards. It is also a fun wheel just to put-put around and do super tight turns. Very uncomfortable to ride single legged. Super fast acceleration.

The S2 is easier to ride once you put the VERY comfortable Ninebot pads. Great for single leg riding and other tricks.

Hope this helps.

I wish they manufactured an 8kg  12inch 35km/h  25Km range Wheel with a good integrated trolley!

Edited February 16, 2022 by pico

[.....]

1 hour ago, RooMiniPro said:

You know what?  I appreciate that you tried.  I don't suppose you came to the Mten3 after owning a 14-16" wheel similar to the S2?  Like the Inmotion wheels?

I can't help much, but I can say that the mten carries okay in a backpack. Youll need add some foam to keep it from digging at the pedal hangers tho. Its as you would suspect 22ish lbs would feel. Not a big deal, but not fun for over 30 minutes. Carrying the mten by the handle is a 3-5minute ordeal at best. Again, its still 22lbs and its also a hard plastic cutout. I wrapped my handle with cord for a bit and it helped. Eventaully I gave up and simply don't carry it much. If i need to carry it, I'll ride it. There's no high rise buildings to stair step around here. I treat the mten like I would a skateboard. If I do plan on going where it would need carried into shops and such, I'd just invest in a decent backpack and a pillow or foam sheet as insert between the wheel and my back.

I don't know anything about the s2. It does sound to me like its not that much an upgrade, and perhaps a crossgrade. I did try a ks14M once, and it was too small to be much a travel wheel, but too large to be an easy tote.

Edited February 16, 2022 by ShanesPlanet

[Boris Lämpel]

I owned both. The Mten is better to carry. But I do not like how it rides. It rides much different than the S2. Like a scooter with just one wheel🙈. So in my opinion it is less fun but still of goos use.

I would prefer e.g. the inmotion v5f: the size is the same like the s2, it is a bit metter to carry and You have a good sized trolley. But You are much slower and that is definitely noticable...

[RooEUC]

Thanks for the replies, everyone.  Now I am having some doubts about switching to the Mten3.  I really like my upgraded S2 for recreational riding but as a means of transport it's limiting because it can't easily be carried when I get to my destination.  So my only real reason for thinking about the Mten3 is for carrying capabilities.  I have a dream of riding along the 8km path beside the river to reach the city, then putting the wheel in my backpack and walking around the streets doing street photography, then riding back along by the river again.  I would also love to be able to ride to other places, like stores and the mall, then walk around once I get there.  With the S2 this is not practical. 

[Paul A]

Maybe trolley the wheel at destination to carry out street photography, rather than trying to carry a wheel?

Compactness of an EUC allows access to shops, public transport, pedestrian access privileges....

Trolley dispenses the need to carry it....

Weight is of no real consequence until it needs to be lifted/carried......so don't carry it.

[Tawpie]

You're in kind of a tough spot... anything that can get you very far isn't going to be a whole lot of fun to carry. I don't use the MTen for "going places" because I'm tempted to go too fast when I have a destination to get to—it's not that it can't go fast or that far because it certainly can. You just don't want to go "as fast", 25 kph outbound, 20 on the return? On a 16 km journey, an 84V would be fine doing 25 kph both ways (I'd still go a bit slower, but I've been bitten by pushing my MTen too fast). Once you get to town, the MTen is superior at very slow paces (walking speed and slower) so you could easily continue riding. That's what I mean by "putzing"! Photography might be challenging though, the MTen is grab and go so you can't ignore it for long and expect it to be where you left it.

I hope you find a solution! I rode a kick scooter for years as a literal last mile commuter into the city and it was great. Jogging speed with walking effort. It was very portable (still not backpack able though) and enough fun to ride it made up for the hassle of hand carrying it around. Trolleying an EUC is easier than carrying a kick scooter!

You could always bring a bike lock and lock it to a bike rack while you're on foot... befriend a merchant and maybe they'd keep it behind the counter?

Edited February 16, 2022 by Tawpie

[Paul A]

Libraries sometimes have large lockers.

Art galleries/casinos sometimes have a cloakroom.

Membership of a club may provide access to safe, secure storage.

 

[RooEUC]

3 hours ago, Paul A said:

Maybe trolley the wheel at destination to carry out street photography, rather than trying to carry a wheel?

Compactness of an EUC allows access to shops, public transport, pedestrian access privileges....

Trolley dispenses the need to carry it....

Weight is of no real consequence until it needs to be lifted/carried......so don't carry it.

Photography is a two handed thing.  I do like the idea of a wheel with a trolley handle, but that uses up one hand.  I much prefer the idea of being able to carry the wheel on my back.  To me that feels like total freedom to go anywhere I want.  I have carried the 27.3lb S2 on my back for 45 minute sessions walking my dog around a lake and it was good for fitness, but the shoulder straps dug in and became painful.  I have tried adding 22lbs of weight-lifting discs to a backpack and walking around the house.  I think it's doable.  Another advantage is that it draws no attention, compared to pushing a thousand dollar self-balancing wheel around the streets. 

But going from 14" down to 10" is a worry. It will be my only wheel as I'm someone who only likes to own what I need to own and not a lot more.  I used to have a MiniPro which had 10" tyres and the rougher roads and bumps were certainly more jarring and risky than on the 14" S2.  I will be using the Mten3 for my weekly 17km recreational rides on tarmac through the park and it would be a pity if it turns out to be an uncomfortable experience.   

3 hours ago, Tawpie said:

You're in kind of a tough spot... anything that can get you very far isn't going to be a whole lot of fun to carry.

Yes, this is the conundrum.  And the Mten3 is seemingly the only option there is. 

[RooEUC]

This guy was super negative about the Mten3, especially in his replies to commenters. 

 

[.....]

This guy really likes the mten. Opinions vary

*language warning as usual*

Edited February 16, 2022 by ShanesPlanet

[RooEUC]

Does anyone know what the smaller battery version weighs?

[.....]

22 minutes ago, RooMiniPro said:

Does anyone know what the smaller battery version weighs?

mten3 67v 420ah nikola pedals and rollNZ cover.

24.62lbs dry. 19" tall, 12" long, 9" wide (pedals folded)

They dont make the small 67v anymore. I bought mine 2 yrs ago for under $500 new. The good ole days when they werent WAY overpriced. I think its 84v now. Dimensions are likely the same, I dont know about weight. Price has also gone from a steal of a deal to barely tolerable imho.

Edited February 16, 2022 by ShanesPlanet

[pico]

2 hours ago, RooMiniPro said:

this is the conundrum

I really know what you are talking about. Sometimes you don't want the attention on your EUC.

Here is the S2 in a backpack in Mexico. Ten minutes before I was doing tricks in a park.

I have been planning to make a better Carbon Fiber based Mten3 with locally available Lipo drone batteries for over three years. Unfortunately as I am getting older, I am also getting lazier...

[.....]

3 minutes ago, pico said:

I really know what you are talking about. Sometimes you don't want the attention on your EUC.

Here is the S2 in a backpack in Mexico. Ten minutes before I was doing tricks in a park.

I have been planning to make a better Carbon Fiber based Mten3 with locally available Lipo drone batteries for over three years. Unfortunately as I am getting older, I am also getting lazier...

Too many fingers Pico. I know you can ride, but your ability to count is failing 

[Tawpie]

42 minutes ago, ShanesPlanet said:

I bought mine 2 yrs ago for under $500 new

and he stole it at that price, I paid 620USD this time last year, put Tesla pedals on it (Nik pedals are comically gigantic). 24.3 pounds on my bathroom lard scale, including roll.nz and full battery (makes a difference, right?). Mine's a bit of a frankenstein for a 67V... they used to be white and had no spin cutoff button but mine is black with cutoff. I think they were burning through left over parts and put some found 67V guts into an 84V case.

Edited February 16, 2022 by Tawpie

[RooEUC]

1 hour ago, ShanesPlanet said:

mten3 67v 420ah nikola pedals and rollNZ cover.

24.62lbs dry. 19" tall, 12" long, 9" wide (pedals folded)

They dont make the small 67v anymore. I bought mine 2 yrs ago for under $500 new. The good ole days when they werent WAY overpriced. I think its 84v now. Dimensions are likely the same, I dont know about weight. Price has also gone from a steal of a deal to barely tolerable imho.

The 84v higher capacity one is advertised as being 22lbs.  I'm suspicious of that number, given that the lower voltage, lower capacity one is 24.6lbs, at least according to some on this forum. 

As for the price, it does seem high to me.  I bought my S1 (just an S2 limited by software for the US market) for $399 CAD ($315USD) new on Amazon and upgraded it to an S2 via firmware.  The Mten3 is $1,356CAD.  That seems wild for a tiny little wheel like this.  But then, the EUC market has moved on without me as I see it's now common place to spend $2,000-4,000USD on a wheel and many of you have multiple wheels.  Given that I can get a really good electric bike for $3k I feel like EUC manufacturers have become a bit greedy.  Maybe that's just an incorrect perception.

Edited February 16, 2022 by RooMiniPro

[Tawpie]

The current price is so high it's truly not worth it, you're better off looking for a used one if you decide to go for the MTen... they seem to fetch between 400 and 700USD depending.

[Paul A]

To have both hands free, maybe fold up the pedals, and hold between legs when stationary.

Or maybe just lie it down, the lean angle will cut out the motor.  

Carrying an EUC around seems a little unnecessary.

[.....]

1 hour ago, Paul A said:

To have both hands free, maybe fold up the pedals, and hold between legs when stationary.

Or maybe just lie it down, the lean angle will cut out the motor.  

Carrying an EUC around seems a little unnecessary.

I stand with it between my legs sometimes, but the larger wheels do this better. Typically I just step off it and let it fall over. You cant be gingerly about it tho or itll dance before the cutoff catches. With my cover, it doesnt hurt it to just drop it over on concrete. However, I am a little leery of simply letting it lay there publicly, as I enter a store, even for a few moments. I carry it in with me by hand to most gas stations. Its so small, it wouldnt take much for a sticky fingered stranger to run off with it. A small bike chain would probably solve this concern.

I do think the value of the mten is being pushed at $700usd, let alone $1k. I havent needed extra battery yet, so I think they just wanted to up the price and justified it thru an *upgrade*, that wasnt entirely needed.

Edited February 17, 2022 by ShanesPlanet

[RooEUC]

4 minutes ago, Paul A said:

Carrying an EUC around seems a little unnecessary.

It's very necessary when both hands are needed for other things.

[Boris Lämpel]

11 hours ago, RooMiniPro said:

Photography is a two handed thing.

Maybe You should consider an esk8-board. There You can take whatever size, power, range and prize You like. And then there are several longboard bags like those: