GQS Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I'm a Solowheel user who is interested in upgrading to something better. There are a few areas that I wish to improve upon; acceleration, top speed, greater distance, and "handling". Of course there is the IPS F400 with the 400wh battery pack, but I hear handling, top speed, acceleration, and other things isn't that much better than a Solowheel. The Rockwheels, with their proprietary planetary hub system seems to be the only real contenders. Are there any Rockwheel GR12 and GR16 owners who can chime in? I know the Rockwheel 14 has come out but has a hub motor instead of a geared motor. How does the Rockwheel 12 and 16 compare? How is acceleration and smoothness? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin Marhold Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 I was told by a credible source that the Firewheel is going to be even faster than rockwheel with only slightly less acceleration capabilities. But it is silent. like totally silent. It's also supposed to have an amazing level of manufacturing quality unlike Rockwheel. I know rockwheel is cool, but it's loud and has problems with the battery packs. It suffers other quality issues as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Eucist Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 All the taobao listings show the Firewheel as 22 km/h top speed so I don't see how it can be faster than the geared Rockwheels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Eucist Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 The Rockwheel 14 is slower and less powerful than the geared ones by far. My Rockwheel 14 shut down going up just a 15 degree incline while my Gotway 14 had no problems. Granted the Rockwheel battery was only half full at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin Marhold Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 I was told by a credible source that it was much faster. I have yet to prove this in person, but I will find out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Steffensen Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 Using a GPS, I see I have several times reached 28 km/hr with the RW GR-16. The acceleration as well as the climbing capability is very good. However, once going up a very steep hill it suddenly locked up on me right in the beginning of the climb and I fell pretty hard. This is really my own mistake, and I think all wheels will most likely behave like this, but there should be a way to prevent the gyro suddenly kicking out, also at heavy loads. I have also been riding along side the Solowheel (1500W) with the Rockwheel on "trips". Both wheels ride at comfortable speeds and personally I felt no need for going faster than the Solowheel. However, the Rockwheel way outperformed the Solowheel in acceleration and steeper hills if I really wanted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanosH Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 This is a really nice video review about Airwheel, Rockwheel and Firewheel. It might be interesting for you... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GQS Posted November 21, 2014 Author Share Posted November 21, 2014 I don't see how you can safely test the top speed of the wheels if they will shut off at max speed. I don't want to tumble at 29km. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oleksandrak Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Hi guys! Recently I've become really interested in the whole wheel thing! I saw the guy riding it on Oxford street in London and I was like wow, i need to get one! So, I've been doing research for quite a while and got to know airwheel and solowheel and ips...they seem good products and reviews are good but a bit out of my price range. So I was wondering if you have heard about http://www.firstwheel.co.uk/ ? They sell the cheapest ones I think but I have never heard about the brand. Do you guys think they're good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanosH Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Hi, Unfortunately I don't know much about Firstwheel. Join our Facebook group and you'll get a lot more attention, maybe someone will be able to answer your question. What everyone seems to like is Gotway. It is the most reliable and (almost) the strongest wheel. I think it is worth to do some research before you make your order. It is easier to learn how to ride a good wheel and it will be a lot more fun later, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelwheeler Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 Hi guys! Recently I've become really interested in the whole wheel thing! I saw the guy riding it on Oxford street in London and I was like wow, i need to get one! So, I've been doing research for quite a while and got to know airwheel and solowheel and ips...they seem good products and reviews are good but a bit out of my price range. So I was wondering if you have heard about http://www.firstwheel.co.uk/ ? They sell the cheapest ones I think but I have never heard about the brand. Do you guys think they're good? bought firstwheel surf about a week ago. first impressions: cool design, lightweight and modern for a very good price (used promocode and got £40 off after watching this ), was surprised with good service, they offer free uk delivery and money-back guarantee if you change your mind. I would say that it seems to be most European product and best price/value wheel on the market so far. anyways you can return it within 14 days after your purchase Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
^tom^ Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Lot's of views, but more or less no answers or suggestion yet. So I have a Rockwheel 12", can it be going better or similar? I have to order some spare parts and whould like to order a second unit. Maybe the Gotway 14" or the Firewheel F779? Reviews are very hard to find and compares too! Facebook, sorry that I do not have. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanosH Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 So I have a Rockwheel 12", can it be going better or similar? Maybe the Gotway 14" or the Firewheel F779? If you have a Rockwheel 12", you have one of the best wheels. Firewheel and Gotway cannot be compared. Firewheel breaks easily, it's not a good quality wheel. Gotway is reliable and has very good performance. (I don't have any of these wheels, I just read the Facebook group. So if you need more information, you should find somebody who has tried these wheels.) Janos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Eucist Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 ^tom^ - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
^tom^ Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 arbee: According to this I have to buy/order the Gotway 14 and no other EU Thanks arbee, I still looking for other reviews.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Eucist Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Well there are six reviews on this forum. Unfortunately most of the active discussions are on our Facebook Group but we try to put reviews here because they tend to get lost over time in the FB group. The hobby/sport in the western world is still in its infancy hence why reviews are hard to find. Here is my take on several brands if it helps: Airwheel = Large company. Easier to find worldwide due to their relatively larger distributions channels and marketing. Reasonably priced. Not very powerful. IPS = Large company. Similar to AIrwheel but more focused within Mainland China. Solowheel = Good but not better than a lot of other brands out there and they are around three to four times the price. Firewheel = Not very reliable from what I heard but has high battery capacity models. Gotway = Small company. Fastest eucs currently on the market and reliable. Ninebot = Large company formerly only making Segway clones but now entering euc market. The ninebot one is very good looking and seems reliable. Speed is slow like most other brands. Freeman = I heard it's slightly above average but a small company. Inmotion = Only makes dual wheeled eucs similar to Airwheel Q series. Also new to euc market and formerly making segway clones only. Rockwheel = Fast and powerful but they break often and are much noisier than most other eucs out there due to using gears. Smaller wheel size for maneuverability but less stable at high speeds Larger wheel size for stability on uneven terrain and high speeds. Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
^tom^ Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Thanks, it help's! The Gotway 18 is a pretty expensive EU! Any idea why? I whould like to order the 18 inch, but it is almost twice the price of the 14 inch. I know the batteries has twice the capacity too. So for me as a second EU the 14" Gotway 340wh is maybe not a bad idea! About the often broken Rockwheel: I already have a broken house/case from a soft bumb in a wall or did you talk about something else can break? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Eucist Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Well batteries are the most expensive component for electric unicycles. Also, I guess the gw18 being able to go 40 km/h stands it apart from all the rest of the eucs so they can also charge a bit of a premium (just my guess). As for GEARED (12 & 16) Rockwheels, they tend to have the motor die a lot. Also another phenomenon which is hard to describe is where it deteriorates over time and makes a "clunk" sound and shakes uncontrollably when you change your lean between forwards and backwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 The IPS holds up pretty well against the competition on paper at least: I Decided against the rest based on reported reliability, performance or cost and was left deciding between Gotway and IPS I PS132 GW 14 " GW 18" (T2) Cost £645 £650 £1,100 Motor 1330W 500W 1000W Max Rider Weight 120 Kg 100 Kg 100 Kg Weight 12 Kg 11 Kg 17.4 Kg Wheel Size 16" 14" 18" Top Speed 20KPh 27KPh 34 KPh Battery 260 Wh 340 Wh 700 Wh Range 28 Km 35 Km 70 Km Climbing Angle 30 Deg 20 Deg 33 Deg The Gotway is faster than the IPS on the flat, which in turn is faster than airwheels or solowheels etc. With a 120 Kg rider, however, anything above a 7 or 8 Degree slope should make the IPS faster due to the bigger motor, depending on power/speed curves. As I weigh 115 Kg, the IPS seemed the sensible option - the larger motor should be safer on rough or steep ground particularly at higher speeds. You'd think this might also go for riders living in hilly areas - the bigger motor may be more important than the top speed and might be a good arguement for the more powerful 2 Kw 16Km/h Solowheel. Unfortunately motor wattage (by which I assume they mean peak control system output wattage) isn't a good measure of power at the wheel particularly for these sorts of motors. I've been told that the direct drive motors are effectively large stepper motors. Does anyone know whether they under closed loop control? Do any of the wheels warn if approaching their max power limit going up a hill? Has anyone put their EU on a rolling road or similar to get a speed / power curve? I've heard that larger wheels suit larger riders (I wasn't sure why this would be) Bigger motors for steeper hills or heavier loads seem an obvious step. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kroy Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Thanks Martin, I have been debating with myself whether to 'upgrade' to an IPS111 or Airwheel X8 (from an Airwheel X5). The problem I've found is that my confidence has taken a bit of a hit recently mainly due to my style & desired way of riding. Any (exceptional) uneven ground, especially dropped kerbs where the pavement meets the road & the X5 doesn't have enough 'oomph' to keep me upright as I lean forward - therefore potentially dumping me face first into the tarmac! I'm not overly bothered by top speeds, I'm really needing something with more power, hence the consideration of the IPS111. In the UK, I've found the most readily available brands with warranty are Airwheel & IPS - the IPS appears to be reduced to £645 for the holiday period (so I think I have to move fast!), it's also cheaper & the spec suggests has more impressive power than the Airwheel X8. I believe I'm leaning towards an IPS111, from what I've read above, this makes sense - doesn't it??? Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 From what I've read it makes sense but then I'm biased because I just bought one. The X8 appears to have a smaller battery, less range, less power, it's heavier, slower and more expensive. You do have to treat the specs with a large pinch of salt though. The Aussie airwheel site says "all official brand Airwheels have 350W rated motors" and anyone else is lying or mistaken, their French site says 600W and a UK site 800W. I have only found info on the IPS from the UK site which says it has a 1300, 1330 and 1350W motor. I haven't found it listed on the official chinese site. It's the power transferred to the wheel that really matters which is why I plan to put mine on a rolling road of some sort to measure it. The IPS 111 (132) uses a vector modified sine wave drive. This will make power delivery more smooth but could reduce available power if used in open loop control. I don't know whether either Airwheel or IPS has closed loop control. Any/all of the EUs that do have closed loop control should be able to warn you if the hill is too steep rather than just cut out. If not then, they would also tend to lose more power at higher revs. The problem with all of this is that the importers don't necessarily know whether the spec is correct, and the incomplete spec doesn't directly translate to performance. Sorry I don't know more about EUs to compare but I hope to get a bit more info on the technology and am interested if anyone has a good source. I'd also treat the IP rating with a pinch of salt as IPS say it refers to the connector and Airwheel say that IP 56 means that it can cope with light rain (IP x1). I'd argue they achieve IP21 or 22 but that's another subject. Some standard tests would be useful - I'm trying to think of some easy ones to do with minimum equipment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kroy Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Well, I've gone for the IPS, delivery due Wednesday! I do take the specs with a pinch of salt, hence spending a lot of time searching the net & You Tube for customer comments and thus ending up on here! I presume the questionable specs are mainly down to their originating in China and the apparent lack of specific laws for EU use in this country.... Martin, if you don't mind my asking: where are you based, where did you get your IPS from & did you have an EU previous to this? If anyone's interested in a 2nd hand Airwheel X5, get in touch!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrunsung Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Can someone help me to find out the official webpage of Firewheel and Gotway? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Eucist Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Not sure about Firewheel but here's Gotway: http://www.kebye.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
^tom^ Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Maybe it is written some where in here, I just can't read it...it is a ad from Firewheel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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