MTen3 or the Segway Ninebot S-Plus for Quick Runs

[Lillian]

I have two EUCs, but sometimes want a quick way to run errands without having to balance and sweat. Here's my dilemma:

Buy an MTen3 - I'd have to learn it and balancing is required, but it passes the "what to do with it once there" test. I can take it on the subway, bus, gym, etc. It's lighter and packs more power. But what if I can't learn it despite being an EUC rider?

Buy a Segway Ninebot S-Plus - Heavier. Less portable but I could run quick errands like going to the bank/post office without balancing and sweating. It's sidewalk-friendly and I already know how to ride it. 

I am on the fence and could use some opinions from the EUC community. 

Thanks!

[Paradox]

Can you take the Ninebot into a store?  On the bus?  On the train?  Up stairs?  I own an Mten3 and it was a tad tricky to mount at first.  Now no prob.  I ride it to the store, bank, hair salon.  No problems.  Light enough to carry.  I put the trolley handle on it so it's east to walk around where needed.  It fits in a large back pack but I have yet to find an opportunity to make use of this.  Would you leave the Ninebot outside the bank, store or anywhere?  Here in Chicago it would be gone before you turned your back to it.

Edited May 18, 2022 by Paradox

[.....]

Mten ALL DAY LONG. Its only drawback is when you come to a stop. Wife and I went to a fly-in last weekend. She used the ninebot, I used the mten. Just like at home, I was riding rings around her and her battery was dying while mine was half full. I also have the tiny 67v models. The mten is just as easy to ride and more so, than larger wheels, once you get a few moment with it. It reads your mind and doesnt require hardly any effort. Mten stashes in a car much easier as well.

Yup, this has been the easiest question to answer with surety.....

oh yeah... mten can go up and down curbs (if youre not heavy). Segweay can be carried up and down curbs. Mten can handle inclines, segwey likes to look at inclines. Mten only has one playdoh tire, the segwey has two of exact same playdoh tires. Mten is easier to carry....

Edited May 18, 2022 by ShanesPlanet

[litewave]

59 minutes ago, Lillian said:

I have two EUCs, but sometimes want a quick way to run errands without having to balance and sweat. Here's my dilemma:

Buy an MTen3 - I'd have to learn it and balancing is required, but it passes the "what to do with it once there" test. I can take it on the subway, bus, gym, etc. It's lighter and packs more power. But what if I can't learn it despite being an EUC rider?

Buy a Segway Ninebot S-Plus - Heavier. Less portable but I could run quick errands like going to the bank/post office without balancing and sweating. It's sidewalk-friendly and I already know how to ride it. 

I am on the fence and could use some opinions from the EUC community. 

Thanks!

Do you mean the S-Plus two-wheeler which is not an EUC or Ninebot S2?

The S2 would be worth considering if you can find it half-price (less than $400) with dual batteries, and want to save money over the M-ten. It's definitely usable and very portable.

[Lillian]

21 minutes ago, litewave said:

Do you mean the S-Plus two-wheeler which is not an EUC or Ninebot S2?

The S2 would be worth considering if you can find it half-price (less than $400) with dual batteries, and want to save money over the M-ten. It's definitely usable and very portable.

The S-Plus two-wheeler. I have two EUCs so I wouldn't want an S2, but thanks for sharing the benefits. 

Edited May 18, 2022 by Lillian

[UniBlab]

Love my Mten3. Doesn't have a trolley handle but you can add one. If you jump like hopscotch then you can mount/dismount. 

[.....]

33 minutes ago, Lillian said:

The S-Plus two-wheeler. I have two EUCs so I wouldn't want an S2, but thanks for sharing the benefits. 

I ended up upgrading my ninebot for speed, bigger tires and fenders, adjustable bar. I dont think mines the plus model, but it still came in around $800. The Segwey is great for people who havent a clue how to ride anything. I taught 4 people to ride one this weekend. Of course, training was me merely telling them to quit fighting the machine. Fwiw, the segway is a total pita to carry as well.  Top speed of MY segway is around 14mph and thats if you're lucky. Pretty sure my mten blasts up to 16mph w/o a peep. Mten handle is cutout to accept a bike chain too. Having both an mten and segway is nice, but theres nearly no compare. Mten is like a standard bicycle and a segway is like a kiddie bike with training wheels. I have a trolley for my mten, but I didnt install it. It worked fine, but it does keep me from climbing all over the wheel so much and its a little tougher to store in a car. Honestly, my mtens are so tough in the rollNZ covers, I dont worry about them. When comes time to stop, I simply step off the mten and let it fall over.... I routinely fall off the segway, as i simply have a hard time riding things that wont let me lean to turn. Riding backwards on the segway is also horrid. The mten rides backwards just fine. As for quality... They both seem to be made with the same chinesium philosophy, but at least they both work.

The segway DOES have safety shutoff when you lift it. The mten has a tiny bullshit button. So yeah, theres ONE thing the mten loses to the segway in. However, I dont take these things around to carrry them...

Best reason to own an mten..

 

Edited May 18, 2022 by ShanesPlanet

[Lillian]

18 minutes ago, ShanesPlanet said:

I ended up upgrading my ninebot for speed, bigger tires and fenders, adjustable bar. I dont think mines the plus model, but it still came in around $800. The Segwey is great for people who havent a clue how to ride anything. I taught 4 people to ride one this weekend. Of course, training was me merely telling them to quit fighting the machine. Fwiw, the segway is a total pita to carry as well.  Top speed of MY segway is around 14mph and thats if you're lucky. Pretty sure my mten blasts up to 16mph w/o a peep. Mten handle is cutout to accept a bike chain too. Having both an mten and segway is nice, but theres nearly no compare. Mten is like a standard bicycle and a segway is like a kiddie bike with training wheels. I have a trolley for my mten, but I didnt install it. It worked fine, but it does keep me from climbing all over the wheel so much and its a little tougher to store in a car. Honestly, my mtens are so tough in the rollNZ covers, I dont worry about them. When comes time to stop, I simply step off the mten and let it fall over.... I routinely fall off the segway, as i simply have a hard time riding things that wont let me lean to turn. Riding backwards on the segway is also horrid. The mten rides backwards just fine. As for quality... They both seem to be made with the same chinesium philosophy, but at least they both work.

The segway DOES have safety shutoff when you lift it. The mten has a tiny bullshit button. So yeah, theres ONE thing the mten loses to the segway in. However, I dont take these things around to carrry them...

Best reason to own an mten..

 

That was fun to watch!  And thanks for the detailed breakdown of pros and cons. 

I was ready to push the button to buy the S-Plus but I value input here, so based on the feedback I've paused. 

[.....]

19 minutes ago, Lillian said:

That was fun to watch!  And thanks for the detailed breakdown of pros and cons. 

I was ready to push the button to buy the S-Plus but I value input here, so based on the feedback I've paused. 

The Segway is fun tho, dont get me wrong. I would say that it REALLY shines when you dont really need to go far and/or you are in very crowded locations. The mten requires more effort to crawl below walking speed. The segway, you can creep along at 1/2mph and no problem. So if you plan to go to festivals and be among crowds, the segway wins. If you need to actually go somewhere and arent going to be forced to stop every 2 feet, the mten wins. Of course, this only applies to those who can ride an euc. Segways are common, it shouldnt be too tough to find one for a test ride. Come on down to ShanesPlanet, I'll put one under you and we can go squirrel chasing! Mten can catch a squirrel. Segway can catch a groundhog. I guess it depends on which soup you prefer....

My buddy got a segway NEW, for less than $400, a cpla years back. Both the segway and mten arent nearly as affordable now. My 2 mtens were under $500 each, 2 years ago as well.

Edited May 18, 2022 by ShanesPlanet

[UniBlab]

How to mount the Mten3 -

 

 

[.....]

I always just tell people to mount it off the front a bit and with the foot that is on the mten at standing, cross the knee over like ya gotta pee...

[BlueCrow]

4 hours ago, ShanesPlanet said:

I always just tell people to mount it off the front a bit and with the foot that is on the mten at standing, cross the knee over like ya gotta pee...

How about like Marty?

 

It took me a while but if you can ride backward on the Mten3 then it should be easy to do it like him. For me, both mounting and dismounting start with putting pressure to go back but just enough so you balance at a standstill. Stable stepping up and down.

As for the topic at hand, may I suggest the MCM5 v2 instead of the Mten3? SUPrents has it cheaper than the 84v Mten3.

Edited May 19, 2022 by BlueCrow

[Lillian]

On 5/18/2022 at 3:07 PM, ShanesPlanet said:

The Segway is fun tho, dont get me wrong. I would say that it REALLY shines when you dont really need to go far and/or you are in very crowded locations. The mten requires more effort to crawl below walking speed. The segway, you can creep along at 1/2mph and no problem. So if you plan to go to festivals and be among crowds, the segway wins. If you need to actually go somewhere and arent going to be forced to stop every 2 feet, the mten wins. Of course, this only applies to those who can ride an euc. Segways are common, it shouldnt be too tough to find one for a test ride. Come on down to ShanesPlanet, I'll put one under you and we can go squirrel chasing! Mten can catch a squirrel. Segway can catch a groundhog. I guess it depends on which soup you prefer....

My buddy got a segway NEW, for less than $400, a cpla years back. Both the segway and mten arent nearly as affordable now. My 2 mtens were under $500 each, 2 years ago as well.

Hey there, ShanesPlanet. Thanks for the pros/cons between the two. I used to own a Segway i2 (see the attached) and later two Ninebot Segway 'toys' (by comparison) - the Mini Pro and Drift aka "grift" because they were useless. So I'm good at Segway riding. But while I'm an EUC rider now, I worry about spending $1K on a 'nimble' mten that I may not get the hang of. Nimble means unstable to me. But I'm envious of you and your buddy's low-priced deals. 

One benefit of the S-Plus is that there's an authorized Segway dealer and service shop in my neighborhood. For me, that's an important part of my decision. Of course there are EUC repair folks in our PEV community, but...not official ones that I know of. 

[Lillian]

Thanks to everyone who replied here. I appreciate your suggestions + samples. 

For now, I'm going to pause on either purchase to see if another used Mten becomes available in the PEV Marketplace. The one I didn't get was literally like new. The buyer couldn't get the hang of it after 30 minutes (like me on the OneWheel Pint) and sold it for $900. Maybe lightning strikes twice. 

Edited May 21, 2022 by Lillian

[.....]

18 minutes ago, Lillian said:

Hey there, ShanesPlanet. Thanks for the pros/cons between the two. I used to own a Segway i2 (see the attached) and later two Ninebot Segway 'toys' (by comparison) - the Mini Pro and Drift aka "grift" because they were useless. So I'm good at Segway riding. But while I'm an EUC rider now, I worry about spending $1K on a 'nimble' mten that I may not get the hang of. Nimble means unstable to me. But I'm envious of you and your buddy's low-priced deals. 

One benefit of the S-Plus is that there's an authorized Segway dealer and service shop in my neighborhood. For me, that's an important part of my decision. Of course there are EUC repair folks in our PEV community, but...not official ones that I know of. 

"nimble' only equates to 'finicky' when you ride at higher speeds and arent ready for it. Tbh, I cant hardly stay atop my ninebot at 10mph for long. I like to simply lean off the side of it, or it goes berserk when I touch that bar. I wouldnt worry so much about if you can learn to ride the mten. It really is an easy wheel to get the hang of. The worst part about it, is the initial learning to mount it. Being small and nimble, allows the mten to easily get under you and help you make corrections w/o delayed response. I typically use my mten to practice slow riding techniques and teeters etc... Its MUCH easier to do these kind of things on a tiny wheel.  Its definitely an opinion thing, but I couldnt see any time that I would rather take my segway than the mten. Maybe if I was going to be in such crowds as to not be able to roll much. For those events tho, I wouold think a pair of sneakers does best...

Having to buy these euc new, is kind of scary. Its definitely a dice roll. It helps if you buy locally (in USA), but its still a gamble. I have 2 mtens atm, and they seem to work fine. There's not much to the damn things, so that makes it easier. I do have to check axle bolts every now and then, but thats from me teetering a LOT, and the axle is small. Of course, I watched a 200lb man ride a segway, and it bowed like a happy face.

Dont let your worry of not being able to ride it, be a deciding factor. I rode a v11 the other day, and it was WAY harder to keep under control at slow speeds, than the mten. If oyu can ride ONE euc, you can easily learn to ride them all...

Good lookin segway btw! I have a scooter that is fun. Its not the same tho, when you have to use your hands. My wife enjoys the segway over the scooter mostly, as its also handsfree. I'd imagine your segway is a use your hands or not kinda thing tho, no?

Edited May 21, 2022 by ShanesPlanet

[Tawpie]

On 5/18/2022 at 9:45 AM, Lillian said:

what if I can't learn it despite being an EUC rider?

You'll learn to ride it no problem. It is different, but not that different! New ones are far too expensive now, at least in my opinion… used would be the preferred route.

[.....]

4 minutes ago, Tawpie said:

You'll learn to ride it no problem. It is different, but not that different! New ones are far too expensive now, at least in my opinion… used would be the preferred route.

Yeah, its a total crime how they doubled in price. It used to be the best wheel for 'bang for your buck' by far! My little 67v models do me just fine. THEN they (gotway) decided to only make a bigger version. THEN they decided to jack up the price. Its hard to justify the cost at this point. I think they are worth $500-600, but $1k is definitely pushing it. I hope they still come with the 18650 batteries at least?

A neat thing about an mten with a rollNZ cover... its so small and low to the ground, you can step off it at any time, let it fall over, and not fear itll hurt itself. Well, as long as you dont hop off it while its running away. Of course, a rollNZ cover doesnt help much if the the wheel invites you to dance...

Edited May 21, 2022 by ShanesPlanet

[Lillian]

9 minutes ago, ShanesPlanet said:

"nimble' only equates to 'finicky' when you ride at higher speeds and arent ready for it. Tbh, I cant hardly stay atop my ninebot at 10mph for long. I like to simply lean off the side of it, or it goes berserk when I touch that bar. I wouldnt worry so much about if you can learn to ride the mten. It really is an easy wheel to get the hang of. The worst part about it, is the initial learning to mount it. Being small and nimble, allows the mten to easily get under you and help you make corrections w/o delayed response. I typically use my mten to practice slow riding techniques and teeters etc... Its MUCH easier to do these kind of things on a tiny wheel.  Its definitely an opinion thing, but I couldnt see any time that I would rather take my segway than the mten. Maybe if I was going to be in such crowds as to not be able to roll much. For those events tho, I wouold think a pair of sneakers does best...

Having to buy these euc new, is kind of scary. Its definitely a dice roll. It helps if you buy locally (in USA), but its still a gamble. I have 2 mtens atm, and they seem to work fine. There's not much to the damn things, so that makes it easier. I do have to check axle bolts every now and then, but thats from me teetering a LOT, and the axle is small. Of course, I watched a 200lb man ride a segway, and it bowed like a happy face.

Dont let your worry of not being able to ride it, be a deciding factor. I rode a v11 the other day, and it was WAY harder to keep under control at slow speeds, than the mten. If oyu can ride ONE euc, you can easily learn to ride them all...

That's really inspiring re. having the confidence to ride the mten. I mean, I bought all of my others without ever riding them and learned. And if I think about it, the guy who didn't get the hang of it and sold it got nearly the purchase price. 

8 minutes ago, Tawpie said:

You'll learn to ride it no problem. It is different, but not that different! New ones are far too expensive now, at least in my opinion… used would be the preferred route.

Agreed. I'm going to wait it out and see if I can find another deal again. I may just buy both and like you, use them for different occasions.

Edited May 21, 2022 by Lillian

[tenofnine]

I would highly recommend an Inmotion v5f if you can get your hands on one, it's my go to short distance wheel. I got it for $550 new off eWheels when they used to carry it. Very light weight, great trolley, good range, goes 15-16 mph pretty much down to 20% battery and even then it's very safe and has enough power and torque to not ever let you over power it (and I'm 200lbs with equipment) It's the ultimate short trip wheel still to this day. Amazon sells it now for like $700-800 unfortunately, I'm sure there are places it might be cheaper.

The mTen3 is awesome but I find that I have to wear high top boots that are laced pretty tight to have a comfy secure ride. This allows easier mount/dismounts because of the high contact/rigidity of the high top boot, and the solid sole dampens any bumps and disturbances on the smaller wheel. If you are shorter it might be much easier for you to mount dismount, plus you can go extremely slow on it and feel really stable. It's unlike any other EUC in how it feels. Very easy to idle and backwards ride on.

I would never get a 2 wheel segway, but I'm pretty smitten with EUCs. I couldn't imagine passing up an opportunity to get another one, I WANT THEM ALL!

[Lillian]

On 5/23/2022 at 4:11 AM, tenofnine said:

I would highly recommend an Inmotion v5f if you can get your hands on one, it's my go to short distance wheel. I got it for $550 new off eWheels when they used to carry it. Very light weight, great trolley, good range, goes 15-16 mph pretty much down to 20% battery and even then it's very safe and has enough power and torque to not ever let you over power it (and I'm 200lbs with equipment) It's the ultimate short trip wheel still to this day. Amazon sells it now for like $700-800 unfortunately, I'm sure there are places it might be cheaper.

The mTen3 is awesome but I find that I have to wear high top boots that are laced pretty tight to have a comfy secure ride. This allows easier mount/dismounts because of the high contact/rigidity of the high top boot, and the solid sole dampens any bumps and disturbances on the smaller wheel. If you are shorter it might be much easier for you to mount dismount, plus you can go extremely slow on it and feel really stable. It's unlike any other EUC in how it feels. Very easy to idle and backwards ride on.

I would never get a 2 wheel segway, but I'm pretty smitten with EUCs. I couldn't imagine passing up an opportunity to get another one, I WANT THEM ALL!

I feel that my V10 is the small EUC of the two that I have, but thanks for your suggestion about the V5F. 

I relate re. the 2-wheeled Segway. I view folks on other PEVs and think of the EUC advantages. That said, I did order the S-Plus from Amazon so that I have the return option. EUCs are final sale from reputable places so it'll take a lot more thinking for me to buy another EUC. 

[wstuart]

So I just sold my v8f and v10f and picked up a used mten3.  

I was using the v8f and v10f wheels for short last-mile trips, but I weight 240 lbs w/ gear and I really didn't like the narrow tires on the smaller inmotion wheels.  Also for me, those wheels were limited to 20mph.  I figure if Im gonna ride a wheel that only goes 20mph, why not get the most portable wheel available.  V10f was not super portable. 

After the inmotion wheels I just sold, my next smallest wheel is a 16x, which for me is just a little too hefty for running up stairs or throwing in a shopping cart.  I really like the nimble feel of the 3inch wide tire on the 16x.  I'm hoping the mten3 will feel like a mini 16x but will be something I can easily throw in a car or backpack.   

Being 6'8" 240lbs, my only remaining concern is that I'll immediately overpower the wheel or break the axel.  Luckily the one I got is originally from ewheels and already has the tubeless conversion.  Also I saw BlackCobra was able to ride one and he weighs the same as me.  I will post here next week to let you guys know how it goes.

Edited June 11, 2022 by wstuart

[dycus]

Six foot eight on an mTen - you'll have to get a picture for us!

[wstuart]

I agree!

I tried some body's Monster at a group ride.  When I asked why people were laughing they said that I made the Monster look like an RS. 

MTen3 will be a joke. 

35 minutes ago, dycus said:

Six foot eight on an mTen - you'll have to get a picture for us!

 

[Lillian]

FOLLOW UP!

I bought the Segway S-Plus from Amazon because they allow returns. Here's how the disaster went:

I rode it to/from work on the sidewalk. The sidewalks by me are wide and mostly empty in the morning. On the way home, I rode slow and stopped until the coast was clear when things were crowded. 

1. The bar is hard as a rock. Each bump was like an elf kicking me in the knees.

2. The base is rough. My feet felt it. 

3. The remote/follow makes this thing move like a drunk robot so I found myself bending over to guide it. Could've used an EUC handle. 

4. In the past, 12mph was okay but having ridden an EUC for years, it's not now. I got pushback constantly at a snail's pace. And yes the top speed was unlocked. 

CORRECTION*** The top speed was NOT unlocked. It was available, but I had to physically unlock it. Once I did, it was far faster and actually a blast. I returned it anyway but I was wrong about this part. 

5. I lacked confidence that I have on the EUC to tackle some terrain.

6. The quality felt like a kid's toy as have all Ninebot things I've bought.

7. 0 torque while crossing a large street in the crosswalk. Maybe it was the slope or wind, but I couldn't move forward fast. I had to wave my arms to go. Scary!

For the entire ride (under 4 miles round trip), all I could think of was how I should've ridden my V11. 

The GOOD was the ability to stop on a dime and stay on it while standing still without dismounting.

Conclusion:

I have zero interest in riding this again. 

 

Edited June 21, 2022 by Lillian
Wrong information corrected.

[Funky]

 on paper you could see, that thing is slow, has no power.. It's more "kids" toy than grownups.

Now go buy light 16" euc.. If you want something light/fast/small.. Even on MTen3 being 10" tire you could feel road buzz/bumps. But that thing at least has some power..

Heck my normal daily trip is ~5-8km and i use ks18xl for that. Sure i would love having "lighter" wheel as any one would. But for me weight and riding speed most 16"incher euc would be to small.. And riding at 30-35kph speed would be wheels limit. (No safety margin left..)

ks18xl/ks16x was the lightest wheel available. Sure i could go with lower battery options ks18l/ks16xs. But 4kg~ difference in weight - wasn't worth the lower battery. (Even i don't need the range.)

Also ~15kg vs ~25kg isn't much difference in real world.. If you don't carry it a lot.

(I carry it to 3rd floor 2-4 times a day, carry it in train, carry it in job place..) And i am a fat slob, who doesn't work out. 

I would call V11 being light wheel. For me needs that is.  

Edited June 15, 2022 by Funky