Begode Master Review and Tips

[Zutto]

1. Pedal height.  A lot of youtube channels and posts talk about the pedal height being a significant difference.  I personally don't really even notice it.  I come from gotway nikola+ and gotway tesla v3.

2. Turning.  I end up having to make wider turns compared to the Nikola+ or Tesla.  Slowing down enough to take one foot off to use as a pivot on the ground can give you the ability to make sharper turns though.

3. How to pick up.  Many people warn against picking up by the handle.  Most suggest picking up by two spots, underneath the headlights and by either the suspension or the kickstand.  I actually feel the best place to pick up the wheel is from the top sidepads.  It feels fairly firm and you can buy double sided tape if it ever falls off or the adhesive weakens.

4. Suspension.  My wheel came with a pump.  It went up to 300 psi and I tried to take it to around 325 psi to suit my weight.  This broke the pump.  I got a 600 psi rated pump and that's been working wonders.  I also had a leaking issue that was fixed by tightening the valve core.  So definitely check that out if your suspension goes flat after a few minutes.  The suspension is an absolute game changer though.  The area I live in is often missing sidewalks and the alternative to riding through grass is a 55 mph road.  My eyes were previously rattling inside my skull and now it's not perfect but smooth enough to be comfortable.

5. Seat.  The seat is pretty good.  Never had a seated EUC before though you could do it unsafely with the Nikola+.  It definitely still takes some practice to get down the motion.  You have to trust the seat to catch you as you squat down.  As a warning though, I feel like seated riding is actually more unsafe.  It take longer to brake and you don't have as much control of the wheel.  I personally only ride seated if there's nobody around me.

6. Shopping Trips.  I really love taking this wheel and an oversized hiking bag on shopping trips.  Previously with smaller wheels like the Nikola+ or Tesla, I could just slide the wheel under the shopping cart.  However, I have to bring along a bike lock now for the Master as it's a pain to pick up and doesn't fit well under the cart with the pads.  Obviously do this at your own risk and consider the safety in the surround area as bike locks even u locks are notoriously easy to break into.  

7. High Speed Leaning.  When going around 40-50 mph, the wheel will start leaning to one side.  From what I've gathered, this is because of and imbalance in the offroad tire.  It can definitely feel strange and that's the reason why for the most part, I just ride this wheel at max 30-40 mph.

8. Safety gear.  

- Leatt kneepads

- Downhill mountain biking full face helmet

- Wristguards and cut resistant gloves

- Elbow pads

9. Driving around cars.  Be safe, you're on an under 100 pound EUC compared to multi ton cars.  Especially around right turning cars.  These cars often also block the cross walk so go behind them when crossing. Try to avoid higher speed roads > 40 mph.  And even on lower speed roads, be wary when riding alongside cars.

10. Be polite.  Slow down to at most 20 mph when using bike roads or sidewalks.  Personally I go into the grass and slow down to around 10 mph if there are pedestrians around me.  These are fun, let's not make the popo or angry Karens get on our case.

11. Range.  Haven't done a proper range test but I'd guesstimate around 30 miles with moderate riding speeds 30-40 mph.  You can probably get closer to 40 miles if you ride around 20 mph.  I have the 2400 wh Samsung 50e cells.

So far, upgrading to the Master has definitely been worth it for me.  Feel free to ask me any questions in this post. 

Edited November 1, 2022 by Zutto
range update, lower than previous estimation

[wstuart]

Nice review.  Glad to hear the pedal height didn't bug you.

 

What kind of range are you getting?  You have the 50e cells?

[Zutto]

Haven't done a proper range test but I'd guesstimate around 40 miles.  I have the 2400 wh samsung 50e.

[dangasaur]

Will you please link the pump you purchased.

[Zutto]

@dangasaurhttps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D0SFMJS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[dangasaur]

Thanks @Zutto I appreciate it

[twodimensionalanimal]

What part of the Master do you put the bike lock through? Seriously considering buying one of these, but I do need to be able to safely lock it outside from time to time.

[techyiam]

I don't own a Master, but I have been on one, and seen the pictures. What I can see are three possibilities.

(1) The aluminium alloy wheel has spokes. So a cable or possibly a lock can go through the space between spokes.

(2) The suspension links where the shock is fitted has spaces that a cable may go through. 

(3) A cable can thread through the wheel-well tunnel that is formed above the tire, and between the battery packs on either side.

Edited November 3, 2022 by techyiam

[Zutto]

@twodimensionalanimalI live in a relatively safe ~50,000 people town, so I feel ok putting a u lock through the master's handle for shopping trips and the like.  Would still want to bring the wheel inside if I'm leaving it out for multiple hours.

The spokes of the wheel might work if you have a long u lock, but the handle is by far the easiest place to use.

There no space on the suspension links, maybe for a very small cable.  

[StarStriker13]

Solid impressions. I have an RS and my brother just recently got a Master as his first wheel. While not necessarily more difficult to mount, I definitely noticed the pedal height difference when we went offroading and he easily glided over stuff I would have clipped on. Also the sheer power of the Master is astounding. While I do have a C30 RS, the torque is still impressive, but with the steepness of some of the hill we were hitting I was getting some pedal dip. My brother soared up the hill do to the stability with suspension and the insane torque of the Master. Very impressive machine.