Cold feet before first purchase, need your encouragement and advice.

[KiwiMark]

When I bought my RS I didn't know how to ride a unicycle, but I was willing to commit to learning. I didn't need an EUC, but I don't believe in only concerning myself with meeting needs. You only get one life and if you don't find ways of having fun then what is the point? I'd seen videos of people riding EUCs and I thought it would be a fun way of exploring wherever, so I bought one. Learning was initially tough, there is a rather steep learning curve, but then it gets easier. For the first few hundred km of riding I wasn't all that relaxed and my feet hurt after 30 minutes of riding. I did find that stopping for a break, even if just for 2 or 3 minutes, helped my feet feel better.

Now, with over 3,000km riding experience and having bought a suspension wheel - things are different. I can ride for a couple of hours without a break and my feet are feeling OK. I can go for a ride for more than 3 hours and cover over 100km, and I feel pretty good after. I have an e-MTB and I wear cycling shorts when I ride it to reduce the butt pain, it is actually more comfortable to ride my EUC. In future, when I go on holiday I will take my EUCs so that I can explore the area and go to shops and get food, etc. Walking is too slow, EUCing is quick & easy.

For longer rides I really love my Sherman S for the great suspension, huge range, speed and power capability with plenty of overhead above the speeds that I tend to ride. I wouldn't recommend one for a first wheel, but this is the sort of thing you could upgrade to one day if you did get into EUC riding. As battery tech advances there could be some really nice improvements over time, great for those of us that are already right into riding EUCs now.

My advice: Get a reasonably priced EUC and learn to ride it, have fun, enjoy yourself. Life is for living, it is supposed to be fun!

[MetricUSA]

After three car accidents I still not giving up... My only advice is don't ride like a New Yorker!!! They give a bad name to all ebikers... 

[I_Must_Bust]

For what it's worth I would go for the V11 over the S18, but both have their own upsides and downsides that you've probably already seen in your research. I've not ridden a suspension wheel yet but I bet they're awesome.

[I_Must_Bust]

15 hours ago, KiwiMark said:

Learning was initially tough, there is a rather steep learning curve, but then it gets easier.

Yeah. I would recommend spreading out the learning over a few days. I did that and on my 3rd session I was suddenly able to ride 10 minutes in. On the 2nd day I was scared that I wasted my money on something I would never be able to ride. Your brain works on these things even when you're not actively doing them so take advantage of that and don't stress if you happen to learn to ride more slowly like I did!

Edited May 7, 2023 by I_Must_Bust

[woke rider]

On 5/5/2023 at 10:23 PM, ssup2406 said:

This is my first big purchase in life, my car was a hand-me down within the family that cost me less than the S18!

You have gotten a ton of really good information in this discussion. I was concerned for you because I didn't understand why you were giving all those reasons not to buy your S18, and I knew that you had to be the driving force behind pulling the trigger on the decision. I am concerned about your decision and what your friends and family think of you and us here in the community. I want them to understand why it's a great choice for transportation because you are spending your savings on your transportation need. When I told my counselor that I spent $1600 on my Z10 she was floored. But I quickly explained how much less than a car or truck that is, because a car or truck is at least $500 per month, that's $6000 per year. So, financially it's a better choice than driving. EUC's often are the fastest way to get somewhere. They are the most rewarding choice of transportation for me. I hate being stuck in a box (a car or truck). Having a EUC solves a lot of problems in life. And I can explore any environment in ways that just aren't possible without an electric unicycle. Thanks for letting us be part of the biggest purchase of your life!

[rcgldr]

On 5/6/2023 at 3:31 PM, ssup2406 said:

Then this commuting by train thing came up a few months ago, and here they have a 23 kilo weight limit on the trains

KingSong 18L (not 18XL) weighs about 22 kg  (48 lbs), with an 80 cell 20S4P battery pack instead of S18's 60 cell 20S3P pack. The 18XL with 120 cell 20S6P pack only weighs a bit less than S18, a bit less than 1 kg lighter. I don't know how many dealers still sell the 18L.

[Panen]

I was riding an e scooter but saw these EUC on YouTube and just went ahead and bought one without any reason at all.

 

Honestly it's the most fun I've had pretty much ever. The freedom you are gonna feel on this thing is unbelievable and it far surpasses all expectations i had. It's gonna do the same for you without a doubt.

But beware that the first couple of days you are gonna feel regret.

It's gonna feel difficult at first and you will wonder if you're ever gonna feel comfortable riding in public.

Give it a week or two practicing an hour a day and it's gonna blow your mind completely. More comfortable than any other vehicle I've ridden.

Also beware that you will become addicted to EUCs. That's just how good it feels and there's no way around it.

[Tawpie]

3 minutes ago, Panen said:

But beware that the first couple of days you are gonna feel regret.

Ain't this the truth! It's a good thing mine wasn't returnable—on days 2-4 returning it was tempting but since I couldn't send it back I had more stubborn for breakfast. And lunch.

I highly recommend starting with short (20, maybe 30 minute) sessions. There's something about sleeping between sessions that trains your muscle memory. Plan on a couple three weeks to learn—if you're quicker that's a bonus!

[Roadpower]

On 5/6/2023 at 6:09 AM, redsnapper said:

Too much analysis leads to paralysis!

This. Start modest (IMO), you'll learn and grow and have experience to figure out what you want to do from there.

[ssup2406]

On 5/6/2023 at 2:36 AM, mrelwood said:

I recommend watching this video I made a year ago

Thanks a ton for making the video, I watched and commented the other day! I watched a few of your other videos too, keep up the good work, you @mrelwoodare a real gem for the community! Wishing you all success in your projects!
 

On 5/6/2023 at 9:25 PM, mrelwood said:

All others were nearly stuck from factory, making it much worse than the V11.

The ecodrift blog said that these issues were fixed with the (re-)introduction of the alu sliders, I put the re- in there because the prototypes that all the folks reviewed online etc. had alu sliders, they changed to to cast steel in the first version, made it heavier and caused the alignment issues, then they long term tested a wheel as well. I do envisage regular maintenance though. Thanks a ton (you all in fact) for your inputs!

[ssup2406]

On 5/6/2023 at 11:36 PM, KiwiMark said:

My advice: Get a reasonably priced EUC and learn to ride it, have fun, enjoy yourself. Life is for living, it is supposed to be fun!

Thanks a ton for recounting your experience! I did indeed want to get an V8S, but seeing countless opinions online and from sellers, I determined that I'd outgrow it quickly; besides the suspension is a real need unfortunately. Many years of bicycle touring and BMX make my knees hurt after riding the BMX for 20-30 minutes on poorly surfaced streets (of which there are a lot), it's not as bad in the summer, but very evident and guaranteed in the winter and colder weather. I had read that with joints the wear and tear accumulates, so given that I will be riding a lot and plan to all my life I decided to get the S18.

I've been recommended the Sherman S, I was already thinking about the rides I could do with it, and thinking of getting it in the future, next year would be not possible and utterly uneeded, so I won't get it anytime soon. I tend to use things for extremely long periods of time, so I hope that the S18 lasts me multiple decades (with battery rebuilds down the line).

On 5/8/2023 at 11:26 AM, rcgldr said:

The 18XL with 120 cell 20S6P pack only weighs a bit less than S18, a bit less than 1 kg lighter. I don't know how many dealers still sell the 18L.

Yes, thanks for sharing the info! The 18XL and Tesla T3 were contenders, watched many of their reviews as well, ultimately decided to sacrifice range for suspension due to the factors I mentioned just above. While I have never ridden any EUC ever, I can maybe relate to what a non-suspension EUC would feel like given my unicycle experience/memories, but it's closer to standing up on the pedals and coasting on a non-suspension bicycle though I reckon.

[woke rider]

Have you seen Wrong Way's review of the S18? @ssup2406 Wrong Way talks about the problems about the wheel, mainly pedal dipping on hard acceleration and not enough battery power, and having to chisel out a piece of metal to engage to shock. I don't know if these problems still exist, but as others have alluded too, there's not enough batteries. Or, more batteries would be nice. I am open to information about these concerns. I only raise them so that you can make your purchase with eyes open. Also, keeping a wheel in service for decades seems kind of risky.

 

Edited May 9, 2023 by earthtwin
forgot the video

[The Brahan Seer]

3 hours ago, ssup2406 said:

I do envisage regular maintenance though.

The only maintenance I do is a spray with WD40 on the sliders and a wipe of the monoshock with Scram Butter every so often, like once every couple of months or more. This takes 30 seconds and is incredibly easy.

What I would say re under powered and small battery is that if you are less than 80Kg (177lbs) and plan on riding sensibly this wheel is great for 10-20 mile trips. If you are quite a bit heavier and want to go 25Mph+ everywhere all the time with harder acceleration you would be lucky to get 25 Miles on a charge and the wheel is probably underpowered for you.

If going 15-25Mph like on a bike with not over the top accelerating then 40 Miles is possible.

This is a great wheel to learn on, the suspension is great for trails and is very versatile. I imagine people want something quicker and more powerful pretty quickly but that happens with any wheel just maybe not so soon.

The robustness is fine with general dropping even the occasional hard drop from a height but I wouldn't expect the plastic to hold up well in a 30 Mph Crash.

But the replacement parts are easily available and very cheap so is not the end of the world.

I have had mine for 2 years (3600 Miles) and I am looking for a new wheel now but this one has kept me out of mischief whilst learning by being a little underpowered compared to others and I still love riding it and will keep it as a back up.

 

 

[rcgldr]

1 hour ago, earthtwin said:

Wrong Way talks about the problems about the wheel, mainly pedal dipping on hard acceleration and not enough battery power,

The Molicell P42A version solves the battery power | current | voltage sag issue, at the cost of reduced range. I'm wondering if Samgung 40T would be better, but I'm not aware of anyone that has done this for the S18.

[woke rider]

@rcgldrThat's good information to know about making sure to get the Molicell p42a version. Do we still have to chisel out that little metal piece to release the shock?

[The Brahan Seer]

11 hours ago, earthtwin said:

Do we still have to chisel out that little metal piece to release the shock?

I'm not sure what this is referring to here but I have removed my shock and put back in without any issues.

I have ground down a little bit of plastic around one of the screws thats on the mudguard. This looked like it could touch the shock casing. Although I ran the wheel without doing so for ages. After grinding down I felt no difference so am unsure if its even needed to be done really.

I haven't had any alignment issues others have experienced. 

I do roughly 30% Road/40%tricks/30% Trail and ride it all year round.

[woke rider]

In the video that I linked to by Wrong Way, there is a King Song employee teaching us how to chisel out a piece of metal to release the shock at 7:27

I am very happy to hear how much use and joy you get out of your S18 @The Brahan Seer, perhaps removing that piece of metal will be like a hidden easter egg in your product, and will greatly improve the performance of your shock!

I remember when the S18 first came out, it was truly groundbreaking. I suspect that King Song didn't know how rider weight would actually play out as pertains to their shock. So they shipped their units with the removable block thereby making them further adjustable via a pre-planned hardware mod. Just a guess.

Edited May 10, 2023 by earthtwin
more words

[The Brahan Seer]

2 hours ago, earthtwin said:

perhaps removing that piece of metal will be like a hidden easter egg in your product, and will greatly improve the performance of your shock!

Thank you for clarifying. I don't have that design on my pedal hanger so to answer your question they fixed this issue.

 

[zaft]

Not to push you away from the EUC community but a Lectric XP Lite bike fits most of your requirements, and is way cheaper. It pushes 20mph under throttle alone. It also can have a back or front bike rack for bags etc. I don’t know how easy it is to balance on an EUC with a heavy backpack coming back from Costco :-)

I’d rather have a V11 for commute and city adventures than a S18…. aside from your train situation of course. 

[litewave]

Learning to ride an EUC will change your life forever in incredible, unforeseen ways. 

Just buy a wheel, any wheel, that you really want.

There are lots of reasons to buy other wheels, too, but if you're in love with the S18, just go for it. That matters more than anything else.

We'll be here to help you get started and welcome you to our ranks.

[woke rider]

16 minutes ago, litewave said:

Learning to ride an EUC will change your life forever in incredible, unforeseen ways. 

Just buy a wheel, any wheel, that you really want.

There are lots of reasons to buy other wheels, too, but if you're in love with the S18, just go for it. That matters more than anything else.

We'll be here to help you get started and welcome you to our ranks.

I love this post! I wish the S18 had the fixes when I was EUC shopping, because I wanted a 2nd gen product that had made it to market and have been fixed, like the moli batteries and the chisel bar. It's true, having a wheel is a special thing. It's like having a dog, it gets you out of the house. Usually it's just me and the dog walkers who are out and about. Except I am having fun exploring while the dog walkers are mostly doing a chore. I love exploring new areas that I would never enter on foot.

Edited May 12, 2023 by earthtwin

[ssup2406]

On 5/11/2023 at 9:36 PM, earthtwin said:

the chisel bar

They changed the slider design in the v2, it's made out of aluminum now which means that the out of the box alignment issues and also longer term misalignment issues ought to be fixed. Also Adam's review is of the first batch production units going by the date and the colour of the linkages (they had shipped the silver linkage ones which had the milled alu sliders to many reviewers who reported good things then the production version came with cast steel ones which caused all sorts of alignment issues, it was a hit and a miss with some folks not reporting major issues). The first time I saw the S18 suspension adjustment thread here, I was like no way I'm getting this and opening this can of worms, but further exploration showed that the problems
Source: https://ecodrift-ru.translate.goog/2022/09/08/kingsong-s18-v2-nachalo/?_x_tr_sl=ru&_x_tr_tl=en
Translated to eng, then do take a look at their two other s18 v2 articles as well!

[ssup2406]

On 5/11/2023 at 6:03 PM, zaft said:

train situation of course

Yeah, this is the main bottleneck, I checked out the lectric, it's neat! Unfortunately the folded dimensions are more than the one's permitted on the train, moreover they're going to reduce those further soon, and the S18 barely fits in the the reduced dimensions!
 

On 5/11/2023 at 9:23 PM, litewave said:

We'll be here to help you get started and welcome you to our ranks.

You and the community's support means a lot, and it is a large part of why I'll be going ahead with the S18 purchase soon (will update the post when I do so), even though if doesn't turn out to be feasible for the Costco trips (I could still go by EUC and return by bus!).

[litewave]

56 minutes ago, ssup2406 said:

You and the community's support means a lot, and it is a large part of why I'll be going ahead with the S18 purchase soon (will update the post when I do so), even though if doesn't turn out to be feasible for the Costco trips (I could still go by EUC and return by bus!).

Lol. Although I have a car, I ride my EUC to Costco 1-2 times per week, carrying 20, sometimes up to 40 lbs back. See posts and thread below.

Skill and experience. You'll get there. 

 

 

 

[woke rider]

Or, shop online, or shop in person with the app and let them deliver. Or get practice riding with backpack weight, lol.