Any way to determine S22 batch number?

[Saboteur_ZA]

Found a PEV dealer who has recently added EUCs to their lineup. They have the S22 at a great price online. However, their sales person knows nothing about the model. Could not confirm batch number. Not worth the risk to me unless there is a way I could determine that. Maybe from the serial number or something like that?

[Gkindy]

Who is the PEV dealer in question? 

[Saboteur_ZA]

Epic Cycles. They sell e-bikes and electric scooters mainly, but have now added EUCs to their lineup. Only KingSong wheels at the moment, and pretty limited lineup. They have the S22 but not the Pro. Just not clear on whether this is the batch where the issues are resolved.

[Flygonial]

Even if they offer a decent warranty on parts and repairs (I doubt they would offer to pin or replace unpinned motors but fingers crossed), and even if 3k CAD is a good price, I’d still say no. If you bought an S22 Pro motor and sliders separately, you’d end up overrunning the cost of just buying from EUC Deals ($2600). Not sure how you’d make it work, maybe driving it back through the border from a P.O. Box (not sure how willing they are to ship across the border)?

[Saboteur_ZA]

Thanks for the insight. Hadn't heard of EUC Deals, amazing pricing. Problem is they only ship within US, bigger problem is you clearly need to be able to do your own repairs. That's not me! Anyway, you make it sound like S22 is not worth it without uograding, so may as well only look at S22 Pro?

[Flygonial]

12 minutes ago, Saboteur_ZA said:

Thanks for the insight. Hadn't heard of EUC Deals, amazing pricing. Problem is they only ship within US, bigger problem is you clearly need to be able to do your own repairs. That's not me! Anyway, you make it sound like S22 is not worth it without uograding, so may as well only look at S22 Pro?

Oh, well I have an S22 that isn’t the Pro version. It’s not that it isn’t worth it, it’s the potential for an early S22 to come with an unpinned motor that is seriously problematic. An unpinned original motor is prone to have its stator (where the magnets are) slip out of alignment and eventually tug on the wires enough to cause a cut-out. The S22 Pro controller is the same if not possibly worse than an earlier (not very first batch) one (as you may see 125V MOSFETs instead of 150V), and to be honest is part of the reason the S22 Pro is disappointing: the controller is a bottleneck to the true performance of the motor. The Pro motor is still an upgrade but unless you’re super into climbing extreme slopes and landing jumps, it’s a minor difference and only affects range slightly in practice (Pro motor is slightly more efficient). I bought my wheel from Eevees as they offered a motor swap to a pinned motor, and am still quite happy with the wheel overall.

It may be possible to read off the motherboard of the wheel (especially if they haven’t updated it since leaving the factory) to deduce which batch it might be a part of (late 2022-ish I believe you start seeing pinned motors) but I’m not the best versed in advice if you choose to go this route.

[Clem604]

59 minutes ago, Saboteur_ZA said:

Thanks for the insight. Hadn't heard of EUC Deals, amazing pricing. Problem is they only ship within US, bigger problem is you clearly need to be able to do your own repairs. That's not me! Anyway, you make it sound like S22 is not worth it without uograding, so may as well only look at S22 Pro?

Since your in Toronto, have you looked at Smart Wheel in Burlington or Ride One downtown?  If you wanted to keep it in Canada you could also take a look at Eevees, my local dealer, or Van EUC.

Edited August 11, 2023 by Clem604

[Hellkitten]

@Saboteur_ZA There’s a group ride tonight starting at queens park at 6:30pm. There are a few s22 riders that usually show up. If you made it to the ride you could ask some people there about their experiences. It’s a chill ride top speeds around 30-40km. 

[Saboteur_ZA]

2 hours ago, Clem604 said:

Since your in Toronto, have you looked at Smart Wheel in Burlington or Ride One downtown?  If you wanted to keep it in Canada you could also take a look at Eevees, my local dealer, or Van EUC.

Thanks. Just called Smart Wheel, and they do offer test rides, which is great. I will be trying out the S22 and the new KS S19. I'm not sure how I feel about a 20 inch wheel, currently riding a KS16x and want to upgrade to suspension. Not sure either that the S19 represents enough of an upgrade in speed but at least it offers suspension and my 16x has been very reliable, no issues, so there's that.

[Saboteur_ZA]

1 hour ago, Hellkitten said:

@Saboteur_ZA There’s a group ride tonight starting at queens park at 6:30pm. There are a few s22 riders that usually show up. If you made it to the ride you could ask some people there about their experiences. It’s a chill ride top speeds around 30-40km. 

Thanks! Group rides... haven't ventured into that territory as yet. Also, my 16x might keep up but doing even 40km/h on those roads (potholes, general bad condition) without suspension, uh, not too appealing. That is why I am looking to upgrade to suspension. Going to test ride some wheels at Smart Wheels, get an idea of whether to stick with 16 inch wheels or go bigger! 

[Hellkitten]

9 minutes ago, Saboteur_ZA said:

Thanks! Group rides... haven't ventured into that territory as yet. Also, my 16x might keep up but doing even 40km/h on those roads (potholes, general bad condition) without suspension, uh, not too appealing. That is why I am looking to upgrade to suspension. Going to test ride some wheels at Smart Wheels, get an idea of whether to stick with 16 inch wheels or go bigger! 

Fully understand, I’ve got a thing for the local potholes……… 

It’s a mix of different pevs and levels of experience. We often get eskates, one wheels and they keep up. It’s a very chill ride where everyone looks out for each other. The faster sections are only on long clear stretches of road. It’s a great way to meet people in the local community and good way to connect with other riders that you might want to ride with at other times. It happens every Friday weather permitting. By all means stop by.