Veteran Patton First Impressions - 100 Miles (Copied from my Facebook page)

[LZMutant]

Today we are going to be discussing my impressions of the Veteran Patton after 100 miles as well as a brief comparison with the Sherman S.

This is a written review. Most of my videos have a skewed and funny perspective, and rather than damage my “brand” I thought I’d write this out "old-school" style; serious but not solemn. If you prefer video reviews I’d suggest you visit Shawn Duffey's YouTube page for the Patton, or Marty or Dawn's pages for Begode wheels and other interesting content. 

Before we get to my thoughts I want to remind new readers of “The Prism…”

THE PRISIM
Whenever reading (or watching) reviews I suggest you take into account the rider. I am 62 years old and ride mostly streets. I have an 11 year-old daughter that I’m very protective of, so I minimize as much risk as I can. That means no jumps, no trails (lately) and careful attention to speed (see the review and ride stats in the comments). I don’t ride seated though I am writing seated...

My wheeling is 75% recreational and 25% running errands. I live in Los Angeles (City of Crime) and traffic is a "thing" here.

I avoid it. I bare my teeth when I see it.

I ride residential streets whenever possible and zoom around bike trails. Sure, I come upon traffic from time to time but I’m very cautious.  

Full gear always, unless I’m trying to amuse people with a particular photo or two. You know who you are.

My reviews are broken up into “THE GOOD,” “THE BAD,” and “THE UGLY.” Proceed at your own risk.

••• THE GOOD •••

BUYING THE VETERAN PATTON...
For the record I had zero interest in the Patton. I was a first-batch Sherman S purchaser very content with my stable of wheels; including an OG Sherman, a Ninebot Z-10 and a recently acquired Mten4 (thank you Melody).  

A little over a month ago Lem showed me the Commander Mini, a wheel Marty really loves. Marty is someone I trust completely so I eyeballed it a bit…it looked rock solid and compact. I declined Lem’s invitation to try it, however, because…well let’s just say I’m not a great risk if you don’t want scratches on your new wheel.  

Mounting a new wheelI look like a speckled rooster riding a big-horn yak. Not pretty.

Around this time Robert Lynch bought a Patton. That got Duf’s attention, and after some deep consideration spanning months…sorry…weeks…sorry…days…sorry...

After about 10 minutes Duf bought a Patton from eWheels and loved it. His enthusiasm for the Patton was so unbridled it got my attention, bigly.**  

**""bigly" is not a real word despite what you may have seen.

As luck would have it I saw a local rider on a Commander Mini on one of my beach ride/monster encounter groups and he let me take it for a spin (I gave him my Sherman S to try too). Now, for full discloser this is a very familiar bit of territory for me and I’m quite comfortable riding along the seashore. That's why I didn't take Lem up on his prior offer...I'd have fallen over like the Rock of Jello at the Sepulveda Dam. But the Beach? My surf and turf.

The Commander Mini felt like a well-built brick, but when I approached 30 mph I felt my command slipping...it was a "Commander No" for me. I didn't wobble or anything like that but I could feel it coming…. That said, it is a great wheel but not quite a match for my string-beany body. The 16” form factor with suspension was awesome though...

I texted Duf and asked if I should get a Patton, and before he could reply I called Jason and ordered one. (Ewheels was spectacular to trade with as always.)

MY PATTON…
I have a street tire and the 66 pound suspension. Everything else is either stock or my pathetic attempt to customize it in my scary, "insect color" scheme. Since I named the Sherman S the “Murder Hornet,” the Patton became “The Wasp.” EWheels included a sort of grizzla/clark pad hybrid system, which is inexplicably tricked out with “glow in the dark” inserts...

When not glowing in the dark they are the color of snot on a doorknob. Not attractive. I tried to paint them "wasp yellow." but the paint flaked off like Psoriasis. Now the inserts are back to looking like wasabi and milk.  

Or mucus boba.

OVERALL RIDE…
The wheel I did my best riding on was the Gotway Nikola Plus. I’m not sure if it was because I rode a lot during Covid or the 16” form factor or the slight imbalance of the wheel synched up with the various kinks in my brain, but after I saw the Commander Mini I thought, “that looks like a more powerful, suspension Nikola…”

And yes, the Veteran Patton rides like a torque-y, suspension Nikola Plus. In other words, the 16” form factor plus a slight top-heaviness triggered all of my old Nik + coordination, and suddenly I was riding as competently as I did back in the day - only it didn’t bug my knees (which have the flexibility of Snyder Pretzel Sticks).

SUSPENSION…
Well...

(I thought I’d keep you in suspension)

…the suspension is well suited to riding streets. It’s strong and snug, like the headlock of a rhino, but still soft enough for curbs and impudent driveways. Here in Los Angeles, the streets are rougher than a porcupine’s foreskin; and the Patton does a fantastic job softening the street and letting you know what’s there. I am still fine-tuning the settings - but no complaints at all. Remember I have the 66 pound suspension - so it’s very hardy for my riding weight (170 with gear).

SPEED…
This may disappoint you but I have tilt-back set to 36 mph. I did the same thing on the Sherman S (until I was comfortable with the wheel). I had a really bad crash several years ago because I wasn’t perceiving speed properly; I tried to break and then…whoopsie! Since then I always give myself 2 months of tilt-back so I fully understand the dynamics of the wheel.  

My top speed was today. No surprise that it was 36.8 after the tilt back. Yes I totally feel like I could go above 40mph but…measure twice cut once. But if I wanted to I bet I could slideI could slide faster than cat shit on formica. 

More impressive (to me) was my average speed. Of 23.5 MPH (20+ mile ride). This is totally in line with my Sherman S and shows my riding is pretty much the same across both platforms. (Again - ride stats from today in the comments).

HANDLING…
This is where the Patton shines, IMO. I’d love to tell you why it handles so well but the only thing I can say for sure is that it isn’t the rider. The responsiveness could be due to the the 126v system or the 16 inch form factor... The weight distribution? I don’t know. But this wheel reacts to my body better than any other EUC I have including the Sherman S (more about that later).

PEDALS…
They are fine. Better than fine - they’re great. I bought e-rides pedals for my Sherman S because the S pedals lacked grip and the e-rides pedals looked great on the Murder Hornet. Which leads me to…

BUILD, FIT AND FINISH…
The Veteran Patton is a brick with a wheel. From a build standpoint I like it about as much as the Commander Mini. The mini has more battery and more metal, but the Patton just feels...I dunno, almost perfect? Everything about this wheel feels strong and completely worked out engineering-wise. The Patton is as tight as a witches teat in a brass bra.

•••THE BAD•••

BMS ISSUE
When I called Jason about this wheel he told me that out of the first batch of 250, six had control board failures resulting in crashes. This was due, he thought, to a flaw in the BMS. Apparently on full charge (126v) the wheel can’t handle hard braking causing cutouts.  

Yeesh.

Let’s give kudos to Jason at eWheels for telling me this BEFORE I bought the wheel. Full transparency is a good thing. Also 6 out of 250, while not great, isn’t that scary either.  

Since my riding is, shall we say, somewhat less than aggressive, I went ahead with my purchase.

Jason suggested I charge to 123v until a fix could be discovered and applied. So far I’ve fully charged and had no issues - but again, I’m not panic breaking at full charge.

RANGE…
For me this is a 60 mile wheel. That’s totally fine - but compared to the Sherman S (I get 100 out of it) it’s less than stellar. However, it doesn’t purport to be a 100 mile wheel. 50 to 60 miles is fine and what I’d expect from a 2200wh wheel. What you see is what you get.

It’s not like I ride 100 miles at a time anyway - I just hate charging. And I’m happy to trade off the weight it would take to make this a 3600wh wheel... Hell, I’d even be fine if it were 10 pounds lighter and 1800wh...

Eh, not really....

•••THE UGLY•••

The Veteran Patton.  

I’m sorry this is an ugly-ass wheel. It looks like a Volkswagen Thing that drives like.a Porsche. I got some guff online when I compared the Patton to a sports car…. Well, duh - it doesn't look like a sports car - it RIDES like one.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS…
I couldn’t be more pleased with the Veteran Patton at 100 miles. The Wasp is now my Urban Assault Vehicle. It’s great for running errands, quick trips and generally going wherever I want to go.  

But...if I want to go really far and really fast…

PATTON Vs. SHERMAN S…

Okay this is where the rubber hits the road for most of you. What is the Patton like compared to the Sherman S?  

GO TEAM SHERMAN S!
Well the Patton is one of the ugliest most utilitarian wheels out there, IMO. A shoe-shine kit with a wheel. It looks like a cyclops. The Sherman S, however, is gorgeous; particularly with Chris Clark’s “Murder Hornet” yellow bumper treatment.  

The Sherman S is faster. I’ve done 46mph on the Sherman S and not even felt it. I suspect 46mph on the. Patton, while attainable, might feel a little scary. I’ll let you know.

The Sherman S is smoother. This is due to its 20 " wheel size and weight. Riding the Sherman S is like being in a plane. An unbelievably smooth and stable ride. And you can go 100 miles.

GO TEAM PATTON!
The Patton is more agile. More responsive. More portable. You can easily get the Patton in the front seat of a sedan. The Sherman S is a deadlift of 100 pounds and a tight squeeze. Putting it in my car is like fitting a 10 pound sausage into a 5 pound casing.

The Patton’s torque and braking are FAR superior to the Sherman S.  

When you ride a Sherman S (or when I do) you have to brake in advance. Meaning, I have to start slowing down sooner than I’d like to when coming upon a pedestrian crosswalk or bike rider that I’m unsure of. This is enough of a problem with the Sherman S that they addressed the slow braking in a firmware update (that I haven’t done because...iPhone).

The Patton is much more affordable than a Sherman S.

Even considering all of the above, I’m keeping both. The Wasp is my Urban Assault Vehicle, the Murder Hornet is my cruiser.

IN CONCLUSION…
My writing teachers always said, “never write “in conclusion,” because the reader should know you're wrapping up because you're such a good writer...

Oops.

The Veteran Patton at 100 miles is a resounding win. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for an all-purpose wheel at 89 pounds. The Begode Extreme will rule the trails and the Begode Master Pro may rule the range. The V14? Shit...give the wheel a name and not a number! But I can wholeheartedly endorse the Patton for multipurpose riding. It’s an absolute blast.

As always, I welcome your questions and comments! Thanks for coming along for the ride.

Larry

[Cyberwolf]

@LZMutant - Thanks for the great writeup. 

I found the comparisons to be particularly helpful, but kinda curious how the apparently <10lbs variance between the Patton and Sherman S makes such a difference in lifting and (vehicle) portability?  Is it more to do with dimensions (e.g. creating awkwardness when lifting)?

 

Also, I must respectfully disagree with the comment below with regard to aesthetics:

17 hours ago, LZMutant said:

•••THE UGLY•••

The Veteran Patton.  

I’m sorry this is an ugly-ass wheel. It looks like a Volkswagen Thing that drives like.a Porsche. I got some guff online when I compared the Patton to a sports car…. Well, duh - it doesn't look like a sports car - it RIDES like one.

 

While I'm confident that some bias exists given it's my first wheel; I think that OOTB, at most it's just a bit 'plain', but throw in just the tiniest of tweaks and the Patton starts looking pretty damn sharp...

Edited August 20, 2023 by Cyberwolf

[LZMutant]

11 hours ago, Cyberwolf said:

@LZMutant - Thanks for the great writeup. 

I found the comparisons to be particularly helpful, but kinda curious how the apparently <10lbs variance between the Patton and Sherman S makes such a difference in lifting and (vehicle) portability?  Is it more to do with dimensions (e.g. creating awkwardness when lifting)?

 

Also, I must respectfully disagree with the comment below with regard to aesthetics:

While I'm confident that some bias exists given it's my first wheel; I think that OOTB, at most it's just a bit 'plain', but throw in just the tiniest of tweaks and the Patton starts looking pretty damn sharp...

The ten pounds do make a difference, partially because the wheel is physically smaller.  The mechanics of lifting it are less cumbersome.

Hey, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  I think the most attractive wheel ever made was the Ninebot Z-10.  The Patton just seems very utilitarian to me.  It looks like a Jeep but rides like a Porsche.

Totally respect your opinion though.  

[Cyberwolf]

16 minutes ago, LZMutant said:

Hey, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 

Very True!  And thanks for the additional clarification!

[Hellkitten]

@LZMutant very concise write up! I agree with your assessment 100%. I own and regularly ride a Sherman S, and have ridden a friends patton a decent amount. You more or less nailed the differences. I think they complement each other very well and make a great fit in someone’s quiver. 👌🏻

[LZMutant]

59 minutes ago, Hellkitten said:

@LZMutant very concise write up! I agree with your assessment 100%. I own and regularly ride a Sherman S, and have ridden a friends patton a decent amount. You more or less nailed the differences. I think they complement each other very well and make a great fit in someone’s quiver. 👌🏻

Well put.