JZT's Leaperkim Lynx Review

[JZT-Colorado]

Leaperkim Lynx finally in-hand and under-foot, only 50-miles in.

First, my buying experience from @Jason McNeil at eWheels was exemplary, as usual.
His after-sale support is so good he has earned my loyalty and I would never buy from anyone else.

This is my 15th one-wheeled EV in the last five years (list in my profile), and without a shred of doubt, it is the very best.

Coming most recently from a Patton, here are some observations:

Setup
Batch-2 (works perfectly, knock-on-wood).  Kenda knobby.  66 lb. suspension spring.  Bei Dou seat, pads (included "Formula" in-back, Grizzla up-front), pedal hangers, Nylonove pedals, and a PidZoom TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System).  Tire at 30 PSI.  Other than that, all-stock settings, except power tilt-back to 80% and speed alarm/tilt to 45/50 MPH (I ran it at default 20 MPH alarm/tilt initially to get familiar with them).

Torque and Power
Every bit as powerful and torquey as my Patton, although at least initially (before lowering the pedals), I had to lean into it a bit harder to get the power out.  Now with lowered pedals, it's every bit as torquey off the line as the Patton.  It's also faster -- it reaches higher speeds with more authority and stability than the Patton.  On the road, initially I thought it was just a little faster and more stable Patton.  Now that it's setup with lowered pedals and I'm starting to get used to it, it's dramatically quicker, faster, and more stable.  In a word:  It's a BEAST.

Handling
The Patton still feels slightly more agile and can even be a little twitchy, but at my height (6'1") I actually feel I get more control on the Lynx, as its taller frame fits better between my knees.  On the Patton, to keep it stable I always feel like I need to keep at least one leg pressed firmly against the frame, whereas on the Lynx I can let it be a little more free between my legs and I haven't seen even a single wobble, even under extreme braking.  The bigger wheel also gets me over taller rocks and logs, and coming down drops the progressive springs have never bottomed-out.  Both my Lynx and Patton are 66 lb. springs, but the Patton needed a bit of compression tightening, which then caused the ride to suffer slightly, whereas the Lynx is perfect at 66 lbs. with my 195 lb. weight fully geared-up.  I understand what some reviewers have said about it feeling "lighter" than the Patton -- I understand this as it does feel a little less "dense" than the Patton.  Surely the weight is the same, but somehow the Lynx feels more "flickable."  Perhaps better leverage from the taller frame is also helping.

Features
The charger is now easier to plug-in than the Patton's.

The Smart BMS and hall sensor fault compensator give me more confidence and sense of security (as does the more stable ride).

The super bright headlight is an absolute joy, and is so easy to turn downward if I don't want to annoy oncoming traffic.

Pedal clearance is fine, even with the lowered pedals (or can be made higher without the hangers).  If I could make one minor improvement, it would be adjustable pedal height ("eh-hem, Leaperkim?").

Trolley handle is great to use, but it does rattle a bit, which I can only hear if I'm going slowly (which isn't very often).

The Bei Dou seat is very nice, but I wish it was less slippery.  I will experiment by putting some traction tape on it.

The PidZoom TPMS is great.  I wish they had a Charger Enhancer that handled 151v so I could choose to only charge to 90% (to increase battery lifespan and also give heavy braking headroom at full-charge), but Bob at PidZoom says this is coming soon.

I've heard some folks disparage the kickstand, and it does hang out there kinda far and low -- it would definitely be better if it was angled further upward, but it hasn't bothered me yet on trails or stairs, but if it does, it's coming off.  Will a third-party make a better one ("eh-hem, Grizzla?").

The new Leaperkim iPhone app is a huge benefit (I really didn't want to buy an Android phone just to talk to my EUC), but it's not perfect yet:  It occasionally crashes and needs to be deleted and re-downloaded.  It has also failed to properly upload firmware a couple of times, causing me to sweat a little as it resets back to factory settings, hoping it doesn't brick my wheel (it didn't).

I've heard people praise the simple LCD control panel -- maybe these folks miss their 1990's flip phones?  I prefer an iPhone, so yeah, it could be better, but it's still functional.

The beeps are LOUD.  The tiltback WORKS.  I've never felt safer on an EUC (and I've never gone faster, so that's saying a lot).

Summary
When I got the Patton, which was just before the Lynx was announced, which wasn't that long ago, it was literally the best wheel I had ever ridden.  I was surprised by the extremely high build quality -- even better than my V12HT, which I thought at the time was the best I had ever seen (although now my V12 has taken a couple of very minor tumbles at low speeds and already needs some replacement parts).  The Patton was so capable, it allowed me to go faster than I've ever gone before, more confidently, and to go places and do things on a wheel that I had never done before (steeper climbs, bigger drops, taller stairs, etc.) -- it's like the world opened-up for me in a way that the promise of EUCs had always beckoned, but until now I had just never been able to fully realize.  I finally feel and understand the "Superman" feeling that I had heard about from Chooch and Kuji and the best riders.  It has truly opened my eyes to what is possible.  And then the Lynx arrived, and everything the Patton did, the Lynx took it up one more notch.  In every way the Patton opened up new capabilities, places, and possibilities to me, the Lynx just does it that much more and better.  That log climb I finally figured out on the Patton with a grunt and some sweat -- the Lynx makes that one easy and the one that was still impossible is now possible.  That jump-drop that I finally got down, just barely, I can now get down confidently, smoothly, and with no risk of bottoming-out.  It took me several hundred miles on the Patton to finally get comfortable with it (and with a slightly modified foot positioning to get stable, as I mentioned) -- but with the Lynx, the comfort and confidence was almost instantaneous.  After so few miles (only 50), it's Full-Send Superman, OMG -- and I feel I haven't even unlocked its full potential.  It's hard almost to put it into words -- it's that good.

The Lynx is a true "all-rounder" that does it all, without compromise.  It's both quick & agile, and extremely fast & powerful (I don't really want to go any faster than 50 MPH on one wheel), and a truly fantastic on- and off-road wheel.  It inspires maximum confidence in nearly every situation.  The 14-inch rim (can we please start calling these by their rim size, for fuck's sake?) is a fantastic middle-ground between the more twitchy 12" and smaller rim wheels and the huge 16" and bigger rim wheels -- it's the "Goldilocks" size.  "If you could only have one" -- this is absolutely, without a doubt, The One.  I still have four other EUCs at this moment, and I'm really starting to wonder if I'll ever go back to my V12HT -- will a lighter, "Hard Tail" ever give me as many SPH's (Smiles Per Hour)?  I'll definitely still keep my MCM5v2, as that's my "throw it in the trunk" wheel in case I want to park a distance from my destination for an excuse to wheel around before a meeting.  The V8's are for riding with The Boss (my wife).  The OW GT and XR are what started this adventure and are now my son's and daughter's in college, and there's still a use case for taking them to class (I get it -- a 90 lb. EUC just isn't as cool in school).  But I'm going to take my son out on a "Superman trail ride" with the Patton and Lynx, and I'm pretty sure the Lynx will win him over.

Overall, I can't remember being so happy and excited about a new vehicle in my stable since... I dunno... my last 6spd Gallardo Spyder... that is, until it rolled over while getting transported (yes, that really happened).  Seriously, the fact that I can get as much of a thrill for 1/50th of the price says something pretty spectacular about this burgeoning sport.  Hopefully it also shuts-up any naysayers about a $4,000 PEV, as it's as much a One Wheeled Motorcycle (OWM?) as an EUC.  It's such an effective all-rounder that this one machine can replace several in your stable, so in that sense, it's truly a breakthrough product, further justifying the admittedly high price.  Still, I'm more than happy to support the manufacturers (e.g. Leaperkim) and dealers (e.g. eWheels) to help them be financially successful, so they keep providing these most excellent machines and service that are providing so much fun, adventure and feeling of freedom to customers like me.  Thank you, one and all who have supported the development and amazing, rapid improvements to these vehicles.  Also a big shout-out to the talented vloggers who opened this wonderful door to me and supported me in the exploration of the sport, including but not limited to: @Hsiang, WrongWay, Chooch, FreshlyCharged, @Kuji Rolls (come back!), and even @Marty Backe and @Duf (although you guys could ride and talk and little faster... but I guess that's what Roger and playback speed are for ).  Even to the other manufacturers, InMotion, KingSong, Begode -- I've loved your wheels too at times, and I hope you all take-on the charge to soon one-up Leaperkim and have the #1 wheels again at times in the future!  It's all part of the fun and challenge!

In closing, if I could give the Leaperkim Lynx, at this moment, just one word, it is:
Bravo!

Edited February 3 by JZT-Colorado

[Flying W]

RIP orange dream machine!

This seals the deal for the lynx being my next wheel. My riding is 50/50 on and off road.  

@JZT-Colorado I remember wrong way talking about, and showing, the pedals dipping in corners. Is that still present on your batch 2? 

[JZT-Colorado]

2 minutes ago, Flying W said:

RIP orange dream machine!

This seals the deal for the lynx being my next wheel. My riding is 50/50 on and off road.  

@JZT-Colorado I remember wrong way talking about, and showing, the pedals dipping in corners. Is that still present on your batch 2? 

I don’t notice it in any significant or bothersome way, no.  Especially at speed, when it matters most, it tracks perfectly smooth and true, even when I’m leaning pretty strongly into the curve.  I used to have a V10F that did this turning-pedal-dip, and yeah, it was a little sketch, but the Lynx doesn’t do that, at least not now with Batch-2 and latest firmware. 
 

I’m glad my review was helpful! Thank you! Safe riding!!

[varamontelo]

Hi,

does lynx use the same screws as patton ? can lynx drive without app ?

Thanks.

[JZT-Colorado]

25 minutes ago, varamontelo said:

Hi,

does lynx use the same screws as patton ? can lynx drive without app ?

Thanks.

Hi, I’m not exactly sure to which screws you’re referring, but there are certainly some that look the same, but perhaps not all of them.
 

Both the Lynx and the Patton most certainly will ride just fine without being connected to the app. The control panel is more than enough to control all the settings you need.

-J.