Popular Post Boston-rider Posted April 2 Popular Post Share Posted April 2 Summary: This is my first EUC and it’s gone awesome! The V11Y has worked flawlessly through the Boston winter with about 325 miles on it (app measured, not GPS). No issues with the wheel whatsoever, despite that it’s from the first batch. I get about 35 miles range before getting to about 20% battery, with about 20 mph avg speed and a 240 lbs rider (gear included). The suspension has been fine for street riding, with no bottoming out (so far). Background: This is my first EUC, so I have zero experience to compare other wheels. I can’t answer any questions on the actual upgrades vs the original. I moved to EUC after riding a OneWheel XR and this blows that away, no question. I commute to work on it 1-2 days a week in the Boston area at a little over 16 miles round-trip. The Inmotion app says I’m at 325 miles since January. The ride has been fine through the cold winter temps and I rode down to about 12 degrees F outside (after windchill). It took a couple hours to learn on a grass field and then I ventured onto a local bike route (former rail line, so it was wide and largely straight). Easy enough. Other than that, I raced motocross on ATVs many years ago and tons of trail riding, but nothing else PEV-related. Rider I'm about 220 lbs before gear, which includes helmet, gloves, coat, knee pads, and boots. For my commute, I also have a backpack with my laptop, lock, tire pump, and some smaller items. I’m guessing I’m over 240 lbs (109 kg) by the time you add that all up. Ride type: Almost all street. I’ve done a tiny bit of off-road a couple times, but no real adventures. Maybe this summer when it’s warmer? The off-road I’ve done was a couple miles of hard-pack dirt and about 100 yards of sloppy mud (50 yards, twice). It did fine on the dirt and not so well on the mud, but I didn’t fall so I’ll take it. That was about a week into learning, so I’d probably do a bit better in the loose stuff now. Wheel Version Original batch of V11Y purchased through eWheels. Does not include the orange stripe on it. Issues None. Evidently others have had battery and charging issues and eWheels sent a replacement battery pack, but those aren’t installed yet (might be this weekend or next). I haven’t had any issues myself though. Customizations I added a ton of reflective tape to the sides. This is a commute wheel, so being seen was/is more important than looks. I have the stock Power Pads, but haven’t installed them (they just stick on with tape and I wasn’t sure how well that would hold up in winter temps). Other than that, it’s all stock and no other additions. Suspension It’s absorbed everything I’ve tossed its way, from small pot holes (2” or smaller) to raised/lowered manhole covers. I’ve avoided anything larger (so far). It’s never bottomed out that I’ve noticed, but I also went with the highest recommended suspension settings listed in the packaging. Tire I'm not a huge fan of the stock tire. It did fine through the winter and I have yet to fall since leaving my initial grass field, so I can’t complain too much. I skipped rides immediately after any snow, so I missed the ice and snow-covered roads. Maybe next year I’ll feel comfortable enough to try those? That said, I still rode the day after snow storms, so the roads were salted and a bit slippery but not fully covered. The tire did fine, with no major slips from rain or snow. My major complaint on the tire is actually when it’s dry out. It seems to “lurch” to the side at different times, such as when hitting the thick street paint for lane/bus markings. It’s a really odd feeling. I thought that was my lack-of-experience riding (and maybe it still is), but I’ve gotten more used to when it’s going to happen. I haven’t fallen yet, but I slow down in specific spots because the tire just acts weird in those spots (pavement-to-paint, in particular). I’m guessing the tire slips a bit to the side when it hits the paint and then regains traction, but it can happen going straight on a fully flat road so it’s not just when the road is slanted or something like that. It’s odd. I’m new to EUCs though, so maybe it’s something I’m doing too. I’m going to replace the tire when I replace the batteries, so I should know soon if it’s me or the tire. Speed I'm regularly riding around 20-25 mph, although I’ve hit 32 mph on a straight when no one else was around (beeped at 32 - no wind). I’m a heavier rider, so I’m not surprised I didn’t hit the full 36 mph that others might see. I’m averaging about 16-17 mph through my commute (door-to-door, stop lights included). As a commute wheel, this is amazing since I’m more held back by bike riders and cars than the wheel itself. As I’ve gotten more experience, I can regularly hit the speed beeps if I pop out into the car lanes for a bit or over one particular bridge where the wind tends to hit me straight-on, so I’ve adjusted accordingly. The car lanes have a max speed of 35 (and mostly 25), so I can almost hit their top speed limit. I’m not sure a faster wheel would help a lot in my case. Range I hit around 35 miles before hitting 20% battery. My commute is 16 miles and I’ll end the first day at 64-66% battery left and about 25% remaining after a 2nd trip (32 miles total). Those numbers are dropping lately to maybe 58% after the first day, which is probably because I’m riding considerably harder. If there are a bunch of bikes in the bike lane, I’ll pop out into the car lanes to go faster and frequently hit the warning beeps now. I thought the range would increase with the warmer temps lately, but I think the more aggressive riding is more than offsetting that. Summary This is a long post and that’s about all I have to say. As I said up front, this is my first EUC, so I have nothing to compare it to other than a OneWheel. I haven’t seen many reviews on this, so hopefully it’s helpful to someone. The V11Y been a great intro to the EUC world and I’m really looking forward to some trail riding this summer! 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueCrow Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 (edited) I'm interested in hearing how hard it is to change out the tire when you do. Edited April 2 by BlueCrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.