Tried out the V5f+

[Paddylaz]

So I know there have been a few first-impressions/review posts on this wheel already but.....screw it, here's another.

Keith and I got to try out the V5f+ today thanks to Jason McNeil. I had never ridden a 14inch before but it exceeded expectations. Stunning looking wheel. Coming from an IPS Lhotz the weight was the first shock, 2kg difference is a huge contrast against my tank of a wheel.

Favourite thing for me was the pedal height, it took some getting used to (both because of that and the wheel size difference) but I quickly acclimated. The high pedals make sharp circles and turns painfully easy. Didn't get much of a chance for a speed test.
 

Pros:

-Looks fantastic, even better than in photos. Thin and sleek. Other than perhaps the black Solowheel Xtreme, it's probably the best looking wheel I've ever seen.

-Light, plus the motor-cutout button is a nice touch

-Wheel actually looks better with the trolley handle attached, not sure why. Just looks great with it attached but closed.

-Pedals and Handling. Both great.

 

Cons:

-Not a huge fan of the power button, which is a sort of haptic/capacitive job instead of an actual physical button. Trivial, though.

[Keith]

My views tie in with @Paddylaz.

When comparing the V5F+ against my, less than 1 year old, KingSong, it was amazing how "agricultural" it made my wheel look, if nothing else it shows how quickly development is still happening.

At first, riding it I found myself a bit "wobbly" whether that was due to the higher peddles or just nerves at riding a wheel I didn't own, I cannot say, I noticed Paddy also wobbled at first as well however it took less than 30 seconds to go away and the wheel then felt like I'd been riding it for ages. We didn't know how to change ride settings, but as it was set it felt similar to my wheel in the firmest "play mode".

Peddles felt much more comfortable/secure than the KingSong but, if anything looked smaller. In fact they are significantly longer, front to back and about the same width (see photo) but the nicely curved shape makes them less obtrusive (and less likely to bite your ankles if you are learning as well!)

After riding for a short while, the higher peddles made tight turns a joy, it was very confidence inspiring to be able to really tightly turn left and right without any danger of grounding the peddles. Acceleration and braking also felt really well mannered and predictable. I, obviously, did not attempt to overlean but it certainly felt like it was not likely to bite.

The trolley handle not only looks right but works really well, locking into place until a small button on the side is pressed to release it where upon it clips back against the wheel. A nice touch is, if pushing the wheel along by the handle with it powered up, the trolley handle does not get in the way of grabbing the main handle and its motor cut switch to (say) lift it up the stairs.

Whilst testing this I tried lifting the wheel without operating the button to see how the wheel handled overspeeding. Having spun to top speed and warning "Danger", "Danger" the wheel powered down completely and had to be turned on again by the switch. However tipping it over on its side, as in a fall, gave "Warning", "Warning" before cutting power to the wheel. Under this condition the wheel balanced again as soon as it was stood upright. It all felt like well controlled behaviour.

In conclusion, I will stick with the 14" KingSong I've already got (but if given a choice of the two, I'd go for the V5F+ . However it has really wetted my appetite for the 16" V8 and I'll be watching the reviews of that closely.

[steve454]

Great photo comparison!