Should I get a cheap wheel initially or pad up a good one?

[RooEUC]

Hi,

I have been riding and building electric skateboards for 8 years and this year I got really into the self-balancing thing.  I tried a hoverboard and it was fun but completely useless for transport.  Last week I bought a Segway Minipro and it is life-transformative.  Perfect for walking/running my high energy dog and for getting around locally.  But I am thinking of adding an EUC to the fleet because I want something that is faster, more compact and more destination-carry-friendly than the MiniPro.  The EUC would be for travelling solo to the mall and riding on hard-packed walking/cycling trails in the woods.

Initially I will need to learn on something cheap and cheerful.  I will most likely batter it up during the learning process so I don't want anything sleek and expensive until I am ready.  Is this the right way to go into this?  Or should I get a dream machine and cover it in padding?  If I go cheap, safety is a major concern - I need it to be reliable enough not to turn off and throw me on my face.  I hate getting hurt/cut/bruised/losing teeth/eyes, especially when it's not my own fault but as the result of a hardware/software failure.

What's my best option that's available in Canada without paying hundreds for shipping and import duties?

Thanks

[meepmeepmayer]

Dream machine + pad it up really well. More powerful = more safety, more fun. If you already have a minipro (so the EUC would not be your first self balancing gadget), you'd probably get bored really fast of a weak, slow wheel anyways. People here have sold their Ninebots (which aren't bad) after a week as beginners already, and gone for a better wheel.

[Tjtripp]

Im in the same boat.  I bought a minipro because I was confident it would be easy to use.  Upon researching the minipro I discovered EUCs and instantly knew I wanted one.  I ended up getting a used Ninebot one E (thought it was a C+) to learn on.  Took me about a week, or around 3 total hours total.  During that time, I obsessed over my next wheel and just recently put a deposit down on an inmotion V8 (which is shiny and very pretty   )   I definitely didn't want to mess up a brand new V8.  So my suggestion is to find a quality name brand used wheel.  But you will likely want another new wheel once you get the hang of it.  If you have access to lots of grass or any environment which will not cause too much damage, you could just wrap your wheel up in protective padding as many do.  If you can stomach eventually buying 2 wheels, then get a used one to learn and teach friends on, then get another wheel.  Or only one wheel is in the budget, I'd get a new wheel, but put padding all over it.

[RooEUC]

3 hours ago, Tjtripp said:

Im in the same boat.  I bought a minipro because I was confident it would be easy to use.  Upon researching the minipro I discovered EUCs and instantly knew I wanted one.  I ended up getting a used Ninebot one E (thought it was a C+) to learn on.  Took me about a week, or around 3 total hours total.  During that time, I obsessed over my next wheel and just recently put a deposit down on an inmotion V8 (which is shiny and very pretty   )   I definitely didn't want to mess up a brand new V8.  So my suggestion is to find a quality name brand used wheel.  But you will likely want another new wheel once you get the hang of it.  If you have access to lots of grass or any environment which will not cause too much damage, you could just wrap your wheel up in protective padding as many do.  If you can stomach eventually buying 2 wheels, then get a used one to learn and teach friends on, then get another wheel.  Or only one wheel is in the budget, I'd get a new wheel, but put padding all over it.

I like your suggestion to learn on grass.  Somewhere with very short grass should be good.  Does it make it harder to learn to turn though?  I fell in love with the Inmotion V8 the second I started seeing videos of it.  That's the wheel I would get if I could choose.  That's the dream.  Weirdly, there are no good actual review videos of it.  What's with all the EUC videos just being Gopro footage of them being ridden, but rarely does anyone actually do a proper review of them where they talk about the features, the pros and cons and any problems. 

I may be going into EUCs with more confidence than is appropriate.  I have only fallen off one of my electric skateboards once in the last 5 or 6 years and that was when a dog ran out in front of me.  And I rode them almost daily. I even rode them for test purposes as part of my job.  I haven't fallen off the MiniPro yet and I don't feel like I will, unless something happens that's out of my control.  The learning curve on it was about 30 minutes to go from baby crawl to zooming around doing figure 8s in and out of posts.  So I'm looking at the EUC ride videos and thinking "it doesn't look that hard - surely I'd pick it up in an hour and be on my way with barely a few drops", but I'm guessing that this is a false sense of security.  Is it that much harder to learn? 

Isn't it funny how for lots of people, as soon as we get the MiniPro we almost instantly start dreaming of an EUC.  The MiniPro appears to be the gateway drug to EUCs.

[Goodman]

Ninebot One E+ is a really easy wheel to ride and learn with looks pretty good and can handle a few bumps, it's not that expensive. I bought a Gotway Msuper a few weeks after I bought my ninebot one E+ but I am still using the E+ now to learn how to ride backwards and jumps as it is a much lighter and easier wheel to learn stuff on. 

[kasenutty]

x10 Roo. I never had even heard of an electric unicycle, but came here looking for minipro info and other users. I wandered over to the EUC section and watched some videos and thought that looked like even more fun. I actually became obsessed. All I did was watch EUC videos until I could scrape up enough money for a uni. Now my legs are all hurty. 

[RooEUC]

Which one did you buy, Kasenutty?

[Tjtripp]

1 hour ago, RooMiniPro said:

I like your suggestion to learn on grass.  Somewhere with very short grass should be good.  Does it make it harder to learn to turn though?  I fell in love with the Inmotion V8 the second I started seeing videos of it.  That's the wheel I would get if I could choose.  That's the dream.  Weirdly, there are no good actual review videos of it.  What's with all the EUC videos just being Gopro footage of them being ridden, but rarely does anyone actually do a proper review of them where they talk about the features, the pros and cons and any problems. 

I may be going into EUCs with more confidence than is appropriate.  I have only fallen off one of my electric skateboards once in the last 5 or 6 years and that was when a dog ran out in front of me.  And I rode them almost daily. I even rode them for test purposes as part of my job.  I haven't fallen off the MiniPro yet and I don't feel like I will, unless something happens that's out of my control.  The learning curve on it was about 30 minutes to go from baby crawl to zooming around doing figure 8s in and out of posts.  So I'm looking at the EUC ride videos and thinking "it doesn't look that hard - surely I'd pick it up in an hour and be on my way with barely a few drops", but I'm guessing that this is a false sense of security.  Is it that much harder to learn? 

Isn't it funny how for lots of people, as soon as we get the MiniPro we almost instantly start dreaming of an EUC.  The MiniPro appears to be the gateway drug to EUCs.

Tishawn has a great review of tye inmotion V8.  Its atound 30 mins long.  Pretty much covers every aspect of the wheel.  I also know he's a regular on this board.  

As far as turning on grass, i would assume that big turns would be fine if the grass is short.  I found my ninebot one e for 300 bucks.  Im keeping it to practice tricks.   So my suggestion would be based on your intended use.  If you want to commute, Id save up for the dream wheel.  If you want to do tricks, Id look for a ninebot one e+ or even a c+.

[Tjtripp]

Also, to address Roos question about difficulty.  It seems like the younger fellas pick it up quite easily.  I showed a 15 year old and he picked it up much faster than I did.  Im 39 and it took around 3 total hours spread over a week. Id say the 15 uear old took about 45 mins to 1 hour total.  Keep in mind that those first hours were exhausting, and I'm quite fit.

[Marty Backe]

11 hours ago, RooMiniPro said:

Hi,

I have been riding and building electric skateboards for 8 years and this year I got really into the self-balancing thing.  I tried a hoverboard and it was fun but completely useless for transport.  Last week I bought a Segway Minipro and it is life-transformative.  Perfect for walking/running my high energy dog and for getting around locally.  But I am thinking of adding an EUC to the fleet because I want something that is faster, more compact and more destination-carry-friendly than the MiniPro.  The EUC would be for travelling solo to the mall and riding on hard-packed walking/cycling trails in the woods.

Initially I will need to learn on something cheap and cheerful.  I will most likely batter it up during the learning process so I don't want anything sleek and expensive until I am ready.  Is this the right way to go into this?  Or should I get a dream machine and cover it in padding?  If I go cheap, safety is a major concern - I need it to be reliable enough not to turn off and throw me on my face.  I hate getting hurt/cut/bruised/losing teeth/eyes, especially when it's not my own fault but as the result of a hardware/software failure.

What's my best option that's available in Canada without paying hundreds for shipping and import duties?

Thanks

Buy the best wheel that you can afford and/or want and learn on that. It's what I did. I bought an ACM and padded it up. Once I learned how to ride, there was no need to upgrade the wheel since I already had what I considered the best wheel.

[Tjtripp]

The very detailed video review of the inmotion V8

[kasenutty]

1 hour ago, RooMiniPro said:

Which one did you buy, Kasenutty?

I got a kingsong 14c 840wh on sale.

[WeeJ]

J is only 11, he wanted something better than his airwheel x3 not long after he started riding it.   If you are 100% sure u wanna wheel, and dedicated to learning how to go it.  I would pad up a good wheel.  As he has just saved up for his new wheel, saving xmas and birthday money, with some chinese new year money added to it too!  lol  

 

 

[kasenutty]

What's he planning on getting? 

[RooEUC]

Thanks guys.  I think I will aim for the V5F and get the protective case to learn with. 

[LanghamP]

I used the foam padding the V5 came in. I cut it up and stuffed it between the wheel and the Inmotion cover.

[Carlos E Rodriguez]

V8

[Pingouin]

Marty is right, padding up a good EUC is a clever idea, because cheap EUC are not reliable and not very powerful, so they can cut off under hard conditions (it can happen while learning), plus I had some friends who started with cheap EUC that had a fried motherboard just after stepping on it..

I learned on a "good" EUC and I think it's not much of an issue because you'll probably end scratching your brand new EUC (bought after the cheap EUC) it anyways even if you know how to ride ^^

[Jurgen]

Please don't trust your life to a crappy electronics device. On this forum I've seen people get hurt really bad because of a cheap wheel.

If you're on a budget, you could try to get a second hand top brand from a reliable source (like here on the forum from a member with a good reputation).

A second hand EUC doesn't brake your bank account, nor does it break your heart when scratched (which you will in the beginning).

Good luck, and may the Big Rider be with you on your EUC yourneys.

[Carlos E Rodriguez]

@Marty Backe just got hurt riding one of his cheap EUC. so buy a proper wheel. 

[KINGKONGSONG]

I learned on the new KS16S.  I padded it up after realizing I needed a few hours of practice.  After 5 riding sessions I have managed to understand how it functions and have clocked 100km so far with the last venture around 35km.  I've seen some photos of other KS models and they really take a severe beating so a few scratches won't cause any harm.  Just be sure to wear protective gear.  I picked up some nice fingerless gloves (to operate the app on the fly) and a quality bicycle helmet.  I'll probably invest in additional gear eventually. Good luck!

[duaner]

Guess I'm the odd man out.  I loved the $225 ebay cheap EUC as a learner.  I did not beat up my "dream machine" while learning.  And I now use the cheapo for people who want to try it.  Cut-off is not a problem as beginners don't accelerate hard, and with a top-speed of 9mph, you can still run out of a cutoff.

[Marty Backe]

58 minutes ago, duaner said:

Guess I'm the odd man out.  I loved the $225 ebay cheap EUC as a learner.  I did not beat up my "dream machine" while learning.  And I now use the cheapo for people who want to try it.  Cut-off is not a problem as beginners don't accelerate hard, and with a top-speed of 9mph, you can still run out of a cutoff.

My $200 wheel cut out on me (last week) and I was probably going 5mph. Road rash on both hands and a bloody knee. Given the right conditions you can run out a cutoff, but many times you can't. Please don't assume that even 5mph is totally safe. Any I was not accelerating, my wheel just hit some rough payment which was too much for it.

[RooEUC]

Thanks for all the opinions. I am going to start with a good wheel rather than a cheap learner.  I love my MiniPro but I feel I have quickly outgrown it.  My question is now, will I be happy with a 14" wheel or should I get a 16"?  Compactness, weight and portability are very important to me, as I will be carrying the wheel around shops and malls from time to time and wanting as little attention as possible. I will not be wheeling it like luggage, preferably.  My MiniPro is very awkward to carry when not being ridden.

But the MiniPro's 10" wheels have felt fine on the roads I ride.  However, on some easy forrest trails it was hard work and not enjoyable.  Some people think 14" is too small for rough road surfaces and trails.  I think it should be fine for all the places I plan to use it. But I have never ridden an EUC.

I do not want to feel like I have outgrown my first wheel after a few months. I would like just one wheel that I will use for a couple of years without upgrading. Finding the balance between capabilities and portability is my goal while not spending a fortune.

 

 

[Paddylaz]

16 minutes ago, RooMiniPro said:

Thanks for all the opinions. I am going to start with a good wheel rather than a cheap learner.  I love my MiniPro but I feel I have quickly outgrown it.  My question is now, will I be happy with a 14" wheel or should I get a 16"?  Compactness, weight and portability are very important to me, as I will be carrying the wheel around shops and malls from time to time and wanting as little attantion as possible. I will not be wheeling it like luggage, preferably.  My MiniPro is very awkward to carry when not being ridden.

But the MiniPro's 10" wheels have felt fine on the roads I ride.  However, on some easy forrest trails it was hard work and not enjoyable.  Some people think 14" is too small for rough road surfaces and trails.  I think it should be fine for all the places I plan to use it. But I have never ridden an EUC.

I do not want to feel like I have outgrown my first wheel after a few months. I would like just one wheel that I will use for a couple of years without upgrading. Finding the balance between capabilities and portability is my goal while not spending a fortune.

 

 

My first wheel was a big chunky 16inch IPS Lhotz. When I changed to the 14inch on my Inmotion v5f+, I was worried it would be a downgrade in this department.

Quite the opposite. Didn't notice any real difference in terms of comfort, and manouevrability was considerably better. 16s now feel clunky to me. Additionally, there were the obvious weight advantages.
 

In terms of 'outgrowing your wheel' as you say, I guarantee you the vast majority of people on this forum who have outgrown wheels have outgrown them in terms of their power/speed/range demands, NOT wheel size. Another reason why buying a top wheel from the start is the smart financial move.

If portability is as important to you as you say, I'd go for either the Inmotion V5f+ or the Kingsong 14d in the 14inch category. The KS is faster but the Inmotion has an excellent trigger under the handle that kills the motor when you need to pick up the wheel quickly. Plus it's lighter. Go for one of these two and I don't think there's such a thing as a 'wrong choice.'

ps. If you're looking to save money and you're not a speed-freak (you prob WILL be though ;).....The Ninebot One E+ is STILL a great wheel. Definite honourable mention.