Cloud Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 My search for the perfect first unicycle is almost over and I feel like i am closing in on something. It appears that I am missing the last piece of the puzzle before i can make the right decision.i am wondering how much difference a couple of kilos make. In the 14-16" wheel range, would 16kg unit vs 14kg unit make a difference and in what way? I understand about having to carry it around, what i mean is the way it rides, the way you control it, maneuverability. Will a heavier unit make you much more tired after an hour or two of riding? It is my assumption that the bulk of this weight delta would be concentrated mainly on the top part of the unit ( heavier battery, etc). Perhaps people who own more than one wheel have some experience to share?thanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newuser Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 My search for the perfect first unicycle is almost over and I feel like i am closing in on something. It appears that I am missing the last piece of the puzzle before i can make the right decision.i am wondering how much difference a couple of kilos make. In the 14-16" wheel range, would 16kg unit vs 14kg unit make a difference and in what way? I understand about having to carry it around, what i mean is the way it rides, the way you control it, maneuverability. Will a heavier unit make you much more tired after an hour or two of riding? It is my assumption that the bulk of this weight delta would be concentrated mainly on the top part of the unit ( heavier battery, etc). Perhaps people who own more than one wheel have some experience to share?thanks... its all about what you want to carry when its dead imo but what do i know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cloud Posted July 20, 2015 Author Share Posted July 20, 2015 its all about what you want to carry when its dead imo but what do i knowi understand about carrying. Are you saying there is no affect of the extra weight on the way it rides or how easily its controlled? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimlet Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 First off the bulk of the weight is the motor in the hub so it's low down. The batteries and control board are a relatively small proportion of the weight and I would always recommend getting the biggest battery version available of any wheel.Jason McNeil posted this pie chart a while ago:The difference in the weight is not noticable whilst riding it's only when you carry it that you'll find a slight difference, but they're all heavy to carry for a long distance, the odd flight of stairs isn't a problem even with the M18.As for riding "feel" the diameter of the wheel has a huge effect with the smaller wheels being much more nimble as their small radius turns sharp corners very easily with even a small amount of lean. They pay for this manoeuvrability in that they do not deal well with lumps and bumps and broken surfaces.The larger diameter wheels can ride up small curbs without too much trouble but in order to make sharp quick turns you need to slow down significantly and swivel rather than just lean and this does make them less agile. However on crowded pavements swivel turning isn't that hard as you are normally traveling slowly anyway.The other big difference is in low speed behaviour. Because the small wheels rotate that much more quickly for a given speed and are able to correct with the slightest lean they maintain your side to side balance at lower speeds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noam Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 Last week I sold my Airwheel X3 clone (9,8 kg) and bought a Ninebot One E+ (14,2 kg). Carrying the former for half an hour in the shopping mall was not a big deal. That, however is out of the question with the latter. I am going to the gym and would describe myself as average in terms of strength, but the 4,4 kg really make a difference. I am happy that I have a trolley handle attached to the beast.Riding the heavier wheel on the other hand is more comfortable in my opinion. It gives one more stability and makes it easier riding over curbs or humbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cloud Posted July 20, 2015 Author Share Posted July 20, 2015 Thanks for the great responses. When i said that the extra weight is on top, i meant that i am comparing the same model with two different battery packs, 360 and 680. I imagine that in this case the additional 2 kilograms of weight would be concentrated closer to the top. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimlet Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 As the battery is such a small proportion of the all up weight of the euc doubling or halving the size of the battery is barely noticable weight wise and the huge advantages of having the biggest battery available far out way the small amount of extra weight.Apart from the M10 I think all other wheels tend to have their batteries in the side panels alongside the top half of the wheel, so not very high.Often a 360 will have one pack on one side and a 680 will have two packs one on each side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esaj Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 I don't know if any other wheel does it similarly, but in Firewheels the battery compartments are lower than in the usual boxy-design or Ninebot:The downside is that the battery compartments can only be accessed from the inside of the shell, which is just a stupid design, and are poorly, if at all, sealed when it comes from the factory... Also, on F132 (one battery pack) and F260 (two battery packs), the batteries are on left side only, F520 and F779 use all the four compartments (two on each side), so they're more balanced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuts Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Don't think it is an issue you need to worry about. I've seen people attach external batteries only on one side of their wheels and off center and it hasn't affected the way they ride. The batteries you mention being internal will mean they are even closer to the center of gravity and as the gyro will stabilize in the front and back direction that 2kilos will be even smaller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cloud Posted July 22, 2015 Author Share Posted July 22, 2015 Thank you everyone, i got the answer i needed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 On 7/20/2015 at 9:31 AM, Gimlet said: First off the bulk of the weight is the motor in the hub so it's low down. The batteries and control board are a relatively small proportion of the weight and I would always recommend getting the biggest battery version available of any wheel. Jason McNeil posted this pie chart a while ago: Any idea what battery pack this chart refers to? If this is a wheel with 130Wh, the battery pack of a wheel with 680Wh might weigh 6.5kg. According to the data I have seen (i.e. to all I know) a battery weighs 600-800g per 100Wh, that is, a minimum of 4kg for a 680Wh battery. I agree that (battery) weight should have no relevant bearing on the driving, unless one wants to jump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimlet Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 I believe that when @Jason McNeil posted the pie chart he was only supplying the IPS 132 so if it refers to that it would be a 260Wh battery. I'm sure he'll be along later to clarify things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason McNeil Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Thanks guys, yes, 264Wh, with 32 cells. Calculating battery weight is pretty easy, because each 18650 cells is typically 46-49gm. On the IPS's the BMS is integrated within the main control-board, so other makes/models is could differ a bit, but not more than probably 100gm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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