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18in wheels comparison


johnc415

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On December 19, 2015 at 4:35 AM, SlowMo said:

In the video, the 18" looks too big to ride amongst pedestrians?

I primarily ride among pedestrians in NYC on my KS-18A 800W 680wh MKII, absolutely no issues.

It is a gross misconception that the unit is too big to maneuver in traffic.

• The unit itself is not significantly giving you more width while traveling compared to a 16" or 14", you are basically 2" wider

• The difference in surface area of the tire contacting the ground is even less significant compared to a 16" or 14", as you are still basically riding on a blade.

 

It does take some re-learning how to turn and maneuver on specifically the Kingsong 18" wheels because of the height, but once you do, I would argue the KS-18 has more control than a 16" or 14", as I regularly manipulate the top portion between my legs to weave and turn, ala leaning your leg up against the uni to ride one-legged. This actually makes the maneuvering more fun in my opinion~

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46 minutes ago, houseofjob said:

I primarily ride among pedestrians in NYC on my KS-18A 800W 680wh MKII, absolutely no issues.

It is a gross misconception that the unit is too big to maneuver in traffic.

• The unit itself is not significantly giving you more width while traveling compared to a 16" or 14", you are basically 2" wider

• The difference in surface area of the tire contacting the ground is even less significant compared to a 16" or 14", as you are still basically riding on a blade.

 

It does take some re-learning how to turn and maneuver on specifically the Kingsong 18" wheels because of the height, but once you do, I would argue the KS-18 has more control than a 16" or 14", as I regularly manipulate the top portion between my legs to weave and turn, ala leaning your leg up against the uni to ride one-legged. This actually makes the maneuvering more fun in my opinion~

I dont understand this. Its not about the width of the unit being the same or the contact surface area. 18" is heavier and bulkier. When you have something havier and bigger moving, it is harder to change its direction of movement and its slower than you would with a smaller and lighter object. This is why a flea takes less time to jump in a split second than an elephant who need to stop his whole mass to slowly change direction. If you have onky a few pedestrians to go around this is not a big deal, but if you have to quickly make tight turns around people, i dont see how the 18" can have more control than 16 or especially 14"

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17 minutes ago, Cloud said:

I dont understand this. Its not about the width of the unit being the same or the contact surface area. 18" is heavier and bulkier. When you have something havier and bigger moving, it is harder to change its direction of movement and its slower than you would with a smaller and lighter object. This is why a flea takes less time to jump in a split second than an elephant who need to stop his whole mass to slowly change direction. If you have onky a few pedestrians to go around this is not a big deal, but if you have to quickly make tight turns around people, i dont see how the 18" can have more control than 16 or especially 14"

Have you ridden an 18" for more than 100 miles? 

I have.

I've put similar miles in a 16" Ninebot as well.

Are you saying 16" or 14" & 30lbs vs 18" & 40lbs is the difference of a flea and an elephant? Because in experience, it sure doesn't feel that way. It's not that different minus the height of the Kingsong

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8 minutes ago, houseofjob said:

Have you ridden an 18" for more than 100 miles? 

I have.

I've put similar miles in a 16" Ninebot as well.

Are you saying 16" & 30lbs vs 18" & 40lbs is the difference of a flea and an elephant? Because in experience, it sure doesn't feel that way.

I rode ks 18 " but  for a coupke of miles only. Of course i would get more familiar and learn to manouver better on it if i rode more.

the difference between the flea and the elefant is an exxageration just to illustrate a point. Increasing the mass by 25-50% makes a big difference too.

Ks 14 felt much easier to manouver around pedestrians than a 16 ninebot. Also its just common sense - heavier bigger things are harder to monouver quickly. And you need to chnge dirction fast when going around pedestrians. Your turning radius alone will be bigger on 18" than it is on the 14

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5 minutes ago, Cloud said:

I rode ks 18 " but  for a coupke of miles only. Of course i would get more familiar and learn to manouver better on it if i rode more.

the difference between the flea and the elefant is an exxageration just to illustrate a point. 

Ks 14 felt much easier to manouver around pedestrians than a 16 ninebot. Also its just common sense - heavier bigger things are harder to monouver quickly. And you need to chnge dirction fast when going around pedestrians.

Sure, the first couple of miles, it was a struggle adjusting for me coming from a 16" Ninebot. It actually felt like re-learning how to ride

Sure, if you don't want to learn and invest the time how to maneuver with it, then yes, it is difficult. 

But I thought this forum was to share actual user experience, and now that I've ridden 100+ miles on both, I'm telling you this "hard to maneuver amongst pedestrians" thing is a myth, it's simply not true..

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1 minute ago, houseofjob said:

Sure, the first couple of miles, it was a struggle adjusting for me coming from a 16" Ninebot. It actually felt like re-learning how to ride

Sure, if you don't want to learn and invest the time how to maneuver with it, then yes, it is difficult. 

But I thought this forum was to share user experience, and now that I've ridden 100+ miles on both, I'm telling you this "hard to maneuver amongst pedestrians" thing is a myth, it's simply not true..

I wasnt trying to tell you that i know how it feels riding on 18 better than you. Of course you know better becaus you rode more on it. I also wasnt arguing the point that the one can become proficient at manouvering on it. Its great you are sharing your experience that for you 18" feels easier to manouver than 14" 

all i said was i dont understand how this is possible to achieve, all other things being equal.. If there were other factors at play that could explain how a heavier bigger object is easier to manouver id sure understand how this works, but at this point this is one persons's testimony of an experience which i cant find an explanation for.

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1 hour ago, Дмитрий Дмитрий said:

 

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This is simply beautiful work! Thanks for sharing it. What's next: a version with tracks?

I'm riding much less now with the snow. It's not just the loss of traction(though that is a factor) it's also less room on the side of the road to escape the cars.

 

As for the 18" discussion: I have a 14", 16", and 18". The 18" is by far my favorite (MSuper2) At higher speeds, it is much more steady. All three of them are fun.

 

With practice, I feel as steady at slow speeds on my 18" as on my 14". However, the 14" is the one I like riding inside of the house the most :) 

 

But I do have my 14" up for sale on Craigslist, there is a problem with too many wheels around the house and barn...

oh: one more thing: it is a heck of a lot easier to jump the 14" up off the ground, but there is almost 20 lb difference in weight between the 14" and 18". 

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22 minutes ago, Cloud said:

I wasnt trying to tell you that i know how it feels riding on 18 better than you. Of course you know better becaus you rode more on it. I also wasnt arguing the point that the one can become proficient at manouvering on it. Its great you are sharing your experience that for you 18" feels easier to manouver than 14" 

all i said was i dont understand how this is possible to achieve, all other things being equal.. If there were other factors at play that could explain how a heavier bigger object is easier to manouver id sure understand how this works, but at this point this is one persons's testimony of an experience which i cant find an explanation for.

I'm trying to dispel this myth because everyone who gives these excuses on the forum never seem to be the ones who actually have much experience on (or own) a unit like the KS-18. (I do not count 1 ride or just a few hours).

I'm telling you, the difference is just not as big as you all make it out to seem. 

The physics become different for the Kingsong 18 (I cannot speak for the MSuper or Solowheel), primarily because of it's height, and I'd say for the better.... performance-wise, not hand-carry, stow-away portability-wise.

When I turn, I not only have the weight distribution of my feet at my disposal, as in a 14" or 16", I also have the top portion of the unit which I can manipulate with my inner thighs as I turn my hips. Additionally, I have more feel of the unit as I am in more and better contact with the unit, as opposed to only being in contact with the uni below the knee, as with a 14" or 16". The sensation is that I can make sharper turns by almost "falling over the unit" when turning into the turn. When observing visually, the taller 18" unit does a more pronounced flip-flopping motion when making rapid turns, and I can slalom pedestrians with ease. And mind you, it took me quite awhile to get to this point. (I commute to work and run errands daily with my uni).

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Ha, i sure dont need excuses for not riding the 18"! I simply dont own one, but ive ridden approx 2000 miles on the ks14" - and most of these miles on sidewalks. I can manouver arounds thick crowds of people and can go as slow as about 1-1.5 kmh or even stand still for a second or two. I am actually looking forward to buying a ks18" as i want the stability and a smoother ride of an 18" and an ability to use the seat. I am looking forward to experiencing the feel of it and if its easier to manouver than its a win win. 

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8 minutes ago, Cloud said:

Ha, i sure dont need excuses for not riding the 18"! I simply dont own one, but ive ridden approx 2000 miles on the ks14" - and most of these miles on sidewalks. I can manouver arounds thick crowds of people and can go as slow as about 1-1.5 kmh or even stand still for a second or two. I am actually looking forward to buying a ks18" as i want the stability and a smoother ride of an 18" and an ability to use the seat. I am looking forward to experiencing the feel of it and if its easier to manouver than its a win win. 

Yes, that's another thing. I now have an IPS Zero 340wh as well, and I feel a helluva lot more stable on the KS-18A 18" wheel than I do the Zero, especially when riding side by side with cars.

Also, this sounds weird to say, but I feel more respected and feared on the KS-18, as it more resembles a motorcycle (mine is black), whereas when riding the Zero, more people make comments, both good and bad, treating me as if I am some little kid on a hoverboard/balance board (I am in my mid-30's).

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3 minutes ago, houseofjob said:

Yes, that's another thing. I now have an IPS Zero 340wh as well, and I feel a helluva lot more stable on the KS-18A 18" wheel than I do the Zero, especially when riding side by side with cars.

Also, this sounds weird to say, but I feel more respected and feared on the KS-18, as it more resembles a motorcycle (mine is black), whereas when riding the Zero, more people make comments, both good and bad, treating me as if I am some kid on a hoverboard/balance board (I am in my mid-30's).

Lol. Now i see why the 18" is easier to manouver around pedestrians. They respect you more and quickly move out of the way to avoid collision :) 

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Just now, Cloud said:

Lol. Now i see why the 18" is easier to manouver around pedestrians. They respect you more and quickly move out of the way to avoid collision :) 

Ha, maybe, but I'm weaving the pedestrians with their backs to me. I find regardless of the size uni, pedestrians either walk away from you (most) or walk into you (deer caught in headlights / staring phenomenon).

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3 minutes ago, houseofjob said:

Ha, maybe, but I'm weaving the pedestrians with their backs to me. I find regardless of the size uni, pedestrians either walk away from you (most) or walk into you (deer caught in headlights / staring phenomenon).

Correct. There is a third rare group. They intentially move on to you to make a point that they own the sidewalk and you dont belong there. I had a few poeple do that to me.

edit: actually there is a fourth group which is about half of pedestrians, where they are in going in the same direction as you or towards you - they continue as if you are not there. Inside they are a littl worried about you knocking them down but they dont want to show they are scared so they continue as if you dont exist

2nd edit: i just noticed we totally hijacked the thread) shame on us. It was supposed to be about comparisons between the 18 inchers :)

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Just now, Cloud said:

Correct. There is a third rare group. They intentially move on to you to make a point that they own the sidewalk and you dont belong there. I had a few poeple do that to me.

I've heard of that, but never experienced this as I'm usually over-deferential to pedestrians. I slow to a crawl with front facing pedestrians, and I usually try to use pedestrians with their back to me as blockers, like linemen in Football. If all else fails, I jump off the curb and ride with the cars.

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2 minutes ago, houseofjob said:

I've heard of that, but never experienced this as I'm usually over-deferential to pedestrians. I slow to a crawl with front facing pedestrians, and I usually try to use pedestrians with their back to me as blockers, like linemen in Football. If all else fails, I jump off the curb and ride with the cars.

I often ride like crzy on sidewalks , so i have an opportunity to invoke and research all kinds of interesting reactions and behaviors from peestrians :)

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27 minutes ago, Cloud said:

Hey i just think it will be fun to ride together....

Ah, I see. Sure, but I've been riding a lot less with the cold weather (not enjoyable for me unless I really have to get somewhere). Maybe on a warmer, non-freezing day? Or maybe with Tim Haden's Hoodriderz meet ups? (again, way prefer when it's warmer).

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The KS 18" is actually easier and safer to ride near pedestrians than riding any other wheel .

The reason is, you can dismount and remount whilst having total control of the wheel by holding the wheel in your hands. Other wheels require you to take extra time to bend down to grab the wheel, they require the rider to have control of the wheel with your feet which is not always as secure as being able to restrain it by hand. This makes the KS safer near bystanders.

As far as manoeuvrability, the additional height of the KS18 allows far greater leverage in leaning and turning which compensates for the increased wheel diameter, again making it suitable and safe to use near pedestrians.

i own 14", 16" ,18" and 26" wheels, the 18" more than holds its own as a cruising wheel and is actually more comfortable to ride than smaller wheels. The taller case does require a different riding technique but once you are familiar with what works, there are many reasons to like the taller design over all others

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46 minutes ago, Mistagear said:

The KS 18" is actually easier and safer to ride near pedestrians than riding any other wheel .

The reason is, you can dismount and remount whilst having total control of the wheel by holding the wheel in your hands. Other wheels require you to take extra time to bend down to grab the wheel, they require the rider to have control of the wheel with your feet which is not always as secure as being able to restrain it by hand. This makes the KS safer near bystanders.

As far as manoeuvrability, the additional height of the KS18 allows far greater leverage in leaning and turning which compensates for the increased wheel diameter, again making it suitable and safe to use near pedestrians.

i own 14", 16" ,18" and 26" wheels, the 18" more than holds its own as a cruising wheel and is actually more comfortable to ride than smaller wheels. The taller case does require a different riding technique but once you are familiar with what works, there are many reasons to like the taller design over all others

Ok, i am ready to buy!!

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