After my last fall, I'm no longer convinced Solowheel is the best EUC. Recommendations?

[vgambit]

Cliff's Notes on the fall is that I was going near-max speed (unknowingly) when I decided to take advantage of a flat, clear sidewalk. A few seconds after my decision to speed up, the Solowheel abruptly cut off without warning and chucked me forward, full force. I was out of commission for about a week. 

 

I speculate that this happened because the wheel attempted to initiate tilt-back, but because I was maybe 80-90% of max speed (estimated), it must've started to tilt back at the same time I tried to accelerate, so some torque threshold was exceeded before I could even feel any tilting, and the thing was off, and then I was off, before I knew it. A month later, I'm mostly fine, presumably because the max speed of the Xtreme is so low (relative to other EUCs), but I still have some pain in the joints that hit the ground hardest. 

 

The reason why I say I'm no longer convinced the Solowheel is the best is because this sort of thing, as I understand it, isn't really supposed to happen. I've been using my Xtreme for over 6 months, and feel I know what I'm doing. When I was shopping for an EUC, I picked the Solowheel because this forum convinced me that it uses the best algorithms in terms of wheel behavior, turning, acceleration, deceleration, tilt, and so on. But it's sketchy on cobblestones. Going up or down the sharp dip on the sides of a vehicle or pedestrian ramp on a sidewalk can trick the wheel into thinking you're going up or down a hill, causing it to sharply tilt to try to compensate for that, resulting in an awkward downward-pointing foot while going at low speed until you work it back upright.

It weighs too much, at 26 pounds. The handle is uncomfortable, compounding that weight issue. Without a $20 fender addon, it's unusable in the rain unless you enjoy soaking the seat of your pants on your way to work. And the damn magnets that hold the pedals are so weak, I have to gently lift them up to prevent them from bouncing off the body and falling back down again. 

So what are your recommendations? Or is Solowheel really the best, despite all of the issues I have with it?

[Hunka Hunka Burning Love]

First off, welcome to the forums, and sorry to hear about your accident.  Where did you get the impression that Solowheel was the best?  I think there are still some fans, but they seem to be few and far between due to the high cost to features ratio mainly.  There is a new Solowheel Scorpion due out plus some interesting things from InMotion/Solowheel joint ventures.  Exceeding the acceleration maximum of any wheel is bound for failure as the motor just can't perform miracles.  If you're near the upper limits of speed already, and you try to accelerate quickly that may use up what power the motor has left without any ability to warn you or tilt back.  Tiltback requires that the wheel accelerate a bit to adjust the tilt of the pedals/shell so it needs to put out a burst of power.  If that extra burst isn't available it will cut out.

Imagine your best athletic friend is pushing you while you balance over the wheel on a wheelbarrow.  He's running near his maximum speed to catch your slight lean so you don't fall forwards.  You decide to suddenly lean even more forwards, and he just doesn't have any more umph to push faster so you meet the ground.  Up near the upper speed limits is where the danger zone is.  I would advise against any sudden movements up there that may exceed the available power that the wheel has left to keep you safely balanced.  The upper limit will also vary with battery charge level, rider weight, wind, and inclination of road so it's not really a well defined speed setpoint.

In the future with much more powerful motors that are over-engineered, we may see one day that there is plenty of reserve energy from the motor/batteries to handle almost any situation demanded of it, but that day is still far away.  As you reach the top speed for your weight and riding conditions, torque approaches zero.  When torque reaches zero, you reach the ground at full speed.

26 pounds is on the light side for wheels.  My Ninebot One E+ weights about 25 pounds.  How much do you weigh?  If you're on the lighter side, maybe an Imotion V5+ or V8 might be a good choice or a Gotway MCM4/KingSong 14C?  It's difficult to find something lighter than 26 pounds that is still pretty good.  Maybe a Ninebot S2 or the new IPS i5?

[Dingfelder]

Yeah that doesn't seem like much weight from the specs I've seen on different wheels.  

[HermanTheGerman]

I don't know from where you have the opinion that Solowheel is one of the best, but for sure not here from this forum.

I have the impression, that most people here think, that currently the by far best wheels are built by Kingsong, Inmotion and Gotway, and I agree with that.

E.g. I'm riding my KS16B now since more than 3000 km, also on steep hills, gravel roads and difficult terrain, and although it's upper limit is 30 km/h, I was going once with 39 km/h by overleaning to much, and there was no cut off (some people say the wheel has reserves that it could go even 45). It's no longer possible to go that fast with the latest firmware, because they changed tiltback in a way that one can only reach 35 or 36.  But what I want to say is, that it is a very safe wheel, and I rely completely on it.  They even changed the firmware recently, so that one can drive at the allowed limit (30 km/h) now until the battery capacity is down at 25% (it was 50% before), and then the maxspeed changes to 25 km/h.

I can't speak about Gotways, but I tried Inmotion once, and if they would have a better range, then possibly I would own one now instead of the Kingsong, just because of the better App, and I liked the  wheel hardware.

But meanwhile the KS16S came out, and I hope to change to this new generation this summer.

Also the KS14C/D or the Inmotion V5F+ are great wheels, but I'm sure, others can tell more about them.

In short: Wheels, where the rider can easily reach the wheel's limit so that it cuts off, are just not state of the art anymore.

For me the wheel is a means of transport like a motorcycle, I rely on it, and definitely expect that it does not blow up or turn itself off under any circumstances.

[Trey Lewis]

9 hours ago, vgambit said:

Cliff's Notes on the fall is that I was going near-max speed (unknowingly) when I decided to take advantage of a flat, clear sidewalk. A few seconds after my decision to speed up, the Solowheel abruptly cut off without warning and chucked me forward, full force. I was out of commission for about a week. 

 

I speculate that this happened because the wheel attempted to initiate tilt-back, but because I was maybe 80-90% of max speed (estimated), it must've started to tilt back at the same time I tried to accelerate, so some torque threshold was exceeded before I could even feel any tilting, and the thing was off, and then I was off, before I knew it. A month later, I'm mostly fine, presumably because the max speed of the Xtreme is so low (relative to other EUCs), but I still have some pain in the joints that hit the ground hardest. 

 

The reason why I say I'm no longer convinced the Solowheel is the best is because this sort of thing, as I understand it, isn't really supposed to happen. I've been using my Xtreme for over 6 months, and feel I know what I'm doing. When I was shopping for an EUC, I picked the Solowheel because this forum convinced me that it uses the best algorithms in terms of wheel behavior, turning, acceleration, deceleration, tilt, and so on. But it's sketchy on cobblestones. Going up or down the sharp dip on the sides of a vehicle or pedestrian ramp on a sidewalk can trick the wheel into thinking you're going up or down a hill, causing it to sharply tilt to try to compensate for that, resulting in an awkward downward-pointing foot while going at low speed until you work it back upright.

It weighs too much, at 26 pounds. The handle is uncomfortable, compounding that weight issue. Without a $20 fender addon, it's unusable in the rain unless you enjoy soaking the seat of your pants on your way to work. And the damn magnets that hold the pedals are so weak, I have to gently lift them up to prevent them from bouncing off the body and falling back down again. 

So what are your recommendations? Or is Solowheel really the best, despite all of the issues I have with it?

Like people have mentioned there are very few that would label Solowheel the best or even in the top 3 brands.

It sounds like you want dependability and safety as a top priority, and with that in mind I would recommend KingSong or Inmotion above any other brand. It is harder to outgrow the KS and for that reason it gets my vote if I had to choose between them.

If weight and portability is the most important the new IPS i5 could be perfect for you, but no one really knows anything about it. I will have a first batch unit in a few hours if tracking is correct. I will post more info on it and some videos but as of right now I can't recommend a wheel that hasn't been thoroughly tested.

 

tldr Choose KingSong, find the best size that works for you.

[Keith]

10 hours ago, vgambit said:

It weighs too much, at 26 pounds. The handle is uncomfortable, compounding that weight issue.

The answer isn't a lighter wheel. The weight of the two major components - the motor and batteries - is where the power that is going to keep you upright comes from. Lighter motor and/or batteries is going to equal less power. So the answer is a good trolley type handle that will allow you to walk the wheel rather than carry it a lot of the time.

Like other users here I'm astonished that you say this forum convinced you to go Solowheel, you only have to look at the post counts, Gotway, Kingsong and Ninebot are all over 8000, Solowheel = 397. As @Hunka Hunka Burning Love said what features it has don't come close to justifying its price.  Inmotion have only introduced really effective wheels in the last year and their post count is getting on for 3000. 

Kingsong and Inmotion have the best reputations here for safety and have well integrated trolley type handles that would help with the weight. It just needs to be decided whether the lighter 14" wheels would be an advantage over the 16" wheels both also sell - there is plenty of advice on this forum on where those two wheel sizes work best. Ironically Inmotion are now tying in with Solowheel and it looks like it might result on Solowheel selling Inmotion wheels with Solowheel prices. As @Jason McNeil says in the below post, now is the time to buy one.

Oh, and one final point; none of the wheels currently sold have anything that could remotely be called "Redundancy" so, although good electronics can monitor for problems and try to prevent you continuing if all is not well, none of them can mitigate against a sudden failure in battery, motor or electronics. Whilst reliability and safety features in some wheels are getting to be very good any wheel could possibly suddenly stop and faceplant you. There is no substitute for assuming this could happen on any trip and wearing appropriate protective gear.

[UKJ]

Other than having to replace the motor, wheel due to axle cracking I love my ks14c!

It has NEVER cut out other than a few over heat tilt backs when idling for extended periods.

And now having what I think is a better generation motherboard and v 1.25 firmware it seems even better.

I now have the feeling form a safety point of view that it "senses" less battery and litterely tells me to slow down!

ukj

[LanghamP]

I prefer my KS14c as well over my other wheels. The cracked axel does make me nervous. I can only imagine the newer version of the KS14 must be much better.

You may also prefer a wheel depending on your riding style, and your riding style is determined in part by the wheel you buy.

Keeping a wheel log, when I remember to turn it on, is educational. On my KS14c I usually do not exceed 15 mph, and I average about 10 mph. On my MSuper V3S I often exceed 28 mph and I average 21 mph. To me this is too high, it's not really what I want to do on a wheel, especially since I often don't wear protection, usually just a helmet.

Often we get obsessed in the particulars of our tools rather than using the tool for the purpose a reasonable and prudent person would use it. To me, a wheel is halfway between a pedestrian and a bicycle, so while I go faster than a pedestrian I go slower than a bicyclist (or try to, usually I end up passing them up hills, and being passed down hills). You'll get where you want pretty fast regardless; I think city traffic averages around 18 miles per hour.

Also, all three wheels have that downward point when going UP a sidewalk ramp, especially if I'm trying to accelerate. It takes a bit of time for them to level out. I think this is a safety feature, not a bug. If you going up a ramp then the wheel wants you to go up it reasonably slow. I think. I hope. Anyway so long as I'm moving forward I'm ok with going slow but the occasional ridge/bump going uphill does force me to step off the wheel.

I'd vote for a KingSong with the 800 or more battery range, but the Inmotions V5/V8 are great if you do not need the extra range. Personally I need the extra range and with the V5F+ I was constantly flirting with walking my wheel home.

Gotways seems kinda mad to me. Maybe not Rockwheel levels of madness, but Gotways definitely appeal to the speed enthusiast. While I love riding, and ride about an hour a day, I use my wheel to explore my city, visit people, run errands like grocery shop, as a last mile parking option, and so on, all at fairly low speeds. Truly the wheel is a liberating device, like an electric bicycle/scooter only better in its fantastic form factor ("it's just a wheel!" a girl once commented).

I've never seen another person on a wheel in real life, just on video, but it must appear to be one of the most ubsurd and ludicrous forms of transportation. For the first time in human history, a BC wheel is available for anyone who wants it and possesses just a bit of skill.

And that brings me to agreeing why a trolley is a must. Absolute must. You want the wheel to get out of your way once you reach your destination.

[meepmeepmayer]

13 hours ago, HermanTheGerman said:

In short: Wheels, where the rider can easily reach the wheel's limit so that it cuts off, are just not state of the art anymore.

This is a great summary of electric unicycle safety! For wheels, more power means more safety reserves, and more power is the only safety reserve you ever have, on principle. You can go slow with a fast wheel, but you can't go fast with a slow wheel. Fast wheels aren't for crazy enthusiasts, fast wheels are simply safer for everyone.

The upcoming Kingsong KS18S is probably the safest wheel, simply because it can go 50 km/h even if you never get close to this and stay at 25.

I think a "this can go twice as fast as I'm usually riding" safety margin is very reasonable long term (maybe even 3x or 4x) given that higher rider weights and especially inclines greatly reduce the maximum safe speed (where it still can balance sudden obstancles e.g.).

[meepmeepmayer]

13 hours ago, Trey Lewis said:

tldr Choose KingSong, find the best size that works for you.

This! Bigger batteries and (for some models) stronger motors than Inmotion.

13 hours ago, Keith said:

Whilst reliability and safety features in some wheels are getting to be very good any wheel could possibly suddenly stop and faceplant you. There is no substitute for assuming this could happen on any trip and wearing appropriate protective gear.

Extremely true. Might be very very unlikely to have a cut out due to a technical failure (even with today's wheels), but it's possible and you have to act accordingly (aka wear protection).

[vgambit]

Me IRL:

 

The impression I got from browsing the forums and checking elsewhere online late last year was that the Solowheel was expensive, but was the only "legit" EUC, as the rest were all "cheap knockoffs" that had rough handling, whereas the Solowheel had smooth handling due to better-engineered balancing algorithms and such. I thought that the other brands were more popular simply because they were cheaper, and people didn't mind the comparatively rough handling. I also had concerns about battery fires and explosions, that were never the case with Solowheels, but sometimes were with these other brands.

I thought I had to charge this thing so damn frequently because larger batteries were dangerous or something. Nope, just a tiny battery (though the airline restriction is real, from what I understand). 

 

It seems my ideal wheel, now, would look something like the following, compared to a Solowheel Xtreme:

More than 200 Wh battery capacity
Highest possible max speed with an option to software-lock it to tilt back at 10-15 mph (so even if I jam on the accelerator near max speed like a scrub, instead of running out of torque, cutting off, and flinging me, it just strongman lifts me up anyway)
Extendable handle to walk it around instead of having to heft it (which is the sole reason why the weight was a problem, really)
Decently strong magnets in the pedals, so I can easily fold them up with my feet when done instead of this delicate placing nonsense I'm dealing with daily
A quick charger that doesn't have ear-piercing coil whine noise when the wheel is fully charged
An actually useful, informative app
The ability to go up steep hills, even at half charge (and do so at a decent clip, instead of a snail's pace, in an effort to prevent the same sort of torque fall)
An option to automatically stop charging before full capacity is reached, so it can go downhill and brake sharply immediately instead of having to run the battery down a bit first
A more accessible tire valve for re-inflation as tire pressure decreases over time
 

Hell, maybe I should get one of the crazy dual-wheel models. Ostensibly, I'd be able to navigate stop and go pedestrian traffic without having to fully stop and plant a foot on the ground. 

[Dingfelder]

2 hours ago, meepmeepmayer said:

This is a great summary of electric unicycle safety! For wheels, more power means more safety reserves, and more power is the only safety reserve you ever have, on principle. You can go slow with a fast wheel, but you can't go fast with a slow wheel. Fast wheels aren't for crazy enthusiasts, fast wheels are simply safer for everyone.

The upcoming Kingsong KS18S is probably the safest wheel, simply because it can go 50 km/h even if you never get close to this and stay at 25.

I think a "this can go twice as fast as I'm usually riding" safety margin is very reasonable long term (maybe even 3x or 4x) given that higher rider weights and especially inclines greatly reduce the maximum safe speed (where it still can balance sudden obstancles e.g.).

Being an over 200 lb guy who lives around steep hills, I was very worried about cut-outs due to the not having enough power or battery left.  That's a very important safety issue and it steered me toward getting as much power as I could even though I did not at all want to start off by buying an expensive EUC. 

I was willing to pay quite a premium for not just basic usability, but for a potential safety margin.

[Hunka Hunka Burning Love]

Avoid the dual wheel Airwheel Q5 types of wheels if you can.  I hear that over uneven surfaces they can get a little squirrely.  Maybe lean towards the new KingSong 16S which seems to be a popular choice.  Or the V5F+ / V8 series of wheels.  People seem to rave about their InMotion wheels.  I think the handle on the KS is better though as it's smartly integrated.  Weight of a wheel can actually help you to plough over rough bumps.  The extra mass keeps the wheel moving and stable.

Don't get me wrong - the Solowheel Extreme is a beautiful looking wheel, and some forum members ride them.  I did hear one guy did have a control board issue which he had a hard time dealing with.  Something about an expensive replacement part being difficult to get?  Other stories tend to mention how they have to recharge a lot sooner than other wheels during longer group trips.  I do hear that the Solowheel Classic is a tough, long lasting wheel.

With axle breakage problems, I'm a little leery of the KS 14's, but I hear that they have resolved the issue?

[Dingfelder]

3 hours ago, vgambit said:

Me IRL:

 

The impression I got from browsing the forums and checking elsewhere online late last year was that the Solowheel was expensive, but was the only "legit" EUC, as the rest were all "cheap knockoffs" that had rough handling, whereas the Solowheel had smooth handling due to better-engineered balancing algorithms and such. I thought that the other brands were more popular simply because they were cheaper, and people didn't mind the comparatively rough handling. I also had concerns about battery fires and explosions, that were never the case with Solowheels, but sometimes were with these other brands.

I thought I had to charge this thing so damn frequently because larger batteries were dangerous or something. Nope, just a tiny battery (though the airline restriction is real, from what I understand). 

 

It seems my ideal wheel, now, would look something like the following, compared to a Solowheel Xtreme:

More than 200 Wh battery capacity
Highest possible max speed with an option to software-lock it to tilt back at 10-15 mph (so even if I jam on the accelerator near max speed like a scrub, instead of running out of torque, cutting off, and flinging me, it just strongman lifts me up anyway)
Extendable handle to walk it around instead of having to heft it (which is the sole reason why the weight was a problem, really)
Decently strong magnets in the pedals, so I can easily fold them up with my feet when done instead of this delicate placing nonsense I'm dealing with daily
A quick charger that doesn't have ear-piercing coil whine noise when the wheel is fully charged
An actually useful, informative app
The ability to go up steep hills, even at half charge (and do so at a decent clip, instead of a snail's pace, in an effort to prevent the same sort of torque fall)
An option to automatically stop charging before full capacity is reached, so it can go downhill and brake sharply immediately instead of having to run the battery down a bit first
A more accessible tire valve for re-inflation as tire pressure decreases over time
 

Hell, maybe I should get one of the crazy dual-wheel models. Ostensibly, I'd be able to navigate stop and go pedestrian traffic without having to fully stop and plant a foot on the ground. 

I don't know that you'll get much satisfaction out of the app.  I don't see people singing a lot of praises for the apps of the two leading brands, Kingsong and Gotway.  I think they say the one for Inmotion is good?  Not sure.  

The tire valve thing can be fixed with a tire valve extender.  They go for a half a dozen USD on Amazon but seem difficult to find in ordinary stores.

Magnets in the pedals is something you may be able to modify yourself easily and relatively inexpensively, so I'm not sure that should be too determinative.

I don't know about going up hills at speed, especially in the transition.  That simply takes a lot of power.  And the transition, from what I read, can require a quick increase in torque that can overwhelm some motors, especially for heavier riders.  I know when I get my new machine, I am going to try to make it a mental habit to slow down a bit before I hit a notable increase in incline, and start slowly.

People here note that dual wheel models have a significant problem of their own, in that they try to ride on both wheels on less than level surfaces, forcing you to angle your body away from the wheel's center so you aren't riding at a big tilt yourself.  That could be awkward at best.

Regarding charging, you are not limited to the charger that comes with your wheel and it may not be a good idea to limit your choice based on that charger.  Distributors like Ian of speedyfeet.com and Jason of ewheels.com, among others, sell chargers separately that can do what you need.  Sometimes they're even included, at least on the big wheels that take a long time to charge.

[vgambit]

19 hours ago, Hunka Hunka Burning Love said:

How much do you weigh?  If you're on the lighter side, maybe an Imotion V5+ or V8 might be a good choice or a Gotway MCM4/KingSong 14C?  It's difficult to find something lighter than 26 pounds that is still pretty good.  Maybe a Ninebot S2 or the new IPS i5?

I weigh about 180 pounds. I was actually looking at the KS18S based on this thread, but it seems to have a 1500W motor vs the Xtreme's 1800W. So how does it have triple the top speed? Also, given that the Xtreme apparently has a more powerful motor than the KS, wouldn't that make the KS18S even more susceptible to the sort of cutoff I ran into?

 

 

[meepmeepmayer]

17 minutes ago, vgambit said:

I weigh about 180 pounds. I was actually looking at the KS18S based on this thread, but it seems to have a 1500W motor vs the Xtreme's 1800W. So how does it have triple the top speed? Also, given that the Xtreme apparently has a more powerful motor than the KS, wouldn't that make the KS18S even more susceptible to the sort of cutoff I ran into?

1500W (or the other Kingsong models or manufacturer numbers) is nominal (usually that means what it can sustain indefinitely). Max wattage is easily twice that high.

Not sure if the Extreme 1800W is nominal. If they don't say, it is probably the max number instead and nominal is something like 700W or 800W (uneducated guess).

Don't be too scared, anything above 1000W nominal is plenty and heavier people than you used the KS14C (800W nominal) or even 500W nominal wheels without problems.

Also, don't just look at wattages. It's also about design and build quality etc, the only part where Solowheel is supposedly better than the rest (does not take much). Wattage may also not say everything about how fast the wheel folds at higher stress, I don't know.

KS16S, KS18A or 18S, KS14C, 14D, 14S are all safe enough, for example. Or as safe as current wheels can be. Don't be fixated or limit yourself too much looking at the biggest available W numbers.

EUCs are often more empiric than theoretical things. All I can say, if you're going 20 and have a wheel that you know can go 40, good feeling knowing you have plenty of reserves.

In general: think of a EUC as having a certain "capacity" (not just mottor wattage, the system overall). You can use that capacity for more speed, heavier rider, steeper inclines, whatever you like. More "capacity" means you can do more, which means in any fixed state more capacity beyond that means more reserves means more safety from cut outs due to overstressing the wheel.

[Rehab1]

2 hours ago, Hunka Hunka Burning Love said:

With axle breakage problems, I'm a little leery of the KS 14's, but I hear that they have resolved the issue?

Are you certain it was resolved? My wife would come back and haunt me forever if something happened while riding her KS14C!

[Rehab1]

10 hours ago, LanghamP said:

I prefer my KS14c as well over my other wheels. The cracked axel does make me nervous. I can only imagine the newer version of the KS14 must be much better.

How old is your KS 14C?

[Marty Backe]

40 minutes ago, Rehab1 said:

Are you certain it was resolved? My wife would come back and haunt me forever if something happened while riding her KS14C!

I'm pretty sure those axles cracked because guerrillas where riding them and doing lots of curb jumping. I'm pretty sure we both have the same KS14C and mine shows no sign of undue wear. I avoid big drops whenever possible. 

[Diana@szkingsong.com]

I am sad to hear this news. Hope you are better now. As far as I know, King Song, Inmotion  and Gotway are the top three electric unicycles manufacturers. Solowheel is not so popular to customers now.  King Song considers the customers' safety to be the most important thing, which deserves your trust.

[houseofjob]

2 hours ago, vgambit said:

I weigh about 180 pounds. I was actually looking at the KS18S based on this thread, but it seems to have a 1500W motor vs the Xtreme's 1800W. So how does it have triple the top speed? Also, given that the Xtreme apparently has a more powerful motor than the KS, wouldn't that make the KS18S even more susceptible to the sort of cutoff I ran into?

This is 100% wrong: Inventist came out with their SoloWheel Xtreme in a time, many years ago now, when EUCs were much weaker, so they only listed the peak, momentary power rating (and Inventist has not changed their spec sheet, just like they have not developed and released a new, relevant wheel since the ancient Xtreme model).

Your SoloWheel Xtreme does not sustain a constant 1800W: this is only the maximum, a momentary power rating. Realistically, the nominal, average power of your Xtreme is probably more in the ballpark of 400-600W, as opposed to the new KS18S, which averages 1500W in nominal / average power, putting max power somewhere in the ballpark of 3000-3500W, way higher than 1800W.

Knowing this, the Xtreme doesn't hold a candle to the current top of the line of the models from today's top of the line EUC makers of Gotway, KingSong, Rockwheel, and InMotion. 

 

Also, I know of the posts you speak of on this forum that held the SoloWheel line in such high regard. You might want to take a look at the users who wrote those reviews and notice that the majority of them come from Seattle, which is home base for Inventist and the SoloWheel line. And even THEN, many of those guys have since bought KingSongs and Gotways, probably because it's been so long since Inventist has updated their line with a competitive wheel.

 

Bottom line I'd say is, there is no EUC brand without their issues (I've bought one from them all now), so picking solely based on that is not very productive IMHO.

I'd advise to pick the wheel that suits your needs; pick a reputable distributor who will support you properly with any issues that can, and will arise; learn the limits of what you can and cannot do on your new wheel; and make sure to arm yourself with proper protection gear while riding.

[Hunka Hunka Burning Love]

I thought I read a post from someone (maybe KingSong69?) about the axle situation... have to search for it...  Usually it's not a castastrophic failure, but people are reporting that there are scraping sounds coming from the wheel.  When they open it up they see the cracked axle allowing the pedal support to contact the motor side cover.

Found it:

Regarding speed, I don't think there is a simple correlation between it and motor rating.  I hear the KS18 is a nice wheel if you don't mind the weight and 18" wheel. @Bryan Wells has some good review videos of it.  At your weight most wheels should be fine, but if narrowing things down to your criteria, the KS16S likely would be a good bet.  Maybe Rockwheel GT16, but the jury is still out on that one as it is a first model year.

[Dingfelder]

43 minutes ago, houseofjob said:

... suits your needs; pick a reputable distributor who will support you properly with any issues that can, and will arise; learn the limits of what you can and cannot do on your new wheel; and make sure to arm yourself with proper protection gear while riding.

To other newbie readers if not to you specifically:  Put aside significant monies for this!!!

I'm a couple of hundred bucks in on the safety gear and could spend much more if I wanted even more coverage.  At any rate, it adds up beyond the trivial and needs to be bought right up front, IMO.  It won't do you any good after the crash is already over.  

But at the very least it is good for peace of mind and confidence right from the start.  And that might help you learn faster and crash less all by itself!

 

[Dingfelder]

18 minutes ago, Hunka Hunka Burning Love said:

I thought I read a post from someone (maybe KingSong69?) about the axle situation... have to search for it...  Usually it's not a castastrophic failure, but people are reporting that there are scraping sounds coming from the wheel.  When they open it up they see the cracked axle allowing the pedal support to contact the motor side cover.

Found it:

Regarding speed, I don't think there is a simple correlation between it and motor rating.  I hear the KS18 is a nice wheel if you don't mind the weight and 18" wheel. @Bryan Wells has some good review videos of it.  At your weight most wheels should be fine, but if narrowing things down to your criteria, the KS16S likely would be a good bet.  Maybe Rockwheel GT6, but the jury is still out on that one as it is a first model year.

Bryan eventually decided it wasn't at all what he wanted, as I recall, and began touting how great the other smaller wheel was that he got(or already had) -- a Ninebot or Inmotion maybe?  It was quite a turn-around and he seemed very committed to it.

[Hunka Hunka Burning Love]

I was surprised to hear that as in his videos it sounded like he was pretty keen on the KS18.  Too bad @Cloud has vanished since I think he bought one too.

The Ninebot One E+ is a good all rounder, but it's showing its age compared to the newer models.  I think it only has what a 500W motor?  Mine has been rock solid for me, but I wish it was faster.  You hit 20-22 khp pretty quickly on it plus the 20-22 km range limit for my 167 pounds (168 with the Pineapple Lumps).

I'm keen on the Rockwheel GT16 myself, but I think I'd want a second or third generation version where they have refined it some.  The ACM16 also looks to be a winner.