Seeking advice on a used V5f

[WeirdRider]

I'm thinking about buying my first euc and have been looking to start with a used one to save some money.  There's currently a V5f listed on the craigslist near me where the seller claims to have only ridden inside parking garages but couldn't get the hang of it.  They're asking $500 US for the thing.  

I can't seem to find these for sale new anywhere so I'm not sure if that price is fair.  I found this V5f+ but that's about it.  

So, does this sound like a reasonable price? What kinds of things should I look for when I see it in person?  Any red flags about this particular model that I should know about?

BTW, I checked the for sale section of this forum but didn't see anything near me.  

Thanks! 

[Chriull]

Welcome,

@WeirdRider , the v5f is by now already quite an old generation of wheels. 550W continous motor power and 288Wh battery capacity (from what i found on google).

They are very limited in range by this – especially if driven in a hilly area. And they are quite easy to overlean, if one does not drive carefully.

But you are geting a nice light wheel ...

don‘t have too a real idea of used wheel market prices, but this seems almost a bit high – maybe ok if it is like new. But imho still then no bargain.

imho inmotion does not sell anymore in the US.

if you look at some dealer sites, you get new wheels (800/1200+W continous motor power, 680/840/+++ Wh battery capacity) for 2 to 3 times this price.

And same new wheels are just to be launched...

[WARPed1701D]

The V5 model was quite a well respected wheel if you wanted portability, reliability, quality and fun. The F suffix denotes it has a higher top speed than the non-F model which was too slow really. If it also had the + suffix it would have an extended battery.

I imagine the V5F would be a great wheel to get started on but if you really decide you like riding you will likely outgrow it due to range limitations (and maybe speed) which I would put at about 10 miles for an average rider/conditions.

$500 sounds a little pricey for a non + model but ask about condition, age, where have they stored it, does it include a trolley handle. If it is not too old and in mint condition then I'd entertain it with some haggling. For $600 you could by a new Ninebot One S1 from Amazon. That would be significantly slower and lack some nice features of the V5F but it would be new. If the condition and age were right then if you could haggle to $400 cash/home pickup I'd get it.

Parts are still widely available from eWheels.com if needed.

[meepmeepmayer]

I think it's not a bad wheel for the start at all, if you want to spend less money at first! The price alternative would be a new Ninebot One S2 which is a worse wheel. What's your weight? Only heavy weight would be a real reason against this wheel because then it's just too weak.

Just be prepared that you may be bitten by the EUC bug and soon want to upgrade to something faster with more range. Like a Kingsong 16S 840 Wh (around 1400$) e.g.

[WARPed1701D]

I think ewheels sold this model for $695 (maybe $595) new back in June. $895 for the plus model. Of course now you can't buy them at all in the US unless you want a rebranded and hobbled Solowheel version.

[Chriull]

... and there will better offers come, or this is negotiable – or you want just a nice wheel now ...

maybe also @Marty Backe knows someone who wants to get a new wheel and has some nice wheel to get rid off. Is imho quite a big community not too far from you, @WeirdRider

[WeirdRider]

Thanks for all the advice!  @meepmeepmayer I'm close to 200lbs, not sure if that counts as heavy for this wheel.  

I'm hoping to use this on my daily commute, which is < 5 miles each way.  I can charge it at the office, too.  If that works out, you're probably right and I'll want to upgrade pretty soon after.  

I'll do some more shopping around for new wheels and give it some more thought.  Maybe if the seller will come down in price it would be a good way to get started.

 

[Marty Backe]

There is a very active EUC community in San Francisco. I would strongly encourage you to attend one of their regularly scheduled group rides. Not to ride, but to meet folks before hand and to get personal advice. @who_the may me able to tell you more about the local gatherings. They are very active in their Facebook group, where most of the organizing occurs. See Bay Area Electric Unicycle Group on Facebook.

[WARPed1701D]

29 minutes ago, WeirdRider said:

Thanks for all the advice!  @meepmeepmayer I'm close to 200lbs, not sure if that counts as heavy for this wheel.  

I'm hoping to use this on my daily commute, which is < 5 miles each way.  I can charge it at the office, too.  If that works out, you're probably right and I'll want to upgrade pretty soon after.  

I'll do some more shopping around for new wheels and give it some more thought.  Maybe if the seller will come down in price it would be a good way to get started.

 

Assuming the battery is good you should not have an issue with range but at 200lb you may find the V5F to be a little weak in the motor department especially with the terrain of SF. The risk of a fall is greater the closer you run to the limit of the motor. I would do as Marty suggests and try to hook up with local members to see what works for them in your area.

[meepmeepmayer]

You have two choices here:

• Take this for 500 (or maybe for even less if you're lucky), but in my opinion it's borderline weak for a 200lbs rider. Yes, you can easily ride it to work and back, not too fast, not ideal, but perfectly ok. Very likely you'll want to upgrade soon (also we have a number of V5 diehards here who don't feel like getting anything else, but most seem to do want stronger and faster wheels). Also, hard emergency brake = you fall on your ass, because in a EUC, the only braking is from the motor (=power). For a daily, consistent commute in a city (with hills), this is a nonneglegible consideration (would be different if your main idea was to use it for leisure riding, then who cares, take it for the price and enjoy it!).
  If you have to decide between this and maybe/not sure/maybe later/rather no wheel, definitely take this! Don't miss out! Now!
• If you can and want, invest significantly more (like 1000 or prolly 1500) and get a stronger=faster=safer wheel (with bigger battery too, for range and also safety) that won't want to make you upgrade quickly.
  Experience here shows, a lot of people start with a 500$ spending expectation, teeth-grindingly up it to 1000$, and end up happily buying a 1500$ wheel (KS16S is the natural choice for the daily commute style wheel) because that makes sense in the current market.
  And it's cheaper getting the expensive wheel right away instead of as a second wheel. Going for the "ideal"/forever wheel right away is often a good choice, though at first it may seem crazy to go for the expensive  high end just for a measly 5 mile commute and with no burning desire (yet).

Alternatively, you could post some potential budgets, and we try to find the best wheels for the budget. There are some non-obvious wheel models that might make sense in the space between 500 and 1500 if we know more details (budgets mostly).

--

Meeting other guys is a great opportunity you can capitalize on in SF. Just don't be intimidated by the wheels' weights and first "uncontrollable!" impression, or you'll be too scared to get one. Probably most riders had a "wtf have I gotten into" moment of doubt when they unboxed their first wheel and realized the weight and seriousness of it all (and being stuck with a big investment and having to deal with that, can't give up then). This is why some (dealers) are adamant about not letting try people wheels. But that goes away fast, and weight vanishes when riding anyways!

[who_the]

7 hours ago, WeirdRider said:

I'm thinking about buying my first euc and have been looking to start with a used one to save some money.  There's currently a V5f listed on the craigslist near me where the seller claims to have only ridden inside parking garages but couldn't get the hang of it.  They're asking $500 US for the thing.  

I can't seem to find these for sale new anywhere so I'm not sure if that price is fair.  I found this V5f+ but that's about it.  

So, does this sound like a reasonable price? What kinds of things should I look for when I see it in person?  Any red flags about this particular model that I should know about?

BTW, I checked the for sale section of this forum but didn't see anything near me.  

Thanks! 

Hello fellow Bay Area EUC enthusiast (or soon-to-be enthusiast)! Lots of good feedback here about the V5f I won't repeat, but in general it is a well-regarded though somewhat limited wheel. Our Bay Area EUC group usually rides 2-3 times each month, usually on Sundays, occasionally on Saturdays. @Marty Backe is right, catch us at the beginning of a ride before we roll out and you'll get a great sampling of inputs in addition to getting to see and hear opnions on a variety of different wheels. Most of us ride MSuper V3's, especially for our longer rides, but we try to make our city rides friendly/approachable for all wheels.

[WeirdRider]

Thanks again for all the advice on here.  Just thought I'd close this out.  I ended up getting a KS 16S (which arrived Saturday) and I'm certain that the guidance in this thread sent me in the right direction.  I was able to cruise around on the hills near my house and hit the max speed tilt back (which I have set to 22kph for now)  Felt like plenty of power for most of the hill.  It seemed to struggle a bit getting up my steep driveway but I didn't actually expect it to make that climb so I'm impressed that it got up there at all.  

Thanks again. I hadn't taken my size into account while looking at wheels and probably would have gone for a smaller, lighter wheel that wouldn't have been ridable near my house.  Even though I ended up going way over budget I think I'll be much happier with this choice.