Jesse Wilson Posted October 27, 2017 Share Posted October 27, 2017 I'm new here and looking for a durable, reliable, unicycle for 1 mile travel to and from work. I'm looking for it to be under $400 and for it to go at least 20km/h (12m/h). The faster the better. What are some good ones you guys like? What about this cxinwalk k6? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve454 Posted October 28, 2017 Share Posted October 28, 2017 Buy from the US if you can. Ninebot is proven good quality. Ninebotus.com has this C+ for $399. http://www.ninebotus.com/ninebot-one/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
litewave Posted October 28, 2017 Share Posted October 28, 2017 If you are a total noob, stick with the known brands. I second Steve's suggestion as the C+ is the only option in your price range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Wilson Posted October 29, 2017 Author Share Posted October 29, 2017 Thanks for the feedback! Really appreciate it as there are so many to choose from. I've done more research since yesterday and I think I will be very annoyed unless it can travel at least 30km/h. What is the best priced option for that speed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanghamP Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 You have to look at the larger 16-18 inch wheels if you want to go at least 30km/h, and even then you'll need a fair amount of skill not to crash when tiny unexpected things happen. You can get away with a halfway competent counter action when your 16-18 wheel goes bluey, but a fast 14 incher requires the exactly correct counter action. Small fast wheels are merciless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve454 Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 IPS Lhotz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Wilson Posted October 29, 2017 Author Share Posted October 29, 2017 Thank you, but that's a 16 inch wheel. Do you know where I can get a King Song 14C? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herbas Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 For 1 mile the difference between 20 and 30 km/h is just 1-2 minutes for journey time. Maybe even less if that mile is not just a straight line on a very good pavement. Is it really worth to look at top speed capability? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Wilson Posted October 29, 2017 Author Share Posted October 29, 2017 It is just a mostly straight paved line. I'd probably want to use the wheel to go to the store sometimes as well which is 2 miles away. I found a King Song 14B on eBay for $400, but its top speed is 15mph which is fine if I have to, but 18mph would be nice because I would probably never want to go faster as I won't be wearing a helmet. How much is a KS-14C? I found a price of $850, but that seems high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 20 minutes ago, Jesse Wilson said: Thank you, but that's a 16 inch wheel. Do you know where I can get a King Song 14C? The KS-14C is discontinued. You would need to look for a 2nd hand one or old stock. 30Km/h and cheap (unless 2nd hand) do not go together, certainly not if you want fast cheap and safe in the same sentence! The IPS LHOTZ as suggested by @steve454 above is cheap and has good safety reputation- fast is always safer and easier on a bigger wheel as it’s less effected by potholes etc. Why 14”? If it is for portability and storage and short distances on smooth surfaces then you might possibly want to look at the even smaller Gotway Mten3, Perhaps @Marty Backe can chip in with what it would be like as a beginners wheel? Meanwhile he has written extensively about it here: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ir_fuel Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 Get a more decent wheel. You will use it a lot more than you think, and the wheel in your first post will annoy you after exactly one week of riding. You don't want to use the mten3 as a commuter wheel. Too nervous. And not for beginners either. It is fun though. I would go for 16" tbh. I think you need: trolley handle 25km/h cruising speed 16" wheel for stability whilst not being too big. Trust me, I also came from the "I want to spend $500 on a wheel" club. Couple of months in and I bought and Inmotion V8, Gotway Mten3 and I'm looking into getting an 18" now .... Buyer beware Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ir_fuel Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 44 minutes ago, Jesse Wilson said: but 18mph would be nice because I would probably never want to go faster as I won't be wearing a helmet. Well... I crashed at exactly that speed, and what I learned is that I won't be wearing a bicycle helmet again ... ... I will be wearing a downhill mountainbike helmet with chin protector. You go down HARD at that speed when you get a cut out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ir_fuel Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 Also: just buy the wheel you found in your first post, but understand you will be upgrading rather fast. It's good to learn on, but that's where it stops Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Wilson Posted October 29, 2017 Author Share Posted October 29, 2017 8 minutes ago, ir_fuel said: Well... I crashed at exactly that speed, and what I learned is that I won't be wearing a bicycle helmet again ... ... I will be wearing a downhill mountainbike helmet with chin protector. You go down HARD at that speed when you get a cut out. You've convinced me that 15mph is fast enough. I'm probably going to get a King Song 14B off eBay. https://www.ebay.com/itm/252715443911 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunka Hunka Burning Love Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 If you're a bit on the heavier side, be mindful that some of these earlier KS14's had issues with axle breakage over time. Also, if you ever need spare parts like control boards for older models it might be problematic. Or was that only the KS14Cs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meepmeepmayer Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 Cheap and fast/good don't go together well with EUCs. From your requirements, you might want a 16 incher, tbh. Big difference for stability and comfort for commuting and higher speeds. KS16S would be the standard recommendation, but that's $1300, not $400 Or a Kingsong 14D - fast and good - for $800. It also has that built-in trolley handle which becomes useful really fast if you not-ride the vehicle regularly (like taking it into a store). 14B/C only has external/extra trolley handle. But I guess, for your price point, the 14B (How big is the battery?) is a good choice (better than the Ninebot, imho, because speed. And stay away from those noname whels like the one you originally posted, pure waste of money and probably unsafe). But don't expect or try 30 km/h with the 14B! If it beeps (any wheel) you better listen immediately. Ideal would be a used, better wheel for less money. Also, what's your weight, that makes quite the difference? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve454 Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 It looks like the 14B has a 174wh battery pack, from reading the details in the website. https://www.ewheels.com/product/king-song-14b-removable-battery-pack/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason McNeil Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 3 hours ago, meepmeepmayer said: 14B (How big is the battery?) is a good choice (better than the Ninebot, imho, because speed. And stay away from those noname whels like the one you originally posted, pure waste of money and probably unsafe). Despite it's age, if your budget is only $400, then the C+ can't be beat on price alone. If you want that 30kph, double the battery size of the C+, handle, weight savings, & all the other goodies, then the 14D is probably going to keep you from deferring your next upgraded Wheel for quite a bit longer. 14B has a very small pack, just 16 cells & 174Wh, that 25kph max cruising speed is only possible for a couple miles on flat ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanghamP Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 New old stock (clearance?) KS14c's were selling for $500 but the KS14d is better in every way. If you're not that fast of rider I'd say buy a KS14d/s and ride it for a couple of years, it'd make back its cost in under a year but if you need faster then swing for the 16 inch wheels. If you're a new rider and you want the 19mph and you go with the 14 inchers and you're not wearing a helmet then it's highly likely you'll injure yourself pretty badly. Just the nature of the business, it's reasonable to expect quite a few crashes if you buy something as unstable as a wheel. Tiny obstacles which you'd never sußpect dump you, and part of experience is identifying those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoother Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 SPEED: Any top speed mentioned by a manufacturer is theoretical max in ideal conditions. Trust me, if you ride a wheel at its top speed all the time, it won't be long before you join the face plant club. If you want to travel at15mph regularly, then you need a machine with an advertised top speed of at least 20 mph WHEEL SIZE: 14" minimum. Pros; agile, flickable, lighter (possibly), smaller. Cons; darty, less stable in a straight line, smaller objects can throw you off than on a bigger wheel. Go bigger if the budget is there. BATTERY SIZE: BUY THE BIGGEST BATTERY YOU CAN AFFORD. When a battery's down to 50%, the smaller the battery, the easier it is to temporarily exhaust that 50% with a sudden bump or sudden up ramp. Result: face plant. (I know, I've seen me do it ) HANDLE: very, useful (I wish I had one) LIGHTS: good to let others see you not so good at lightning the way Conclusion: KS14c minimum. 14b battery is too small ( no safety margin) 16" better I guess ( I'm quite happy with my 14c, but at times I'd like more speed ). Buy name brand not some generic junk. Protect it from learning crashes. Use a leash to minimise those crashes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Wilson Posted October 29, 2017 Author Share Posted October 29, 2017 I appreciate all the advice! I weigh 175 lbs at 6ft tall. I want a unicycle because it's a pain taking my car for a walkable distance that I don't feel like walking in the morning. Scooters and skateboards are hard to carry in the office due to size and I hate storing and locking my bike up. 14" unicycles are the only options available for what I want. I'm disappointed about the fact that it's hard to go 15mph on the KS14B. If I do get one now, it will probably be the GotWay MCM4 or the King Song 14D (heavily leaning toward GotWay). Does a bigger battery help it accelerate faster? I'm not too concerned with travel time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meepmeepmayer Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 Bigger battery won't make you faster ore more dynamic in principle, but you can go faster for longer (not relevant for your distances, though) and it has more safety against high spike demands (due to simply being more cells there, so any spike gets distributed between more parallel configurations of them), which also is more relevant closer to the top speed. It's just that 174 Wh is really not much and really bad in that regard, because it's just one parallel pack of cells. It's not such a big difference, people used these "old" wheels perfectly well in the past, after all. But expected standards simply have improved - features, speed, battery size, safety (a wheel that can go 30km/h is much safer at 20km/h than one that can go 20km/h at 20km/h, big battery is safer than a small one in extreme situations like sudden braking). Between the MCM4 and the 14D, I'd strongly recommend the 14D because of that trolley handle and better overall package. Don't underestimate it, especially since you mention you hate carrying other ridables. EUCs are heavy, and any second of carrying regularly that can be prevented (trolleying) is worth considering. Not sure how much cheaper the MCM4 is? (It's absolutely not a bad wheel, though! Just no trolley...). You can get the Ninebot for half the price (Jason is right about it being better than the 14B with only 174Wh) of the 14D, but you will very likely very soon lament its limited speed. People here started with a Ninebot and got another EUC a week later, it happened. The 14D (but at twice the price) is a latest model "forever wheel" in comparison (unless you soon want more range and a bigger tire for a more stable ride, but for your short commutes, this should not be that relevant). It's a lot of money, but as I like to say here, nobody ever complained about too big a battery and too fast a wheel - if you can and want, splurge a little (The weight question was just to check you're in the normal range, not extremely light or heavy for a EUC) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
litewave Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 This site has had a number of enthusiastic potential new riders, who solicit the community for advice (some have posted multiple hundreds of messages in a few short months), and then disappear not long after they buy their wheel. Maybe they don't want to participate online any more, or perhaps they found it too hard, or they got hurt, or decided that they would rather just drive a car or ride a bike. A number of new riders also sell their first wheel after a few months. This is all fine and well, and there is nothing wrong with trying a new hobby and then changing your mind. But I would encourage you to start slow, spend less, and then, if you become proficient and addicted (as many of us have), then you can think about upgrading to newer, faster, better. There will always be a better wheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoother Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 Having reread your original post. The actual answer to your question is; there is no (new) wheel that meets your price and speed criteria. I can't see you spending less than $800 (US) on a new wheel. I for one do not recommended buying a cheapo starter wheel, because you're basically throwing half the price away when you sell it on for half what you paid for it. And you will sell it on when you get tired of it beeping at you at 10mph. That will be about the 3rd day after you have learned to ride it. Your one mile commute and other errands are perfect for a quality wheel. Get a keeper from the get-go and you won't regret the decision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
US69 Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 17 minutes ago, Smoother said: or one do not recommended buying a cheapo starter wheel, because you're basically throwing half the price away when you sell it on for half what you paid for it. And you will sell it on when you get tired of it beeping at you at 10mph. That will be about the 3rd day after you have learn to ride Plus one on that... In my view buying a cheapo “beginner” wheel is throwinf money out of the window... There can be two things happening... - directly after you learned driving, the boring speed and power brings you to buy a “real” EUC - or the mushy cheapo wheel is that bad , that it cannot transfer the joys of EUC driving...as it is boring fast, and when leaning to much in it will cut out...so perhaps the experience you get is that bad that it gets you away from this “hobby/interest” In both cases you are now owner of a cheapo clumsy wheel, that nobody wants to buy :-) So i would also vote for a good wheel....Ks14d...Inmotion V8, both good commuter wheels with trolley, fast enough and reliable and safe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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