impression: firewheel 528 from Solowheel Xtreme perspective

[Daan]

Had the opportunity to meet with ‌@525rider and try out the Firewheel 528 briefly. The Solowheel Xtreme is an 18" wheel, with a 160Wh battery, max speed about 18km/h (~11mph) and a max range of about 15 miles. The Firewheel 528 is a 16" wheel, 528Wh battery, max speed about 27km/hr (~16mph), and a range of about 26 miles.
In the US, everything included, the Solowheel Xtreme comes down to about $2300,- and the Firewheel around $1000,-.

I only have experience with the Solowheel Classic and Xtreme so it was fun to try out the Firewheel. The Firewheel has two modes: comfortable and 'sports' mode, and I only tried the sports mode. It was super fun -- it is a very different wheel but the pedals are nice and big like the Xtreme and the handling was great; very responsive and I think the extra speed is really useful on a bike lane. I think every wheel should go at least 24km/hr (~15 mi/hr) as a maximum speed and wish the Xtreme would go faster. On the Firewheel, when going faster than 18km/hr, it gives 2 beeps and keeps doing that repeatedly. This is somewhat annoying -- I really got used to the silence on the Xtreme :-)

I was surprised how well the Firewheel worked on bumps and on a little grassy hill I tried; in fact, I think that due to the 'sports' mode which keeps the pedals more horizontal, the wheel was more reactive and it was easier for me to keep my balance on the bumps going uphill than on the Xtreme. The Xtreme is very soft compared to that mode which is great of cruising around but on challenging terrain I think it is better to have a wheel that reacts more quickly. I heard the Xtreme actually has different modes too so I will try to figure out how to switch it.

Shape wise, the Solowheel Xtreme seems more narrow at the pedals, and a bit more wide at the top; I like that design since when I ride, my legs just under the knees can put pressure on the top of the wheel which can make it very stable. On the Firewheel, the top is very narrow so you cannot easily do that and your only contact is through the pedals.

Anyway, a fun ride on a beautiful day!