Jonah Gabriel Neugass Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 Hey guys! I am thinking about getting an EU for my daily commute of about 2 miles and was wondering where to start? My budget is fairly flexible and I would prefer to get the best product available if there is such a thing. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daan Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 I would prefer to get the best product available if there is such a thing.The Solowheel Xtreme is very robust, high quality design, safe, comfortable, and you can take it on a plane Other brands are cheaper though; some wheels with good feedback and good quality are Ninebot One E+, the new King Song (14c?), recent IPS models (the Xima Lhotz, and the zero is coming soon). Others can help better here since I only have experience with Solowheel. Make sure you get a recent model as these wheels still see many improvements.In general, a bigger battery does not only give more range but is also more safe (since it won't trigger an unsafe BMS shutoff so easily). (Depends on the brand though; it does not matter for Solowheel as they have a custom BMS controlled by the main board but not all brands have that right now.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jag_Rip Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 The lower forum sections on the main page give you a rough overview what brands currently are playing on the market. Check out their websites for the looks of their available models, specs and general pricing range, then drill down in the respective section in this forum for the experience of others on your chosen wheel in terms of quality, good deals or known issues before you buy. The best wheel currently available will be the one that fits your needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mono Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 I assume you have seen this threadMax speed, power, range (usually somewhat below 10km/100Wh), and weight are some of the more decisive parameters, as said depending on your preferences (they are all good for 5 miles, but you might soon want to travel other paths). If you don't mind cost and weight (which is mainly relevant for carrying stairs etc.), definitely go for the version with the largest battery on the model of your choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimlet Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 1/ Where are you based?2/ Are there any local wheel suppliers?3/ Are you willing to work on the wheel to mend and maintain it yourself? (You cannot return a wheel to China for service as no one will transport the batteries for individuals)4/ What is your budget? (If buying from abroad remember there will be shipping and probably import duties to add ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vemalilu Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 Ips zero 340 seems to be best in my opinion. 1. Fast: 30km/h2. Huge range - You will probably never need More3. Extremely lightweight - under 10kg.4. Best value for The Buck - its 650 dollar with shipping DONT get a solowheel extreme as suggested in the first answer - it will be too slow (18km/h) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esaj Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 Ips zero 340 seems to be best in my opinion. 1. Fast: 30km/h2. Huge range - You will probably never need More3. Extremely lightweight - under 10kg.4. Best value for The Buck - its 650 dollar with shipping DONT get a solowheel extreme as suggested in the first answer - it will be too slow (18km/h)Didn't know Zero was already available... the only downside I (personally) see in it, is that it's "only" 14-inch. If I were buying a wheel now, I'd probably go for the IPS Xima Lhotz (16", 340Wh, 1000W motor, 20km/h max at first, can unlock 30km/h max speed after 100km ridden).But hard to suggest any specific wheel for @Jonah Gabriel Neugass without knowing better what he expects from it.Edit: and what comes to "huge" range, 340Wh (around 30+km?) isn't that huge yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vemalilu Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 Didn't know Zero was already available... the only downside I (personally) see in it, is that it's "only" 14-inch. If I were buying a wheel now, I'd probably go for the IPS Xima Lhotz (16", 340Wh, 1000W motor, 20km/h max at first, can unlock 30km/h max speed after 100km ridden).But hard to suggest any specific wheel for @Jonah Gabriel Neugass without knowing better what he expects from it.Edit: and what comes to "huge" range, 340Wh (around 30+km?) isn't that huge yet yes its available :). Directly from IPS . 14" is a criterium, thats right. But it has its pros and cons (ive tested both). 14" is more maneuverable while 16" runs more stable - I cant tell whats better....340wh on my ninebot is fairly enough since i cannot stand still longer than 45 minutes until my legs hurt. He needs it for The ride To work for 2 miles.... Therefore i suggest a lightweight unicycle. And you are right: if weight isnt a criterium, The ips lhotz is one of The best joyces out there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonah Gabriel Neugass Posted August 17, 2015 Author Share Posted August 17, 2015 1/ Where are you based?2/ Are there any local wheel suppliers?3/ Are you willing to work on the wheel to mend and maintain it yourself? (You cannot return a wheel to China for service as no one will transport the batteries for individuals)4/ What is your budget? (If buying from abroad remember there will be shipping and probably import duties to add )1) I am based in San Francisco.2) Probably?3) I am terrible at mechanical stuffs, so probably not.4) Under $1k would probably be good. yes its available :). Directly from IPS . 14" is a criterium, thats right. But it has its pros and cons (ive tested both). 14" is more maneuverable while 16" runs more stable - I cant tell whats better....340wh on my ninebot is fairly enough since i cannot stand still longer than 45 minutes until my legs hurt. He needs it for The ride To work for 2 miles.... Therefore i suggest a lightweight unicycle. And you are right: if weight isnt a criterium, The ips lhotz is one of The best joyces out thereHow much of a difference does the weight make? I am a big guy and 30 lbs doesn't seem to heavy for carrying short distances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esaj Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 1) I am based in San Francisco.2) Probably?3) I am terrible at mechanical stuffs, so probably not.4) Under $1k would probably be good.How much of a difference does the weight make? I am a big guy and 30 lbs doesn't seem to heavy for carrying short distances.San Francisco is a hilly city, so you'll want all the power (torque) you can get, especially if you're a heavier rider. And it's probably going to eat batteries a lot faster than 10Wh/km. So best bets are high powered units (something like 14" or 16" 800-1000W IPSs, Gotway MSuper 18" middle- or high torque-version, 18" Kingsong or 18" Solowheel Xtreme), probably with big batteries... eventually you'll probably want to ride it further than just commuting to work, so my advice would be better get bigger batteries from the get-go, as upgrading them later on can be costly (hint: I'm paying about the price of a new Firewheel F260 to get custom 768Wh batteries on it).Out of the brands I mentioned, Solowheel is easy to get in United States (the company who designed it and sells it is based in US, but of course the wheels themselves are made in China, like all the other manufacturers). Xtreme has around 200Wh (207 if I recall correctly) worth of batteries, hard to say how much range you'd get out of it in San Francisco (uphills eat a lot, and the more you weight, the more power is required)., and it costs > $2k. And you hear claims it's still airline-regulation compatible (<160Wh battery) based on the older model that had smaller batteries, but in reality it isn't 18" MSuper Gotways have options for either 680Wh or 850Wh, but may require some work on them from time to time, not sure on the price, $1.5k with big batteries?I'd maybe suggest either some high-powered IPS, as it seems it's one of the highest quality wheel manufacturers, and doesn't cost a ton (the downside is that the largest battery options seem to be in 340Wh range), or the 18" Kingsong (as powerwise they seem to be more or less on-par with Gotways, but seemingly have higher build quality). IPS reseller might be hard to find in the US(?), but I know @KaleOsaurusRex runs a shop which happens to sell Kingsongs there ($990 for the 18" KS), so if you'd prefer to get the unit from a domestic reseller in case of warranty issues or such, he'd probably be the person to ask from. I don't know where he lives, but if it's nearby, maybe he could arrange showing them for you...Btw, I don't have ANY of the wheels I mention above, nor have I tried them, this is all based on what I've read about them here and elsewhere. Also, the 18" models are all on the heavy side, but if you don't plan on carrying it around a lot, I'd go with a bigger wheel than 14", at least 16".Edit: Oh right, Kingsong just came out with a new 800W -powered 14" model, that would probably also have the power to haul ass in hilly areas, if you prefer a smaller wheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimlet Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 If you aren't able or willing to work on the wheel yourself then in reality you are stuck with the choice that is available from reputable local suppliers I'm afraid.Eucs are still a relatively new form of transport and things do go wrong from time to time. Even changing a tyre or mending a puncture requires a fairly major strip down on many.I'm about 200 lbs, live in a hilly area and would agree with esaj that for this type of situation an 800w or more motor is desirable if not totally essential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vemalilu Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 Just dont get a wheel which runs slowlier than 22 km/h - bewt would be at least 24km/h. I cannot understand how one can recommend solowheel which is only 18km/h. You will most likely not be happy to be a hindrance on the bikelane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimlet Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 KaleOsaurusRex, a member here sells in the US. I've never dealt with him but if he's anywhere near it could be a good alternative.He sells King Song including the new 800w version apparantly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daan Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 Ips zero 340 seems to be best in my opinion. ...DONT get a solowheel extreme as suggested in the first answer - it will be too slow (18km/h) I cannot understand how one can recommend solowheel which is only 18km/h. You will most likely not be happy to be a hindrance on the bikelane.Hi Vemalilu I understand where you are coming from and a Solowheel is not super fast indeed (18km/hr) and I personally would like it go 24km/hr. But that doesn't make it a valid choice -- in particular, I am having a blast on this wheel I ride it everywhere, off-road, to work, etc. and taking it all over the world. So, for me, it has been a good choice. The 'best' is indeed dependent on your needs.btw. I agree fully that the IPS Zero seems super promising based on its specs -- already considering it myself as a second wheel (the 130Wh version though). However, also realize that no-one here has any experience with it -- people had high hopes for the Eva too but in the end it wasn't that great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmethvin Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 In researching the Boston EPAMD law a minute ago I came across a mention to the effect that "these devices have been banned in San Francisco". So I looked up some info.To ride on BART you technically need a permit for an EPAMD, although that was no doubt written for the bulky Segway and you could probably get away without one for a 14-inch or 16-inch unicycle that you could easily carry on. If you decide to apply for a permit let us know how it goes. http://www.bart.gov/guide/epamdThe San Francisco city code says it's an infraction to ride an EUC on sidewalks (see 7.2.11), although we've seen several videos of people doing it so i don't know how rigidly that rule is enforced. https://law.resource.org/pub/us/code/city/ca/SanFrancisco/Transportation Code/Division 1/article07.pdfThe California state code allows riding on sidewalks but lets cities make more restrictive rules, which I suppose is what SF did. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=veh&group=21001-22000&file=21280-21282 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daan Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 Interesting @dmethvin; in Washington state, a EUC is treated like Segway which means you can ride it anywhere except roadways and bicycle lanes, and you have to yield to pedestrians. However, it also says police does not look actively for violations but will react to complaints -- be a good EUC ambassador Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jag_Rip Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 different laws in different cities? wow, thats indeed united, states But it shows nonetheless how the authorities struggle to classify them at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albin Håkansson Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 Where do I get my hands on an IPS? Their website is kind of confusing, aaand I live in Sweden :> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esaj Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 Where do I get my hands on an IPS? Their website is kind of confusing, aaand I live in Sweden :>Try looking at here: http://forum.electricunicycle.org/topic/458-where-to-buy-incomplete-reseller-list/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vemalilu Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 Where do I get my hands on an IPS? Their website is kind of confusing, aaand I live in Sweden :>https://www.reddit.com/r/unicycling/comments/3g8abt/ips_zero_electric_unicycle_30kmh_340wh_1000watts/Dont know if its reliable, but seems ok Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason McNeil Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 @vemalilu, http://www.ipselectricunicycle.com/ are not official IPS. The real IPS is iamips.com.cn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkoMarjamaa Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Comment to IPS:proofread your marketing material Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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