EU Newbie

[jcds]

Hi all,

I'm a newbie in EU world. I'm searching a good model to start without spending too much. I find in internet lot of brands and models but I'm not sure which characteristics I've to search for. My use will be basically home to office, some riding in downtown, also uphills road. Not interested to share music or other funky options (too old ). Any idea or suggestions for me?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Gimlet]

Your weight will have a large influence on the performance of any wheel you buy.

If the hills you intend to climb are steep and you are heavier then a more powerful motor with a decent capacity battery will make things easier.

Also if you are willing to work on the wheel yourself then you can consider importing from China but if you aren't able or willing to do the repairs yourself be aware that postal returns are almost impossible and it's better to look for a local supplier. This will of course limit your choice a little depending on where in the world you live.

[jcds]

Ok, thanks for your reply. 

I live in northern Italy and my weight is 75kg. Hills I need to climb are just the cobblestoned streets in old town.

Thing I didn't understand is if China suppliers offer same quality of more famous brand or chinese items are just toys. Also which are characteristics I need to compare to find the suitable EU for me?

[esaj]

Ok, thanks for your reply. 

I live in northern Italy and my weight is 75kg. Hills I need to climb are just the cobblestoned streets in old town.

Thing I didn't understand is if China suppliers offer same quality of more famous brand or chinese items are just toys.

They're all made in China, including Solowheel. But, there are large differences in build quality between manufacturers, the highest quality wheels so far seem to be from Ninebot, IPS and Solowheel. Kingsong seems high quality too, but I don't think we've seen a complete teardown of most models yet.

Also which are characteristics I need to compare to find the suitable EU for me?

Typically, wheel size (inches), motor power (watts), battery capacity (Wh, watthours) and build quality (which is hard/impossible to infer from the manufacturer specs alone, usually needs a tear down of the wheel). The IP-ratings (dust/liquid proofing) and range-numbers the manufacturers claim are exaggerated in most cases. I've yet to see a truly IP65-qualified wheel, and the claimed ranges can be up to almost double to real life... they seem to either pull the ranges out of a hat or test them with very lightweight riders (40kg or below?) with very slow speeds on a completely level (or slightly downhill ) area, maybe with a tail wind   Typically the real "consumption" is above 10Wh/km (I can get around 10-12Wh/km on the Firewheel with fairly fast riding, but I weight 57kg), but varies according to rider weight, rider style, uphills, temperature etc.

On top of those, the design of the wheel can be a factor, also some of them have smartphone apps to see the speed/voltage etc during riding, lights, bluetooth-speakers and usb-charging ports (for smartphones or such).

The question about which wheel to buy has been asked numerous times, I suggest you read the other similar topics here and check the reviews-section for reviews of the wheels you're interested in.

[Gimlet]

As esaj says, all wheels are presently made in China but only the better quality ones are really worth having. 

Always look for the most powerful motor version and biggest battery in any model wheel that you can afford as trying to ride on a low powered or low battery wheel is no fun and can be more hazardous.

If you cannot find a reliable local supplier of the wheel you decide on then you can buy directly from China/Hong Kong but be aware that should anything go wrong although the sellers are normally very helpful in sending replacement parts, you will have to fit them yourself as returning a wheel with the latest restrictions on batteries is not a practical option.  There will also inevitable ly be a certain amount of delay due to postal times.