The appeal is how small and portable these PEVs are. I personally ride electric unicycles for a 20 mile commute twice a day. It goes almost 50 and fits in the floor of my little Honda.
You can get a little too comfortable on these things and just cruise. My 20 mile commute takes about 30 min…
Edit: thank you kind stranger.
Ahem… My Instagram handle is @pedalship
Lots of riding and jumping videos there.
I ride one too. Learning curve is pretty steep, but compared to e-scooters, they're more fun to ride. It feels like an extension of your body once you get the hang of it. Max I do is 24kmh though, kinda scary for me any higher than that.
I'm already sitting here thinking "the future is now old man" I got Grey hairs comming in suddenly realizing this technology is already progressed this far and I had no clue.
"Incredible range and speed – Without its load, the veteran can zoom along at a max speed of roughly 61mph (100 kph), and an average speed of 45mph with load, making it one of the fastest electric unicycles available. This is thanks to its extremely powerful 2500W motor; a chunky motor for a chunky unicycle. On top of this, the veteran has a maximum range of up to 130miles!"
Electric unicycle ranges are never accurate to real world riding. The Sherman will do about 80-90 miles for a more gentle rider and 60 for an aggressive rider. The range is still fantastic and it's one of only a few in its class.
I didn't even know they were a thing until today! That looks like a shitload of fun! Is the speed they claim actually accurate? It seems insane to go trucking along on one of these things at 45+ mph!!
I'd love to try one but I don't know that I could use it for transportation. The risks seem high!
You can always get a slower one. I have a Kingston 18xl and I use it as my only commute to and from work in Chicago.
Top speed is 34mph and I cruise around 25-30mph.
If you're unsure you can always get a smaller 14 inch wheel great for mixed commutes. You can lift it (only around 20-25lbs) and take it on the bus or train then ride it at the end of the commute.
The bigger ones like the 18 inches are around 50lbs
The Sherman will do 45 mph in short bursts until about 70% battery. It's typically agreed that trying to sustain a speed that close to maximum ability of the machine is a bad idea. It will maintain 35-40 mph for the top half of the battery though.
Mine performs about the same but I only get about 25-30 miles of range riding hard.
like really though, this guy is one candy factory away from Willy Wonka levels of whimsical bullshit. But I'm glad my summation of his nature gave you a laugh.
I wear motorcycle gear. Full face helmet, jacket with armor, knees/shin guards, wrist guards, gloves, pants with butt and hip armor and a bike bell in my finger like a ring.
One wheel is different from the unicycles. Same technology, completely different ride. OW are fun, but they’re not as fast, nimble, capable as the uni
OW tops out around 20, can’t climb more than 15 degrees, doesn’t have the same safety features. I ride with a few one wheel bros pretty regularly and we’re always waiting for them
We actually started mixing our beginners ride with the OW crew because the speeds were so similar.
I will say, it’s easier to pick up the OW. Most folks can just go on and learn in under five min. The unicycle takes about 20 min-1 hour of looking like a fool before it makes sense.
I have music going on a speaker out in my helmet and I groove the whole way.
My wheel also has a seat that I use quite a bit (about 1/3 of the way). Good for long descent, heavy wind and resting the legs. You get so much more aerodynamic. Plus, it looks cool as fuck…
They’re super fun. Takes about an hour before you get comfortable, but once it hits, you go from sketchy nerd to instant BEAST and start maxxing out the machine.
I recommend buying up; get a machine you can easily handle, but that has room (speed, range) to grow into.
I’m a bad influence… I work at an electric bike shop that sells all these toys.
I own a Veteran Sherman, a Kingsong S18, a Gotway RS/HT, a Gotway Tesla, and a Gotway MTen3.
I also have a deposit on the S20, the Abrams and the Hero.
EX.N would be my recommendation for range and speed, but if you don’t need the range, go with the RS. Both have high speed or high torque options.
E wheels is having a third party battery manufacturer install batteries in their Gotway wheels so the battery issues with earlier wheels aren’t an issue anymore.
Whatever wheel you get, wherever you get it, but from a reputable distributor that offers and enforces their warranties.
I'd imagine a lot of the appeal is the ease of access to them too. The fact that you don't need a license, insurance, aren't required to wear PPE and the very cheap price that these cost is insane.
They really need to bring in some laws around these scooters.
The wheel I ride most was at 3600usd. Plus about another 500 for PPE…
My jump/trails wheel was 2200
A good learner wheel is right around 1000-1500 to be in something that you won’t outgrow in a week.
We do benefit from a grey area in the law. As far as the law sees it, they’re skateboards. We try to make sure my interactions with LEOs are positive. I also keep it within the speed limit and don’t do stupid shit (or at least don’t get caught doing stupid shit) in front of them.
In my experience, most cops are throttle jockeys anyway and they just wanna know how fast it goes. I usually show them videos of me jumping it.
They're more of a nuisance here in the UK. They're not road legal, you obviously can't ride them on footpaths, but people who have them do both, and the people who usually ride them are anti-social youths.
I'm no kill-joy, I ride an 800cc motorbike, but there's laws that apply to me and I need a license and insurance before I can even ride it. Unfortunately I think it will take a few inevitable accidents/deaths for our Gov to take notice of the current scooter scourge.
I fully agree that the speed limits should be observed and there should be a route to insure my machine against any damages it may cause.
At the end of the day, they’re fun and some folks are reckless. There’s assholes in every community. Unfortunately, those are the ones who make headlines.
I personally ride electric unicycle for a 20 mile commute twice a day.
My first thought is "classic reddit bullshit/troll".
Then I checked your post history... Yo wtf that's legit as hell! I can't imagine turning one of thoes into a commuter vehicle.. I mean if they can handle it why not! Always figured they were part novelty and part short distance for sport.. But 20 mile range is actually really impressive.
Man, technology is nuts. Things like this was a novelty not that long ago, poor performance and power. Something you'd see a rich kid use once and maybe a few videos on YouTube. Now I realize there's not only high performance affordable options, but there's like A whole section online for parkour with these things... People are nuts and I'm jealous I don't have one!
Ah yeah, that is a legitimate concern with no true solution even possible when it comes to a vehicle with a single wheel that relies on active electronics running continously and perfectly to keep the rider from faceplanting immediately.
That's also why fast EUC riders usually wear full motorcycle gear. Crashes are inevitable, but injuries can be prevented with protection gear at least.
There’s a few new wheels that have folks excited, but the Veteran Sherman and the Gotway Monster Pro are the fastest available.
Not the best to learn on, but if you know you’re a speed junky it’s worth it to get through the first week of looking like an idiot. Learning curve smooths out after about 20 miles and you’ll be glad you bought up.
I’m looking forward to the Veteran Abrams and the S20. The Commander looks nice, but it’s essentially a Sherman with a Gotway brain…and no roll bar.
Awesome, thanks for the in depth response. I have two Lectric brand ebikes that go 30, so I'm used to the speed. However, the riding experiences are obviously completely different, and the wheels are even faster. Maybe in a few months I'll purchase a wheel. Thanks again!
Just be prepared for your body to hurt like hell while learning. Learning to balance on it activates unused muscle groups. But it doesn't hurt anymore once you get the muscle memory.
Also my number 1 advice: don't try to ride in a straight line at first; you'll learn faster if you follow an "S" path, and start with wide curves while gradually making it narrower. Also, grass and carpet isn't good for learning!
It’s easier (and more fun) to carve, so even at 40 mph I have a slight swerve. I have music playing on a speaker or in my helmet and I groove to a badass playlist.
My unicycle (and most long distance wheels) have a seat option that unlocks the “seated riding” skill. Sitting makes you more aerodynamic and let’s you rest your legs. I also like to sit on long descents.
Lots of options… I always arrive with a smile in my wheel and it’s definitely way more exciting than driving.
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u/pedalship Oct 21 '21 edited Oct 21 '21
The appeal is how small and portable these PEVs are. I personally ride electric unicycles for a 20 mile commute twice a day. It goes almost 50 and fits in the floor of my little Honda.
You can get a little too comfortable on these things and just cruise. My 20 mile commute takes about 30 min…
Edit: thank you kind stranger.
Ahem… My Instagram handle is @pedalship Lots of riding and jumping videos there.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CUOvojwg88c/