For the past two years I have been riding an electric unicycle and everywhere I go I find people asking me about it, which is why I have decided to put up this page.
You might have come here over a link you found or because we have talked in person, in any case, let me introduce you to what a electric unicycle (EUC) is and how you can start riding one soon as well.
An electric unicycle is a self balancing uni-cycle that works in some ways similar to the more popular two wheeled segway. It balances itself to the front and back, but contrary to the two wheeled segway you have to maintain balance to the left and right.
Steering and acceleration work happen with the rider leaning forward and backward, similar to a segway.
So much about the theory, but how hard is it to ride one?
Well, that really depends on a lot of factors but in general everyone should be able to learn how to ride one within one week.
Youtube offers a lot of great learning videos on how to start, e.g. this one.
But which wheel should you get? Well, that’s not an easy one but let me try to offer you a few choices:
There are three main factors you need to consider before buying your first electric unicycle. Those are:
- Battery Capacity - Maximum Distance (Single Charge)
- Motor Power - Maximum Speed (Fully Charged)
- Wheel Size - Terrain Compatibility
You should be thinking about these factors when making your choices, here are three options that I would recommend to beginners:
1. The Ninebot One/Segway One S1
A good beginners wheel is the Ninebot One C/E(+) or the Segway One S1. Segway was acquired by Ninebot a while back and so you’re essentially buying from the same company.
The wheel delivers the following specs:
- 150 - 320 Wh Battery - Up to 24km/14mi range
- 400 - 500 Watt Motor - Up to 23km/h or 13mi/h
- 16” Wheel Size - Good for streets and good trails
You might be wondering why there’s a range on all of these values, that’s because there are different models out there. It starts with the Ninebot One C, C+, E and E+ prices range from about $300 to $650 on these and about $600 for the Segway One S1. The more you spend, the higher your max range and max speed are going to be.
Available places to buy are:
- Segway One S1 on Amazon.com
- Ninebot One E+ on Aliexpress
2. InMotion V8
The InMotion V8 is a good allrounder wheel. While learning to ride on it isn’t much harder than on a Ninebot One, it makes sense to buy a wheel with a little higher top speeds from the beginning. This is the wheel if you’re okay spending a little more ($800 - $1000) and have a wheel that lasts a long time!
The wheel delivers the following specs:
- 480 Wh Battery - Up to 45km/28mi range
- 800 Watt Motor - Up to 30km/h or 18.5mi/h
- 16” Wheel Size - Good for streets and good trails
Available places to buy are:
- InMotion V8 on Aliexpress
3. Gotway MSuper V3
The GotWay MSuper v3 is really one of the top end wheels on the market with top speeds of up to 50kph and ranges far more than you could potentially ride in the beginning. Prices range from $1000 - $2000, but you really get a nice wheel for your money. If you are more of an esthetic person though, this might be not for you as functionality > design with this one.
The wheel delivers the following specs:
- 680 - 1600 Wh Battery - Up to 68 - 164km range
- 1500 Watt Motor - Up to 50km/h or 31mi/h
- 18” Wheel Size - Good for streets and good trails
Available places to buy are:
- Gotway MSuper v3 on AliExpress
Accessory
While unicycling really doesn’t need much to start with, I would highly recommend to buy a set of protectors and a helmet.
Here are a few recommendations on what to get:
Injuries through crashes are not a joke, so I really recommend investing in some good gear. Even if you’re the most careful person, a crash at 30kph will hurt like hell or even mean some more serious injuries.
I hope this was a little helpful! If you have any questions, feel free to ask me!
Note: I’m not selling these unicycles, although I’m using the affiliate links that get me a small contribution towards hosting this site when you purchase through my link. If you think the content you found here was valueable, please use my link, if not, feel free to skip my links and send me some feedback so I can might do it better next time!