

AirWheel electric unicycle review - bemmu
http://www.bemmu.com/airwheel-electric-unicycle-review

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quickpost
For comparison sake, I learned to ride a unicycle (level 2 ish) with about
8hrs of concerted practice spread over a couple weeks. A lot of the problems
you encounter in the video (difficulty mounting, speed control, not falling on
your face) are exactly the challenges with learning to ride a real unicycle.

I highly recommend trying it out sometime - it's a surprising amount of fun
once you get the hang of it.

EDIT: Unicycling levels - I'm probably about a level 3 (on a good day). Neat
sport with interesting progression - perfect for programmers that like to
level up and get good at things (and stay active!):

[http://www.unicyclist.org/cont/levels.cfm](http://www.unicyclist.org/cont/levels.cfm)

~~~
zacinbusiness
On my last trip to London I noticed several people riding unicycles around and
I started wondering if it's a growing trend in urban environments (I'm
intensely intrigued by the urban landscape and how people cope with the
challenges there). I plan on purchasing one myself simply out of curiosity
(and because it would be a boat load of fun). Any pointers on brand,
technique?

~~~
quickpost
I have a Torker Unistar with a 20" wheel and that's been perfect to learn on.
Depending on your height, the seatpost usually comes pretty long, so you may
have to cut it down with a hacksaw to get some flexibility on seat level.

As far as learning, I kept a little logbook of each time I went out. It
honestly feels impossible at first (constantly falling in 360 degrees), but
you just have to keep working on it. I did most of my learning at a school
playground (lots of space to wobble around) and leaned against the school wall
for support.

~~~
sillysaurus3
Yow, the electric unicycle cited in the article is over $600! The Torker is
$90.

Maybe it's possible to build an electric one cheaply? I wonder how much tlb's
cost...

EDIT: [http://tlb.org/#eunicycle](http://tlb.org/#eunicycle) "All together the
components, in single unit retail quantities, cost about $1500." I wonder how
expensive it would be today?

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ColinWright
Unicycles have been mentioned several times, so I thought I'd post a link to
my page on learning to ride one. It was a work in progress, and no one ever
asked for more. Take that as you will:

[http://www.solipsys.co.uk/new/LearningToUnicycle.html?HN0](http://www.solipsys.co.uk/new/LearningToUnicycle.html?HN0)

 _Added in edit: email in profile if you want more!_

~~~
Spearchucker
Thanks, just bookmarked it, because on the back of this thread I've just
ordered one. I already see myself. Splayed, facedown on the pavement...

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nl
The idea of using one of these as a transport device (as opposed to a
recreational vehicle) is very interesting.

I think that cities in general would function much better with a more diverse
transport mix. The improvements in personal electric vehicles is one of the
biggest steps towards achieving this.

I think electric bicycles, electric skateboards and now these things can all
play a part.

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klinquist
I'm a fan of the SBUv3 - I can't imagine not having a seat to sit on. No calf
pain :). The seat post is removable making it pack almost as small as the
AirWheel.

Video of me on my SBU:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mngn92PXsso](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mngn92PXsso)

~~~
eridius
I have an SBUv2. I thought it was really neat, although the one time I tried
riding it on a street I quickly decided that I was far too freaked out about
falling over and getting hit by a car.

Unfortunately, it turns out to not be usable in San Francisco. It handles
hills up to a decent grade (I forget exactly what, but probably the 30% the
SBUv3 advertises). But unfortunately it doesn't handle _variations_ very well.
And as hilly as San Francisco is, you can't walk 5 steps without the slope
changing. When I say it doesn't handle it very well, I mean it feels like it's
speeding up or slowing down unpredictably. Even just going from the sidewalk
to the street, crossing it, and back to the sidewalk is hard.

Because of that, I haven't touched the thing in several years. And the last
time I looked at it (sometime last year) it turns out the battery won't even
charge anymore. Apparently leaving it unused for a couple years is sufficient
to render the battery unusable.

I have no idea if the SBUv3 is any better.

Of course, if you live somewhere that's reasonably flat, then I'm sure it will
work great.

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ccozan
Also the SoloWheel:
[http://inventist.com/soloindex.php](http://inventist.com/soloindex.php) .This
chinese wheel might be a clone of this.

~~~
ansible
One of them is likely the clone of the other. I can't say which way from what
I've seen so far.

However, I can't imagine many people buying an electric unicycle for $2000
USD. That is very expensive.

~~~
SchizoDuckie
I saw someone in The Hague on one of these. It looks like a very good way to
kill youself.

Still, urban commuting really lends itself for awesome things we grew up with
like skateboards, unicycles, rollerblades and all that. I've been traveling
with my skateboard ever since I needed to catch trains to get to work and
missed them frequently.

Since then, no such problems.

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seanmcdirmid
I see these all the time outside of my office. It looks a bit dangerous, and I
really wouldn't want to play around with one of these in Chinese traffic.
Still, its nice to know what they finally are.

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thedays
I saw someone go past me on a YikeBike in Sydney a few weeks ago - it's a
small electric bike, with one large wheel at the front, a small one at the
back and a seat and handlebar.

It's unicycle in size but has a small wheel at the back. I haven't ridden any
of these but the YikeBike looks cool, functional and seems to be a similar
size to these electric unicycles and more stable.
[http://www.yikebike.com](http://www.yikebike.com)

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e-unicycle
Get a two-wheeled electric unit, very easy to ride, no need to train, learn in
under a minute for an average person, better than walking, faster, safe,
reliable.

The fastest human footspeed on record is 44.72 km/h (12.42m/s, 27.44 mph),
seen during a 100 meters sprint (average speed between the 60th and the 80th
meter) by Usain Bolt. Maximum human sprint speed is strikingly slower than
that of many animals.

e-Unicycle rider could easily ride at 25 mph in full control, safe and go for
up to 40 miles range, great commuting, outdoors, large industrial warehouse
distances covered in seconds, could ride as slow as your walking partners,
compact, places off road, narrow walkways, along the road, or sidewalks -
where cars and bikes don't go, e-unicycle goes.

[https://www.youtube.com/feed/subscriptions](https://www.youtube.com/feed/subscriptions)
bestunicycle@gmail.com

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lzybkr
I tried a Solowheel a couple years ago with a group of other unicyclists. I
thought we'd all have no troubles the first try, but it did take a couple
minutes to get the hang of it. I thought the training wheels actually slowed
down our learning.

After a bit, most of us had no troubles going up and down a very steep hill or
going full speed on the flats.

It was fun to try, but I couldn't see buying one - too expensive. I also found
my shin bones hurt after an hour of messing around.

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phy07
Solowheel used to fight crime:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgMweTcrIYs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgMweTcrIYs)

~~~
ansible
That... was quite odd. And mildly entertaining.

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vitno
The Chinese ones were made first. I had a lot of fun bonding with a guy riding
one of these in 西宁. I found it to be a fair amount easier than the author
described it. After 5 minutes or so a few friends and I managed to balance and
move a little bit.

edit: now that I think about it, I had a sorta riding strap I could pull on
that would help me balance at first. That probably helped way more than
training wheels.

~~~
bemmu
I think having a friend to help you out would help immensely, as they can show
you the basics and help balance you. I had no idea what I was doing.

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brianbreslin
So is this a US made "vehicle?" or designed? the author cites a few chinese
clones, so I'm wondering if the chinese manufacturer made them first or what.
If the chinese one came second, then its impressive they've cloned this so
fast.

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JacobAldridge
What gives you the impression this is US? Seems straightforward to me that
bemmu talks about seeing them in China and purchasing one to ship from there
on his return home to Japan.

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25cf
I wonder if these would actually be a feasible mode of transport if people
started using skii poles with them to maintain balance. I'd personally like to
test that idea out but I don't have an AirWheel.

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nextstep
Sweet pics of it charging! I wonder what it looks like being ridden.

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prawn
Did you watch the video linked right up at the top of the article?

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nextstep
Clearly I did not. Sorry.

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e-unicycle
authorized dealer of electric self balancing unicycles New York, NJ and tri-
state area along with Los Angeles. bestunicycle@gmail.com

