What is the Best Electric Unicycle (EUC) to buy in 2021?

This is an easy one to answer. There simply isn’t a best electric unicycle (EUC) to buy in 2021. Besides, that is not quite the question to bother with. What you really need to know is which is the best electric unicycle for you. This article is a guide to help you make an informed choice when selecting your most suitable option for an EUC. It is also a review of e-RIDES’ best electric unicycles based on several features.

What does the best electric unicycle look like?

The fastest, longest range electric unicycle is not necessarily the best one in the market for you. It does not matter that manufacturers are constantly pushing the latest devices to generate sales. Or that they are announcing their newer, upgraded and more sophisticated specifications to get attention.

The fastest electric unicycles require bigger motors and a bigger battery to sustain high speeds. This means extra weight is added for support. Some of the fastest EUCs can sustain speeds of 40mph and can weigh an average of 30-45kg. Lugging around this much weight every day is no easy task. Your idea of a best EUC might not be the fastest or longest range if you: need the device for first and last mile purposes, that is, getting onto the train or tube station; your train station has no escalator; you live at the top floor of a building that has got only stairs.

On the other hand, if you live in an area where transport links are fewer and far between, you’ll need all the speed and range you can get. How about those who live in a largely populated area or a busy city where transport systems are overcrowded and prefer socially distanced travel, or need to be able to keep up with traffic in a fast-paced community? In these situations, the fastest and longest range EUC will be a necessity, not a burden.

Choosing Your Best Electric Unicycle in 2021

With the ever-increasing choices of new models and a great variety of specifications, choosing the right electric unicycle can be a daunting task. However, there’s no need to be overwhelmed. Selecting an electric unicycle that will best suit you requires some consideration. It’s almost like buying a new phone. You start with your budget and look at the options in front of you. Then you ask yourself what feature or function you cannot or will not do without. Is it the camera, RAM or memory? It does help to put things in perspective when you ask yourself what is priority.

To decide what will be your best electric unicycle, you might need to ask yourself important questions. These considerations usually cover these four parts: purpose, speed, range, and the most important, budget.

• Purpose – Why are you buying an electric unicycle? Recreation or Commuting? Is it a mixture of recreation and commuting? What is the percentage split between both? What sort of terrain are you looking to ride on? Hilly or flat?
• Speed – is speed important to you? Why?
• Range – How far do you need to go? Do you have to travel far to get the train or bus for further travel?
• Budget – What can you afford?

If you’re new to the electric unicycle sport, we understand more than most the importance of choosing the right one for your first. Selecting the wrong model for a ‘first’ electric unicycle can be pretty discouraging. It might put you off completely, causing you to give up on what we think is the best form of personal mobility device ever created. We don’t want that for you and neither do you.

Electric Unicycle for under £999

Let’s face it, electric unicycles (EUCs) are not cheap, and budget plays an important role. EUCs under £999 are usually smaller and lighter due to the fact that the easiest way the manufacturers can reduce price is to have smaller batteries included. In an electric unicycle, the  battery is the most expensive component.

If you are getting an electric unicycle for daily commute and want to integrate with other forms of public transportation systems, this is a great price range for you to consider. Some other features you should consider when buying an EUC at this price are:

• Portability – Is it easy to carry? The carrier lift bar must be ergonomically shaped.
• Motor spin button – so the wheel does not spin when you pick it up
• Integrated trolley handle – to allow the ease of movement during transit.
• Value for money – how much range and features do you get for the price?

For this price range, e-RIDES’ top picks are rated based on two criterias – portability and value for money.

Gotway Begode MTEN3

The Mten3 is the pocket rocket of the EUC world. If you are looking for the most portable electric unicycle, then the Mten3 is the one. With a 10inch diameter by 3inch wide tire, it is nippy and very responsive. The downside of this responsiveness is an electric unicycle that demands your full attention as it is hyper responsive to every input either from the rider or from the terrain.

Inmotion V5F

The V5F has a 14inch wheel diameter. Compared to the Mten3, it glides more smoothly over bumps and cracks on the road. A great starter wheel for adults and kids alike, it is light and easy to carry. The Inmotion V5F is the ideal Electric Unicycle to get around town. 

MCM5 V2

Some say that the Gotway Begode MCM5 V2 is probably the perfect Electric Unicycle. Striking a perfect balance between power, range and portability is hard, but it seems the MCM5 V2 may have done just that. It is fun to ride with enough range to cover your daily needs. It is also an ideal first wheel and recommended wheel if you are a city dweller.

Kingsong 16S V2

The Kingsong 16S, like all Kingsongs, have exceptional build, quality and usability. Kingsongs have the best trolley handle in the Electric Unicycle industry which is essential for portability. The Kingsong 16s v2 is agile, manoeuvrable and has a smooth power delivery.

Electric Unicycle price range Below £1999

This is the mid-level price range and the competition is fierce. Here, users seek best options based on portability, range, speed, looks and value for money. Owners of electric unicycles in this category usually buy them for commuting during the weekdays and to have fun during the weekends during group rides and social gatherings.

For this price range, e-RIDES’ top picks are rated based on performance and durability.

Gotway Begode RS19

This is the replacement to the Gotway MSP. The Gotway RS19 is the newest iteration of the MSuper series which comes in two different options. It boasts of high speed (great all-round acceleration and power delivery), is capable of a speed of 45mph and high torque (great for climbing hills). However, the shell durability of the Gotway Begode RS19 is not the most durable nor is it water resistant. So while the RS19 is the performance champion in this mid-level price bracket, you have to be careful not to drop it too often.

Nikola 100v Plus

Don’t say it out loud but the Nikola Plus 100v could be the best pound for pound mid-level high-performance electric unicycle (EUC) with speeds approaching 42mph. With the best trolley handle from Gotway Begode, the Nikola manages to sustain the level of portability that is associated with smaller wheels while also being one of the best looking EUCs for night rides.

Inmotion V11

The Inmotion is the jack of all trades and a master of none. It has everything from a quality design, quality material and the highest build quality of any EUC in the market to date. While most of the wheels on this list are happy to be used on city streets, the Inmotion is happy on both city streets and offroads. The power delivery is effortless with a top speed of 34mph. It won’t win a drag race but it is one of the best value for money in this price bracket mainly because of its versatility.

Kingsong 16X

The Kingsong 16X is the one of the bestselling mid-level EUCs in the market. It has a 50/50 weight distribution, dual USB port for charging your phone on the go and other appliances, great torque for zipping around, and one of the longest-range wheels on the market. With all these fantastic features, you can see why the 16X is right at the top of everyone’s preferred EUC list. It is definitely one of our favourite wheels for commuting if you don’t plan to exceed speeds over 30mph

Best Electric Unicycles Above £2000

The electric unicycle culture is growing. A large contributing factor is group rides in cities such as NYC, Paris and Brussels. EUC riders in this price range are looking for a certain je ne sais quoi from their device. They want to look cool while going at a certain speed and range. Let us face it, speed is one major attractive factor why people buy EUCs. There’s a certain appeal to gliding while at speed and others looking on admiringly. There is also the rush you get from all that speed. If you’re a street warrior, there are a few devices to choose from.

Gotway Begode EX.N

The Gotway Begode EX.N is the best bargain of this group with a 60 miles range and a speed of close to 50 MPH. It comes with a voltmeter so you can tell the voltage of your wheel. You should avoid acceleration with a low battery voltage as this can cause a cut out. The EX.N trolley handle may not be the best but it is adequate. However, this is not a deal breaker. For its high performance and at its price, this EUC is the real deal. If you can master this wheel, you will be respected amongst street warriors.

Veteran Sherman

The Veteran Sherman redefined what a performance thoroughbred should be. At a 50 mph, 70 miles range, roll cage for crash protection, 50/50 weight distribution, modular design for easy maintainability, this is it. If there was an Oscar for the best breakout artist award equivalent in the electric unicycle industry, it would undoubtedly be the Veteran Sherman. It can be a cruiser when you want it to, and in the next moment, it transforms into a 50 mph plus, one wheel self-balancing device of insane performance. The Veteran Sherman also comes with a first in the industry LED screen to monitor and diagnose the health of your wheel. In all, the Veteran Sherman is the wheel of choice for the street warrior.

Best Electric Unicycle When Money Is No Object

Gotway Begode Monster Pro

The Bugatti Chiron is a car that epitomises ‘money is no object’. It represents the limit of what is possible in the commercial car industry in terms of engineering feat. The Gotway Begode Monster Pro is that equivalent in the electric unicycle space. It comes from a lineage of the old monster when Gotway Begode was formerly known as Gotway. Monsters usually came with 22’ wheel diameter. Their advantage over other ewheels in the industry was their high speed stability. The general rule is, the bigger the wheel diameter, the more stable it is at speed but one loses acceleration as result.

The Gotway Begode Monster Pro is the first genuine 50mph sustainable as a continuous speed machine. Tests prove that an average rider of 80 kg can reach 51MPH with the wheel still below an 80% power output. This puts the Monster Pro as a 57mph max speed. This level of performance was unheard of as little as 2 years ago. As you can imagine, the Monster Pro is not a lightweight. It weighs about 45 kg and is not designed for portability or manoeuvrability but is surprisingly agile when in motion.

Summary

Electric unicycles have come a long way from having a top speed of 13 mph, range of 10 miles and being an outer worldly and odd mode of transportation that would be fitting in a Dr Who TV series.

With stricter rules on internal combustion modes of transportation, people are looking for more available options for the best mode of transportation. Out of all 3 major, innovative micro-mobility devices such as electric scooters and electric skateboards, the case for the electric unicycle is that it is not merely an electrified mode of an already existing mode of transportation. It is also the only new and innovative mode of transportation that has been invested in the last 20 plus years.

We do not believe electric unicycles will ever appeal to the mass market, purely due to the learning curve. Maybe that is not such a bad thing. If it did, it would not be special anymore. Whichever EUC you decide on, enjoy the experience. Remember, there is no best electric unicycle. However, there is a best one for you.

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