“I purchased this a few months back and purposely waited 250km to write a review. My first wheel was an Mten3. At 190lbs, I destroyed that first wheel in 11 months, but saw the benefits of having ultra portable transportation. In Michigan, our roads are bumpy where they get patched - almost like cobblestones in spots. For that reason, I wanted a large wheel that would takes those bumps without throwing the rider off. I use the wheel for last 10 miles transportation and some longer hauls that are more recreational and some shorter trips that are 2 to 4 miles. It came down to the MSX and the 18XL as the finalists. Having been on the Mten3, I wanted something that had a bigger footprint, but could still be lifted up (53lbs) by a reasonable strength male. The primary differentiators that made me select the XL are the trolley handle, foot petals, narrower width, removable side panels, bluetooth, reportedly lower cost of replacement parts.
That trolley handle is amazing - I ran out of battery about 4 miles from my destination this week and walked the machine the rest of the way without issue. The XL trolley handle actually has two heights - halfway up it can lock at about 3' off the ground or can go up another foot to about 4'.
Next - the foot petals are rounded. That makes the nearly impossible to ground out even on tight turns. They are incredibly grippy and comfortable even on a multi-hour ride.
The narrower width was actually something I thought was going to be a regretable decision. The MSX has that wide tire that looked more attractive and robust. The XL's tire is a beast though. 2.5" wide. The machine feels super comfortable while riding.
With the XL, I got the body-glove rubberized cover. If you purchase and XL, get this. it saved me when I fumbled a bit in the beginning at stoplights and ended up laying the machine on its side as I lost balance. Looks very good and the side mood lighting comes through the pre-cut holes.
The bluetooth was a selling feature. I use it for Google maps and it takes me right from point A to B. The sound is plenty good and very loud if the rider wants it to be.
Finally, I am embarrassingly incompetent with mechanical repairs. Like I will never be able to change the tire bad. For that reason, I wanted a machine that was friendly for Ewheels to provide service on. The XL seems to come apart and go back together relatively easily for a mechanic who does this every day. We will find out in time if I was correct.
The negatives are nitpicky
1) the Kingsong application is buggy and continually crashes, but is still more feature-rich than what I had with the Gotway before I killed that EUC last August.
2) the speed throttling I was not looking forward to. It kept me to 40km/hr for the first 200km of distance. Unlike my dead Mten3, the XL doesn't beep - it says "PLEASE DECELERATE" so loud that it is embarrassing. That turned out to be a good thing though and kept me to modest speeds until I learned the wheel. I guarantee you that 31MPH top end speed is plenty sufficient for almost every rider. I rarely hit that top number even on open smooth roads.
3) braking is "meh" - the 18" wheels are cruisers. The XL is plenty fast off the line and has more than enough beef to get up a steep gradient. In the few instances where I had to come to a quick stop, the heavy back lean caused the wheel to wobble as I slowed quickly. This is more a function of having an 18" wheel vs a performance defect.
Last note - if I could give this 6 stars I would. Anyone who is considering a wheel would be well served to think of the Kingsong 18XL.”
“This is one of the most fun things ive ever done. Its an absolutely blast riding an EUC, and the 18-xl rides like a Cadillac, im on day 4 and i can comfortably ride, highly recommend this product.”
“Just finished 6 mile ride on my new KS18L. Smooth, Stable, and Comfortable is best way I can describe this wheel. The customer service from Jason and EWheels is the best I have experienced in my 55 years.
Joe”
“Great wheel. Plenty fast, very stable, and much more responsive than I thought. The app is tragic, with settings frequently getting forgotten, but if you can take 20 seconds to reset it (I turn the light to "on" instead of "auto" to remedy the problem where it turns off when a car is approaching and have to do this almost every time) the riding experience is superb.”
