once you start scaling up 2 wheel scooter wheels to become big enough to comfortably ride anywhere in a city that wasnt explicitly designed for scooter traffic (nyc for example), the weight of the whole scooter starts surpassing even lighter ebikes (60 lb+), without the benefit of lower costs or more transportability (few/none 500W+ scooters can be carried comfortably through a narrower nyc restaurant door)
this one came closest https://inokim.shop/collections/inokim-scooters/products/ino... but after testing it out I couldn't see the upside over a smaller folding ebike
I have a rad power bikes 'expand 5'.
Rad does consider it a commuter bike, I just consider it a tad non-optimal but not anything terrible. Great for neighborhood errands though. My neighborhood 'main drag' is great for a little shopping/eating but is about a mile and change away so it's certainly walkable but I wouldn't want to lug groceries a mile up a hill so the bike is perfect. Haven't touched my car all summer unless I was getting out of the city.
It is a bit small. I think they rate it for people who are 5'10" max, which is my height to get full leg extension. While it does fold it is quite heavy so if you are thinking about a scenario where you drive the edge of the city and bike the rest of the way in just know that getting it in and out of a trunk is a bit of a wrestling match.
Maintenance-wise, no big complaints in almost a year and a half. I had a flat tire and was able to find a replacement tube no problem at a local bike shop. I've had to replace the brake pads and frayed up the brake cable in the process so I replaced that too, did all the work myself cost me maybe ~$20 in parts. Considering swapping the brakes for some 'hybrid hydraulic brakes' aka cable pull hydraulics, those will run me a couple hundred bucks for the pair, the work seems easy enough if you've ever swung a wrench. Did some lubing of the chain... No battery issues, no controller issues.
https://www.radpowerbikes.com/collections/electric-city-comm...
There’s lots of good folding electric options right now, but if your budget allows for it, I’d *highly* recommend looking for folders with Gates drives. You will be able to roll and hold the bike folded between your legs without worrying about wiping grease all over your pants(or some unfortunate soul who bumps into it). It’s also one of the few things that lives up to its hype — it’s been entirely maintenance-free over the last ~6years I’ve been riding
Back in '07 I was working in automotive electric steering systems and the design called for a belt between motor and ball-nut. I was shocked the safety analysis was OK with that, but the durability and test data said it would be fine. We used Gates belts. I've never heard of any problem with those systems which are 15 years old now. Apparently their belts are of top notch reliability.
every brand's advantages just started blurring together until someone said "it's just going to be stolen anyway..."
with the money i saved by getting a cheaper bike, i bought the most expensive lock, to keep the thing from riding away :)
You do get used to it but never feels quite as safe as a bike.
It seems like it'd be possible to offer ultralight kickscooters that would be an apples-to-apples comparison with the onewheel that could fold down to the same collapsed size.
the smaller and lighter they are, the more integrated and specialized parts they have, for which replacements need to come directly from the manufacturer :(
still kind of crazy, the sheer variety of models that are still on youtube videos from just a couple years ago, that are no longer even possible...
I also have a folding e-bike which has larger and wider wheels than a scooter, which is preferable in my opinion. The problem with scooters and e-bikes, even folding ones, are that a lot of buildings will not let you take them indoors. Or most will have you use a freight elevator, which is operated manually AND has set hours that it’s run.
There’s also the difficulty of storing/locking them if you go out for dinner or some other event. Something as small as a Onewheel that you could pick up and walk with, and is small enough to store under a table, or take on a train without blocking anyone is a dream in this sort of environment.
Edit: I should also note that I’m speaking from my very NYC perspective.
I love it especially as a last mile option in conjunction with buses and trains.
That or kickscooters, but they're not as compact as the onewheel or a longboard.
Fundamentally, the onewheel seems like a personal-mobility answer to the V22 Osprey: a vehicle with amazing functionality and versatility in its happy path, but is fundamentally unsafe in failure because of the basic physics of the situation.
edit: onewheel, not longboard, in the final paragraph.
Attach it to a pole or whatever.
You stay in a restaurant one or two hours at most, and you simply wouldn't go there by bike if it's raining. It's unlikely to suffer from rust.
Likewise theft only tends to happen when a bike is left in the same location for extended periods of time. Defeating a good bike lock takes a special kind of people and tools, and your bike is unlikely to be spotted then stolen in a hour or two. One solution is also to park it in a relatively discreet location, or you could go for an area full of bikes (double-edged sword; more bikes means it's lost in the sea, but also that it's a prime location for thieves. Then again if you have a functional metropolitan police they'd be watching such locations).
Personally I use an e-bike in London, I attach it everywhere outside, I never had a problem despite my bike being very cool-looking (it's a British equivalent to Super73). While London is certainly more civilized than New York City, it does have significant crime as well in certain areas.