One week with Ninebot Z10

Part I on how the Z10 was born.

     By chance, in my hands, if not to be more precise - the hottest new unicycle world in 2018 ninebotZ6 fell into my legs. And as the only, so far, in Russia man who rode about 150-200 km on this wheel and owned it for a week, I consider myself simply obligated to bring light and knowledge to his account, and a little Z10.

It is difficult to be objective when describing a new wheel, as there really is a connection between an emotional attachment to a long-awaited novelty, a feeling of uniqueness from a single wheel in the Russian Federation, and a touch of mystery due to the brand and positioning of the wheel.

     First of all, it is important to understand that the company ninebot (bysegway), which created an absolute hit - the minisigway ninebotmini (Pro), having abandoned monowheels for a long time, never really aspired to the narrow and rather specific market of unicycle. As I understand it, from the point of view of making money, this area is not so hot, but the needs are high and the market is very demanding. Here you need more batteries and the requirements for the engine are slightly different. In general, we are strange guys for this manufacturer, dreary and uninteresting.

But finally, after a long time and painful expectations, the company released a new monowheel, and to be precise, there are already three modifications of the ninebotZ model, these are Z6, Z8 and Z10.

     In fact, all three models are one and the same wheel, with different battery modifications, from here some details follow, such as maximum speed and mythical engine power:

 for Z6 it is 530 watts, 35 km / h,

 for Z8 it is 862 watts, 40 km / h,

 for Z10 - 1000 watts, 45 km / h.

     It's funny that by the time the wheels were released to the market, ninebot immediately abandoned the average modification and as a result we still have the z6 and z10. Although, in my opinion, it is difficult to come up with a funnier solution, since the new product is not cheap, and taking into account some of the nuances of the monowheel itself, the 530-watt model that I got looks simply ridiculous and absurd. But that’s not all, the guys worked on the wheel for a very long time, exactly one year has passed since the announcement and demonstration of the first prototype, and even now we can’t say that the wheel has fully entered the market, it’s still impossible to buy, and the first pre-orders will be shipped to customers only in mid-September.

     Just imagine, you come in a car salon, choose a new and cool SUV, and when your eyes fall on a new product weighing 6 tons, you are happily informed that your car’s mileage is 50 km, then the night should stand and rest. You stand and think, and why the hell am I such a jeep to go to the subway?

     And so it happened with the new Z6, the wheel weighs 24.5 kilograms, but I didn’t mess up the numbers, it weighs almost the same kingsong18s1680 watts (GotWay fans can insert msuperv3 here), while the Z6 has a 530-watt battery, which, in conscience, lasts up to 40 km unhurried ride. Yes, and this wheel will not give you a hurry, but we will talk about this later. And now you look at the beautiful design, for the first time, by the way, the wheel looks beautiful, the wide tire, all these LEDs and aggressive fleur, and go to the subway or to the park, go for a drive ...

Part II on how to embark on the Z10 and a bit about its ergonomics

     Hi, and we are already in the park and switched to you, you have an all-terrain vehicle and a tank in your hands. You look at the wheel, and you just dream about how now you will go along the paths in the park, tiles, borders and bumps. You get on the wheel and ... And it terribly sticks into your shin, no, I'm not joking, you remember your unicycle apprenticeship, when your legs swell, your bruises shine, and you sweat. Z10 really bites your leg and requires some kind of bandage to the place where it touches your foot or gluing a soft pillow / pad, but then forget about the beautiful design, you will have a hard-working collective farmer.

Also, the low Z10 case does not contribute to convenience, as a matter of fact, the rider has nothing to rest against and where you usually rest your foot on the wheel, the wheel ends, abutting even with a rounded, but still facet.

If we have already started talking about ergonomics, it’s important to note a convenient handle for carrying the wheel, the strain gauge turning off the motor at the moment of raising the wheel and transferring its canopy works perfectly, everything is accompanied by cool sound effects and here the wheel wants to last forever, despite the weight the handle came out successful, and her job is great.

At the same time, the screw-on handle that is needed to drive the wheel next to it looks awful, it loosens and does not allow the wheel to be brought into the ramps normally, it bends and there is a feeling that it will quickly break, if not from driving the wheel nearby, then the first time the wheel falls on it. But, such a handle, or rather its fastening, makes it possible to park the wheel on its rear part, this solution looks logical, reliable, and during the use of the wheel I had to park it in this way more than once.

The rubber plug of the charging compartment was also a success, it does not play, does not jump out of the socket and during frequent charging (battery, hello) never caused irritation. In general, when we talk about the Z10, we must admit that the level of assembly approach, details and their fit together cause, if not delight, then some relief, the wheel looks like a real commercial product, a complete solution that is not a shame to sell and show to people. So far, no wheel in the market has caused such a sensation.

With such a culture of assembly, the solution for pumping the wheel causes some bewilderment. In the case behind the plug (yes, ninebot plugs do for good) there is a hole, a natural window with access to the nipple, which is not only difficult to find, but even harder to catch for pumping, without an adapter in the kit (terribly inconvenient), I can’t get to it, I A gas adapter came to the rescue, which turned out to be more convenient, but then another surprise awaited me.

The fact is that not all adapters turn out to be the same, as well as nipples, not all reach the valve pin.

In the case of the Z10 and its unique tire, this is one of the most important points, because you, the new owner of the wheel, will spend at least an hour to solve this problem.

The quest is to select the pressure for the ride. This is not a trivial task, which we will return to when we begin to describe riding on a wheel. The light diodes in the wheel, very beautiful lighting effects, their original arrangement in the wheel compartment cause wild excitement. In general, the design of the wheel was clearly inspired by the movies Tron and Batman, the wheel came out stylish and very beautiful. For the appearance of a solid five.

The headlight is framed in a rubber frame, while no manufacturer has guessed to make such a feint with his ears, but is forced to recognize the solution as cool, the wheel often falls over this part and it cracks, and here you have a bumper. The front headlight shines brightly, the laser and the spotlight were clearly set for the sample, however, the headlight still shines in the ass of the pedestrian in front, and the earth gets an echo of this light, which is more confusing when driving than it helps. Passers-by will not thank you for such a light, and a motorist out of harmlessness will turn on the “distant” one.

Part III riding in the park

     Probably having read such an amount of text, you are already waiting for us to approach the poppy, the juice itself, that is, driving the Z10. I agree this is the most interesting, the most mysterious and unpredictable, because there has never been such a wide tire on monowheels, and it is for a second 10 centimeters wide.

     It is important to make a reservation here, the author of this whole nonsense, ran into about 9,000 km on different monowheels. I tried all the wheels on the market, from lightweight 14 inch models to the incredible 22 inch Monsters, making the choice for myself in favor of 18 inches. It would seem that the Z10 should ideally suit me, because the diameter of its wheels is 17 honest inches, and the weight of 24.5 kilograms did not previously cause discomfort on other models. Moreover, I sincerely love different wheels, still have not invented the ideal one for myself and I understand that all wheels have their pluses. And looking ahead, I regret to immediately warn, I did not find any advantages in Z10. How so? You ask me. I answer below.

     Leaving the house with a wheel, I rode around the yard, perfect asphalt, smooth and without bumps, speed of about 10 km / h, the Z10 travels surprisingly pleasantly, smooth running, excellent acceleration dynamics with such a weak battery and slurred braking, which I'm used to, but after 100km. The wheel enters into turns perfectly, I remember my favorite wheels and think why you are needed, now I will ride this handsome man. Maneuverability at the level of 14-16 diameters, in a straight line I feel the stability of 18 inches. Perfect. Tomorrow I am writing a thank you note to the store that gave me this wheel, and I am making a prepayment.

     We go further, I calmly leave the courtyard in the direction of Prospect Mira, Sobyanin's tile, center, everything is not bad, the speed of 20 km per hour is perfectly kept by the wheel and here is the first turn. No, I don’t fall from the wheel, I don’t know what saved me, the dealer’s wheel price tag, experience, or just a guardian angel, but the wheel doesn’t turn at all. I’m going into a turn, and it seems to push me aside in the opposite direction. The wheel simply refuses to listen to the rider. Okay, you probably need a habit and a different style. I stop and light a cigarette. I’m going straight ahead, the pressure in the tire, as recommended by Western forums, is 2.4 bars. I feel every seam of the tile, the slightest roughness or border gives me a blow not even in the back, in the back of the head. In the evening, my head will hurt and pinch my lower back. And here’s the turn again, I’m ready for the abnormal behavior of the wheel, I bend with my whole body and enter the turn like a motorcyclist, and almost dive in the direction of the asphalt. The wheel just falls into a turn, not giving me the necessary trajectory, but reducing the turning radius and twisting it inward. At this point, everything becomes approximately clear. The wheel is incredibly sensitive, it’s not 17 inches, or even 16, in fact we are dealing with the sensations experienced by a rider at 10-14 inches, the deceptive appearance and weight of the wheel only make confusion in the head. The wheel is incredibly mobile and not stable in turns, the shape of the tire, in principle, is not suitable for this kind of transport.

     Without thinking twice, I decided that the pumped tire (to the touch it simply does not choke on anything) is to blame. I blew the tire up to 1 atm, now longitudinal slipping has begun when driving and the wheel has ceased to be stable even in a straight line. For myself, the lesser of evils (ha) I found a pressure of 1.9 atmospheres with a weight of 82 kg. With this pressure, I can generally go along the route and even turn occasionally, but I brake before the maneuver, get up in the eagle's position on the nest and crouch, pulling one leg away from the wheel for balance, I enter the turn. It is important to admit that on my beloved elephant, 18c, I ride at high pressure, many scold me, but yes, I love the 3.5 atm stone tire, sometimes 3.7. It is this pressure and the feeling of iron that I like. But there’s nothing to even compare the feeling that it’s not a tubeless serious tire, but a rubber underwear from the Dutik bicycle. In childhood, the bumps were always pleasing, there will be a chance to remember.

Upon reaching the park, I decide to immediately test offroad. The roots, the wheel does not work out, the tire is still wooden, it’s hard to drive when you are constantly beaten from below. It’s really not bad to drive along the ground, grass, soil and small gravel, the wide tire does well where an ordinary wheel can slip, especially when it’s trying to overcome a steep hill about 24 degrees, there was no axle box. I pay tribute, a weak battery pulls and gives the necessary watts to the motor, then there are no complaints about Zetka, and the Z10 will go perfectly in this regard.

I could describe tests on asphalt, soil, gravel, sand for a long time without finding only wet mud, but the conclusions are clear. As a result, it becomes clear that it is impossible to get used to the new wheel for 150-200 km, even taking into account the fact that this is a week of use, daily, without an alternative and replacement with something else.

At some point, I decided that I was probably let down by my own expectations and ideas. But everyone who rode the Z10 from friends and acquaintances agreed with me. Unfortunately, no one could cope with the novelty, describing their feelings in the same way as I did.

Part IV Final

      When I decided that it was worth writing down my notes about the new wheel, I had no idea what I would face, I had no plan and moreover, I did not even set the task to open this wheel. I liked the wheel in advance, and in such a situation it is difficult to remain objective. When I found out that I would ride it as much as I wanted, I was sure that I would take the money in advance and I would wait for my own unicycle in such a chic exterior.

Instead of conclusions and verdicts, I will write like this - I was not able to get used to the wheel. Neither 10 nor 110 km give reason to think that you can ride this wheel in everyday life. Using it as the main form of summer electric transport is also inconvenient. Of course, this is not a replacement for existing competitors from either Kingsong, Inmoution, or GotWay, or other manufacturers.

Ninebot design monowheel, its wide tire, and a small battery (even in the maximum version), did not give any advantages and features to the owner. But he raised expectations by delaying the release of a commercial model and overstated the requirements of such a design. But each of his decisions created a thousand inconveniences. The wheel will probably suit a beginner who has no experience using other monowheels, there will probably be those who love the wheel for its design and style, but all these points are not viable when you just need to get up and drive 10 km in a row on the Z10. Your legs hurt, you cannot relax, but most importantly, the wheel does not give the freedom that any other model promises. The Z10 came out as the strangest wheel I've ever tried. Again, no one forces me and my experience to be believed, although of course, deep down I believe that 9,000 km on different vehicles with one wheel is a serious reason to believe in my beloved.

To top it off, I would like to thank Ecodrift for providing the most fierce news of the season, and for the freedom to write the text, because any other dealer would probably ask you to keep such thoughts to yourself.

In anticipation of kingsong18xL, the requirements for it will already believe not lower.

Original post by @Silentspy, rus