A 5000 km journey on wheel

A group of electric unicycle fans had planned to travel 10,000 kilometers within China using only their electric unicycle. The objective of the trip is to honor the founding fathers of the People's Republic of China, who have bled and sweat on this road and lost their lives during the long march. This ambitious plan has been brewing for a long time before the team finally decided to proceed with their plans after months of planning and organizing the group. It was not an easy trip given the distance and the commitment of time, not to forget the terrains, weather and logistics issues for this journey.

Their journey started on June 18 2015 from Jing Gang Shan, Jiang Xi Province. It took the team 21 days, 2500km later, passing through Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, and dozens of counties before they finally reaching Zun Yi County. The team decided to take a few days rest in Zun Yi before leaving for their next destination.

The team set forth for the 2^nd part of the journey on the 25^th August. This part of the journey saw them passing from Zunyi to Yan'an via Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, Aba (Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous), Gansu, Ningxia ( Hui Autonomous ), Shaanxi and other regions. Total mileage for the second leg of the journey was 3,100 km, with the team spending another 29 days on the road.

While it is easy for us to imagine they have nice roads for them to wheel on, the truth begs to differ. The team has to wheel trough barren hills, plateaus, snow-capped mountains, grasslands. Many of the paths they taken are muddy roads or roads that has not been completed. The challenging route has created all sorts of problems. The team also experienced a lot of injuries due to road conditions, illness and altitude reaction. In short, the trip was hazardous. However, what is gratifying is that they managed to reach their destination in Shanxi with the efforts of unity and cooperation of the entire team. They finally ended their journey on the 21^st September, after more than 3 months on the road.

      

While failing to hit the milestone of 10,000 km, the group has provided inspirations for many to follow suit and break their record. It also shows that electric unicycle is NOT A TOY.  It functions as an environmental friendly transport which is portable and provides a flexible alternative for people to move around, short or long distance.

* Source: 惠宗. Information translated from journals from different members of the team who took part in this trip.

KS14D smackdown!

It's been awhile since I last reviewed new wheels. This is due to The Wheelies numerous engagements with events such as Pertapis, Active SG, iWheel4Fun. Thus. I had found free time a premium. My wedding preparations didn't help too, "robbing" me most of my wheeling and writing time.

Given today is Boxing Day and a holiday, it frees me some time to focus on the review of the new King Song 14D. I am honored to be provided one of the first KS14D in the world to be reviewed and I would attempt to share with you my views about the wheel.

Design

In terms of looks, it looks like a miniature KS16B. However,  if you take a look closer, it does have some key differences. Besides the difference in wheel size, the cushion of the wheel has been improved to provide comfort to the riders. The slim width of the wheel makes it easy for our calves to grip too. It has also retained the USB charging port from KS14C, allowing the rider to charge his/her gadgets on the go. The build in light sensor is extremely useful too as the light will auto on when the surrounding area is dark.

Handle

While KS16B is one of the first wheel to come out with an integrated handle, there are certainly lots of improvement to be made for the handle as the first batch of handle were poorly design, with many reported difficulties in using it after a few months of usage. It seems like King Song does take feedback seriously. The new KS14D managed to resolve all those reported issues with the handle. It now feels sturdier and the handle

Pedals

While KS16B is a great wheel, one of the frustrations of the wheel is with the pedals height. As the pedal height is lower, chances of scrapping the floor is higher especially if you are adapt to quick turns. There is no such problem though for KS14D. The pedals is large and high. This allows the rider to make sharp turns without scrapping the floor. The anti-slip grip on the pedal is extremely useful during wet situations.

Tyre

KS14D uses a Kenda 14X 2.125. The wide tyre base does provide a more stable grip than most of the other 14 inches wheel in the market using 14X1.95.

Riding comfort

One of my dislikes for KS14C is the softness in the ride. Comparing to KS14C, KS14D has been dramatically improve and the ride definitely feel more responsive. With a max power of 2400w, it doesn't feels like its going to lose any power soon going up slope.

Distance

Despite me weighing at 80kg, I still managed to churn out 35km from the wheel which I consider decent for a 420wh battery. LED lights and front light have been on throughout this journey, with an average speed of 14.6 km/h with a run time of 2hours 30 mins.

Pros

• Very responsive ride
• A safe wheel to ride
• 1st 14 inch wheel to have an integrated handle
• Strong grip tapes at the pedals 
• High pedals means chances of scrapping the floor is low
• Intelligent front and back light sensor which orientates itself according to the direction you are traveling 

Cons

• Given most new wheels are at least 680wh, battery size a bit too small at 420wh 
• Handle height can be higher when extended 
• APP could have contain more features such as mileage ranking and LED customization
• not appealing to people currently on 16 inch (or more) wheels

OUR VERDICT

Overall, KSD14D is a wheel well thought of in terms of features and ergonomics and is definitely a fun wheel. In my humble opinion, KS14D is proving to be the best King Song wheel to date and arguably the best 14 inch wheel out there in the market. The design of the wheel makes KS14D an eye turner. With the built in Bluetooth speakers, KS14D does provide you with the entertainment you need while on the go. While it is not the fastest wheel in the market, I would rather use a wheel that I have confidence it will not lose power on me than worrying when the wheel going to power cut.  So if you are looking for a better wheel to replace your existing wheel, you might have found your answer in KS14D.

RATINGS

DESIGN	5/5
FEATURES	4 / 5
PERFORMANCES	5 / 5
BATTERY LIFE	4 / 5
VALUE FOR MONEY	5 /5

KS14D is available at the Wheelies store 

* The tester is a pioneer in the electric unicycle industry and have tested and review more than 100+ different type of wheels in the market since 2013.

Turi Beach Resort, Batam

In conjunction with iWheel4Fun, SCC Travel Services and Nongsa Resorts, The Wheelies had a chance to visit Turi Beach located in Batam  on the 17th Dec.  Situated in the North East tip of Batam Island, Nongsa Resorts is an ideal getaway for a weekend retreat as it is just a 35 minutes ferry ride away from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal.

It was a perfect outing for 8 members of the Wheelies community as the itinerary included a tour of the Scenic Movie Town, wheeling within the Golf Course, visits to local kampungs, wheeling around the island where the roads are PMDs friendly. experiencing wheeling on extreme slopes and dirt tracks and many more. And how would a trip to Indonesia be complete without the wonderful cuisine of Indonesia. Pictures speaks a thousands words. Rather than boring you with my constant ranting, I would show you the events pics.