It’s not a secret that personal electric vehicles like motorized unicycles continue to dominate today’s market and streets. And while its features could easily entice your initial investment, you should know that it includes a steep learning curve. But worry not, because our e-unicycles experts and pro riders are here to discuss all the considerations you have to make before buying one.
1. Benefits of Riding a Motorized/Electric Unicycle
Before you decide to buy or ride an electric unicycle, our team took the liberty to tell you the advantage of this unit over other electric vehicles. First, compared to e-bikes or scooters, it has a wheel that highly requires a self-balancing technique.
Whether you’re going to go for long or short distances, your body’s sense of balance and power will be put to the test, which is great for the physical health of the rider. Besides that, an electrical unicycle can be more portable to carry around than a bicycle or scooter. Depending on the model, this motored wheel unit can even fit your backpack.
If you’ve been a fan of electronic vehicles like us, you’d know that using a motorized unicycle gives riders a unique edge. As you know, electric scooters and bikes are already scattered around the streets, so this type of unit has a “unique” value to offer.
And of course, we’ll have to mention its speed. One of the best features of newer electric unicycles in the market is their capability to reach up to 20 miles per hour top speed.
Although the initial investment for these personal electric vehicles can be high, their use of electric power instead of gas is one of the features that can cost you less money in the long run.
2. Downsides of a Motorized/Electric Unicycle
As much as our experts would like to highlight it as a great challenge, riding an electric unicycle can be hard for newbies. Because it has a steep learning curve and requires a good amount of balance skills, it can be hard to get used to, especially if you’re crossing through rough terrain.
The average price of this personal electric vehicle is also higher than other motorized units. Because it’s a daily new technology compared to, let’s say, an electric scooter, it’s a bit of a limited edition at this point.
Sure, you can buy some cheaper models in the market. But our team would like to remind you that the price points of e-unicycles will change along with their additional features. We recommend assessing your unicycle needs first before jumping into it.
Part of the things to know about a motorized unicycle and its disadvantages is the probability of having a few slips. When you ride an electric unicycle, your control for speed and balance must go hand-in-hand.
3. What are the Average and Top Speeds of a Motorized Unicycle?
Like other personal electric vehicles, the speed of e-unicycles highly depends on their motor power features. Although it was structured with fewer wheels than a usual transport vehicle, the average top speed it can offer can go up to 15 mph. But if you were to buy cheaper models, expect your electric unicycle to go around five mph.
There are also e-unicycles fit for long-range rides as they can go for at least 20 to 40 mph. However, given its balance requirement, we wouldn’t recommend it to beginners.
4. Are They Safe to Ride?
One of the convenient features of this vehicle is it doesn’t operate by maneuvering the pedals, so the wheel control could be a bit of a learning curve for some. Like an electric scooter or even a car, the chance of an accident is still there.
Besides mastering the art of balance, our resident riders discourage using it in unsafe environments like narrow spaces or rough surfaces. This advice is especially true if you’re not yet familiar with riding any wheeled vehicle.
The great news is newest models of electric unicycles do have safety features. If an instance where the wheel came off from the ground does happen, the unicycle motor will automatically turn off.
On top of that, once it is detected that the battery is running low, most electric unicycles would lower their top speed to keep the user in control.
We also urge you to wear safety equipment like knee pads or helmets during your electronic unicycle ride to add an extra layer of protection while on the streets.
5. Level of Difficulty
Given that it only has one wheel, there’s a lot of learning curve to cover when driving an electric unicycle. If you haven’t been on one, you literally have to get on it without handles or a seat to assist you.
Another tricky part is balancing yourself as the electric unicycle moves. You have to shift your weight from a different angle to gain control of it.
If our experts were to give you a tip, the secret is to focus on your feet and how your hips would sway to guide the direction of where you’re trying to go.
Learning how to ride an electric unicycle can be easy for some people and challenging for others. The ultimate truth is it varies depending on the person’s balancing skills. Nevertheless, we’re sure that you’ll get the hang of it in no time.
6. Types of Motorized Unicycles
When you shop for an electric unicycle online or at your local store, you’ll most definitely bump into at least three types of this vehicle in the market. There are one-wheel and two-wheel varieties you can choose from.
These two options are basically the same structure, but the electric unicycle with two wheels offers more stability.
It’s more advisable to use it on rough terrains as well. Using a one-wheeled electric unicycle can be a tough choice if you live around steep inclines.
And then, there’s also the seated electric unicycle. If you’re not a fan of self-balancing, this type of vehicle is what we can recommend. As the name suggests, it has a seat included in its structure. While it can be a good perk for newbies, it can pose a bit of a problem in terms of portability.
7. How Long do Electric Unicycles Last?
The battery capacity is among the important things to know about a motorized unicycle. Lucky for you, a recently manufactured electric unicycle can generally handle longer distances. Some models can even offer 80 miles per one charging session.
Its mileage heavily depends on the battery, but it’s not the only factor that’ll keep it going. Some factors that may affect how long an electric unicycle would last are the engine capabilities, your overall mass, and the weight of the unit itself.
8. Are Motorized Unicycles Legal?
As previously discussed, our team mentioned that electric unicycles are new in the industry. So like what any electronic vehicle enthusiast may expect, there weren’t so many local laws surrounding it. As a matter of fact, there aren’t many manufacturers allowed to sell e-unicycles.
Ensure to check the regulations in your area before proceeding to purchase. As of now, it’s known that these vehicles are allowed around California sidewalks. However, you cannot take them inside a Los Angeles train.
There are also places like New York, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom that don’t legally authorize electric unicycles.
As for Queensland in Australia, you can ride them for as long as they’re not smaller than 200w. Although they’re not allowed inside a Dubai mall, no regulations are set elsewhere in the country.
9. How Much Can You Save by Riding a Motorized Unicycle?
If we’re going to calculate it, the cost of riding an electric unicycle would only cost you around 0.60 cents per charge. And while it can be costly from the initial purchase, it’s 80% less expensive than using a car at the same mile range.
10. Environmental Friendliness
Everyone knows that e-vehicles offer less harm to the environment than the traditional mode of transport [1]. Given that it runs on electricity, users can expect no emission from this unit.
Besides their non-fossil fuel depletion, they’re stylish to look at as well, so there’s no surprise they’re a popular greener option for self-commuting.
11. Portability
Generally, electric unicycles are smaller than their alternative because it only has a single wheel. In fact, one of its perks is its extendable handle. If you don’t fancy letting it sit on your backpack, we suggest pulling its handles like a wheeled suitcase.
12. Additional Safety Equipment You Will Need
Apart from the things to know about a motorized unicycle and its functions, you need to gear yourself with extra protection. Our team of experts recommends buying kneepads and helmets to avoid undesirable injuries in case of unavoidable accidents on the sidewalks.
13. How Much is a Motorized Unicycle?
The price tag for these electric unicycles depends on models and the perks they offer. However, they’re not so common, so they can be priced higher than most people think. The average model with adequate functionality would cost under 1000 bucks.
But if higher performance and speed is what you seek, you should set your budget expectation for at least over $1000 to $2000 as premium options can get pricy.
14. Do They Cost a Lot to Maintain?
No, electric unicycles are low maintenance than other alternative modes of personal transport. For this unit, all you need to do is charge them before using them. However, as easy as it seems, we don’t recommend trying to ride them more than their labeled capabilities.
15. Finding Out if It’s For You
If all the considerations like the budget, functionality, and travel distances are checked off your list, then an electric unicycle definitely fits your needs. You can stroll around the community or work without harmful emissions. You also get to practice your self-balancing skills. It’s a win-win situation.
FAQ
How do you jump with an electric unicycle?
You can jump with an electric unicycle by mastering the curb landing and edge-dropping. And after learning these skills, managing how to jump with your unicycle can be a piece of cake. You can try it by the curb, over small rocks, or road potholes. Start practicing with small hurdles to maintain your balance.
Are electric unicycles self-balancing?
Yes, electric unicycles are a self-balancing mode of personal transport. Unlike other electric vehicles, they require their riders to balance and focus their weight on angles where the unicycle is going. It has a gyro-stabilization functionality to keep the users stable. It requires a bit of practice to master.
How do you accelerate an electric unicycle?
You can accelerate an electric unicycle by leaning forward in the direction you want to go. But if you want to halt its movement or slow it down a bit, lean back. As for changing directions, you continue shifting your weight in either left or right. All these measures require a great deal of balance.
Conclusion
There are many things to know about motorized unicycles, but not all of them can be learned overnight. Although it can be quite a challenge to try a new type of transport like this one, our riders assure you that they can add a different convenience and efficiency to your daily commute life.
