Originally Posted by
LanghamP
And I'm specifically referring to the seatless unicycles, that only have the folding footpads.
We are talking about the same things. I believe we mostly had 14 inch models, (or maybe they were 16). I also tried an 8 inch that I thought might be more practical, but it handled poorly. And right before I left we got in a larger one, though the sheer heft of just wheeling it around the lab (it had a defective motor driver) pointed towards it being the wrong idea.
Now, having just returned from a 20 mile pedal-unicycle ride with a road rash knee (the plan was 49 miles), don't let me discourage you from doing what interests you. But there's a difference between doing something because you want to, and doing it because it's practical.
a 30 pound wheel that folds up into something not much larger than 16 inches and only a four inches thick at its widest point.
Dimensions seem a hair small - 4 inches would be a very short axle, and is there no fender on that model?, but even so, 30 pounds is not trivial when you get to stairs.
I use mine several times per week on public transport, and this wheel sits next to me on my lap, or between my legs, or placed upright against the wall of the tram. It's unnoticeable, much smaller than just the front wheel of a bicycle although much thicker.
They're banned on our transit, over the same battery concerns as the "hover boards" (which are after all just two connected electric unicycles). E-bikes seem to be tolerated, but that's probably only because they haven't been thought about specifically.
But it's not just that they're too risky to ride fast, it's that they are too unusual. Last mile transit only
really works when society as a whole gets behind it and creates policies and infrastructure to support it. Right now, barely anything electric is allowed in the bike lanes, and absolutely not on the sidewalks.
I could really see accommodation happening for electric scooters - almost anyone who can walk unassisted can ride one. But it's not going to happen for electric wheels with their tiny market appeal. Maybe the way scooters will be accommodated and their batteries certified to be allowed on transit again will be something you can piggyback off, or maybe it won't.
The electric wheels are never going to be more than an oddity, in fact you see fewer of them now than a couple of years ago.
But if you enjoy yours, then enjoy it.