Our Kingsong S18 is from the 3rd batch of S18s and was received 12th October 2020 in Australia.

If you are from Australia, did you know we do LESSONS, HIRE, & TRY BEFORE YOU BUY?

Who will this suit? This is perfect for an urban rider who loves jumping off gutters, finding a dirt track and hitting some jumps, having fun in the skatepark or hitting some offroad trails. 

It's still fine to commute on and get to work, however all wheels have pros and cons, there is no wheel that will do everything.

The combination of the light-weight design and the lock-in ankle grip design makes this the first wheel I've ridden that I can easily bunny hop on. It also assists in control both in corners and in the air.

I went for a 10km urban night ride in my first week of owning and I had the most fun I have ever had bunny hopping over gutters, riding down 5+ sets of stairs and finding drop offs and jumps to take it off. My Inmotion V11 is too heavy and bulky to achieve the same fun.

This wheel seems to suit a lighter rider, our guess is around 100kg max, if you are heavier you may prefer the Inmotion V11.

Check out our S18 vs V11 for more info on the comparison. 

Main specifications that you will care about

  • Real range (70-90kg rider) - 60-70km 
  • Wheel size: 18 inch x 3 Inch
  • Battery: 84V | 1100Wh | 20S3P | 60x LG M50T 5Ah 21700
  • Charge time: 6 hours @ 2.5A 84V (included charger with wheel)
  • Rear light housing displays battery level, braking and turning signals all in one unit
  • Low battery protection activated on 30% battery, speed will decreases linearly; when the battery is lower than 5%, voice alarm for charge, when battery at 0%, the front part of the pedal will rise to decelerate until full stop
  • Kingsong S18 Manual

Pros

  • Very nice design, suspension is great, wheel looks amazing and very cool.
  • Wheel is practically silent at low speeds.
  • USB port uses USB 3.1 and QC 3.0 so charging your phone at a pitstop or charging your GOPRO is really fast.
  • Easy to bunny-hop for gutters and getting air.

Cons

  • Padding is not soft enough, from 15 minutes of riding, I was still sore on the side shins 2 days later.
  • Power button is not the easiest to turn on with gloves, it could be improved with a easier 'click' to activate wheel and change light settings.
  • NO MUSIC
  • NO RGB
  • Mud flap easily breaks - Make sure you don't roll your wheel and lay it on its bum in the car or it will snap very easily. See mine below where it has snapped on the rings.
  • Glue on padding out of the box is not great.
  • I found that the sides dig in to your side calfs and I was sore for 2 days after riding for 15 minutes when I first got it.
    I improved the side padding for now like so, but will get some power pads in future that will be softer and nicer.
    Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/VUG2RgQLN2GtoSXBA

Other Notes

  • Handle down the whole way = RIDE!
  • Handle in first position = carry me or put me in the car. Wheel will spin slightly but won't activate. It is to assist in maneuvering the wheel when it is in a place where you don’t have good leverage. Example when you place it in the back of your car. The low motor power will help keep the wheel up so you don’t need to hold all the weight.
  • Handle all the way up = trolley mode for wheeling it to a location eg. onto train and around station.

How to pump up S18 Shock

Kingsong S18 Shock Manual

Below is what Kingsong and the Shock manual suggests for weight and PSI.

Main chamber = top valve
Negative air chamber = bottom valve

  1. Deflate pressure in shocks
  2. Insert block (in box when you receive S18) by pulling down side pedal and inserting
  3. Pump up main chamber
  4. Pull up wheel to top
  5. Pump up bottom chamber
  6. Put caps back on
  7. Adjust your recoil
    Clockwise = Slower recoil (big jumps, big bumps, )
    Anti-clockwise = Faster recoil (smaller bumps and everyday riding)

Once done you will want to stand on wheel and it will sag. You want rubber O ring to go no more than 1.5cm down, if it does you need more pressure in main chamber.

You then want to jump and fully compress suspension and also make sure O ring is no more than 1.5cm from the bottom

You will need to make some fine adjustments depending on riding style and personal preference. I am a 90kg rider and I preferred 170 in main air chamber and 75 in negative air chamber. 

Kingsong S18 Tyre Pressure

75kg Rider

Soft Feel - 25psi
Hard Feel - 30psi

100kg Rider

Soft Feel - 30psi
Hard Feel - 35psi

Personally I am a 90kg rider and I run mine at 25psi, i prefer a bit software feel as I like to much around on off road and jump gutters alot. - This tyre pressure seems a bit different compared to how I run my Kingsong 16x and other wheels.

Feel free to try mine above and change it to find your personal preference.

Adjusting Pedal Height

The S18 comes with the ability to change the pedal height. This is because the wheel features a padded cutout in the shell for your ankles to rest, which gives you a point to grab onto when jumping the wheel up curbs or over obstacles. If you notice your ankles are too high such that they can't lock into the cutout, you may want to lower the pedal height. Conversely, if there is too much room for your ankles to move around, you may want to raise the pedal height. It's worth noting that this step isn't as crucial as the previous steps, but can help improve ride comfort as well as lock-in for performance riding. 

What is the S18 Storage Voltage?

The S18 features a 20S Li-ion battery so storage voltage is calculated below:

20 x 3.85v = 77V  or  60% battery

 

If you have any questions relating to the Kingsong S18 or more detailed opinions of the wheel, shoot us through an email to hello@phaserfpv.co.au or jump on the LiveChat and say hello!