The Ninebot One electric unicycle is an elegant mode of transport, but one which is also devilishly difficult to master.
Like a Segway, it accelerates and brakes by using gyroscopes and sensors to detect a user leaning forwards and backwards. But unlike a Segway, it has only one wheel, and no handle.
To ride it, users have to stand on fold-out footpedals on either side of the machine, and manoeuvre by shifting their body weight in the direction they want to head towards.
I own an electric scooter, so I foolishly thought that learning to ride the Ninebot cannot be too difficult.
But after hours attempting to ride it in a straight line, the result was always the same: a wobble from side- to-side, flailing arms, and then a crash which sends the poor Ninebot skittering across the floor and beeping in distress.
But my incompetence is no fault of the Ninebot One.
It rises head and shoulders above its competitors in the electric unicycle market, which has seen plenty of new entrants over the last year with the increasing popularity of personal electric vehicles.
Its 16-inch wheel is one of the larger ones on the market, making it more stable when going over bumps or rough patches.
In comparison, electric unicycles such as the Airwheel X3 and Kaabo K8 both sport a 14-inch wheel, and most of the Gotway models, with the exception of the 18-inch Msuper, are smaller too.
The 1,500-watt motor is smooth and quiet, and powerful enough to easily take me up gentle slopes as I was learning how to ride it.
Above all, the Ninebot just feels solid. I have tried out other electric unicycles on the market, but most of them tend to feel rickety and flimsy, like a hard crash might crack its shell or shear off the footpedals.
I cannot say for certain that the Ninebot's build quality is better, but it certainly feels more reliable and well-designed than anything else I have tried.
Its footpedals are sturdy and large enough to stand on comfortably, and its side panels feel solid, yet flexible enough to withstand numerous spills.
At 12.8kg, it is surprisingly heavy, and is certainly not something you can easily lift with one hand and carry around.
It is also one of the best-looking electric unicycles out there. While the Ninebot can be accessorised with different coloured shells, my review model was a basic white, with a beautiful ring of colour-changing LEDs circling the wheel cover.
http://www.straitstimes.com/tech/ninebot-an-elegant-way-to-get-around
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