Why I bought a Begode Monster Pro Electric Unicycle

Why did I buy a Monster Pro?

The Begode Monster Pro is the most comfortable, fastest, and longest range EUC I’ve ever tried (and I’ve tried many).  With a reported top range of 150 miles (241 km), and a top speed of 45 Mph (72 Kph) the Monster Pro has set the standard for future high-end EUCs.

I’m Seth Johnson from the eRideLife YouTube channel and in this article I’ll discuss why I decided the Monster Pro would be the next EUC I purchased.

Which factors influenced my decision?

I have owned several EUCs, and I am of the strong belief that you should buy the wheel that fits the terrain and style you are going to be riding.  Trying to find a wheel that is good at everything is akin to buying a multi-function printer, they try to do too many things and never excel at one.

It’s my opinion that you are better off buying an electric unicycle that is specialized for the riding you plan to do the most.

Seth Johnson

The biggest reasons I decided to choose the Monster Pro EUC were its specialties; speed and range.  I was willing to see past some of the minor flaws (discussed later in this article) the Monster Pro has due to the way this wheel excels in both of these categories.

I didn’t buy the Begode Monster Pro to ride it off-road (even though I often do) because my RS19 is specialized for that type of terrain.  I bought it to go fast and far.

When you get out on the road you just want to keep going, and as that battery level ticks lower and lower you realize that unfortunately, you have to stop at some point to charge.

With the Monster Pro’s range of 100+ miles, it makes those stops much more infrequent.  As a bonus, it also has dual charging ports.  The Monster Pro allows you to speed charge at up to 8A (with an aftermarket charger).

I’ve developed a love for the speed and freedom you feel while riding EUCs.  I’ve likened it to having a superpower because you just think of where you want to go and boom!  You’re there!

Given the top end of 50MPH, the Monster Pro goes faster than I plan to go, which leaves some padding which is important (discussed later in this article).

Why did I need another electric unicycle?

My love for EUCs began over a year ago with my purchase of a Begode MSX.  I bought the MSX for riding trails, mountain bike parks, and skateparks.

I’m somewhat an unconventional EUC rider because riding on roads was never a priority for me.  With my background in riding OneWheels, the dirt is what I craved.

The MSX never let me down.  It was not without its problems though.  While owning the MSX I had the case split, the headlight smashed (twice), and I burned up a motor and a controller.

Except for the case issues, I never attributed these problems to the brand. I rode the MSX hard and crashed it even harder (several times), but it always got me back home.

Once I decided it was time to upgrade from the MSX, I tried out many different EUCs.  It was also the first time I started seriously looking at the available suspension wheels.  Some of the EUCs I tried during my search include:

• Inmotion V11
• King Song S18
• Veteran Sherman
• KingSong 16X
• Begode RS19
• Begode MSP

Once again, the Begode wheels impressed me the most and I ended up purchasing an RS19 (high torque).  The RS19 has been my “daily driver” ever since, and I think it’s the most well-rounded wheel available today.

My fascination with suspension wheels continued though, and I was given the opportunity to purchase a King Song S18 which I thought would be a great compliment to the RS19.  I was not disappointed, the KS S18 has been my go-to wheel for riding in BMX parks and skateparks.  It has also been really nice to have a secondary wheel when I’ve run the battery down on the RS19.

Neither the S18 nor the RS19 have great top speed or range.  The S18 in particular only goes 31MPH and gives me around 25-30 miles on a charge.  With the RS19 I was topping out around 36MPH and around 35-40 miles of range.

The S18 and RS19 left me wanting more, and that’s when I began looking at the higher range and speed wheels to fill that niche.

Why is long-range important?

I live in Colorado, and we have a lot of paved bike trails and bike lanes at our disposal.  The city of Denver alone has over 196 miles of bike lanes and multiple bike parks according to Denver.org.  Whether you use your EUC for commuting or for fun the last thing you want to do is stop and charge.

Unless you’re commuting, often you end up off the beaten path exploring new routes and terrain when riding your EUC.  It’s easy to lose track and not realize how far you’ve gone and then you panic and wonder whether you’ll be able to get home.

Among personal electric vehicle riders this is known as “Range Anxiety.”  The Monster Pro helps to almost completely eliminate range anxiety for me because like the Energizer Bunny, it keeps going, and going, and going.

Why is high speed important on electric unicycles?

EUCs have a top speed rating. Exceeding those speeds can be very dangerous because you are flirting with the possibility of having a “cut out.”

A cut-out occurs when you are calling for more power than the battery can provide and the wheel dips, or otherwise cannot spin fast enough to keep balancing properly.  These conditions can cause a catastrophic crash and is a nightmare scenario for those riding their EUCs.

My first EUC was the MSX, it had a top speed of 38MPH.  When I first bought it I set the alarm at 32MPH, because I never imagined I’d want to go faster than that!  As I became more and more comfortable with riding, 32MPH just seemed too slow, so I incrementally increased the speed at which the alarm sounds until finally deciding to just turn it off completely.  Don’t worry, some alarms which you cannot disable alert you when you exceed 80% of the battery’s output to prevent cut-off.

When riding an EUC to its speed rating limit you will hear the alarms indicating that you are exceeding the limits of the battery’s output, colloquially this is known as “riding the beeps.”

Riding so close to the top speed is inherently more dangerous.  One bump that causes the wheel to accelerate quicker could cause the wheel to cut out.  When you buy a wheel with a higher speed rating than you plan to ride, it is inherently safer because you never “ride the beeps” and you can ride fast without having to come near the edge of cutting out.

What makes the Monster Pro so comfortable to ride?

The Monster Pro has a very distinctive feel.  It’s big, like really big, it reminds me of an old Cadillac in several ways.  If you’ve never driven an old Cadillac, they are very cushy and comfortable and feel almost like driving a boat.

But like a boat, an old Cadillac also doesn’t immediately respond to steering input, there’s a bit of a delay.  Riding the Monster Pro is very similar, you need to exaggerate the input to make the 100lb wheel respond.

Another reason the Monster Pro is so comfortable is the size of the wheel.  At 24” the Monster Pro is the largest electric unicycle wheel size available.  The sheer size of the wheel allows it to span potholes in the road or other imperfections in the riding surface.  When a smaller wheel would go into a pothole and then bounce on the way out, the Monster Pro would roll right over it.

The sheer size of the shell is another attribute that makes the Monster Pro comfortable to ride.  Especially on long rides, it’s nice to be able to ride seated to give your legs and feet a break.

Since the Monster Pro stands up so tall, you don’t have to squat down far to ride seated.  This also makes transitioning from a seated to a standing position much easier to achieve.

Where does the Monster Pro EUC fall short?

Reliability:

The Monster Pro has not had a great reputation so far with regards to reliability or safety.  Unfortunately, there have been some wheels that have had controllers that failed. Most notably was the Black Cobra’s injury due to a Monster Pro problem.

The Monster Pro problem is being addressed by Begode with a new “Black” controller which all future Monster Pro owners should upgrade to.

There have been some riders that report poor braking in the Monster Pro. I have also anecdotally heard that there can be a condition that occurs when braking which causes an overcurrent condition. I have not been able to confirm this yet, and have not experienced this personally.

Size and weight:

This wheel is massive, and the inertial force that it accumulates is sometimes hard to control especially when in an emergency braking situation.

If I haven’t stressed this enough yet, this wheel is big, really big.  With the massive 3600Wh battery packs it is also really heavy, almost 100lbs or 45 Kg.

Given the size and weight, it is not a very portable wheel.  It’s not the type of wheel you’d want to pick up and put in your car daily, but it can be done.  Additionally, this is not the type of wheel you’d want to have to bring up and down stairs daily due to its size and weight.

Fires:

Speaking of batteries, it is widely known that Begode has had several battery fires associated with some of its wheels.  The Monster Pro is not immune to these problems and there have been a few reported instances where they have caught fire.

The conditions which led to these fires are unknown to me, but as with any electric vehicle, precautions should be taken to mitigate potential fires.  You should always store your vehicles safely away from other flammable materials.  Ray Rokni, a Monster Pro rider in West Virginia, reports that he prophylactically stores his EUCs in fire blankets.

Speakers:

My last gripe with the Monster Pro is the sound. The speakers don’t sound great at all and have almost complete neglect of bass. The sound they produce is tinny and hollow.

In addition, the beeper inside which indicates alarm conditions is hard to hear. I’m not sure if this is due to the placement of the beeper, or the beeper itself. It would be advisable for the engineers to add a beeper or place it somewhere easier to hear.

Which EUCs are comparable to the Monster Pro?

The Veteran Sherman and the Begode EX/N are the wheels that have the closest top speed and range to the Monster Pro.  Both of these wheels have a 20” rim size so while they share similar ranges, they are much smaller than the Monster Pro.

Here are the specs for each wheel side by side for comparison (taken from the EUC Guide comparison tool).

Conclusion

If you are looking for an EUC that goes very far, very fast the Monster Pro is the best EUC for this purpose.  It is not an inexpensive wheel though, and you do sacrifice some portability but it is well worth the trade-off in my opinion.

Whether you ride seated or standing, this wheel is a dream to ride.  Given the controller issues, it is advisable to upgrade to the “Black” controller as soon as possible though.

In the US, for up to date pricing and availability on the biggest EUC in the world, check out EUCO.

In Europe, for most recent pricing and availability on the true monster, check out MyEWheel.

Purchases made through our affiliate links go towards bringing more great EUC content to you.

Special thanks to Seth Johnson at eRideLife for doing this review on the Gotway/Begode Monster Pro.

EUC Comparison Tool

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the EUC options, so we made an interactive EUC Comparison Tool. You can sort, filter, and include or exclude data as you see fit. I hope you find this tool helpful!