Veteran Abrams Electric Unicycle Review: It’s Big, But is it Better?

Can the Veteran Abrams electric unicycle live up to the popular Veteran Sherman? We received a Veteran Abrams EUC from FreeMotion to test and review and while I was skeptical of this EUC at first, Andrew pretty much fell in love with it on the first day and we will share with you why.

In this article we will share our thoughts and impressions as we really get to familiar with the Abrams. We review will be updated as we get more experience with this wheel.

Like their popular Veteran Sherman EUC the new Abrams is named after a tank, but unlike the Sherman so far the initial release and reception of the Abrams has been pretty lackluster.

The Abrams has had an inauspicious release marred by cutoff issues and bearing failures due to exposure to water and the elements.

The cutoff issues seem to be isolated and have not been reproducible and the makers say they have addressed the issue with a firmware update. But what about some of the other issues such as debris getting jammed inside the wheel and early bearing failure?

The Unboxing Experience: Joy, Sadness, then Joy Again

The box arrived to us in good shape via UPS from FreeMotion Shop. No real damage which is always a huge win. Joy!

The Abrams came packaged in a box within a box and with a few pieces of high quality foam. Also in the box was a 2.3 Ah charger, a set of foam pads made to fit around the designs on the side panels.

There was no physical damage to the EUC from shipping but the tubeless tire was completely flat leaking a bluish ectoplasm like substance. Tire sealant was everywhere! Sad.

Our excitement for the wheel deflated just as much as the tire but luckily, Seth Johnson was able to come over with this compressor and EUC knowledge and help us inflate the tire and get the EUC running. Joy!

Veteran Abrams EUC Specs

• Tire: 22″ Tubeless Knobby Tire with plenty of tire sealant
• Battery: 2,700Wh
• Motor: 3,500W
• Range: 80 miles (130 km)
• Speed: 50 mph (80 km/h)
• Charger: 2.3A
• Weight: 98lbs (44kg)
• Water Resistance: IP65
• Headlight: 2800 lumens

First Impressions of the Veteran Abrams

Heavy. Big. Tall. Wide.

Other than the flat tire leaking tire sealant, the overall construction seemed good. Fit and finish was good and we didn’t experience all the creaking noises on our unit like Adam from WrongWay did with his Abrams.

Setup was easy. Just plug it in to get it out of transport mode.

There is no cumbersome app from China that I have to give uncomfortable amounts of private information and access to my phone. However, I here there is an app that I will have to use to update the firmware on this EUC. For that, I will use a burner phone.

The display screen is the same as the Veteran Sherman and I can’t wait until they run out of all those crappy LCD displays left over from the 1990’s.

The ride feel caught me off guard. It’s a big, tall, and wide wheel but experienced riders will get the hang of it after a few seconds. New riders should not even try. At almost 100 lbs, you don’t want this thing getting away from you.

After riding around at low speeds, we tested to see if we could get it to cutoff like we’ve seen some other riders experience on the Abrams. We violently rocked the unit back and forth and there was no cutout.

Because the roads were icy and slushy from recent snow, we didn’t ride fast or far for our first ride. As expected in a 22 inch wheel, the ride is smooth but it still seemed fairly agile for its large size. More time on the wheel will be needed to give an accurate assessment.

The fender seemed to do its job on the wet roads at the low speeds we were riding. I am impressed with the integrated fender that is protected by its own roll cage bar. It seems that thought was actually put into the design here as opposed to many other EUC where fenders can be an afterthought.

Acceleration and braking was difficult at first because we did not put on the side pads. Without anything for your legs to grip on to, getting this big wheel to move is a chore. Once we installed the stock pads, it became much easier to control the Abrams.

With the pads installed, accelerating and braking feels very responsive and I believe that more aggressive power pads on the sides would even further improve the ride feel.

I love the bright head light that can be pivoted up and down to change the angle of the beam. The tail light is cute and I neither hate or love it.

Who should avoid the Veteran Abrams EUC? 

Beginner riders looking for their first EUC, short riders, anyone looking for a portable ride, or anyone looking to ride this offroad or for stunts and jumps should stay away.

This is the heaviest wheel that I know of and if you have to go up and down stairs or lift your EUC in and out of a car trunk on a frequent basis, then look elsewhere.

The Abrams actually has the words “OFF-ROAD” emblazoned on the sides in large lettering which would lead one to think that this EUC was made for riding off road. Unfortunately, like the Veteran Sherman, these tanks are too heavy for any sort of technical off road riding.

In addition, teardowns have shown that the Abrams design makes it susceptible for water and debris to accumulate around the motor and at least on a few early batches, the bearings are prone to failure. We will see if this is a common problem.

Riders who enjoy marathon long rides may be disappointed in the battery size. At 2700Wh, the Abrams battery is smaller than its predecessor, the Veteran Sherman which had a 3200Wh battery.

With a huge motor and relatively medium sized battery, it will be interesting to see what real world range riders will get.

And finally, the solid metal roll cage bars look great, but the cross bars connecting the frame are reportedly less robust and seem like they could bend or warp under the weight of such a heavy wheel, especially during jumps or crashes. Again, we will update this blog as we get more information.

Who should buy the Veteran Abrams EUC?

Experienced riders looking to add to their EUC collection who enjoy big stable wheels will love the massively powerful 3500W motor in the Veteran Abrams. It’s huge motor is fast off of the line and the Abrams is very stable because of its large size.

The EUC is fantastic for those who love seated riding and its size is great for taller riders.

My Impressions on the Veteran Abrams

As I’m writing this, the snow continues to fall. While my time on the Abrams has been limited, I will say that the expected early batch snafus such as the flat tire leaking sealant should not surprise me but for the price of this wheel, I do feel that it needs to have a more polished finish. Check out up to date pricing on the Veteran Abrams at FreeMotion.

I’m also not surprised by some of the reported issues with the first batch of this EUC as all EUC companies have a bad habit of using early adopter riders as their test ride dummies.

So far, no cut out issues or bearing issues, but only time and miles will tell.

What did surprise me was how much we liked the ride feel on this wheel. Despite some of the failures that are being reported by some testers, the Abrams seems to be winning me over.

Andrew Loves the Veteran Abrams… so far.

Andrew especially likes the Abrams and I think he’s fallen in love with the wheel already. It seems to fit him well as he loves big wheels, he likes power, and he doesn’t ride long distances.

Let’s see if Andrew’s love stays strong as we put more miles and time on this EUC. Now we just need the weather to warm up and dry out!

Stay tuned for updates to this blog as we get more experience on the Veteran Abrams.

Like big wheels? Check out our review on the biggest Gotway/Begode EUC.

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!