Veteran Sherman 3500 mile review: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

The Veteran Sherman electric unicycle stands out for its stability, impressive range, and rugged design, making it a trusted long-range cruiser despite its hefty weight and price. After 3,500 miles, it remains reliable and fun, best suited for seasoned riders. While not without quirks, its performance and durability justify the enduring hype.

Written Review

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Now that we’ve had time to test the Veteran Sherman, I can confidently say that this flagship muscle electric unicycle lives up to the hype as a steady, fast, and long range EUC. When the Veteran Sherman electric unicycle first came on the scene in 2020, there were many questions. As the first ever product from a brand new company, people wondered about the quality and performance of such a unique looking electric unicycle. When I got the chance to ride the Veteran Sherman, I was blown away by the stability of the ride. Before I knew it, I was comfortably flying at speeds I normally don’t regularly reach. The Veteran Sherman is heavy and not nearly as nimble as my daily ride, a Gotway Nikola. But the Veteran Sherman is an amazingly steady and smooth street electric unicycle. Below is a guest review from Larry Zarcoff. Be sure to read till the end to understand Larry’s perspective and experience as an EUC rider and as a human being.

Veteran Sherman EUC 3500 mile review

Let’s use the “Spaghetti Western” format for this review.

THE GOOD… 11 Things I love about the Veteran Sherman Electric Unicycle

O Sherman how I love thee, let me count the ways… 1. Stability. This wheel is like riding a rocket sled.** I run around 27psi on the hybrid tire, and I’ve only had speed wobbles once. Can’t explain why – and I was able to pull out of them. ** Full disclosure, I’ve never actually ridden a rocket sled. 2. Control. Like Janet said. Granted, it takes some time to command a wheel that weighs 80 pounds and I’m nowhere as nimble as I was on the Nikola, or the KS S18 for that matter. But once you get the hang of it the low-slung mass of the wheel gives you the feeling of surfing on a longboard. No wipeouts so far… 3. Customization Options. When I bought the Sherman I never thought I’d do anything more than perhaps add spiked pedals. Now I have handlebar tape, four ancillary lights (two are currently on loan to someone else), and Mono Customize power pads from Tarzan. Soon I’ll be adding Duf’s new EXO Armor for the Sherman. Why? Why the hell do we ride anyway? What’s the point of being alive? It’s fun! Though personalizing the wheel is not everyone’s cup of tea. 3b. Mono Customize Power Pads… I’m still wrestling with these and may return to the stock pads eventually. I like the feel and cushioning of the Mono Pads but my legs are skinny and there’s a lot of play between the “push” and the “pull” sides (front and back). I was able to go faster and stop quicker with the stock pads…but I still view this as a “work in progress.” The Mono Pads certainly look a lot better. 4. Endurance. This wheel has gone further faster than any wheel I’ve owned. As of this writing it’s solid with no signs of fatigue. Me on the other hand…. 5. Design. The look of the Sherman grew on me. I was a fan of the V10F and Nikola “round” wheel deigns, but the Sherman is function over form, and that has a beauty all its own. The fit and finish is exceptional.

After 3500 miles the trolly handle, roll cage, lights, pedals and shell are all in great shape. -Larry Z.

6. eWheels. It’s impossible to talk about the Sherman without mentioning eWheels, the exclusive U.S. distributor. At the time of writing this, you probably will have to get on a waiting list to get this popular EUC. Check out eWheels for current availability. Now my experience with this wheel is not all sunshine and daisy’s. I’ve had to send it back to eWheels twice (I’ll get into that later) and both times Jason and William were great communicators and fully transparent. In my view there is a reason eWheels enjoys such a great reputation in the industry and it all boils down to after sales support. 7. The Hybrid Tire. Initially I wanted a street tire for the Sherman but I’m really glad I was swayed over to the Hybrid (AKA “Mountain” tire). I love the cicada buzz it makes as it gets up to speed. It’s stable and has handled everything strewn in the road including broken bottles. 8. Range. Holy cow. At 80 miles I’m generally at 20% and charge up. I bet I could get 100 if I regulated my speed. It’s amazing to have full power over 80 miles. 9. The On-Board Display and Controls. This was a big selling point for me and I love the feature. The new InMotion V12 appears to feature an excellent display and interface, building on the Veteran Sherman approach. The industry is better for this, in my view. 10. Fun Factor. This wheel is a complete joy to ride. Remember I ride to relax and “get away from it all,” and no wheel I’ve experienced has provided such a transformative experience. I add +2 degrees of pedal tilt to help acceleration – but user experience may vary… 11. Safety Rating. If you can control this wheel you’ll be the safest rider on the road because it will remain stable and give you the acceleration you need to avoid bill collectors…Problems! I meant the acceleration you need to avoid problems! Well, maybe bill collectors… (See below).

THE BAD… The 4 Things I Dislike about the Veteran Sherman

1. Have you noticed the price lately? Usually price on tech goes down over time. Not so with the Veteran Sherman! Check out the most updated pricing of the Veteran Sherman at eWheels. I’m glad I got mine when it was about $1000 cheaper that it is now, and even then it was expensive! 2. The weight. Forgive me for using technical terminology, but this is a “heavy ass wheel.” 80 pounds is no joke. I have had to haul it up some stairs from time to time and while it’s doable it isn’t very enjoyable. 3. The issues. I had to send my wheel back to eWheels twice. First because the valve stem was corroded; a known issue with the first batch wheels. I lack the skill, subtlety and opposable thumbs necessary to do such repairs myself. When the wheel came back from the valve replacement I noticed the tail light didn’t function correctly. After a couple months of frustration, I sent the wheel back and eWheels replaced a wire and it worked. It’s my belief that the wire was broken during the first repair, but that’s all water under the bridge. At that point they updated my firmware which reset the odometer. I had about 1800 miles on the wheel by that point and just passed 2000 on the new firmware. 4. This really isn’t a “bad” so much as a recommendation. Do not get the Sherman as your first wheel. It’s well-covered ground in this forum and I won’t get into it other than to say it’s better having some experience before you try and pilot this boat through hostile waters… (for another perspective about the Veteran Sherman as a beginner EUC, check out this Veteran Sherman review by James)

THE UGLY…

Just the rider in my case… Nothing ugly about this EUC!

CONCLUSION

When I first tried the Veteran Sherman last July 4th at Marty‘s demo, I rolled it on its side. In addition to enduring the humiliation of dropping the wheel in front of everyone, I began to doubt the Sherman was for me. I’d already put down a deposit and considered moving it to another wheel but cooler heads prevailed and I took delivery among the first wave of recipients. Boy am I glad I did. Riding an EUC teaches us a lot about ourselves if we’re willing to listen, and the Sherman has helped me realize that we all progress at our own pace and should detach the expectations of others from our riding pleasure. The Sherman has taken me all over Los Angeles and into areas I never knew existed, with no worries about the battery or the power at hand. With the Sherman you don’t even need a destination…all you do is ride and before you know it, there you are… Here’s Jimmy Chang’s initial review from when the Veteran Sherman was first released. If you are interested in buying a Veteran Sherman, purchases made through my links go to supporting this website and the Jimmy Chang YouTube channel.

About the Author

Let’s revisit the idea of “The Prism…” When you read any review online it’s best to consider who is doing the writing as well as the riding. You’re reading subjective opinions filtered through myriad and unique experiences, skills and preferences. My “Prism,” so to speak… For a living I make movie trailers, TV promos and other studio-related material. But my hobby for the past 30 years has been practicing and teaching martial arts – kung fu specifically. This is relevant to my “Prism” because all of the two-hour classes, three to five times per week, every week since 1991 have cumulatively pounded my knees into Trader Joe’s Himalyan Sea Salt. As such, my approach to riding is informed by my martial arts experience… Which is to say, I’d like to continue to have martial arts experiences and can’t risk it by doing extreme stuff on the EUC. I’m one leg injury away from permanent retirement and have to be a little cautious. So if you’re a rock-jumpin’, cliff huggin’, speed-bustin’ carvin’ like Marvin kind of rider, this may not be a relevant review for you…Or maybe it will be. I can turn a phrase on a dime if not the Sherman….Los Angeles is my home, specifically West Los Angeles; which gives me access to a fair amount of plenty of residential streets, big city thoroughfares, asphalt bike trails and the beach. I’d say 95% of my riding is in the city and by the seashore, eschewing traffic whenever I can. I’ve become skilled, however, at pedestrian avoidance as a lot of walkers and bike riders here in the City of Angels are clueless, texting, listening to music or all of the above. Ironically I perform like a Roomba in addition to riding something that looks like it. Risk averse, I ride safely and courteously, often stopping for other people rather than speed my way past and through packs of pedestrians or bike riders. This is important when you consider my “safety rating,” which I’ll get into below. Usually I ride about 25 miles a day and it’s almost purely recreational. It’s my 90 minutes to get away from the stress of life and just cruise along, wind in my face (visor actually), and left to my own thoughts. My “high speed” on the Sherman is 34mph. I put it in quotes because obviously folks here can and do go a lot faster. Most days I’ll hit 27 or 28 when there are no people around. My average riding speed usually winds up around 18 mph during the week and 17 on weekends. I ride in Soft Mode. I’m 6’1” tall and weigh about 170 to 175 in full gear. I weigh 160 to 165 without. I’ve owned 6 wheels. I began in June of 2019 on a used V5F, progressing quickly to a V10F. By the following Spring (now 2020) I was on a Nikola Plus. That took me to last Fall when moved up to the Veteran Sherman. I have also owned a Gotway mTen3 and currently own a Kingsong S18 as my “B” wheel. Check out my Kingsong S18 review here. A last couple of tidbits: I’m running the latest firmware on the Sherman and sport the original tire. I’ve included a photo of the tire tread so you can judge the wear.

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!