I believe that everyone has seen children riding balance bikes around in their own communities, they will always become the focus of the crowd, not to mention other children, even we adults can't help but look at them twice.
Naturally, my daughter often watches other people's children "galloping" in the community, although she does not say it explicitly, but every time she will stare at people's eyes - the light in her eyes will not deceive people. So, I've also studied this type of product specifically for this.
In recent years, the balance car market has developed rapidly, and many new brands have emerged, making this market more chaotic. In the e-commerce platform, searching for balance bikes can see hundreds of pages of results, excluding those scooters that rely on two pedals (also called twist cars), and the price of electric balance bikes mostly ranges from 300 yuan to 3,000 yuan. The price difference between these products is very large, the quality is uneven, and consumers have no idea how to choose. Cheap products, in particular, have almost no safety-related descriptions, and do not dare to give them to children at all.
And most of the mainstream brand products are above 2,000 yuan, for many working families is still a bit expensive, and those hundreds of yuan of entry-level products, safety accidents occur frequently, I believe that no one wants their children because of the balance car accident on the news, right? In addition, last year, CCTV also exposed a number of products that did not meet quality indicators, and the state was also rectifying related industries, and many parents had to be deterred.
Many consumers are waiting for a product with a moderate price that can provide sufficient security, and obviously, it depends on big brands to do this. At the end of last year, Ninebot (No. 9) launched a new L series of products, entering the market at a price of more than 1,000 yuan, and playing the slogan of "29 strict tests of the national standard" that exceeded the standard, from the official publicity, it seems to have found a balance between price and safety. So, can it lead to a safe and reliable driving experience?
Note: The new L series of no. 9 balance car is divided into L6 and L8, which are different in terms of load capacity, maximum speed, battery specifications, etc. The model experienced in this article is L8.
Be sure to read the instructions carefully before use, ride in a safe environment after wearing protective gear, and strictly comply with traffic laws.
Beginners can't be ignored on the road setting
After unpacking, simply install the leg lever on the body with screws according to the instructions, and then you can boot the experience, from unpacking to on the road, it only takes a few minutes.
Remind everyone that there is a parking bracket at the bottom of the leg lever, and be sure to lift it up before driving.
At the beginning, you can only use the 7km/h safety mode, if you want to unlock a higher speed, you need to use the "Nine Travel" APP on the mobile phone to pair up through Bluetooth and continue to complete the novice tutorial. Here, I strongly recommend that every user follow the tutorial, and in just a few minutes, you can learn about getting in the car, maintaining balance, forward and backward, steering, etc. After all, the operation experience of each product is not exactly the same, just like driving a gas car and then driving Tesla, there will always be many different driving habits, so Tesla will also recommend users to participate in simple training before picking up the car.
Although the balance car does not require special training, safe driving is still very important. And the whole teaching process has voice prompts, almost no need to look at the phone, novices can also learn safely. Next, you can unlock the 10km/h novice mode, continue practicing for 1km, and finally open the speed mode of up to 14km/h.
This step-by-step approach is very user-friendly, even if it is a skilled hand that has used other balance bikes, it can have a gradual adaptation process, which is relatively safe. And every time you start the machine, there are safety warnings such as wearing protective gear and strictly prohibiting going on the road (highway), which is very intimate. These details are obviously incomparable to those unlicensed products of several hundred yuan.
Because I have used a lot of single-wheeled and two-wheel balance bikes before, not to mention the master, at least an "old driver". You can start using it after completing the tutorial, with almost no difficulty in getting started.
After a short experience, I think the No. 9 balance car L8 is still more friendly for me, but the leg control sensitivity is relatively high, standing on the car and gently moving will start the motor to start moving, after getting on the car to adapt to the rhythm of operation.
In addition, in the APP side can also choose the lighting effect, Bluetooth remote control, view riding records, etc., I think the more practical is the lock car function, after locking the balance bike can not be used, try to ride will also be through the external horn and mobile phone APP to remind users, as far as possible to reduce the risk of theft, for this mainly in the community or park and other small areas of use of the scene, is still very useful.
The threshold for learning is low
Of course, it is obviously not enough to ride it yourself, but also to see if it is suitable for small children. Next, I also let my own daughter experience it.
Because she had used a balance car before, she had adapted to the operation within a few minutes of getting on the car and could try to accelerate. According to her feedback, the problem of too high sensitivity was not found, and the sense of balance and control was more comfortable, and it was enough to tilt the legs slightly. This is also because her weight is within the scope of the machine, and the overweight me will affect the sensor judgment, and any movement will be amplified.
Another feature that I like more is that it will make voice prompts according to the use of the situation, such as higher speed, bumpy road, fierce driving, etc., which makes me feel at ease.
In addition, I also invited Dou Jie to test together, as we all know, Dou Jie is a young beautiful girl who weighs no more than a hundred, as a novice who has never touched a balance car, she just needs to help when getting on and off the car, and she has successfully mastered the driving skills in more than ten minutes, and there is no problem with normal driving, steering, etc.
Here, we still have to remind everyone that the use of balance bikes must pay attention to safety, whether novices or skilled hands, as far as possible in the crowd and safe, flat internal roads, and do not do dangerous actions, let alone use on the road. For novices, the most important thing is to be bold and careful, the more panicked the more shaky, but it will affect the driving. It is also best to repeat the exercise several times according to the tutorial and master the basic operations to drive more safely.
Safety is always the first element
Driving safely on a flat road may also be able to do entry-level products, but whether the product is reliable depends on whether it can work properly in some complex environments.
As with mobile phones, computers, etc. must meet the 3C certification, regular brand balance vehicles must also pass the "Safety Requirements and Test Methods for Electric Balance Vehicles" promulgated by the National Standardization Administration, which has carried out all-round testing of the materials, safety protection functions, components, etc. of the balance car. The L6/L8 of the No. 9 balance car passed all 29 tests, which is definitely just needed for a product that is mainly for their own children.
Tedious testing items are boring and tedious, several of which can be simply said: static load bearing 210kg, salt spray test, water test, etc. can ensure that the product can be used for a long time under complex conditions; 14 degrees of slope safety stop, can ensure that users can safely use on the slope; there are 1m drop, leg control lever lateral swing 100,000 times and other "violent" tests... It covers almost normal use as well as various unexpected situations, and is very comprehensive.
Of course, everything is still based on the actual experience. To this end, I also increased the difficulty and experienced it on other roads.
For example, this kind of manhole cover with irregular potholes can be easily passed by slowing down and slowing down. As far as my tests during this time are concerned, it is not recommended to ride through higher obstacles such as speed bumps to avoid accidents.
I also tried to drive on the pavement with large gaps in the sidewalk tiles and uneven grass, and the L8 of the No. 9 balance car had no problem, but the road conditions changed greatly, there would be shaking when driving, and it was necessary to maintain balance at all times. So if it is for children, be sure to tell them to avoid driving on this kind of road as much as possible, because there is almost no thrill of driving a balance car, and it is very likely that accidents will not be worth the loss.
In addition, this balance car can be parked on the slope, such as this slope slope of about 10 °, it can still be stable and not slippery, indicating that its algorithm and motor power are still excellent. Coupled with 8 protection mechanisms such as anti-fly rotation protection, charging locking, and falling to the ground, users can use it more safely.
The industry may usher in a reshuffle
Overall, the L8, the No. 9 balance car that has passed the national standard test, is a product that can be safely handed over to children. After all, for parents, "safety" is the most important prerequisite.
So, is it worth buying? As mentioned earlier, the previous relatively safe and reliable products are above 2,000 yuan, and the No. 9 balance car L6/L8 enters the market at a price of more than 1,000 yuan, which is acceptable for most families, and it is still worth it to buy a "big toy" that can accompany children for a long time.
In fact, the balance car market has undergone vigorous development in previous years and has undergone great changes. In the early days, the market was more chaotic, there were too many small brands and even unlicensed products mixed into the market, and after the occurrence of large and small safety accidents, it also made parents smell different. Fortunately, after the intervention of the relevant state departments in recent years, safety standards have been proposed for the entire industry, and even consumers who do not know much about related technologies can also select products that meet the standards to make daily use safer.
Moreover, the technology accumulation of large brands is deeper, after years of development, research and development and material costs have declined, product prices have become more close to the people, safe and reliable balance cars can also enter the homes of ordinary people.
For the industry, it will surely usher in a new round of reshuffle, and those unlicensed products with safety hazards will be gradually eliminated. Because their low-price advantage is no longer obvious, under the premise that the price difference is not large, I believe that users are definitely more willing to choose safe and reliable products. Perhaps just like the Xiaomi mobile phone of that year, to provide users with easy-to-use and affordable products, it will completely kill the miscellaneous copycat machine; and the mission of the Nine balance car, the same is that users can spend less money and enjoy the fun of the balance car, which is worth affirming for users and the industry.