Apex vs KingSong F18 Early ride impressions after 2 rides on the F18 Main setup context I have about 6,000 km on my NOSFET Apex, and I’ve spent a lot of time dialing in the suspension with shocks and small modifications. At this point, the Apex suspension works really well. I have no real complaints about it. The main reasons I wanted the KingSong F18 were: 1. It was time for a new wheel. 2. I wanted to try something different. 3. On paper, the F18 seems like it should have more power. The F18 motor is rated around 5,000 W nominal, compared to the Apex at around 3,200 W, so I expected the F18 to feel stronger. ⸻ The big comparison If the F18 had the same suspension travel as the Apex, I think it would beat the Apex pretty clearly. But it doesn’t. The F18 has 100 mm of suspension travel, while the Apex has 150 mm. That difference matters a lot on rough trails. ⸻ Suspension feel F18 The F18 feels really good over small trail chatter. If you’re riding over little roots, small bumps, or a bunch of two-inch trail imperfections, the F18 feels very smooth. The compression feels reactive and sensitive, so it absorbs the little stuff really nicely. The F18 also has a lot of suspension adjustability, which I really like. Apex The Apex feels better when the bumps get bigger and faster. On mogul-style trail sections, knee-high bumps, or fast rough terrain where you’re trying to absorb hits with your knees, the Apex can handle that better. It has more travel, and the first third of the suspension feels soft, then it firms up nicely. Because I’ve dialed in the Apex so much, the suspension feels seamless. It feels planted and composed when hitting rough stuff hard. Simple version The F18 is smoother on the small stuff. The Apex is better when the trail gets rough, fast, and aggressive. ⸻ Pedal height and centre of gravity This is one of the biggest things I noticed. The pedals on the F18 and Apex are basically the same height when both wheels are uncompressed, especially after I raised the pedals on the F18. But because the Apex has more suspension travel and more sag, the Apex pedals end up lower once you’re actually riding. On the F18, I set the sag around 20 percent, which is about 20 mm. Because it has less travel and less sag, the pedals stay higher in real riding situations. So the F18 feels like it has more pedal clearance, but it does not feel tall or tippy. That’s the impressive part. The F18 actually feels like it has a lower centre of gravity, probably because the battery box hangs lower, even though the pedals are not lower. So you get this cool combination: More pedal clearance, but a lower-feeling centre of gravity. That is one of the best things about the F18 so far. ⸻ Berms and turning The F18 feels noticeably better in berms. The pedals feel natural. The software doesn’t do anything weird. It doesn’t fight you or give you strange pedal behavior mid-corner. You can just rail the berms, and the wheel feels seamless. That is probably one of the clearest advantages of the F18 over the Apex. The Apex in soft mode has this flexy, dipping feeling that I actually like. You can lean hard, and it almost gives into the turn a little. The F18 is different. Even in its softest, floppiest-feeling mode, once it reaches the limit of that movement, it firms up and feels very strong. It doesn’t keep folding or dipping. So the Apex feels more flexible and organic. The F18 feels more controlled and software-refined. ⸻ Software and adjustability The F18 has way more software adjustability. That is one of the biggest advantages so far. For regular trail riding, I’ve been liking it in a softer, more beginner-style setup with lots of assist. It feels comfortable and easy to ride. For jumps, I switch it to a harder expert-style setup, turn off acceleration assist and lean angle assistance, and it feels awesome. For jumping, the F18 feels very solid, flat, and predictable. ⸻ Lights The F18 lights are way better. You can actually ride fast at night without a headlamp. The lights shine down and put the light where you need it, especially going up and down hills. That makes night riding way more usable than on the Apex. This is a clear win for the F18. ⸻ Power So far, I haven’t been able to overpower the F18. That’s a good sign. To be fair, I also don’t really overpower the Apex, but the F18 does feel like it has plenty of power available. ⸻ Field weakening warning One weird thing happened with the F18. I had field weakening turned on and had the wheel in a very soft, floppy mode. I was going about 80 km/h, then slowed down, and the wheel did this strange forward-backward-forward-backward oscillation. It felt like the pedals rocked forward and back three or four times really quickly. It was uncomfortable and definitely concerning. My guess is that the soft mode, high speed, and hard braking created some kind of resonance or instability. So personally, I will not ride fast again in that super soft mode. If I’m going fast, I’ll use a firmer setting. Also, I did a free spin test: • Without field weakening: around 90 km/h • With full field weakening: around 160 km/h That’s a massive difference. For trail riding, especially if there’s a chance of crashing, I’d probably turn field weakening off. If the wheel spins up after a crash, I’d rather it spin to 90 than 160. Both are fast, but 160 km/h wheel spin is honestly intimidating. ⸻ Build feel The Apex feels more basic, solid, and dependable. It feels like a wheel you could crash on a mountain and it would probably be okay. It has fewer frills, fewer plastic parts, and fewer things that feel delicate. The F18 structure itself might be strong, but the handles, plastics, and extra components feel like they might not survive crashes as well as the Apex. So the Apex feels more rugged. The F18 feels more advanced and refined. ⸻ Overall impression If I had never ridden the Apex, the F18 would probably feel like the most amazing wheel I could imagine. But the Apex is already so good that the F18 doesn’t feel like a completely different universe. It feels different, and it is better in some ways, but it does not completely replace the Apex in every category. The F18’s biggest wins are: 1. Lower-feeling centre of gravity 2. Better pedal clearance while riding 3. Better berm/corner behavior 4. Better lights 5. More software adjustability 6. Smoothness over small bumps 7. Very solid jumping setup when adjusted properly The Apex’s biggest wins are: 1. More suspension travel 2. Better big-hit absorption 3. More rugged, simple build feel 4. More confidence in rough, fast trail sections 5. Suspension that I already have dialed in perfectly ⸻ Short closing line for the video So my early take is this: The F18 feels more refined, lower, smoother, and better in corners. The Apex still feels more rugged, more forgiving in big rough terrain, and more confidence-inspiring when the trail gets nasty. The F18 might be the better-designed wheel in a lot of ways, but the Apex is still so good that the comparison is much closer than I expected.