The Onewheel skateboard is an electric personal vehicle also known as a compact mobile last-mile device. It’s a self-balancing board where you stand like on a snowboard with a go-kart wheel in the middle. The current range consists of the GT and the smaller and more nimble Pint and Pint X. It’s a truly unique riding experience that can’t be compared to riding any other device like an electric skateboard. You are floating, some people compare it to a magical hoverboard!
The Onewheel was invented by Kyle Doerksen who founded Future Motion Inc. You can read more about the invention of the Onewheel here.
Controlling the Onewheel
Controlling the board is intuitive, and compared to the remote of an electric skateboard it’s a much simpler and more practical option. When you are tilting the board forward the board speeds up and goes forward and tilting it backwards slows it down and stops. If you want to turn, just simply lean to the side you want to go.
When tilting the board your centre of gravity should always stay above the wheel to put as little stress on the motor as possible.
As a new rider, I recommend reading the Onewheel tips section.
Both the Pint and XR are quite nimble and it´s easy to navigate around traffic or any obstacles in your way. Compared to a regular electric skateboard the turning radius is really good, e-boards usually have a hard time taking tight corners. While most electric skateboards have 4 wheels made out of some durable plastic, the Onewheel has one GIANT rubber wheel that can take on about anything. You can easily take any of these boards off-roading into the dirt or forestry paths.
However, because of the more square tire on the XR it’s more stable when riding off-road. So if you’re really serious about going off-road, consider buying the XR or swap the regular tyre of the Pint to one that’s treaded and has a more square profile.
Future Motion first debuted the Onewheel+ in 2014. In 2018, they upgraded to the Onewheel+ XR, which has a range of 12-18 miles instead of 6-8 miles and adds about 10 per cent more power to motor uphill or scooch over rough terrain. The Onewheel Pint has only 6-8 miles but it’s rocking the same upgraded motor as its bigger brother. If the range is important go for a used XR, or the new GT, the biggest downside is the higher cost.
List of Released Onewheel Skateboards
Future Motion Inc. has released six boards over the course of the years since the Kickstarter campaign in 2014. The current lineup consists of the Onewheel Pint, Onewheel Pint X and the Onewheel GT.
- Onewheel V1 (Discontinued)
- Onewheel Plus (Discontinued)
- Onewheel XR (Discontinued)
- Onewheel Pint (Review)
- Onewheel Pint X
- Onewheel GT
- Onewheel GT S-Series
- Onewheel Pint S
Is the Onewheel safe?
The Onewheel cannot be considered a safe device by design. Riding on one wheel that is balancing and held up only by the motor is an accident around the corner. That’s why you always should ride gear up with at least a helmet and wristguards.
Here are my recommendations for protective gear and what I use when I commute daily with my Onewheel Pint. If you are looking for good wrist protection check out the top gloves including hyperextension protection. As long as you are respecting the board the feeling of floating to work outweighs the risk.
The Onewheel is not for speed demons or racing, it’s a board for what the community calls to float. The max speed is 19 mph with the XR and 16 mph on the Pint. If you want to ride fast I recommend going for an EUC, Electric Unicycle, that can go over twice the speed with a far longer range. The EUC is still not considered a safe device but has a more powerful motor and higher voltage battery to drive it. The other alternative would be an offroad electric skateboard.
Personalizing the Onewheel
Future Motion the company behind Onwheel has some accessories to kit out and personalize your board. There have come a lot of third-party companies selling all kinds of modifications, upgrades and accessories.
Today you can change the fender, get printed grip tape, and safety wheels like the fangs to name a few upgrades. I consider a fender to keep dirt and debris off your shoes, floatplates to protect the board and extra wheels like fangs for added safety some of the most have upgrades. If you care about the condition of your board add sidekicks to the must to have.
There’s little maintenance on these devices, keep them clean and check the tire pressure. Uncertain about what pressure you should use? check my tire pressure calculator for the Onewheel. The board fits easily in the car, you can carry it around when needed. Going for the forgotten groceries will be so much fun than before that you might even occasionally “forget” something.
Is Onewheel something for you?
The Onewheel isn’t enormously fun to ride, it can be considered an extreme sports toy but I still use it every day when the weather allows for it to commute. I recommend strapping on a helmet and some wrist guards more than I recommend riding it to work. As it turns out, stepping outside the boundaries of intuitively understood physics has consequences.
It’s a truly unique riding experience that can’t be compared to riding any other device if you are willing to take some time to figure out what it’s all about, then you’ll have a ton of fun.
But if you’re looking for a quick, safe and simple electric commuting vehicle? Then maybe a Onewheel isn’t the right thing for you.
There is no true minimal age for riding the Onewheel, so you can ride with your kid. The main problem could be activating the sensors of the board. The trips are other shoes, foam pads on the sensors or stones in your pockets.
Beginner guide
As a new rider, it’s good to either learn from some other people or check out the guide on How to ride an Onewheel. It includes multiple tips for beginners on how to ride the Onewheel.
Go and look on Facebook, there might be a group near you with riders. People in the community are usually friendly and group rides are taking the Onewheeling to a new level. Something I really recommend you to try out when feeling a bit more confident on the board.
Here is a list of the biggest Onewheel forums and Facebook groups in the community.
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
