Complete Onewheel Maintenance & Upkeep Guide (Dont Forget This)

Oskar Fällman

Updated on:

Onewheel with rubber stick and microfiber cloth

The Onewheel are well built but like any transportation device, there is some maintenance that needs to be done on a regular or more periodic schedule. The need for Onewheel maintenance is independent of which board you got, a V1, XR, Pint, Pint X, or the GT.

This guide will cover the most important things to do in regard to Onewheel maintenance. What you need to do on both a daily and periodic schedule to keep your ONewheel in the best condition.

How do you maintain Onewheel?

Maintaining the Onewheel consist of both daily and periodic maintenance tasks. It’s a good idea to quickly wipe down the board after the end of the ride, especially if it has become wet. Cleaning the grip tape is a more periodic task and something to be done when they have become dirty.

Down below are both the daily and periodic maintenance tasks listed.

Daily Maintenance & Upkeep

A couple of things should be done after your ride if necessary or check at a more regular schedule to keep the Onewheel in good riding condition.

Cleaning The Onewheel

Cleaning the board is not only to make it pristine, but it’s also to keep it clean and reduce the wear of some specific components. As no Onewheel is waterproof it’s important to keep it dry. Don’t hose it down after a ride, use a damp cloth for wiping the board down.

Onewheel Maintenance Wipe down

Cleaning the grip tape is a good idea when it has become so dirty that you are losing the grip. Many riders use a grip tape cleaning block or a sandbelt cleaner. Here are more tips and a complete cleaning guide for the Onewheel.

Tire Pressure

There are two reasons to keep an eye on your tire pressure. The pressure will impact your riding experience and how the board behaves.

Another important factor is that an underinflated tire will drastically reduce the range of the board and at the same time increase the wear of the tire. As changing the tire is a bit more effort it’s recommended to try and increase its lifetime of it.

Another important factor is if you are riding off-road or jumping over obstacles. A too-underinflated tire will increase the risk of a curb or obstacle hitting the rim of the hub motor. Future Motion Inc. does state that you should not ride it when the tire is flat or under-inflated, otherwise, you can void your warranty.

For optimal tire pressure check out the tire pressure calculator. Either use a digital pressure gauge or get a small electrical pump with a gauge included.

Long Term & Periodic Maintenance

Depending on how much you ride the periodic maintenance of the Onewheel will be different for every rider, just like a car. These are items that should be checked at least once every year or more frequently if you do a lot of riding and are having a more aggressive style. 

Check the Screws and Bolts

The vibration from riding is risking the screws, and especially the hub bolts to untighten. Therefore it is recommended to periodically go over the screws and bolts to ensure that they are tight. If not are risking losing a screw or even damaging the board. Riding with a loose hub bolt will increase the force on the motor bearing wearing it down faster. Changing the bearing is not an easy DIY job and most people would need to take it into a repair shop to get it fixed.

Don’t overtighten the screws as it’s a common problem with the screws stripping the rail inserts. Are you riding with flight fins, remember not to add Loctite as the chemicals will make the plastic brittle and you are risking the FlightFender breaking prematurely

Bearing protection, change the grease

If you are running any kind of bearing protection, something that’s highly recommended even if you don’t plan to ride in or near water, you should periodically check and change the grease inside them.  The marine-grade grease is what keeps the protection around your bearings and stops water to enter the ball bearing and motor hub. The other protection is there to keep the grease in place and the majority of sand/dirt away.

Onewheel Maintenance bearingcover

As there is not a full seal between the plastic holding the grease in place and the hub axle some dirt will pass over time. Therefore is it recommended, depending on how many miles you are riding, to at least change it once every year.

Change Tire

The tire is one of the components that wear over time while riding. There will come a time, like your care, when you need to change it. uncertain if the time has come to check out this guide, in short, is it worn out showing treads, or leaks sealant fluid, it’s time to change

Are you doing a lot of trails and off-road, look into one of the treaded options and either change the tire yourself or let a repair shop do it for you. It’s a fairly easy process and will not cost you that much to get done if you decided to pay for it.

Change Bearing

The bearings last around 1500-2500 miles, depending on how you maintain them and the board. Running with bearing protection like the one from Badgerwheel will keep sand and dirt away from them and at the same time keep them lubricated, increasing the lifetime.

Another important thing is keeping up with the hub bolts. Riding with loose bolts will increase the force on the bearing, increasing the wear and decreasing the lifetime. Are you hear a whirring/clicking sound while riding, check the bolts.

The recommendation is not to change these by yourself as you will need a bearing press to push the old out and the new into the hub. Look up your local Onewheel service guy or tire shop to see if they can help you. The good part is that more and more shops are popping up to help you will all from bearings to tire swaps.

Change Grip Tape

Alongside the tire, the grip tape is one of the items that will wear down on your board. Over time it will lose its grip as dirt and your shoes will make it get worn down. Cleaning it can restore some grip but at some point, it needs to be replaced. 

Onewheel Maintenance griptape

The best way is to use a hair dryer to remove the existing grip tape. This is a delicate process on the front footpad as the sensor is underneath. Slowly heat the sensor and start peeling it away from on edge of the deck. You need to do this with caution as the sensor is easily damaged, take it slow and use your finger to slowly separate the grip tape from the pad.

The final step is applying the new grip tape, placing it out, and slowly pushing it down. A tip is to align it with one of the edges and use that as a guide and starting point.

Conclusion

There is not that much upkeep and maintenance to be done for the Onewheel on a regular basis. Just keep it clean and check the tire pressure from time to time to ensure it last for a long time.

There will come a time for a periodic overview of the board, and some consumables like the grip tape and tire will eventually need to be replaced.

It’s highly recommended to use bearing protection, and if you are check at least once a year to ensure that the grease is still in place and not dirty. Add more or change it if needed.

If your board still is under warranty and you are having issues, don’t hesitate to contact the Onewheel customer service.

About Oskar Fällman

Oskar Fällman, founder of FallmanTech, is a seasoned Onewheel rider and a visionary system engineer with a master's in Industrial Management and Engineering from Lunds University. With thousands of miles under his belt, Oskar combines technical expertise with a passion for technology and innovation. As a leader in the Onewheel community, he not only rides Onewheel's but also prioritizes safety, new innovations and the growth of the sport. As a system engineer he also holds a multiple patents and innovations. LinkedIn, Academia profile, Contact, Twitter, Patents.