The advertised range of a Onewheel rarely matches what you’ll experience on the road or trail. Rider weight, terrain, tire pressure, temperature, and riding style all play a major role in how far a single charge will take you.
In this guide, we’ve compiled real-world rider data for every major Onewheel model, including the Plus, XR, Pint, Pint X, and GT,to show what range you can realistically expect and how to maximize it.
Real-world range and performance of the Onewheel
| Model | Advertised range (miles) | Real-world range (miles) |
|---|---|---|
| Onewheel Plus | 5-7 miles | 4.5-8 miles |
| Onewheel+ XR | 12-18 miles | 8-24 miles |
| Onewheel Pint | 6-8 miles | 5-10 miles |
| Onewheel Pint X | 12-18 miles | 8-24 miles |
| Onewheel GT | 20-32 miles | 26-34 miles |
As you can see how many miles a Onewheel can go really ranges between the different models and the max-min of each board. The reason for the spread is for the factors listed down below impact the Onewheel range.
What affects the range of the Onewheel
There are four main factors affecting the range of the Onewheel board, weight, tire pressure, terrain, and temperature. This is independent of whichever board you have, if ts Pint, XR, Pint X or even the latest GT.
Terrain
The terrain has one of the biggest impacts, the same rider on cement/pavement can get 15+ miles while riding on soft sand hitting the trail or riding on grass only will get around 9. The rolling resistance is massively increased which results in more power needed, decreasing the range of the board. Hills and other obstacles will also impact the overall distance. That’s why we don’t recommend the stock Onewheel Pint for off-road riding, read more here.
Heavier riders
Heavier riders will have a noticeably decreased range when compared to lighter riders. This is because the board needs to put more power into balance and carry the person forward. Another impact is also the wind resistance where a smaller person will have a notably lesser drag, especially in headwinds.
Cold temperatures
Cold weather and temperature affect the battery, the performance, and the range of the board. This is because of the decrease in voltage that happens when a battery gets cold. Riding the board will draw a current that heats up the battery, taking a break can let it cool down so much that the voltages drop below the level of turning on. If you plan to rid in the wintertime, here are some tips about winter riding as recommended reading.
One key thing is to make sure the board is always being stored inside a temperature-controlled environment. Keeping the board in the cold can cause irreversible damage to the battery, a common mistake is to leave it in the trunk of the car.
Tire pressure
If you notice a reduction in the performance and range of the board one of the first things to check is the tire pressure. The tire will leak some air over time and this will increase the rolling resistance of the wheel increasing the power needed and reducing the range of the board.
Are you uncertain of the best pressure for your board, check out the tire pressure calculator, it is both in the imperial and metric units.
Other impacts
There are other things that can impact the range of the Onewheel board like changing the tire for a heavier or treaded tire, this will impact the range negatively.
If you really want to maximize the range, slow down and ride around 10mph, and make sure to keep your balance above the wheel to minimize the need to balance your body weight.
How to increase the range of the Onewheel
If you are having a Onewheel and want to increase the range there are basically two different routes to take, either get a portable charger and take a pause and charge the battery. The other way is to upgrade the battery or/and add an extender to it.
Conclusion
So how far the Onewheel will go really depends on the individual use case and rider. In short, are you planning to ride off-road and are a bit on the heavier side, look into the now discontinued Onewheel XR or at least the Onewheel Pint X. These board will let you go a bit and has ranges that make them useful both as a commuting device or for recreation on the trails.
