What is a Onewheel?

Is it a snowboard, skateboard, hoverboard or magic flying carpet?  It’s really hard to describe a Onewheel because it’s so unique.  There’s nothing like it on the market.  The best way to describe the Onewheel would be it’s an electric snowboard because it rides like one….without the expensive lift tickets and you can ride literally anywhere, even uphill!

My Background

Ever since I was a little kid I loved to wonder and explore.  Walking when I was really little, skateboards in my pre teens, then bicycles in my teens, motorcycles when I become of age and lately an electric bike.  All have have their advantages and disadvantages.

I’ve always wanted something that was portable I can have with me anywhere, lets me cover a lot of ground to explore, low cost of operation (no gas), all terrain but most importantly fun!  The Onewheel fits the bill on all criteria.  

The best part of the Onewheel is fun.  This thing is so much fun!

Before I made the purchase I compared the Onewheel to other electric means of transportation.  A top range electric skateboard like the Boosted boards, Evolve or even a custom built boards are about in the same price range as an Onewheel XR.  

Generally electric skateboards are lighter, have faster acceleration, faster top speed and longer range.  What sold me on the Onewheel is the maneuverability and ability to ride practically anywhere.  Yes electric skateboards have all terrain off road tires but there is different levels of off road.  A grass lawn and a tight twisty trail up a mountain are both “off road” but one is much harder than the other.  The Onewheel can go places electric skateboards simply cannot.

What makes the Onewheel drastically different from electric skateboards is the big tire and turning radius.  With a big tire you can simply roll over things like big rocks, tree stumps or pot holes that would send you flying on an electric skateboard.

The carvability of the Onewheel is where the fun is.  The single wheel allows you to have a much smaller turning radius than an electric skateboard.  You can make a u-turn on the sidewalk or do a 180 pivot in place.  On an electric skateboard you can’t do that.  If you’re going down a tight twisty trail, you have to get off and manually turn the skateboard.  No fun.

First Ride

I’ve never even ridden a Onewheel before I bought it online.  Not gonna lie, I was afraid I wouldn’t like it and end up with a $1800 toy I didn’t use.

First time on the board was tough.  It’s such a strange feeling unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.  It’s not like a flat bottom snowboard where you can stand in place or a fairly stable 4 wheeled skateboard.  It feels like you’re standing on a ball that moves.

It’s much harder to ride if you’re going slow.  Just like if you try to ride a bike going really slow, it’s hard to balance.  Once you get up to speed around 5mph it’s much easier.  Turning is just like on a snowboard.  Tilt and shift your weight the way you wanna go.  Shift your weight back to slow down and forward to go forward.  Noticed I said shift your weight and not lean.

It took about 5 miles before I got semi comfortable riding it and then I was utterly addicted.  Every free moment I had was spent on the Onewheel.  Skipped gym workouts, midnight rides when the baby was asleep or covered garages when it was raining.  At the time of this post I’m about 350ish miles in (I bought the Onewheel used with about 140 miles on it) and the Onewheel feels like an extension of my legs.  The maneuverability is so good letting you turn, carve, climb and squeeze into the tightest spots.  Carving on the OneWheel feels just like snowboarding except you can go uphills. 

OneWheel Dissected 

The Onewheel is made up of 5 main components 

1. Aluminum rails (frame)
2. Controller box (under the front footpad)
3. Battery (under the rear footpad)
4. Go kart tire
5. Hypercore motor housed inside the 6″ metal hub

Hypercore motor

One of the most unique features of the Onewheel is the Hypercore motor.  It was designed by Future Motion specifically for the Onewheel.  

The motor is housed inside the hub of the wheel.  Unlike electric skateboards, the Onewheel doesn’t require any belts or chains.  This has many advantages because you never have to worry about replacing belts or getting rocks, sticks or even your pants getting stuck in the belts.  It’s virtually zero maintenance.

All models of the Onewheel except for the original Onewheel uses a 750w Hypercore motor.  750w translates to just a little over 1 horsepower.  One hp doesn’t sound like a lot but it’s enough to go about 20mph and climb hills at roughly 25 degrees.

Onewheel Battery

The original Onewheels used Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries but now they use NMC (lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide).  All lithium ion batteries consists of an anode (negative electrode), cathode (positive electrode) and a separator/electrolyte.  The separator prevents electrons from freely moving from the anode to cathode.  

What makes the these lithium ion batteries different is the materials used in making the cathode.  Using different materials such as iron, nickel, carbon and manganese in varying amounts changes the way each battery performs.

Since Future Motion, the makers of the Onewheel, have discontinued the original Onewheel and the Onewheel+ which use the lithium iron phosphate battery, all Onewheels now use the NMC (lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide).  

NMC batteries have long lifespans, power and thermal stability (less likely to explode).  They are the choice batteries for electric bikes and Tesla electric cars.  If it’s good enough for Elon, it’s good enough for me.

The battery on the Onewheel+ and Pint are good for about 6-8 miles and 12-18miles on the Onewheel+ XR.  7-8 miles is enough for the casual user to commute, do grocery runs or fun rides.  For more addicted riders you’ll want to opt of the XR for the longer range.  I regularly go for 15 mile rides without worrying about running out of juice.

For the serious riders, there are even hacks you can do to extend the range by adding battery packs.  I will have tutorials on this coming up.

Safety

Onewheels have a built in feature called pushback.  When you get close to the set top speed, which can be adjusted in the app, the board will start lifting the front nose to let you know to chill out.  For example, if you are riding in Mission mode, it has a set top speed of 19mph, the board will start pushing back when you reach about 15mph.  To reach the set 19mph you have to really work to push the front end of the board down.  This is NOT recommended.

Pushback is in place for a reason.  So you don’t nose dive.  Nose dive is when the front end of the board touches the ground sending you flying.  Unless you are Usain Bolt who can run 28mph, most humans can only run 10-15mph so if you nose dive going that speed, you can usually run and catch your balance.  If you nose dive at over 15mph you can get seriously hurt.

A 20mph top speed may not sound like much but it’s plenty.  Onewheels aren’t about going super fast.  The carving and turning is where the fun is.  If you’re into speed, you’re better off with an electric skateboard.

Of course always wear a helmet and proper footwear.

How to Ride a Onewheel

The front footpad has sensors on the left and right sides.  To engage the motor engage both sensors at the same time and put the board level.

To control the Onewheel, do not lean but rather shift your weight with your hips.  You want to keep your center of gravity directly over the tire.  Say if you’re leaning forward to go forward, you’re already half way to a nosedive.  Keep your weight over the tire and just point your hips the direction you want to go.  Front/back to move forward or slow down.  Thrust your hips forward or stick your butt out to turn left or right.  Moving your hips around will naturally shift or tilt the board in the direction you need to go without leaning.

Onewheel History

The Onewheel was created by Kyle Doerksen.  After tinkering with the design for 8 years and got a working model, he launched a Kickstarter campaign on January 6, 2014 with a goal of $100,000.  In about three weeks the Kickstarter campaign smashed the goal and reached over $600,000!

Models

Chart from wikipedia

As of this post, there are only two Onewheel models available, Pint and XR.  The Original Onewheel and Onewheel+ have been discontinued.

Onewheel Pint

The Pint is the newest member of the family.  With an MSRP of $950 it’s aimed at people who have been on the fence about getting a Onewheel.  It has a range of 6-8 miles and a top speed of 16mph.  About 3 inches shorter and 4 lbs lighter than the XR.  The Pint is for sale now but hasn’t started shipping so I can’t comment on the performance.

OneWheel+ XR

The OneWheel + XR is their flagship model.  It’s big and heavy but rides like a dream.  For people who need the extra range and higher top speed, this is the model to get.  The 12-18 mile range depends on your weight, terrain and riding style.  It’s nice to have because you don’t have to worry about running out of juice and get stranded somewhere.

Why are they so Expensive?

Why are they so expensive you ask?  Because they are worth it! 

As of this post the Onewheel+ XR has an MSRP of $1800.  You could buy a used car for that much!  Onewheels are made in San Jose, CA USA.  As someone who designs, makes and sells FPV racing drones, I know manufacturing domestically is very expensive vs doing it overseas.  A same part made overseas can be 1/3 the cost it takes to make it in USA.

But think about this, you’re standing on a board flying down the road at 20mph.  You don’t want anything to fail because you can seriously get hurt.  From everything I’ve seen and read about Onewheels, they are designed to take a beating and keep going.  There are Onewheels out there with thousands of miles on them.

What is Ghost

I started this website to share my passion and experiences with the OneWheel.  I will post tutorials, how-to’s and develop Onewheel accessories. 

Floating is a term Onewheelers say instead of riding.  When I ride, I feel like I’m a ghost floating through the night.  I’m happy, blissful and my face hurts from smiling.  That’s Ghost.