Why You Should Buy a Onewheel
A photo from one of our early group rides in Chicago
In the fall of 2019, my wife and I moved to the Chicago suburbs, over 800 miles away from anyone we knew. A few months later, after we were finally starting to feel settled in, the pandemic hit. We found ourselves in the same situation as most people: isolated, lonely, and bored. I was aware of onewheels at the time, but I had written them off as entirely too expensive. But one day in the spring of 2020, while we were walking around our neighborhood for the thousandth time, I was reminded of them. We saw someone cruising down a sidewalk and they seemed to actually be having fun, which was a pretty novel concept at the time. I obsessed over buying either an XR or a Pint for a few weeks and then by June, I had my hands on a brand new Onewheel+ XR.
After unboxing my XR, attaching all of the accessories, and donning my safety gear, I went outside and immediately ate shit. It was exhilarating and I was hooked.
After unboxing my XR, attaching all of the accessories, and donning my safety gear, I went outside and immediately ate shit. It was exhilarating and I was hooked. While I was back at home licking my wounds, I was exploring the Onewheel app and found that another newbie wanted to get together and ride. It would be outside and only a few people, so I figured why not? It seemed to be pretty much the most responsible social situation I could imagine during the pandemic.
Community
Those early group rides were a lifeline for me and my wife. It become a weekly occurrence: me on my XR, her on a bicycle (and eventually her own XR), and another handful of people meeting up to explore a new part of the Chicago suburbs. Then the group kept growing and evolving. These group rides led to so much more. Late nights around a bon fire, camping trips, snowboarding trips, giant group rides though the city or on trails, parties, concerts, and even new friends who had little or zero interest in getting on a onewheel. We’ve been on epic road trips and have spent holidays together. I’m proud to say that these friends are some of the best people I’ve ever known.
Even after my wife and I moved away from Chicago and down to Florida, we all still keep in touch. One of the things that bring us together are the multi-day events that occur all over the country. You’ll find yourself with hundreds of other onewheelers and access to enormous group rides, trick clinics, races, and live music. Everyone there is a friend you haven’t met yet. If you want more information, check out our events page for a listing of the most popular festivals and races.
Versatility
Onewheels are one of the most versatile personal electronic vehicles (PEVs) that you can buy. The wide soft tire allows you to ride on a lot terrain that others simply can’t access. The powerful single wheel lets you maneuver up or around rocks, roots, ruts, and rough roads. And when you find yourself in a situation where you can’t ride, a onewheel is fairly easy to carry up a flight of stairs or over some otherwise impassable terrain.
Exploration
Sometimes, onewheeling makes me feel like a kid again. Exploring my neighborhood to find a sweet grass berm to hit or some fresh pavement to carve on. Loading up the car to meet up with friends and check out the mountain bike trails in the next town. I’ve found so many awesome restaurants, bars, parks, and trails that I just would’ve never otherwise known about if I hadn’t been motivated to go ride my board in some promising new location.
Health
After a long day - or sometimes during the day if I need a break - I’ll grab my board and go rip around town. It’s hard to dwell on the problems in your life when you need to focus on getting around the next pot hole or going over another root. After a while, you might find yourself in the flow state, a mental state that many riders reach where they are extremely focused and acting out of instinct or muscle memory. There has also been plenty of studies that correlate the positive affects on mental health with just getting outside.*
Onewheeling may not appear to require much effort, but at times it can be surprisingly demanding. When bombing down some mountain bike trails or practicing a new trick, you’ll definitely be getting a workout. Even carving around the neighborhood helps with core strength and balance. I also found myself motivated to lose weight after I started riding. I wanted to get faster on the board and have more battery life, both of which are affected by the rider’s weight.
Transportation
Because of its’ versatility, a onewheel can be a great transportation option for people living in the city or those with a shorter commute. If you ride public transportation, it can easily be taken onto the train or a bus. And when you get to your destination, just pick up the onewheel and carry it inside. They require very little energy to operate when compared to a car or motorcycle and the raw material costs are also obviously much less.
Still Not Sure?
If you’re still on the fence, you should know that Onewheels hold their value very well. If you decide that it’s not for you, you’ll be able to sell your board on the secondary market for very little loss. The initial price tag puts a lot of people off, but I’ll say that after riding for nearly three years, that initial purchase has done more good for me than anything else I’ve ever spent my money on.
Check back soon for a buyer’s guide if you’ve decided to pull the trigger on a board.
*References:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935120313177
https://www.axishealthsystem.org/resources/mental-health-and-the-outdoors/
