In May, I finally did it. After a year and a half of deliberation, I bought a Onewheel Pint. While I do enjoy occasional mountain bike rides, and running on a semi-regular basis, I am neither an extreme sports enthusiast nor an athlete. As a frugal, 40 year old parent of 2 elementary-age kiddos, I also find it hard to justify spending money on myself these days, especially for things I don’t need. Do any of these factors make me regret my decision? Not at all!
In a little over 2 months, I put over 100 miles on my Pint and I am hooked. If you’ve made it this far, maybe you’re thinking about getting one too? If so, you may have even spent some time on the Onewheel site, balking at the price of both models—wondering how you could possibly justify the $950 base price of the Pint, let alone the upgraded XR model at $1,799.
Is it worth it? It absolutely was for me, but I’ll try to answer some of the questions I had before buying. Have other questions? Ask away in the comments.
How hard is it to pick up?
At 23lb, the Pint is a bit heavy. Sorry, that was a dad joke. A Onewheel is surprisingly simple to jump on and start riding. Looking back at a video of my maiden voyage up and down our street, I had a pretty very wobbly start. Within a couple days though, I was confidently “floating” around the neighborhood. The board self-balances from front to back, so you simply lean forward to go and back to slow. It’s a little harder to get the toe-to-heel balance steady, but you’ll get there quick if you’ve ever enjoyed skateboarding or snowboarding.
While Onewheel says in their own FAQ that riders should be 14 years of age or older, I’ve had no problems teaching my curious 9yo daughter and a 10yo nephew the basics. If they can pick it up in a few minutes, I think most grown-up kids can as well.
What will I use it for?
Some people do use their Onewheel as a daily commute vehicle or as a first-and-last-mile boost with public transportation. To be honest, it doesn’t seem like a very efficient solution for either of those jobs. I can’t see myself carrying my Pint around an office or retail store, but it makes a short ride up to a local restaurant to grab takeout a lot more fun.
Fun is really what the Onewheel is all about. Whether I’ve been riding around a local park, exploring new parts of my city, or taking it out for a spin on the beach, it’s always a good time.
Should I buy a bundle or other accessories?
When I bought my Pint, I went with the “Ride More Bundle” which included a fender, rail guards, and replacement bumpers for $1,045. While I like my blue rail guards, the extra bumpers are just sitting in a box collecting dust. If I had to do it over again, I’d go with the Essentials Bundle with just the fender and save $140.
There are a bunch of companies out there selling aftermarket fenders and all sorts of other mods and accessories. The stock board is all you need to get going. A fender is nice nice to have if you’re riding on dirt or gravel, but the Onewheel is not completely waterproof, so you shouldn’t be riding through standing water or mud.
The most important accessory is safety gear. At the very least, you need a good helmet and a pair of gloves, ideally with wrist protection. I ended up getting a Retrospec skateboard helmet on Amazon for $25 and a pair of $12 wrist guards. If I’m sticking to sidewalks, I’ll sometimes sub out the wrist guards for a pair of old mountain bike gloves, just for palm protection. If you’re going off-road, knee and elbow pads are a good idea as well. That brings me to my next question.
Will I get hurt?
Maybe. I’ve already taken a few spills, but fortunately not at top speed. The Onewheel has a feature known as pushback to let riders know when they’re nearing the board’s limit or if it’s running low on battery. Keep leaning forward and you’ll experience what’s known as a nosedive. Any fall can be dangerous, of course, but a nosedive at the Pint’s top speed of 16mph, or 19mph on the XR could be catastrophic. My advice is to take it slow while you’re learning and always respect the pushback.
What’s next?
As I get more comfortable on my Pint, I’ve started shifting a bit from long sidewalk cruises to tackling obstacles and trails. It’s also been fun to spend time riding around in one spot, learning basic tricks and dropping off of curbs. I’d like to get out on some mountain bike singletrack soon.
Also on my list is riding with others. Most cities have local Onewheel communities and Orlando is no exception. There’s a thriving Orlando Onewheel group and an info page for Central Florida riders on Facebook. That crew gets together for group rides a couple times a week. I’ve met a few fellow Orlando Onewheel members while I’ve been out and about. I still haven’t made it out to one of their group rides yet, but it sounds like a blast.
Buying my pint was def a life saver going through the pandemic, kept my sanity. Loved it so much bought a second so I can have one set up for dirt trails and one for street.
Not sure why I waited so long, but riding my Pint has been a sanity boost here as well. I’ve been thinking about upgrading to an XR and keeping the Pint for rides with my kids and friends, but putting a treaded tire on it for a dedicated off-road board is tempting too.
I bought my pint in May as well. Current day I have 2324 miles. It’s the best.
Whoa, that’s awesome! I’m currently up to *checks app* 176.
Look into a well made EUC. I was about to get a XR but am so pleased I didn’t. When you’re not limited to 10 miles of range or so, you begin to feel what freedom is about.
I may actually end up going the EUC route eventually. There seems to be a lot of crossover between the OneWheel and EUC communities, and a lot of people out there that enjoy both.
I’m 65, it lives at my front door, I take it for walks daily
It’s addicting. Actually it’s my son’s, mine (GT) will be delivered on June 7th.
I bought a One Wheel Pint about 6+ months ago. Growing up I spent more time in ice skates than I did in sneakers so I did not dream that the balance needed to ride one of these boards was going to be a hurdle for me. I spent approximately three months in the garage using my car as a stable surface to help me balance as I went around and around and around my car. Finally I was able to release one hand from the car, then I was able to release two hands from the car for a few seconds. I was finally making trips around my car not having to touch the car. Now it’s time for the driveway! I realize that I have not spent much time training myself to get on the board and get it level before taking off. Since I’m a physical therapist assistant, I had a cane in my car. For another month I spent using my cane to mount the board and occasionally needed it during turns. I was determined not to fall on my butt! Needless to say I have fallen on my butt two times; One time when I leaned too far forward getting on the board and leveling it, the second time was after going halfway around the block and was dismounting and my legs were kind of shaky and my feet did not move as quickly as my body was moving when I dismounted. During this time I was riding my One Wheel at midnight, 1 AM, 2 AM, because I did not want anybody to see me busting my rear end! (And because this has been an extremely hot summer and frequently does not even get down into the 80°‘s until well after dark). Then, finally, about two weeks ago, and at the early hour of 11 PM. I rode my one wheel all the way around the neighborhood/subdivision ; one whole mile all at once! Frequently I have thought about selling it because I just don’t think I’ll get the use out of it than I should, and I have also discovered that the rear lights have gone out which I’m sure is covered by warranty but should it not be covered I don’t wanna be the one to have to pay the shipping and handling on that heavy thing getting it to and from whatever repair shop needs to go to, somewhere probably in New York or California. I did list it on one of the Internet ‘sell just about anything’ sites and somebody offered me $400 for it. I didn’t even bother replying. I will keep it. It’s worth a lot more than that to me and I still have to clear my next goal; one and a half times around the neighborhood/subdivision!
Oh, and I am a 53 year old woman
Thank guys. I like onewheel so much. A Onewheel is a unique take on electric skateboarding, only that it requires much more balancing abilities. This board may not be as common as the 4-wheeled skateboards in parks, but it has several benefits that can appeal to a skater.