Photo: Future Motion
Remember the Onewheel? You know, that weird self-leveling skateboard with one chunky wheel in the middle that debuted a couple of years ago. Well, there’s a new one, and they say it’s faster and will take you further.
The new one is called the Onewheel+ XR, and the big news is that it can travel more on a full battery charge. So, instead of around 6 to 8 miles (10 - 13 km) the old one could go, the XR can ride between 12 - 18 miles (19 - 30 km). The company said it is also a bit more powerful but hasn’t specified the exact extra oomph amount.
The previous model was able to go a bit over 19 mph (30 km/h), which will most likely be true for the new XR. Although going faster than that might not seem such a good idea, considering the high center of mass when you’re riding and, you know, you basically sit on one tiny wheel.
Onewheel’s maker, Future Motion, has kept the board’s rugged design, which also features a rear light to be more visible at night. Operation sequence is also the same; you sit on it to balance it out, lean forward or backward according to the direction you want to go, and turn by twisting your legs and leveraging on the board ends.
It might seem like a good urban commuter, especially now with the increased range, which means you don’t need to carry a charger with you to work and back. However, there’s still something that might set you off - the price.
Future Motion wants $1,799 for this contraption, the same amount that would buy you a great electrically-assisted bicycle. In my book, at least, that’s a way better choice; you get to sit down, have a finer control over the steering part, and, more important, proper brakes.
The previous model was able to go a bit over 19 mph (30 km/h), which will most likely be true for the new XR. Although going faster than that might not seem such a good idea, considering the high center of mass when you’re riding and, you know, you basically sit on one tiny wheel.
Onewheel’s maker, Future Motion, has kept the board’s rugged design, which also features a rear light to be more visible at night. Operation sequence is also the same; you sit on it to balance it out, lean forward or backward according to the direction you want to go, and turn by twisting your legs and leveraging on the board ends.
It might seem like a good urban commuter, especially now with the increased range, which means you don’t need to carry a charger with you to work and back. However, there’s still something that might set you off - the price.
Future Motion wants $1,799 for this contraption, the same amount that would buy you a great electrically-assisted bicycle. In my book, at least, that’s a way better choice; you get to sit down, have a finer control over the steering part, and, more important, proper brakes.
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