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Onewheel seems to have found the sweet spot in the emerging personal electric mobility space with its popular rideables that bring together the benefits of electric mobility in a portable package that’s easy to master. The company recently updated its lineup with the introduction of the compact Onewheel Pint X, boasting a range of 12-18 miles per charge, and the new Onewheel GT with a marathon-busting range of 20-32 miles of range per charge.
Onewheel reached out about its new lineup and dropped a new Pint X into the mail for me much like a 21st century Santa Claus.
Disclaimer: Onewheel sent the Pint X to the author free of charge for the purposes of this review.
I have invested a significant amount of blood, sweat, and tears into riding, assembling, crashing, and abusing every single form of personal electric mobility device on the market over the last few years, and the Onewheel has for some reason eluded me up to this point.
After stripping off the packaging, the 27-pound Pint X revealed itself as a compact but sturdy vehicle. It’s hefty, but thanks to the included carrying handle, it doesn’t feel unwieldy. The weight is centered on the handle and it’s easy to tote around. I dropped it on the charger to top it up and dug into the manual.
The genius of the Onewheel Pint X revolves around the use of a single, low, extra wide inflatable tire. This is perhaps the perfect platform on which to build an electric vehicle because of a few key advantages. Its small stature, at just 10.5 x 5.5, keeps the center of gravity for the entire board low. At the same time, the wide tread and large air volume contribute to sizeable contact patch with the ground.
All told, the tire makes for a ride that’s extremely stable, packs plenty of traction, and still provides plenty of cushion for a smooth ride. The net result of riding on the stock slick tire is very similar to snowboarding or longboard skateboarding. The stock slick tire can be replaced with a treaded tire for those looking for a bit more traction around town or if you want to take this little beastie off-road to shred some trails.
The Onewheel Pint X on display with the included handle. Image courtesy: Onewheel
I snapped out of my dream state and realized the board was fully charged and ready to rip, so I charged out the door. As an experienced rider, I’m quick to admit my shortcomings and humbly donned a set of knee pads, wrist guards, and a helmet before my first ride. We all want to get out and play when a new toy shows up, but if my collection of scars from over the years are any indication, it is in these first moments where we are most vulnerable to failing hard.
So in full armor, I walked out the door with the new Pint X in hand. It comes from the factory with a neat little handle that makes it easy to carry from a nice center position. I had reviewed all the getting started information and quickly found my way up onto the board, wobbling up the road on my first ride. My body was fully tense as I attempted to interpret the feedback from the board while keeping my legs mostly straight and my posture upright.
Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica
After a few wobbly seconds, I adjusted my posture slightly as I became more comfortable with the ride. I stopped after a few hundred feet to ungraciously step off the board with both feet at the same time. In the subsequent rides around the neighborhood, my comfort level with the riding experience grew steadily. Turning on a Onewheel is accomplished by leaning towards your toes for a right turn or back onto your heels for a left turn.
The wide tire was surprisingly responsive to even the most subtle adjustments to my posture. It made for a squirrely feeling at first, but after a few rides, I was easily able to carve in increasingly more natural turns. After 15 minutes riding around the neighborhood, I took a break as another wave of Southern California’s unpredictable rain crashed down.
LED light bars on the both ends of the board switch from white light to red light depending on the direction of travel. Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica
When the streets dried up, I eagerly charged out of the house for a more spirited ride around town. We live up a set of very steep streets, so I delicately carved down the hills to get down into the more rideable flatlands. I found myself constantly making minute adjustments to the positioning of my feet for the best balance of control and comfort. I found it helpful to watch a handful of videos on YouTube (like this one) to get a better idea of what might work.
My feet did get tired and I had a few close calls, but after a few miles, I found myself getting into the groove, carving around town like a drunken clown. I’m not going to pretend that it’s all sunshine and rainbows, as learning to ride a Onewheel does take time and practice. Compared to some of the other personal electric rideables I’ve tried, the Onewheel Pint X is much easier to get up and running on. I had a blast on my first serious ride of 12 miles and have a ton of new tweaks and lessons I’m looking forward to trying the next time I go out.
The compact package of the Pint X, combined with its extremely functional range per charge makes it a great option for shorter commutes, covering the last mile to and from transit, and for commuting around a school or work campus. It’s small enough that it easily tucks under a desk or in the corner of an office without getting in the way like an electric bike might.
One exciting use case for Onewheels is the ability to take them on transit and trains. This makes it much easier to travel longer distances, busting out the Pint X at your destination for a nice burst of portability. Why worry about finding a taxi or Uber at your destination when you can just whip out a Onewheel and off you go?
Speaking of the form factor, one thing that sets the Onewheel Pint X apart is just how fun it is to ride. You’ll be looking for any excuse to hop on for a trip to the corner store, to get milk, to pick up supplies for an upcoming welding class (as I did), or walk the dog. I can easily see this thing replacing car trips for me in my day to day life and even replacing a vehicle with a train ride paired with a Onewheel for longer adventures.
The Onewheel Pint X with the carbon fiber fender and navy rails we purchased. Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica
Beyond its inherent utility, the Onewheel Pint X has a lengthy list of accessories for owners to customize the function and look of their ride to their liking. For our review unit, I ordered up Onewheel’s carbon fiber fender, a colorful charging port plug, some fun rail guards, and a backpack for easier travel. The ability to personalize your ride is really neat to see in a world where we’re used to seeing pages and pages of monocolor rideables. I highly recommend adding a factory fender and rail guards though I wouldn’t go with the carbon fiber option if I were able to do it again, as it’s just a bit too pretty for a unit that’s going to see some abuse over time.
Overall, the Onewheel Pint X is an exciting entrant to the world of personal electric mobility. The form factor was easy to get functional with in a single day and master after a few days of riding. It is extremely stable without sacrificing the fun factor that makes all of Onewheel’s rideables so enjoyable to ride on. In the time we reviewed ours, I found myself looking for any reason to hop on it for a quick ride.
The Pint X builds on all of years of experience building vehicles in this space and is clearly a quality unit that’s meant to last. The compact form factor sets it apart from other rideables that, paired with the fun factor of the Onewheel, makes it attractive for many prospective customers as a recreational vehicle alone.
For more information about the Onewheel Pint X or to open up an entirely new range of electricity-powered adventures with a purchase, head over to its digital domicile.
I'm a tech geek passionately in search of actionable ways to reduce the negative impact my life has on the planet, save money and reduce stress. Live intentionally, make conscious decisions, love more, act responsibly, play. The more you know, the less you need. As an activist investor, Kyle owns long term holdings in Tesla, Lightning eMotors, Arcimoto, and SolarEdge.
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