Last mile(s) transportation - OneWheel

[Oliver]

I thought I'd share this as I know that others are having the same problem.

We like to fly to smaller airports of which most don't even have a courtesy car.
Even if they do, we can't count on that it's still available when we get there and they also usually can't be kept overnight.

To drive the last miles to where we want to go, we have two Dahon Uno folding bikes. While there are great, only one of them fits in the baggage compartment, the other has to go on the backseat. Loading the bike on the back seat is however a pain, the two bikes also take up most of the cargo space.

Electric scooters turned out to be too long, we therefore settled on a OneWheel PintX.
For now we just bought one, to see how we like it. The plan is however to get a second OneWheel.

The PintX has a range of up to 18 miles and a top speed of just under 20 mph. Other than that they have a bit of a learning curve, they seem to be a great solution for us.
They take up very little space, in fact ours even fits next to the folding bike into the baggage compartment.

The only real downside I see is that driving on public roads is in many areas tolerated but technically not legal, just like an e-scooter or an electric skateboard.

I attached a few pictures of the OneWheel in our baggage compartment, with and without the bike, as well as of my wife riding it.

Edited September 30 by Oliver

[kris_adams]

definitely a problem for us as well.  Not sure I could get my wife to ride a bike on most roads.  I think this would scare her beyond being willing to try unfortunately.  Maybe she could ride the bike and I could do this

[MikeOH]

Just my opinion, but one-wheels look the likely way to ensure the ‘last mile’ is to the hospital

[Oliver]

29 minutes ago, MikeOH said:

Just my opinion, but one-wheels look the likely way to ensure the ‘last mile’ is to the hospital

It's certainly easier to get hurt with them than with a bike.

However, since I became interested in them a few months ago I joined a few OneWheel groups on Facebook and Reddit. All the injuries I've seen so far were due to people doing stupid sh*t. People ride them on single track trails and use them to commute to work, it therefore seems that they are reasonably safe.

I am aware that they are not for everybody. For those who enjoy things like that, they are however a super compact means of transportation.

[Pictreed]

1 hour ago, MikeOH said:

Just my opinion, but one-wheels look the likely way to ensure the ‘last mile’ is to the hospital

Ha, that's what people say when I tell them I fly in small planes or skydive.  I eventually stopped telling people about flying in small planes.  They couldn't overcome their fears.

But on a relevant note I thought the same thing.  I loved the Onewheel for the idea of using for the plane but most of the airports I had to use didn't have decent access to the place I was ultimately going.

I eventually decided to just get someone to pick me up or uber if they didn't have a crew car.  Plus carrying my Onewheel around became a bother but mine was the GT.  Still a pint is pretty heavy to lug around.

It found it's home in the frunk of the Tesla so when I was traveling and had to stop to charge I could jump on and go eat or get coffee.

[MikeOH]

We use a couple of Montague folding bikes, but they take up the backseats with the wheels and our luggage in the baggage area. Not ideal, but my ‘skateboarding’ days are over, so I’m going to take a pass on the OneWheel, thanks

[Oliver]

1 hour ago, Pictreed said:

I eventually decided to just get someone to pick me up or uber if they didn't have a crew car.  Plus carrying my Onewheel around became a bother but mine was the GT.  Still a pint is pretty heavy to lug around.

It found it's home in the frunk of the Tesla so when I was traveling and had to stop to charge I could jump on and go eat or get coffee.

I guess I need to make more friends.  I somehow never know anybody in the places to which we're going and Uber / Lyft is more of a thing in bigger cities. At least in Michigan.
I like the idea of the OneWheel in the frunk. I also drive a Tesla, a OneWheel might come in handy on longer road trip that require charge stops!  

Edited September 30 by Oliver

[Will.iam]

I have 2 one wheels as lomg as u don’t push the higher speeds they are safe. Problem is to go faster requires more forward tilt and at speeds of 18 + your front edge only has an inch or so of clearance from the ground and any bump rock or divit and that leading edge grabs the ground and instantly stops with you still going forward at your last known speed. There is a mod to put a wheel bar at each edge so that if you touch the ground the wheel will roll and keep the front edge from digging in and suddenly stopping i would highly recommend that mod, just one save would pay for itself in saved injuries. There is also range anxiety in that when you run out of juice that one wheel is heavy to tote walking back to a plug to charge. I have had my eye on the jupiter x5 folding electric bike it’s biggest advantage is if you run out of electricity you can pedal it just like a normal bike so not as big a problem as carrying the one wheel. 
https://www.jupiterbike.com/discovery

 

[MikeOH]

5 minutes ago, Will.iam said:

I have 2 one wheels as lomg as u don’t push the higher speeds they are safe. Problem is to go faster requires more forward tilt and at speeds of 18 + your front edge only has an inch or so of clearance from the ground and any bump rock or divit and that leading edge grabs the ground and instantly stops with you still going forward at your last known speed. There is a mod to put a wheel bar at each edge so that if you touch the ground the wheel will roll and keep the front edge from digging in and suddenly stopping i would highly recommend that mod, just one save would pay for itself in saved injuries. There is also range anxiety in that when you run out of juice that one wheel is heavy to tote walking back to a plug to charge. I have had my eye on the jupiter x5 folding electric bike it’s biggest advantage is if you run out of electricity you can pedal it just like a normal bike so not as big a problem as carrying the one wheel. 
https://www.jupiterbike.com/discovery

 

Just a couple of points to consider:

1) Weight is 40 pounds each; our Montagues are 30 pounds.  20 pounds more away from useful load if you both have one.

2) Range is listed as 10-15 miles.  That's pretty limited and pedaling a heavy 'clown bike' (small wheels) is no fun once the battery dies!

 

My wife and I ride road bikes and found the folding Montagues, with full size wheels, to ride the closest to a road bike as anything out there; no issues with a 30 mile ride.

 If you're just looking to go a mile or two into town and back, then the electric clown bike is probably ideal.

[Will.iam]

3 hours ago, MikeOH said:

Just a couple of points to consider:

1) Weight is 40 pounds each; our Montagues are 30 pounds.  20 pounds more away from useful load if you both have one.

2) Range is listed as 10-15 miles.  That's pretty limited and pedaling a heavy 'clown bike' (small wheels) is no fun once the battery dies!

 

My wife and I ride road bikes and found the folding Montagues, with full size wheels, to ride the closest to a road bike as anything out there; no issues with a 30 mile ride.

 If you're just looking to go a mile or two into town and back, then the electric clown bike is probably ideal.

True but i think i can get 2 clown bikes into the baggage compartment thus not messing with one in the back seat kind of deal and that 15-17 is if you don’t pedal at all. One of my neighbors has a couple as both him and his wife like to think they are exercising when they really are assisted peddling but he says they do 25 to 30 miles on them easily. Need to barrow one to check out for sure and if i would be ok with it. 

[MikeOH]

@Will.iam

That's a great idea to take one on an extended test ride to see how it really performs.  And, getting them both in the baggage area is a big plus; that's my major issue with our Montagues.

[FlyingDude]

Any cheap knockoff for this one wheel? I guess we wouldn't use it more than 3-4 times a year. 2x $1000 (for me and wife). That ain't cheap...

[Will.iam]

12 minutes ago, FlyingDude said:

Any cheap knockoff for this one wheel? I guess we wouldn't use it more than 3-4 times a year. 2x $1000 (for me and wife). That ain't cheap...

I think there is a chinese knockoff but do you really want to trust that their motor will not overheat or software glitch and dumps you overboard? The one wheel is built like a tank to take some serious abuse the motor has a patent cooling air system to keep it running, and they took years tweaking the software to mimic riding a snow board as the original founders wanted a way to keep their skills up during the summer time before the next snow season that doesn’t come cheap. 

[BDPetersen]

Looks like the kind of stuff we used to wish on to those at the top of the seniority list to enhance advancement. Hang gliders, too.

[FlyingDude]

30 minutes ago, BDPetersen said:

Hang gliders, too

I did that for 4 years in the Alps! I was in college at that time.  It's A LOT of fun. 

[N201MKTurbo]

Future Motion is not a good company. They do not support their products and cheat their customers. I would buy something else. There are lots of options.

[Paul Thomas]

I’ll have to check how easily two bikes fit in the back, but I’ve been impressed with the Citizens bike in my very limited use. The Tokyo model fits through the luggage door.

We are planning to use them once the weather cools off.

[PeterRus]

How about scooters?

[Oliver]

14 hours ago, Will.iam said:

True but i think i can get 2 clown bikes into the baggage compartment thus not messing with one in the back seat kind of deal and that 15-17 is if you don’t pedal at all. [...]

As per your profile you have a M20k. Our E has (like the C) a smaller baggage compartment. We can't even get our 2 Daher Uno in.

Ideally I would want two electric folding bikes, it's however just not feasible. Particularly not on longer trips, when we also have to fit luggage.

 

[phxcobraz]

I have a Pint X also and have used it on more trips than I can count. There is a learning curve, and always wear a helmet. 
Works great to get around but I don’t really enjoy riding it on roads without a shoulder, which is common getting to and from some small airports. In those cases I still try and find a car/ride. 

I find a better use is getting around once I am at my destination, rather than renting a car. Often I am in small towns or cities that are well setup for bikes already and it works great there. I go to Pullman, WA a few times a year to see my nieces and nephews and I ride it every day going from hotel to their house and getting coffee/beer/whatever. 

[Igor_U]

1 hour ago, Paul Thomas said:

I’ll have to check how easily two bikes fit in the back, but I’ve been impressed with the Citizens bike in my very limited use. The Tokyo model fits through the luggage door.

We are planning to use them once the weather cools off.

I have a Tokyo bike for some 10 years and it's really a good value for the price. Being made of steel, it is on a heavier side but fits perfectly into the mid body baggage compartment. I seldom use it now but few summers ago i commuted to work (M-F) to Moses lake and rode it 4+ miles between work (at the airport) to the apartment and grocery store, errands and such. I am 6'3" and while adequate, would prefer 20" wheels. I wasn't sure if it fit through the baggage door but i remember a member here saying it would. something to check and think about it. 

Enjoy it

[Igor_U]

7 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said:

Future Motion is not a good company. They do not support their products and cheat their customers. I would buy something else. There are lots of options.

Please do tell... 

I though you loved yours from the older posts.

[N201MKTurbo]

16 minutes ago, Igor_U said:

Please do tell... 

I though you loved yours from the older posts.

I always had it in easy stop mode. Every time I tried to use it without easy stop, I would not be able to get off of it gracefully. Sometimes I fell. So I just rode it in easy stop. One night I was out playing pool with my son. while I was at the pool hall I decided that it was time to learn how to get off in regular mode. The normal way to get off is to raise your heel or toe of your front foot to turn it off. I was doing OK with it that way. When I got home I went to get off of it before I had to go up a rounded curb (I'm still afraid of those). I lifted my heel and it wouldn't turn off, so I jumped off. When I jumped off, it still didn't turn off. Because the battery is in the back, the back always goes down when you get off. When I got off it went full speed backwards without me on it. It isn't supposed to go at all without weight on the foot pad. It hit the square curb across the street and flew straight up in the air about 15 feet and crashed to the ground. It didn't work after that.

I called Future motion and told them what happened. they had me do all kinds of diagnostics and said it was broke. they also said I had a defective foot pad that had been recalled. I told them I was never notified about the recall. They said all owners were notified. They checked my email and said I was not the registered owner. I told them my wife bought it fo me for Christmas. They checked her email and said that was the registered email. I checked her e-mail including all the spam folders and such and there was no emails from Future Motion about the recall. We did find all the emails about the order and the delivery notifications. They then said the notices were all over social media. I told them I don't do social media (except MooneySpace), so I would never get those notifications. So they sent me a new foot pad. I changed it out and now I had a dead One Wheel with a new foot pad. They said I had to send it in. They said the shipping both ways would be $80 and the repair charge would be $80. So I sent it in. 

About a week later they called and said it would be $850 to fix my wheel! I said your manufacturing defect that you were well aware of cause the damage. They said it was out of warranty And they were not responsible for the damage. I told them to send it back and I would try to fix it. When I got it back, I took it all apart and the battery module was all busted up from the crash. There was no way to fix it properly without a new battery case. They don't sell battery cases. Actually they didn't sell any parts until recently. I think they had to comply with California's right to repair law. So I bought a new battery module for $650. It now works again, except the serial number has reset to zero, so I cannot register my new parts with them. I haven't called them about the serial number yet. I'm pretty sure they will want me to send it in.

I'm just pissed at them. I didn't crash my wheel, it committed suicide because of a known defect and they refused to fix it. And they lied about notifying me about the recall. I don't think they actually sent out any notifications, they just posted it on Facebook. Not to mention I rode it for a year thinking I was a klutz when it just didn't work. I asked why they didn't notify about the recall through their app? They said they couldn't do that, but that was a lie too. They got sued for killing a few people and pushed a notification about a mandatory software change and training video through the app.

There are plenty of PEVs out there. My little brother is a fan of the unicycle type. they are a much better value and higher performance. You can get some of those that will go over 70 MPH and go for 50 miles or so. He has one that is about the size of a lunch box that goes as fast as the One Wheel and has a range of 15 miles. You could probably put 8 of those in a Mooney baggage compartment.

[Paul Thomas]

45 minutes ago, Igor_U said:

I have a Tokyo bike for some 10 years and it's really a good value for the price. Being made of steel, it is on a heavier side but fits perfectly into the mid body baggage compartment. I seldom use it now but few summers ago i commuted to work (M-F) to Moses lake and rode it 4+ miles between work (at the airport) to the apartment and grocery store, errands and such. I am 6'3" and while adequate, would prefer 20" wheels. I wasn't sure if it fit through the baggage door but i remember a member here saying it would. something to check and think about it. 

Enjoy it

I read posts that say they fit bikes with 20 inch wheel. The bikes I tried with 20 inch wheels do not fit for my particular J. The opening is not square so it's 18x16x21x16. Even when trying to fit things diagonally, the bikes I tried did not fit due even though some were close. I decided to go for the smaller size because I don't want to have a bike that is such a tight fit that there is a risk to damage something, and I question getting the second bike in and out. These smaller ones fit the mission and ride better than I expected.

Most trips will be just my wife and I, the added weight of steel will give us a better CG. More speed (to make up for the smaller wheels)!

[N201MKTurbo]

https://alienrides.com/products/begode-mten-mini-electric-unicycle?srsltid=AfmBOopU6VDsWTvKQxMHpQIqNDxDc6-DCT5CNaIyZlJCkbMz42xCenq-