I Rode a One-Wheeled Electric Skateboard and Didn’t Break a Single Bone

Daniel Howley
·Technology Editor
Updated

LAS VEGAS — Between the 3D-printed bras and Internet-connected ovens, CES 2015 saw some crazy tech trends. But the coolest things to come out of the show were the electric skateboards and scooters roaming the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center. 

Those motorized boarded stood out (and zoomed away) from the rest of the oddities at the show with ease. And one of the weirdest of these rideables (for lack of a better word) was the aptly named OneWheel, which has, well, one wheel.

The board, which hit the market in October, looks like what would happen if a balance board and a skateboard had a child. It isn’t the most powerful electric skateboard, or even the longest lasting, but its design is so cool that it practically begs to be ridden.

OneWheel skateboard
OneWheel skateboard

Before I came across the OneWheel, I had already ventured out to downtown Las Vegas to ride the ZBoard 2, a full-size electric skateboard with a top speed of 20 miles per hour. So, I figured I was pretty set when it came to riding the OneWheel.

Turns out, I might have overestimated my skateboarding skills.

Because it has just one wheel, getting up on the OneWheel takes a good amount of balance. You can see my not-so-graceful first attempt to stand on the board in the video above.

Once you’re up and balanced, though, riding the OneWheel is fairly intuitive. It’s basically like riding a Segway, but in one-wheeled skateboard form. So not at all like that, I guess.

OneWheel skateboard
OneWheel skateboard

To move forward, you lean your body forward, and to go in reverse you lean backward. Lights on the board activate depending on the direction you’re headed.

Thanks to its giant go-kart-style wheel, the OneWheel can run over things that would stop most other skateboards in their tracks. You can even lower the OneWheel’s tire pressure and take it off road if you’re so inclined.

The downside? The OneWheel gets only between four and six miles on a single charge and has a top speed of 12 mph. Still, the board’s charger lets you refill the battery in just 20 minutes.

Just make sure you don’t get caught too far from home when the board’s battery calls it quits, or you’ll have to lug this 25-pound beast around with you.

You can get the OneWheel for … $1,499?! Wow, really?!

OK, you can get the OneWheel for $1,499 through the company’s site at rideonewheel.com.

Email Daniel at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley or on Google+ here.