It’s hard to believe that its been over six months since my last blog post. I posted right after the beginning of the New Year and haven’t been active since which is surprising given that I’ve tried to post at least once a month at a minimum and maybe missed a month every so often. Perhaps the nature of social media is changing and social platforms are getting the majority of my attention or maybe my passion for the blog has waned a bit given other everyday distractions but I do like being in this space and I’m back if only for a brief post.

Over the last six months, my penchant for geeking out hasn’t slowed down. This post is about a relatively new acquisition–the Onewheel+ XR. I’ve had a Onewheel+ for almost a year and I love it. It gets around 7 miles per charge and you can’t beat getting it fully charged in approximately 20 minutes. I would love for it to go farther on a charge and when the Onewheel+ XR was released with new Battery technology, greater torque and extended range (up to 18 miles on a charge), I had to have one and it arrived a few weeks ago. The decision to keep both was tough as I could easily sell the Onewheel+ and recoup most of the $1500 I spent on it in favor of keeping the Onewheel+ XR as a capable replacement but the OW+ is FAA approved for air travel based on the size of the battery where the OW+ XR is not since the battery exceeds the capacity limits for flight. I’ve never flown with the OW+ so at this point it’s really a moot issue and it’s more a matter of me being greedy and just wanting to have both for the time being.

You can’t have a Onewheel without adding accessories at some point. I’ve added Craft & Ride carbon fiber fenders to both boards–a matte black bolt on fender for the OW+ and a glossy black honeycomb bolt on fender for the OW+ XR. I also added a Craft & Ride OneTail+ to the OW+ XR. The OW+ has become more of a practicing work horse and it has the scratches and scuffs to evidence my apprenticeship while providing street cred while the OW+ XR is my touring machine that is a bit more pristine as a result of my riding maturity–although accidents do happen and I do fall every so often as I continue to master the Float Life. Wristguards and a helmet are also part of my riding ensemble though I can’t claim to wear either all the time but I will do better. A variety of backpacks have become standard go to’s to keep my hands free while carrying my requisite geeky stuff. I even broke down and bought a custom fitted Mafia Slingpack Bag for the ultimate traveling chic while my Patagonia Duffel 90L was a bit cheaper and is a lot more forgiving in terms of carrying the Onewheel, charger and cords along with my Chafon charger.

These machines are all kinds of fun and get looks that other devices just can’t because they simply aren’t as cool. I’m looking forward to continuing to improve as a rider and I’m planning a photography project to shoot Central Park on a Onewheel before the summer is over.

Let’s go.