Onewheel Stories

9 March 2021, 03:29 UTC

Dec 31, 2020: Hubby and I took our boards for a small lake loop. This was my first ride in a public space and I was looking forward to reaching my first milestone: 10 miles on the board.

We had passed and exchanged comments with many people along the short loop ... but my favorite was from a little girl, perhaps 6 years old: "Girls can ride those, too??" Her voice was filled with surprise, wonder and a good measure of disbelief ... as if someone had informed her otherwise.

It wasn't really directed at me ... but I tried to offer a quick word of encouragement while riding past her. (So sorry she couldn't see my smile behind my mask.)

9 March 2021, 11:57 UTC

@HorsePlay I always get a little heart broken hearing young girls think they can't do something like this. Glad you could be an inspiration to her :)

10 March 2021, 01:26 UTC

@HorsePlay @Lia my daughter's 9 and she's killing it on a onewheel (and even more on a snowboard!). she even broke her arm on the onewheel in May, but yeah still at it.

10 March 2021, 10:53 UTC

@Swinefeaster Minus the breaking an arm that's what I like to hear :)
Tough little one you've got. I don't think I'd deal with a broken arm too well even though I'm 25 >.>

7 April 2021, 23:14 UTC

Been one of those odd days where everyone seemed to have plucked up the courage to talk to me today when out shopping.

Right off the gate before entering the store the security guy came over to have a chat. Paraphrased he said that even with the hundreds to thousands of faces he see's come and go I'm one of like 3 people he remembers mostly because of the Onewheel that I ride there and bring into the store. The board is notable enough that he's gone on Youtube a few times to show his wife what it is since she didn't believe it could only have a single wheel.

Not long after that while looking for where they'd hid the Pepsi another dude came over and did the usual asking what it is, how it works and is it even legal. The trifecta of questions I have come to expect. Usually these chats fizzle out after that but this carried on till they asked if I happened to have ridden it a few miles away at another location a year or so ago. I knew it was more than likely me since there are almost no riders in my area. A quick look at my photos and sure enough I had ridden around the location in the same period of time the guy remembered. It's amusing to think I cause such a stir in my county that me riding around can stick in peoples memory.

At checkout I tend to strike up a conversation with the person scanning my items. It didn't take long for them to bring up the Onewheel sitting happily in the trolley with my cat ear helmet. Little did I know he too had seen me riding around another location albeit more recently and was happy to be able to chat since they didn't get a chance to grab my attention the first time around.

Kind of humbling when this happens. Doesn't happen too often so having 3 instances within the span of an hour was fun. Also nice to know I still stick out like a sore thumb, haven't this level of notoriety since I was in my last years of school.

8 April 2021, 00:05 UTC

@Lia said in Onewheel Stories:

haven't this level of notoriety since I was in my last years of school.

Should we tug on that thread or simply leave it be ... ?

Love the image of your OW and cat-ear helmet in the shopping cart (aka trolley)! Also love how we use the photo library on our phones to determine where we were on a given date. Or, conversely, to answer the argument of when did we go to a certain place. Where would we be today without our multi-purpose devices?

Did you find your Pepsi?

8 April 2021, 01:21 UTC

@Lia said in Onewheel Stories:

what it is, how it works and is it even legal. The trifecta of questions

I usually get the first 2, followed by "how much does it cost?" . . . immediately followed by an audible gasp!

8 April 2021, 01:51 UTC

@HorsePlay Nothing terrible. I used to wear a fox hoodie round school. Since there was a uniform for all years below and my year having to wear "smart casual" I was easy to pick out being fluorescent orange among dark green blazers and black/white tops. Still not sure how I got away with it for those 2 years. Was widely known throughout the school as just "The fox". Embarrassingly enough when walking the tail would swish side to side >.>

Helmet is great, I mostly wear it for the look than safety (don't tell the gear police) and during winter it stops my face freezing. No idea if I'll melt in it during the summer. Found the Pepsi too in the end too which was a bonus :)

@OneDan Aha that sounds about right. I do sometimes get asked cost and likewise get very one sided responses. Usually mentioning the Pint first helps ease them into it...

8 April 2021, 03:49 UTC

@OneDan said in Onewheel Stories:

I usually get the first 2, followed by "how much does it cost?" . . . immediately followed by an audible gasp!

I've been sidestepping the cost question by directing the conversation, in that moment, to a local rental company. That makes the conversation so much easier: "Rent one ... it comes with a lesson!" :)

Edited to add: That said, if I had rented one ... I would have never purchased one. It took me weeks to really 'enjoy' the ride.

8 April 2021, 07:52 UTC

@Lia said in Onewheel Stories:

Pepsi

And I thought you were normal...

8 April 2021, 08:10 UTC

Was riding up the street yesterday and passed by a group of landscapers doing their thing. It's a bit of a long incline, so I was just casually riding up the hill gingerly. As I'm riding by them, I hear what sounds like the loud rumbling of a commercial lawnmower directly on my tail. I look off to my side and there is one of them riding along side of me with a big smile on his face. I also grinned widely as I suddenly found myself sharing my very first group ride with some dude on a lawnmower. It was fun! Funniest part was when I did a bit of a pirouette/hard toe side turn in the driveway of the home they were working, and he responded with his own 360. We laughed.

8 April 2021, 08:29 UTC

@NotSure Group ride with a lawnmower is going on the list of things I need to do now

8 April 2021, 16:11 UTC

Hubby gloated last night over his OW ride at a customer facility during the day. The site is large ... and he had secured a coveted parking space near the work area just before dawn. Mid-day he needed to run paperwork to the admin office about 2 miles away. Move his truck? No way. Walk? Most do ... but ... but ... yippie! He had both his OW and helmet in his truck!

He kept pace with an employee's golf-cart as he disciplined himself to obey the 10MPH on-site speed limit. The cart driver struck up a conversation as they cruised up a hill, side-by-side. By the time he reached the admin office, folks were swarming him for info about the 'hoverboard.'

He laughed. Usually getting paperwork through the admin office is a major pain. Nobody appears to care or take interest. Yesterday? He had flocks of 'interested' people and his paperwork sailed through once he had satisfied their questions about the board. ("Focus, people! Paperwork. This is just my ride. Yes, they are fun. Yes, they are useful. Yes, you can get one, too!")

Float on ... and later gloat on ... :)

9 April 2021, 16:26 UTC

@NotSure Hah, that's awesome.

30 June 2021, 03:33 UTC

The Goose Shit Slalom is great training!! It can also be messy (use a fender) and dangerous.

Sandpoint city beach paths get some serious shit spackeling so thick you can't avoid it. I was ripping a 'shit slalom run there last year, quick turns at maybe 5-6 mph to avoid the cleaning, but turned so sharp and fast the board turned right out from underneath me and shot off into the sand. It spun me around and the 1st thing that hit the pavement was the back of my helmet!! I crawled to a nearby bench to gather what few wits weren't knocked out of me. Minor concussion with the helmet. I was fully padded, none of which touched the pavement, would not have gotten up w/out the bucket.

I still do the shit slalom but I'm way more cautious.

30 June 2021, 04:10 UTC

@b0ardski , I’m so glad you were wearing the helmet!!

25 July 2021, 17:11 UTC

Yesterday, Ruth Anne asked me, "How old were you when you finally felt like a grown-up?"

After a pause I looked at her and said, "Ruth Anne! ...I ride a Onewheel."

25 July 2021, 23:21 UTC

@blkwalnutgrwr said in Onewheel Stories:

finally felt like a grown-up?"

That is awesome! :)

Similar, or possibly inverted, comment thrown at us this morning after church: "Looks like the kids are back in school!"

Backstory: Our church meets at the local school (K-12, one small campus). Our space is not entirely dedicated ... so we tend to lug quite a bit of personal equipment back and forth from home to make it all work. Seems my husband and I take ~5 trips each between car and classroom both in set-up and break-down.

Today, while zipping about the external hallways using our OWs... we gained more attention than normal ... earning us the comment/observations, "Looks like the kids are back in school."

Hey, we just want to make the work faster, easier and more fun ... right?