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CPSC calls for full recall of all Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards

cpsc.gov

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Re: CPSC calls for full recall of all Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards

#31

Post by bombcar »

pram wrote: post #16
alden5 wrote: post #3

onewheels suffer from a problem known as nosediving in which the board shuts off when it can't supply enough power to support the rider, as the board is self balancing this is a problem intrinsic to the board's form factor. The board works in a similar fashion to balancing something like an umbrella on your hand, as the rider leans forward it creates an imbalance that requires the board to accelerate in order to keep…

It happens at low speeds too! I hit a pothole on my bike and flew off the front and had a concussion/sternum fracture, and I was going like >5mph. I couldn’t believe it. It has made me permanently scared of electric bikes. (yes I was wearing a helmet thankfully or I might actually be dead)

I've read somewhere that a majority of the "damage" from a bike accident is actually the "head to concrete" fall distance, and that speed often isn't a major factor.

Re: CPSC calls for full recall of all Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards

#32

Post by birdman3131 »

thembones wrote: post #29

Never been able to understand why these don't come by default on the Onewheels: https://land-surf.com/products/new-fangs-gt-built-tough-to-r... I put these on mine and love em. They work well and prevent exactly what's being described.

But then it would be a 5 wheel.

Re: CPSC calls for full recall of all Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards

#33

Post by robocat »

There's a heap of videos showing serious crashes on youtube.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys3ivCUxIvY is titled "OneWheel — The Deadliest EV" and it is was published two years ago. It shows many short clips of some crashes in the first minute, however, beware, it is very uncomfortable viewing if you empathise with accident victims (I don't watch American pratfall TV programming for the same reason).

That video also talks about another design/usability flaw at 8 minutes 30.

Re: CPSC calls for full recall of all Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards

#34

Post by mrchucklepants »

bombcar wrote: post #20
FpUser wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>"heartily recommend that other early adopters think about voluntarily seeking out additional training" Alternatively one can stop being an idiot and ride at safe speed. I bet that "additional training" would require at least this kind of sanity

People assume a "bike" is safe, and a "motorbike" can be dangerous, but there's no real difference between them. I've reached 35 MPH downhill under pedal power; if I had wiped out I would have been in a world of hurt, or dead, depending on how it had gone.

I've hit 50 mph downhill on my bike just to say I'd done it. I started thinking of all the ways it could end badly. As soon as I hit 50, I was on the brakes.

Re: CPSC calls for full recall of all Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards

#35

Post by ars »

1attice wrote: post #8

With thunderstorms, you count seconds 'twixt bolt and boom. With the current golden age of electrified last-mile transport, we're seeing the gap between innovation and regulation opening up wide -- now several years. Real-world impact: I routinely get up to speeds on my e-bike that are, quite simply, dangerous. It's not that I never hit 25 miles an hour on my old road bike, it's that I spend so much more time hanging…

I was using an e-bike on a road with some ripples (I guess they messed up during paving). I was thrown off of the bike, and my helmet prevented any serious injury.

I wasn't even going very fast.

The only solution to that (and the potholes) is larger wheels.

Re: CPSC calls for full recall of all Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards

#36

Post by unethical_ban »

drcode wrote: post #18

There should be a place for adults to purchase equipment for dangerous hobbies, as long as the risks aren't covered up.

Agreed. If this is a problem inherent in the form factor, it should be advertised as such and we continue on, like we do with motorcycles, skateboards and so on.

Re: CPSC calls for full recall of all Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards

#37

Post by frankus »

roughly wrote: post #22
1attice wrote: post #8

With thunderstorms, you count seconds 'twixt bolt and boom. With the current golden age of electrified last-mile transport, we're seeing the gap between innovation and regulation opening up wide -- now several years. Real-world impact: I routinely get up to speeds on my e-bike that are, quite simply, dangerous. It's not that I never hit 25 miles an hour on my old road bike, it's that I spend so much more time hanging…

I picked up an e-bike not too long ago and took a bit to decide between class 2 and class 3 - I didn’t have enough experience with a bike and a speedometer to gauge whether the 20mph limit on class 2 would be enough. Having ridden around for a while now, yeah, absolutely agree - anything over ~15-20mph is above my comfort zone for “able to adjust to sudden changes in the environment.” Folks who get the “class 4”s are…

It's a bit of a balance. It's great to be able to keep up with the 25 mph/40 kph traffic on city streets, but small bumps in the pavement are rough and of course there's quadratically more energy to manage in the event of a crash.

I think we need to normalize the idea that riding a class 3 bike requires using at a minimum a full-face helmet, motorcycle gloves, and close-toed shoes.

Personally I'll likely keep riding my bike in class 3 mode since it results in zero speed penalty over driving in town (and often is faster thanks to bike lanes that bring you to the front of a line of cars stopped at a light, and can typically be parked steps away from the door of where I'm going).

Re: CPSC calls for full recall of all Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards

#38

Post by psychlops »

js2 wrote: post #10
aksss wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good summary. I would just add that "can't supply enough power" is a state the board can enter into either in lower battery levels or (more often) when a rider has put their center of mass too far forward, causing the board to work harder to stay under them, while also moving at a higher rate of speed or accelerating - the board can't give enough power to maintain this. Pushback is to be respected, but the user can a…

When I was a teenager I rode my skateboard down a parking lot ramp when I realized I was going way too fast, was about to enter the street and the only way to bail was to jump off and run. It looked about like that video. I didn’t realize these one wheels have top speeds of 16-20 mph. That’s faster than most people can sprint. 16 mph is a 3:45 mile. 20 is a 3:00 mile. > we're lucky to enjoy them before the nannies st…

If only the CPSC had tested skateboards for speed wobbles, they would be banned.

Re: CPSC calls for full recall of all Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards

#39

Post by deeblering4 »

0_____0 wrote: post #23

One issue I've noticed with these new forms of electric wheeled transport (longboard, transverse and longitudinal one-wheelers) is that the people riding them often don't come from a sports background. They aren't "safe" devices exactly - it takes skill to pilot them, and when things inevitably go awry, it takes good reflexes to avoid damage. Novices to action sports often throw their arms out to catch themselves whe…

Very true. If you've never been able to cruise on a skateboard, you might not realize how much damage an unexpected pebble or sidewalk crack will do.

Riding is a constant balance of scanning the pavement for inconsistencies and making corrections to mitigate them. I don't know if that's even possible at 20+ mph.

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