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

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

#371

Post by piva00 »

conductr wrote: post #131
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…

I bailed at 8mph on an electric longboard and broke my elbow, severely sprained my shoulder and wrist. I even lost some rotation and dexterity in my hand. It's one of those my arm is never going to be the same type injuries. I was 40 but skated and bmxed into my mid-20s and still felt pretty comfortable with my abilities on the ground (gave up on ramps long ago). I knew this was a risk given the speeds and even got a…

> Even still, concrete is not flat, you'll eventually come across a missing cobblestone, etc. IMO it's a matter of when not if you'll take a spill.

As a former skateboarder in my teens I tried longboarding just for the fun of it later in life (around my 30s) and this is exactly why I stopped. Given time enough you will eat pavement, it's just a matter of when and how.

I decided to stop when I took a fall from a gap between concrete slabs that wasn't visible, I remembered to roll but still mangled my knee and somehow my thumbs and was out of commission on a 2 weeks recovery. It fucking sucked, the pain was much longer lasting than when I was a teen, the lost mobility made me unable to work for more than a week. I have responsibilities now, I can't be taking weeks off work due to a stupid fall from something that was supposed to be fun.

The electric unicycles always scared me though and I never tried them. I've seen 2 accidents happening in front of me when I was biking and both were really gnarly, even for my standards with action sports. Calling an ambulance for a stranger passed out after they lost control going over 25km/h and hit a parked car was really not fun.

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

#372

Post by wodenokoto »

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…

> and multiple reports of serious injuries after the product failed to balance the rider or suddenly stopped while in motion.

According to the callback this is a technical problem, and not of unskilled users.

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

#373

Post by Aeolun »

WiseWeasel wrote: post #263
Aeolun wrote: post #218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hmm, I don't think people using bikes are too lazy to walk. Then you'd use an electric bike. People using a bike are too busy to have time for walking. Using a bike is just as much effort, just condensed over a shorter period of time.

Biking a given distance is significantly more energy efficient than walking thanks to the wheels maintaining your momentum and decreasing friction. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_efficiency_in_transport

More energy efficient just means you can expend the same energy and go faster :D

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

#374

Post by Rediscover »

donmaq wrote: post #340
butterguns wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know how to fall (intellectually). How do I translate that into the real world? I took a nasty fall on my MTB this summer, broke my shoulder. Everything was instinctual and a blur. Can we somehow retrain our innate responses?

> I know how to fall (intellectually). How do I translate that into the real world? As a martial arts instructor, here's my advice: The first month or so of aikido classes is a great way to learn rolling. Start on your knees, on a padded floor, arc your arms/"hold a ball", & practice rolling diagonally (eg right shoulder to left hip, etc) 1. Keep arms in a curve: the arms pattern your fall, rather that 'push the grou…

This is great advice - it is true to me as well. I would ask You to also consider mention rolling across the upper back unless You don't endorse it and then I would like to hear [read] that too - i.e., one backside shoulder across to the other with your #2. It has saved me many times.

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

#375

Post by danhor »

Havoc wrote: post #231
ok_dad wrote: post #86

I never realized how fast 25mph was until I fell off my two wheeled electric scooter going that speed and was slowed down by a bus-head impact after I braked a bit. Luckily I was wearing a helmet and long pants, but I still broke my back in several places. A cop that saw me whiff it said I was probably only going 10 by the time I hit the bus. I believe all of these electric whatever should be lawfully mandated to go…

The EU has speed limits on ebikes. 20kmh I believe (while not pedalling) which is just under your 15

It's 25kmh for pedelecs. Most countries also limit E-Scooters to 25kph, but (for example) Germany limits them to 20kph.

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

#376

Post by ekidd »

hoistbypetard wrote: post #350
0_____0 wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A new e-bike rider who suddenly is capable of 20mph and has no experience to the contrary might assume (wrongly) that they can navigate safely at that speed. Cyclists who can maintain 20+ mph on flat ground (not at all uncommon!) will have many more riding hours under their belts, and the commensurate handling skills and instincts.

And we have still had one of those cyclists (on a traditional road bike) with all of those riding hours, handling skills and instincts, kill an elderly pedestrian on a mixed-use trail around here by maintaining that 20+mph. I'm starting to think e-bikes that go that fast should use traffic lanes intended for cars and motorcycles, not mixed-use trails intended for bicycles and pedestrians.

That's heartbreaking.

20 mph on a mixed-use trail is dangerously reckless, unless you get a long empty stretch out in the countryside.

There are always groups of 4+ pedestrians who will suddenly spread out and block both lanes completely, with almost zero warning. If you can't react to that without an accident, you're going way too fast.

It would be nice if pedestrians would stay in the correct lane, but it's never going to happen. Even if you're only going 5 mph, you've rung a loud bell, and you've clearly said, "Passing on your left" (if that's the local trail's convention), then half the group will immediately spread into the left lane. And the other half will block the right. This is the most basic fact of mixed-use trail safety.

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

#377

Post by smileysteve »

butterguns wrote: post #152
ramesh31 wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Knowing how to fall is such an incredibly important life skill, it's baffling to watch people who never learned it. As a ski instructor, you could instantly tell from their first fall the kids who would get it and stick with it from the ones who would be sitting in the lodge pouting after an hour.

I know how to fall (intellectually). How do I translate that into the real world? I took a nasty fall on my MTB this summer, broke my shoulder. Everything was instinctual and a blur. Can we somehow retrain our innate responses?

The most instinctual thing we can change is avoiding panic - and the negative things it causes. Like looking down instead of ahead. Or trying to stop yourself.

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

#379

Post by Zak »

latchkey wrote: post #309
Zak wrote: post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My take on it is that if it's no more dangerous than the term "20+ MPH electrically-driven skateboard/unicycle hybrid" sounds, then it's perfectly fine to market it to adults. That sounds kind of dangerous to me. If I was going to ride one, I'd be sure I was wearing a helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads. I'd ride it in a very controlled space free of obstacles, uneven surfaces, and unpredictable road users until I mast…

It is too easy to nosedive on these things at speed and go superman. Either a balance mistake or hardware failure. There are tons of videos of people nosediving. There are now third party companies making little wheels that sit on the end edge that are supposed to help protect you. IMHO, that is one advancement that the company should be making as part of the core product and not just outsourcing.

Safety wheels do seem like a good feature that should be standard on these. There's a speed over which they can no longer accelerate fast enough to self-balance, and braking to override the user's questionable decision to go faster would cause a nosedive.

What I'm seeing from a quick search is that there's an audible warning upon exceeding the speed that's safe for self-balancing. Ignoring that is rider error.

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

#380

Post by rtkwe »

Auracle wrote: post #330
zamalek wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am absolutely no fan of Future Motion, and I ditched my OneWheel in protest. This isn't entirely a product flaw and comes down to physics: the board pushes you back (by lifting the front) to indicate that you are exceeding it's capacity to balance (all balancing products have a limit, with no exceptions). It will also push back when the battery is low. Either way, ignoring pushback is how people "suddenly have the…

The pushback is entirely inadequate as if you’re leaning forward enough you won’t have time to even feel it. It happened to me - I was using it to search for my dog that ran away for the first time ever. Because I was in a tizzy I wasn’t wearing my helmet, for the first time ever. Someone told me where she was - I floored it to get around a slow bicyclist. I nosedived. Luckily I had “fangs” on it that are a set of sm…

Isn't the way it keeps the nose up by speeding up though?
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