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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

#61

Post by latchkey »

celestialcheese wrote: post #52

Reading this warning, I don't understand why now? Is there a bug with onewheels that are causing this injury/death? Or is it just rider error doing a dangerous activity? Is the CPSC going to start warning against purchasing Rossignol skis or Santa Cruz mountain bikes because their respective activities are dangerous? Participation in action sports and high-speed transportation will result in a higher expected mortali…

> Is there a bug with onewheels that are causing this injury/death?

Yes.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=onewheel+injuri...

Edit:

I should have explained this more. There are whole threads on YT on how these things are super dangerous and causing a lot of injuries. Especially with random lockups.

There are videos about the poor construction, lockups, dangerous to self repair, etc.

I found them when I started to look into buying one of these myself.

Here is a reddit thread full of stories...

https://www.reddit.com/r/onewheel/comments/robnkf/lets_talk_...

Old, but Casey Neistat broke his collar bone...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ay5M82IcUI

Lawsuit over wrongful death:

https://gearjunkie.com/news/onewheel-wrongful-death-lawsuit

Nosedives:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24T4xrSf1Dg

Electronic issues:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6G3ddOMvBws

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5b3fHL6ko0

Onewheel CEO SBF moment:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2PrcgfsX14

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

#62

Post by evan_ »

themagician wrote: post #46

I can not believe it took this long. After trying one for a bit I always wanted to get one, but never felt fully safe riding it. I even asked them repeatedly if they ever had a plan to introduce a board with some kind of additional set of wheels or bearings on the ends to let you "roll out" in the event of a power failure. The issues has always been that, in the event of a loss of power for any reason, because you ar…

you can get a kit to put little casters on ("fangs") but since they lower the front end they can snag on stuff that wouldn't be a problem otherwise

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

#63

Post by sometimeshuman »

easygenes wrote: post #21

It seems lax of CPSC to issue such a damning statement without an accompanying comparative analysis to other board or motor sports. What’s the injury rate vs other similar sports and how much of that is to blame from undereducated or reckless riders? Also, what’s the rationale for the recall if the issue is people ignoring the obvious warnings the thing is giving that the battery is about to die? This doesn’t seem to…

It's the single point of failure with no preventative maintenance plan that makes it more dangerous. When the power suddenly cut-out on my "one wheel" (it was a different brand) I was instantly airborne.

I can inspect my skateboard periodically to ensure the wheels don't fall off. If my dirtbike engine suddenly cut-out I still have momentum and brakes. But with a onewheel the wheel slips behind you and you are smashing the pavement when the electronics fail. For the record, I love my recently purchased Onewheel Pint and installed fangs in case the power cuts out unexpectedly.

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

#64

Post by advisedwang »

celestialcheese wrote: post #52

Reading this warning, I don't understand why now? Is there a bug with onewheels that are causing this injury/death? Or is it just rider error doing a dangerous activity? Is the CPSC going to start warning against purchasing Rossignol skis or Santa Cruz mountain bikes because their respective activities are dangerous? Participation in action sports and high-speed transportation will result in a higher expected mortali…

> Is there a bug with onewheels that are causing this injury/death? Or is it just rider error doing a dangerous activity?

The article describes the scooter suddenly stopping operation and throwing riders off. It's not just scooting being dangerous generally, but a specific product flaw.

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

#65

Post by colechristensen »

Title does not match link. Nowhere does it say a recall was ordered, it does say the manufacturer is refusing to comply with what I assume is a suggestion for a voluntary recall. Does the CPSC have the authority to order unilateral recalls?

I'm honestly considering buying one while I still can, they seem like fun and I'm just fine with the risks as long as there isn't some hidden failure or manufacturing defect.

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

#66

Post by themagician »

rainsurf wrote: post #54

I strongly disagree with this recall. I own a Onewheel (XR) and have ridden nearly ~1,000 miles on it in a variety of conditions. I've only had one incident and it was entirely my fault (riding at night without proper lights and hit a pothole). The Onewheel definitely has a learning curve. Like most things in life if you are patient in learning it and respect the limits it is entirely safe. I think the safeguards One…

Have you ever had the power fail?

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

#67

Post by fragmede »

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.

Motorbikes can easily (But you're right that even at 35 mph you'd be in a world of hurt. Every time I see a bicyclist going aggressively downhill in a bowl helmet and a barely-there lycra suit, I cringe so hard. You know how they get rid of road rash? They aggressively brush it out with what amounts to sandpaper.

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

#68

Post by arglebargle123 »

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…

Another commenter posted about this in a separate top level comment already but it's worth mentioning here as well since you mention speed. The people who routinely hit 25+mph on a regular road bike know how to handle one at those speeds, many ebike riders simply don't have the handling skills or the experience to ride safely (for themselves and others) at speed.

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

#69

Post by whimsicalism »

0_____0 wrote: post #42
roughly wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

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.

This has definitely been my observation as well. E-bike riders tend to be less experienced at a given speed then cyclists.

They also seem less likely to be comfortable riding on the road (understandably) so illegally use sidewalks to a greater degree.

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

#70

Post by 0_____0 »

deeblering4 wrote: post #39
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.

Your latter point is why I'm not really sold on electric longboards. Your control authority on a longboard is pretty low, and you need a lot of control authority to react to surprise obstacles/maintain stability after encountering one. Sure, DH longboarders exceed 25mph regularly, but they ride in semi-controlled environments (scout the descent for gravel etc before hitting it) and are exceptionally skilled.

Putting random noobs on electric longboards is a recipe for road rash and broken bones. A few years ago, three people in my office got Boosted boards, and I believe we saw two instances of pretty bad road rash and a broken bone among them.

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