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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

#71

Post by jeffbee »

ars wrote: post #35
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.

What about this experience is specific to electric bikes?

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

#72

Post by duskwuff »

izzydata wrote: post #9

Do segways have a similar problem or is the vehicle large enough that it can always counter balance your weight?

The Segway had a shorter platform, so the user wouldn't put it as far out of balance under typical use, and it had handlebars which allowed the user to pull it back if they started losing their balance. It also had a lower top speed of 10 mph (12.5 on later models); the Onewheel could run at 15-20+ mph.

(I use the past tense because Segway production ended in 2020.)

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

#73

Post by themagician »

opwieurposiu wrote: post #53

One issue with the skateboard style of e-wheel is that your feet are perpendicular to the direction of motion. This means when the wheel quits or you hit a big bump you will have to turn 90deg before you can run. The unicycle style where your feet are parallel to the direction of travel is much easier to "run-out" if the motor quits. The unicycle style also allows a larger wheel and larger batteries. I think reason t…

Skateboarders train themselves to run out in this situation pretty much immediately.

With OneWheel you never really "train" to fall, instead you try to avoid it. So if you don't come from a skateboarding background you have no muscle memory.

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

#74

Post by partdavid »

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)

Why electric bikes specifically?

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

#75

Post by acomjean »

On the one hand people seem to get good enough on them to be able to race down mountains. But they do seem somewhat dangerous when in the mix with cars,bikes and pedestrians. There is I imagine a learning curve.

https://www.onewheelracing.com/

They're fairly uncommon here around Boston, and usually riders are wearing motorcycle style helmets. I see a lot more electric scooters zipping around (like the Bird and Lime ones, but privately owned). The only device I've seen someone fall off of was an electric skateboard (No particular reason (they were coming to a stop at a light and fell foward.).

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

#76

Post by recursive »

ars wrote: post #35
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.

Riding position and weighting distribution.

If you're sitting straight up with 90% of your weight on the saddle, this can happen easily. If your weight is evenly split between saddle, pedal and bars, and your elbows are bent, you can absorb some pretty rough roads.

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

#78

Post by mikestew »

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…

The device tips its nose forward and dumps its rider on their head. There is no need to compare to anything if a device has this behavior. If the battery runs out, I expect the device to come to a stop, not throw me on my ass. I'm pretty sure even a paramotoring rig that runs out of fuel isn't going to immediately hurt me, and those things fly.

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

#79

Post by zdragnar »

Dylan16807 wrote: post #27
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

Are you saying that 25mph is inherently unsafe? What's the safe speed then, for a normal dry day? Does this speed limit apply to motorcycles too?

Falling from a standing position can be dangerous. "Safe" is a function of the environment you're in and device you're riding- traction, obstacles, intersections, speed of other traffic, visible distance (fog / clear sky / bend in the road), wind, all sorts of things.

Motorcycles have different tire sizes, masses and centers of gravity. The speed they can "safely" travel will always be different than a bicycle.

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

#80

Post by shockeychap »

latchkey wrote: post #61
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 sta…

This is not a link to a video describing a specific bug in the product. It's just a link to a search of "onewheel injuries" in YouTube, which presents a variety of videos detailing all manner of injuries that come from operator error and the inherent dangers of OneWheel operation. Try searching for "mountain bike injuries" and see what you get.

Is there anything else? (I'm sincerely interested. The CPSC article clearly infers a situation in which it suddenly stops. Is this confirmed?)

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