SELF BALANCING ONE-WHEEL

Also known as: AirWheel, SBU (Self balancing unicycle), SoloWheel, MonoWheel, Ninebot One E+, Twin Tires, Uniwheel, etc

Here's my in-depth hands on review of a self balancing unicycle scooter. My overall thoughts: it's a TON of fun to ride, steeper learning curve than the 2-wheel scooter, but can go Farther (15 miles), Faster (up 14mph), and All-Terrain!

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This is the Monorover R3. Now to get the confusion out of the way, yes there are many different unicycle scooters out there, some even have two large wheels close together, some have a riding seat, all at different price points, but for my review, and simplicity, I choose the R3, and got for around 500 bucks. They also have an R1 model which is similar, but I'll cover more on that later.

Here’s the specs: It fully charges in just 60 minutes. Water“resistant" IP65, which lets you ride through puddles and in the rain. Max speed is fast, about 14 miles per hour, and it can go a distance of 15 miles on a single charge! Weighs about 23 pounds, which is pretty hefty, but the foot pedals fold up, and the handle is convenient for carrying it around, and the total weight limit is around 250 pounds.

Now there’s also the R1 which seems very similar in specs, but the 2 major differences are, the R3 comes with built it flashing LED lights on the front and back, that are purely for show, as well as a built-in bluetooth speaker. Connecting to it is easy, just turn on the unicycle, connect with your phone, and bam, you can easily start jamming to your tunes while flying down the trails, pretty cool.

Build quality seems good. I’ve taken quite a few tumbles and theres no cracks or breaks or anything. The big motor and tire is legit. It allows you to roll over bumps, hills, off-roading.. its really impressive, and great traction for all kinds of terrain. They even include an air pump extending arm thats helpful for inflating the tire when it needs it.

One thing I liked to see improved is the padding on the sides. It feels too thin and weak and needs more coverage. When I ride around, my legs and ankles are constantly hitting or squeezing in on the main unicycle body, and for me its kinda painful, theres not much padding to help. I even got some nice bruising from it.

Learning to ride this beast is hard, but can also be very fun and rewarding! Its also great exercise, as you’re continually using your body core and leg muscles.  When I first jumped on, I was thinking I’d learn to ride in just a couple minutes like the 2-wheeled scooter, but I was wrong!

The first few hours of practice, I left the training wheels on, which helped me get used to the forward and backward movements, however, here’s my pro tip: take those training wheels off as they can be a handicap and limit your potential. After a solid hour without them, I finally got it. Making turns, going off roading, flying off sidewalks… its actually a LOT easier without the training wheels on.

Now this is the crux, some people want and enjoy the challenge. Something that takes time and practice to master.. and this is it. If you get really good at it, just look at what these guys can do, hopping UP steps, jumping OFF ledges, it's very impressive.

Any tips and tricks for riding? Well, I’m not pro, so take these with a grain of salt. I’d start with training wheels on, just until you get the hang of moving forward and back, but then force yourself to take the trainers off. Remember, the more forward momentum you have the easier it is to stay balanced upright. For me, the auxiliary belt didnt seem to help much. From a starting position, start with your primary foot on the pedal, keep it loose so that the scooter leans in towards the other foot just a little bit, bring it back behind opposite leg just a tad, then roll it forward and gently jump on with the grounded foot. It’lll take lots of practice, but once you get up, keep moving forward, have your knees bent and legs loose, not pinching the unicycle too tight, as you’ll want your ankles to freely and rapidly adjust and bend for balance.

My final thoughts, this self balancing unicycle is difficult to learn, but fun to ride, and gets a lot more fun the more you catch on. I was getting frustrated with myself in the beginning, but now that I’m a little better and more comfortable at it, I’m liking it more and more.