These are unprecedented times. No one could have seen this coming a year ago. We are all impacted in some way by this virus. Now, more than ever, is the time to support small businesses that are so important to our Onewheel community. Read this great article by guest writer and avid Onewheeler Aaron Knowles. If you have the means, support a 3rd party Onewheel accessory company.
-Jimmy Chang
By Guest Writer Aaron Knowles, podcaster/journalist
What do you get when you introduce a new piece of tech into a community of innovators, entrepreneurs and “evil” geniuses? A flourishing market of 3rd party products and a welcoming hungry pack of consumers ready to support the small business.
That is what happened when Future Motion introduced the Onewheel back in 2014. The OG Onewheel hit the streets and a subculture was born. The Onewheel community was on a roll from that point forward. And despite the increase in the worlds nosedive injuries, there were no signs (and still yet to be) of us stopping.
Now, what happens when a need goes unmet? The innovators come out to play. This is also what happened after the creation of the Onewheel, because as many have already experienced and continue to, Future Motion is not the quickest to fulfill a need (no pun intended).
And so it began; Fenders, bumpers, float plates and the list continues to grow. The innovators continue to innovate, and honestly it seems at a pace much faster than Future Motion can, even with all of their corporate money, man power and “concern” for the community.
With a recent question posted in the Onewheel Owners Facebook Group, it was quite easy to see the amazing impact that the 3rd Party Vendors have made on this community. Craft&Ride, The Float Life, and Flight Fins are a few of the companies that have been around for quite a while providing additions to the Onewheel.
Armor-Dilloz is a more recent company providing their compound to help tires, as well as their new Draggin’ Tail which is literally making sparks amongst the community.
Not only do we have companies that have formed from needs within the community, but we also have amazing individuals who are using their brainpower and resources to create support for the community in other areas that Future Motion, once again, continues to fail.
If you have not heard of Sonny Wheels, you need to search his name in the Onewheel groups. That man has done some amazing things for the community single-handedly with his impressive knowledge of electronics and batteries.
Another individual is Ky Miller and his continuously expanding company Swerv Clothing. Ky doesn’t create accessories for the Onewheel, but instead, he makes the riders look fantastic. Stickers, shirts, coasters, art and more. His background in tattooing allows him to bring a very unique art style to our community and he is honestly killing it. I would be remiss if I didn’t use this chance to once again ask Ky to PLEASE MAKE TANK TOPS.
Not last and certainly not least is Ryan Hurewitz, aka Witz Wheels. This is another individual that has joined the community with an immense impact.
In the past few months, Witz has carved his way right to the front of this community by becoming a full-fledged dealer and customizer of Onewheels. Think of him as Xhibit on MTV and he will metaphorically ‘pimp your ride’. Do you need an XR motor? A new tire? An entire tune-up? Contact Witz. Shipping out of Florida, he will get you a new/used stock or fully customized board, nearly anywhere that you are.
Now, I honestly hope that nobody in the community considers this piece any type of favoritism when it comes to our vendors. It certainly is not the case. We have so many amazing creators who are coming into this community on a daily basis. Each of them has amazing products and each continues to build and dream in the future, I will do my very best to highlight each as I can with honest experience.
Now, saying that the one thing that I want to highlight on the community side was the immense amount of positive feedback that was written in the comments of the post about our Vendors. So many people wanted to not vote for only a single person/company. So many people who are obviously using multiple products from multiple sources were in the comments touting the positives of each company they have supported.
One comment that stood out to me was from Austin Stephenson who said, “There’s so many great people on this list. There’s one name thought that I always turn to first: Armor-Dilloz.” He even went on to say that their new Draggin’ Tail is just pure fun.
His comment was just so wholesome, I could not ignore it. Also, he just has the craziest Facebook photo.
Another comment from Caleb Catron said how each vendor in our community is amazing for how they back their products with outstanding service and warranty. Multiple others replied to Caleb in agreement.
In the end, we can all agree that this community is full of support for each other, for each vendor and even still, regardless of how we get treated by them– Future Motion.
This community continues to grow with each iteration of Onewheel that is released, by each company that fulfills a need and by each positive thing that we bring to the world.
Let’s all continue to support this community, our vendors, our own communities and spread the stoke. Float on my friends!
By Guest Writer Aaron Knowles, podcaster/journalist. Go connect with Aaron on Twitter.
Jimmy Chang’s List of Onewheel Accessory Companies
Here is my growing list of 3rd party vendors for the Onewheel that I, Jimmy Chang have used or have interacted with, that I can endorse, and that you can trust (in no particular order):
The Float Life: Jeff McCosker has built an amazing brand that brings us some of the best foot pads, float plates, side kicks and more.
Land Surf: Fangs, handles, and sleek Contour Fender are well designed and look great!
OWarmor: Aggressive style with their foot pads, and Night Shark fender which puts style and functionality to a new level.
Armor Dilloz: Military grade protection for your wheel so you will never have to worry about a flat again.
Sonny Wheels: Sonny is the mad scientist of the Onewheel world. He’s always tinkering and making bling.
Fishbones: A front footpad concave solution for folks that don’t want to mess with their front sensor.
Craft & Ride: Amazing fenders including a magnetic fender, high quality Onewheel backpacks, great handles.
Two-X: A sleek way to give your Onewheel Plus more range and life.
SUPrents: Demo a Onewheel at your own home before buying or use their service to have a Onewheel on your next vacation or travels.
Trunk Saver: Onewheel stand for your car that works and doesn’t cost a fortune.
Carbon Smith: This guy is a 3D Printing MACHINE! He’s always designing and coming up with innovative ways to protect your Onewheel.
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