Who will love the Kiil Rides Suspension for the Onewheel?
Hardcore Onewheel enthusiasts who love to personalize their ride will love adding suspension which will make that already floaty ride sensation of a stock Onewheel feel like you’re riding on a cloud that’s resting atop a down comforter, supported on the backs of a litter of fluffy puppies.
Check out pricing and availability of Kiil Rides Onewheel Suspension here.
What I think about the Kiil Rides Onewheel Suspension
Kiil Ride Onewheel suspension installation
Some people love to take apart their Onewheel and to put them back together again. I am not one of those people.
Since installing the suspension requires taking apart the Onewheel, I found someone to install the suspension system for me. I also let him ride and test the suspension and you can read his thoughts below.
From what I am told, the process was straightforward but if you’ve never taken apart a Onewheel before, you are in for some fun. Just think of it as an erector set for grown ups.
The Kiil Rides suspension will work with other popular Onewheel mods and accessories like Flight Fins, fenders, and specialized rails, but be sure to check their website the get the appropriate suspension kit that will be compatible with your setup. For example, if you have WTF rails, you will need to select the WFT rail compatible suspension kit.
Here are the instructions for Kiil Guard installation to give you an idea of what it takes.
What does Onewheel Suspension feel like?
My initial description at the beginning of this article was a bit of fun hyperbole but truthfully, everyone in my family that tried the suspension enabled Onewheel enjoyed the extra floaty feeling of the ride.
With suspension travel of 1.5 inches, the ride feels so soft! If you came from a skateboard background, try to remember when you rode the Onewheel for the first time. You will recall how smooth the Onewheel felt compared to your old skateboard. No more road chatter. That’s why they call it the “Float Life.”
The Kiil Onewheel Suspension gives you that same feeling, only on steroids. Bumps and cracks are absorbed even more and your feet and knees will thank you for it.
What I Love about the Kiil Ride Onewheel Suspension
- The Onewheel Suspension is made in Idaho, USA by a few Onewheel enthusiast who, instead of complaining and waiting for Future Motion to finally make something new for the community, these studs are making rad stuff for us to really change and customize our ride.
- The creators of Kiil Rides actually includes their direct phone number with the instructions in case you need help with install.
- The extra floaty sensation of the suspension which lets me enjoy rides even longer than before.
- The confidence and control the suspension gives me when going over bumps and cracks that normally scare me.
- The crossbar is the best Onewheel carrying handle in the game.
- The unique and rugged look the suspension gives my Onewheel.
I was provided a set of Kiil Suspension for free to test and review however I am never paid to make reviews.
What I Hate about the Kiil Ride Onewheel Suspension
- It’s darn expensive… but that’s expected with anything related to the Onewheel. Up to date pricing at Kiil guards.
- Installation is not for the faint of heart and requires you to take apart your Onewheel.
- The tactile, direct feel and contact between you and the ground is lost with the suspension.
- It really does change the look of your Onewheel. Some will like it, others may not.
As you know, I am a very conservative rider. In addition to my experience with the Kiil Ride Onewheel Suspension system, I also wanted to share with you the thoughts of Onewheel suspension from the perspective of an experienced Onewheel rider who loves to go hard.
Below is a review from Jon Stock, who loves to ride hard and who doesn’t know what it means to take it easy:
OLD MAN GETS NEW LEGS WITH A SUSPENSION ONEWHEEL by Jon Stock
Kiil Rides suspension has been AMAZING on my feet, ankles, knees, and hips over the last 400 miles! Anyone who is looking for a more “peaceful” ride, whether urban or off road will absolutely marvel at the way the Onewheel handles when comparing suspension to no suspension.
As an experienced 4.5 year OneWheel owner and rider, the Kiil Rides add a comfort layer of depth that is hard to verbalize… you have to ride it to experience!
As reported by almost everyone who tried it, the Kiil suspension system kept the Onewheel more stable during aggressive descents AND also faired better going directly up steep hills.
I will be rounding 40 years old this fall and some days my body feels like its twice that age and that’s because I ride hard and I’ve been riding for a long time.
I have been enthusiastic about riding sideways ever since my childhood when I would take my regular plastic sled and turn it into a snowboard. In fact, just about anything I could stand on and ride was in fair play, and play I did!
Needless to say, a lifetime of sending it has come with its fair share of scrapes, bruises, bumps, and breaks. Those injuries have added up and and they have left my body feeling… worn out.
In fact I got into the Onewheel because of how bad it hurt my hip and lower back when constantly pushing a skateboard. In 2016, the Onewheel became my back pain solution but would eventually lead to other issues that would wind up becoming another source of pain.
I have well over 30,000+ miles of experience on non-suspension Onewheels between the dozens of Onewheels I’ve owned in the last 4.5 years. Fast forward to 2021 and no that I have 400 miles on Kiil Rides suspension system for the Onewheel, I can give a confident review.
The difference is night and day for my over all comfort level. My front foot does not fatiguing as quickly. After long hard rides, my knees beg me to keep riding when they used to scream stop torturing me! And my lower back now lets me sleep peacefully without the dull aches that used to keep me up.
If achey knee and back pains are what you have to look forward to after a long ride, eventually your long rides become shorter.
What does it mean to your body to ride with Kiil Rides for the Onewheel?
Often after a hard trail ride or a long day out my body is feeling how the board felt when I was riding it; BEAT UP! When my body is beat up I am definitely NOT the rider I want to be.
When you’re beat up, all those little bumps on the trail, hidden pot holes, and cracked sidewalk can be a burden! Most commonly I would fall at the end of long rides, on something I consider to be very stupid, all because of fatigue.
What the Kiil Rides suspension for the Onewheel means is more consecutive days of fun!
I did not experience the usual soreness after a long MOB group Onewheel ride when riding a suspension equipped Onewheel. When I would usually call it quits, with the suspension, I found myself putting the Onewheel back on the charger to go out and see what other things I could roll over with ease!
No matter what I rolled over on my path, my brain kept telling me like the infomercials made famous by Billy Mays, “But wait! There’s MORE!”
The consistency of a smooth ride over rough surfaces, in variable conditions, in various states of readiness made me a real believer in this system. Of course, like many people out there I had some criticisms.
- Someone is going to get hurt on the cross bar or tower
- It looks ugly
- It looks heavy
- It looks expensive
So allow me to address these issues:
Someone is going to get hurt on the Kiil Ride cross bar or tower!
Maybe… but I experienced no catastrophic falls in this manner in over 400 miles and no one I let ride the Kiil Rides system complained of the tower or cross bar getting in the way when bailing.
That being said, everyone I let try the Kiil Rides equipped Onewheel were extremely skilled and experienced Onewheel riders. I cannot say how a new and inexperienced Onewheel rider would react when bailing off this suspension Onewheel.
In most/all fall situations I’ve seen, the fall is because the rider became less stable on the Onewheel. Over time fatigue causes the rider to be less responsive and clumsy which makes them more prone to falling.
Because of the suspension, the rough terrain that would normally fatigue a rider over time is soaked up by the suspension, which allows them to rider fresher for longer periods of time.
Kiil Ride Suspension looks UGLY
I happened to think the same thing, but the look has grown on me over time, especially after realizing how great the ride feels.
If you REALLY care about the looks then don’t buy them because it is clear your priorities are in the aesthetics of the board and not necessarily the quality of the ride.
Kiil Ride Suspension looks heavy!
Early versions of the Kiil Ride suspension were much bigger. The current system we tested is smaller and lighter. The entire Kiil Ride Onewheel Suspension weighs 3.9 lbs.
Is the Kiil Ride Onewheel Suspension System worth it?
When it comes to this question there’s only really one way to find out. Onewheelers are spending $110 for a single tire these days! Add in the cost of premium sealant at $25 and it is $135 for a tire!!
Yes, they are expensive. But so are aftermarket rails, or a 40 mile 10.5aH batteries, or adding a tail, fender, rail guards, float plates, and waterproofing… why do these things cost SO much money?! Because just like Kiil Rides, these upgrades enhance and personalize your ride and gives you so many more avenues to ride.
Just like aftermarket rails help you go fast…
Just like CB and JW Batteries can help you go further…
Just like accessories protect your investment…
Just like waterproofing can give you the ability to ride in wet conditions you normally would not be able to ride in…
Kiil Rides Onewheel Suspension does the same for terrain.
Kiil rides aren’t just pretty shocks. They’re actually quite useful in almost every way and I enjoy carrying my board by the crossbar now.
I still ride a “non suspension board” but 4.5 years, 30k miles, and hundreds of falls logged into this thing we call Onewheel, I can definitely tell you one of my boards will always have a suspension system on it so I can go on those long rides while resting my weary body.
Learn more about Onewheel Suspension here.