Being safe on a Onewheel is important to keep you in good shape so that you can keep on riding. Nothing kills the Onewheel buzz more than a concussion, broken wrist, or bloody elbow. I have had my share of falls from the Onewheel and I am very fortunate that I have not had a serious injury.
Between my family and I, we have spent hundreds of hours researching, testing, and using different safety gear. I have come to the conclusion that the most effective safety gear is the gear that you and your kids will wear.
At a minimum, I wear a helmet and gloves but you decide what is appropriate for you and for the way you ride.
My Rad Recommendations!
Safest Helmet: Triple Eight Gotham with MIPS
Best Budget Helmet: Flybar Helmet
Most Protective Wrist Guards: Flexmeter D30
Best Value Wrist Guards: Hillbilly Wrist Guard Gloves – Half Finger
My Kid’s Favorite Wrist Guards: Rollerblade Bladegear XT Wristguard
Best Wrist Guard, Elbow Pad, Knee Pad Package: JBM Adult/Child Knee Pads Elbow Pads Wrist Guards
Best all in one upper body protection (check out the article for a discount code): Lazyrolling
For further details as to how I came to make my picks, keep on reading!
What to Look For When Searching for Safety Gear
You will be more likely to wear safety gear if it is stylish and comfortable. No one wants to look like the kid burdened by too much overprotective and bulky gear as they cruise the neighborhood. Fortunately, safety gear manufacturers know this and there are a lot of stylish safety gear options designed to look good and keep you safe.
Safety gear needs to be comfortable or it won’t be used. Finding gear that is comfortable is probably the second biggest factor after style. Make sure the gear fits correctly and is not too big or too small.
In order for safety gear to work, you need to make sure it is worn. You are more likely to wear your gear if it is stylish and comfortable. By wearing good quality safety gear, you give yourself the best chance to avoid serious injury so you can keep riding.
Onewheel Safety Gear Recommendations
While there are a ton of safety gear options available on the market, I have narrowed it down to a few manageable choices. These are my recommendations from products that I have researched and used. I think all of these hit the sweet spot of style and comfort.
The Safest Helmet:
This is the most important piece of safety gear. Bloody knees and elbows will scab over. Broken bones will heal. Traumatic brain injury will change your life forever. Don’t risk it.
Triple Eight Gotham with MIPS: If money is no object, then the best helmet to protect your noodle while on a bike, skateboard or the Onewheel is the brand new Triple Eight Gotham with MIPS. With the newest technology in protection from traumatic brain injury, the Triple Eight Gotham with MIPS is the combo of style, comfort, and it is as safe as they come. Check out Amazon for more info.
The Best Budget Helmet:
Flybar Helmet: If you want to save some money but still get an officially certified helmet that is stylish and comfortable, nothing is going to beat the Flybar Helmet. This is my budget pick, but there is no compromise when it comes to style and comfort. This highly rated helmet is a pleaser. See it on Amazon.
Beware, Not All Helmets Are Equally Safe
There are a lot of helmets out on the market. Surprisingly, during my research I found that many helmets are not officially certified by the appropriate governmental organization to verify that they are safe! Companies may do this to save money as testing can be expensive or making a helmet to pass the tests may be expensive.
If you want to make sure you are getting a safe helmet, learn the important facts in this article that I wrote about helmets for the Onewheel.
Wrist Guards:
Because my work depends on me being able to use my hands, I take the extra precautions and wear wrist guards. You are more likely to injure your wrists than your head. While the consequences of abrasions to the palm and fractured wrists pale in comparison to a head injury, it still hurts. Prevent wrist injuries with wrist guards.
Just look at the palm side of my wrist guards and you will see that these guys have saved me from some nasty spills. I’m glad the hard plastic took the brunt of the fall impacts and not my soft hands!
The Wrist Guards I Wear:
The most protective wrist guards I wear are the Flexmeter D30 Double Sided wrist guards. You can read my full review of the Flexmeter D30 in this article.
Hillbilly Wrist Guard Gloves – Half Finger: These gloves get my “best value” award. I wear Hillbilly wrist guard fingerless gloves and love their durability and comfort.
Made from tough goat skin, they are double stitched for durability and I love the partial finger coverage for added protection from the elements yet the freedom to use my phone without having to take off the gloves. Check it out at Amazon for pricing.
The Wrist Guards My Kids Wear
Rollerblade Bladegear XT Wristguard: My kids like the minimalist lightweight design which is breathable and easy to put on and take off. Because of they are not bulky, the kids never complain when they put them on. The best part, they were pretty inexpensive. Check it out at Amazon.
Elbow and Knee Pad Recommendations
A great package that comes with wrist guards, knee pads, and elbow pads is the JBM Adult/Child Knee Pads Elbow Pads Wrist Guards. JBM is a reputable company and this package gets great reviews. Read more about it here.
Unless I’m really going to try to hit it hard, I usually don’t wear elbow or knee pads. But don’t let me be the bad example for you. Knees and elbows can take significant damage if you do not tuck and roll correctly when falling.
How to Get You and Your Kids to Wear Safety Gear When Riding the Onewheel
Few things frustrate me more than seeing my kids riding their bikes, scooters, and skateboard with their their helmet tucked under their arm. I noticed that my kids never question wearing their helmet when it comes to skiing and snowboarding which got me wondering, why do they wear their helmet while skiing and snowboarding automatically, but when it came to other sports there is so much resistance.
I came to the conclusion that they wear their helmet skiing and snowboarding, besides the warmth that it provides, the helmet is something that was ingrained into their heads as part of their ski gear from the beginning.
They would never go skiing or snowboarding without all their gear: skiis/snowboard, boots, ski pants, ski jacket, gloves, goggles, and helmet. These are the essentials, no questions asked. Since day one with ski school until the day they teach their kids to ski or snowboard, they will know to always wear a helmet.
If we can ingrain that same mentality with ourselves and our kids when it comes with the Onewheel from the beginning, it will become second nature to wear a helmet just like it is to buckle up our seat belts when we get in the car.
When it comes to the Onewheel, I tell my family members that if they do not wear their safety gear then they do not ride. I also adhere to that mantra as I try to be a good example.
By sticking to this, I hope to ingrain in their brains that the Onewheel and helmet go together just like snowboarding and helmet always go together.
For another safety gear article I wrote which applies for Onewheel and higher speed EUCs, check this out.
Good luck and be safe!