***DEAL ALERT: Till the end of the month of January, Two-X is offering $40 off of the Two-X for my readers and YouTube viewers. Use the following code.
Two-X Code: THEREALJIMMY
The Two-X is the sexiest way to increase range on your Onewheel V1 and Plus. No other range extending modification to your Onewheel will look as good or as integrated while doubling or tripling the range of your Onewheel.
That being said, the Two-X is not for everyone. In this article I will outline the pros and cons to the Two-X.
TWO-X PROS
Increased Range
The Two-X delivers what it promises by giving added range. My Onewheel Plus would struggle to get 6 miles on a full charge. With the Two-X, I find myself getting almost 16 miles.
If you want to breathe life into an old V1 or Plus, this is a great option. It will make your old board relevant and new again so you’ll be able to keep up with the guys who just spent $1800 on a new XR.
Power, Torque, and Safety!
By integrating the batteries into the Onewheel rather than just charging the Onewheel as you ride as some systems do, you actually get increased power and torque which decreases the likelihood of a nosedive!
Looks Great
The battery packs underneath the board look like they are meant to be there and they do not look like they are out of place. The Two-X aims for sleek and sexy as opposed to other mods which may be going for more of a “Mad Max” look.
Completely Integrated with the Board
There are no loose wires to worry about and no external or extra batteries to fiddle with. Once the battery packs are installed they require no other extra charger or care as some other mods may. You just charge as you would with your stock charger.
No Fender Needed
The best thing about the Onewheel is that one rad wheel that everyone loves to see and admire. For this reason, many choose to go fenderless so they can show off that big gorgeous wheel. The Two-X does not require a fender as many range extending options may need.
Lower Center of Gravity
With the batteries below the board, it lowers the center of gravity instead of raising the center of gravity which can give your ride a better feel.
Reversible Back to Stock
You can uninstall the Two-X back to stock because no permanent modifications to the board are made during the installation other than breaking a few stickers that threaten to void your warranty if broken.
Safer Battery Chemistry
Not all Lithium batteries are created equal. Just ask the hoverboard industry about their exploding batteries and how they gave the word “hoverboard” a black eye.
Soren Curry, the creator of the Two-X has done his research and has picked the safest Lithium batteries for his product. You can learn more about it on the Two-X website.
Great Customer Support
This is where the Two-X shines! I won’t name names, but the Two-X customer service won’t take weeks to respond to your emails. Soren personally returned all my texts and messages within the same day, if not the same hour.
TWO-X CONS
Cost
The Two-X, like the Onewheel and most of its accessories, is not cheap. While you are getting 3 high quality battery packs (one to replace the stock battery and two to go under the board itself), at over $400, the Two-X costs about half as much as one of my used Onewheels that I bought from Craigslist!
But when you consider that some people pay over $200 for a carbon fender or a Onewheel bag and when you think about throwing down $1800 plus tax for a new XR, you soon realize that the price of the Two-X to give your board the extra range and torque is worth it.
Installation
Installation is a beast. I’m not going to sugar coat this. I’m a DIY guy. I’ve taken apart and repaired washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, computers, laptops, tablets, cell phones and more. I’ve built PCs, I build furniture, and I carve art with a chainsaw. None of those things made me more nervous than taking apart my Onewheel for the first time to install the Two-X.
But I have to admit that it was fun. It was like a really complex and expensive lego set; if you follow the directions you will be fine.
Weight
The Two-X will add 4.2 lbs to your Onewheel. While that may not sound like a lot because the Onewheel is already heavy, it does make a difference if you have to lug it around for any distance. Carrying a Onewheel with the Two-X is quite the workout.
Limitations on Tricks
The battery packs are on the bottom of the board and they are contained in sturdy glass-doped polymer housing. Because of the location, Float Plates are no longer an option. The fanciest trick I do is a curb drop which scuff up the housings underneath a little but those things seem solid. I mainly cruise with my Onewheel, so my ride is not limited by the battery placement.
If you enjoy curb hops, rail slides, bombing down stairs or off walls and catching big air, then the Two-X is may not be for you.
Cold Weather
I have found that the Two-X batteries are especially susceptible to cold weather. At below 40 degrees F my range is reduced to 10 miles or so. It does not seem that my XR is as sensitive to the cold, but it’s rare that I ride over 10 miles in below 40 degree weather anyway.
Voiding Warranties
This is a debate, but when you install the Two-X, there are a few stickers that will need to be broken. By doing so, Future Motion may say that you have voided your warranty. Some legal experts question the validity of this but if it were up to me, I would only install something like the Two-X on a board that is out of warranty.
CONCLUSION
The Two-X is a very well designed modification that not only looks great but performs well under the right conditions. The installation process was fun and frustrating at the same time. But the frustration made this DIY install project all the more satisfying when I pushed the power button and saw the blue glow come on.
I thoroughly enjoy the increased range and power. The Two-X has definitely upgraded my board so that it can now keep up with the XR when we go on rides.
As far as cost goes, I bought my latest used Onewheel Plus for $900 with under 70 miles on it. You can read about that experience buying a used Onewheel off of Craigslist here. At the time of writing this article the Two-X sells for $462.
For $1362, less than the price it would cost me to buy a new Onewheel Plus including tax and much less than the cost of buying a new Onewheel XR, I now have a Onewheel Plus/Two-X which is capable of keeping up with my XR.
That is a huge upgrade and well worth the cost and effort in my opinion. Check out the Two-X website here.