Overview
With the recent release of the Onewheel GT many are wondering if its worth the upgrade or they should stick to what they’ve got in the Onewheel XR.
This purpose of this post is to help you decide if the Onewheel GT has enough value for you to upgrade.
Full disclosure, I went from a Onewheel Pint to the GT, so I really like the GT.
Customization
Onewheel GT
Because the GT is so new, there are fewer customization options, especially 3rd party options.
That said The Float Life does have some up that you can check out.
Craft&Ride also has a few that are pretty good.
Onewheel XR
Its no secret that the Onewheel XR has a myriad of accessories.
Both The Float Life and Craft&Ride have a wide variety of accessories for the XR.
But
You can no longer buy an XR from Future Motion.
You might be able to find a new XR at a local skate shop, but they are getting more and more rare.
Customization Winner:
Technically the Onewheel XR has more customizations, but availability issues make this one more of a tie.
Top Speed
Onewheel GT
The GT has an official top speed of 20mph but I’ve seen videos of people hitting somewhere around 32mph.
Onewheel XR
The XR has an official top speed of 19mph but some of the pros have recorded 30mph.
Top Speed Winner:
By all accounts the GT takes the cake here.
I don’t recommend riding through pushback, because that video of Jeff Adair hitting 32 is terrifying.
Range
Onewheel GT
If we’re talking stock, Onewheel GT is the GOAT.
GT claims a 20-32 mile range.
Onewheel themselves did a range test and ended up going 28.7 miles.
And there are variables that could help you get all the way to the 32 mile range, or further.
Onewheel XR
Stock, the XR boasts a 12-18 mile range.
Revolutionary for its time, but can’t hang so great now-a-days.
That said, you could always go get a CBXR and boost the range quite a bit.
So there’s definitely a way you could get the XR to hang, but right out of the box, this one goes to the GT.
Range Winner:
Onewheel GT
Charge Time
Onewheel GT
The Onewheel GT on a normal charger clocks in at 200 minutes.
On a Hypercharger it clocks in at 90 minutes.
Onewheel XR
The Onewheel XR clocks in at 120 minutes on a normal charger.
And on a Ultracharger it charges in about 50 minutes.
Charge Time Winner:
So the technical winner here is the XR, but considering the range, I’d put this one to a tie.
Side note: I find that I only need to charge my GT once or twice a week on normal use.
If you ride a ton you’d need to charge a lot, but for my grocery runs and after work rides once a week is usually plenty.
Tire
Onewheel GT
The GT is the first Onewheel to ship with a treaded tire in addition to a stock tire.
The Float Life is working on a new tire for the GT too.
So off the bat its nice to have some options.
Onewheel XR
The XR ships with a standard non-treaded tire,
but
There are so many different tires you can buy for the XR its kinda crazy and overwhelming.
Also, did I mention how many options there are?
Tire Winner:
This one goes to the XR for sure, but give it time, the 3rd party accessory makers will be coming out with more for the GT.
The Winner
The Onewheel GT is the clear winner here.
The XR is a great board and was the champ for a long time, which is what really gives it a fighting change.
But
The GT is bigger, badder and cooler.
I think in the coming years we’ll see more and more accessories and 3rd party improvements for the GT which will really knock the XR off the map.
Final Thoughts
The GT is the superior board, sorry XR fans.
The XR can still be a great deal, especially if you can get it at a reduced price, but I can’t recommend buying into a board thats being deprecated.
At the end of the day, any Onewheel is better than no Onewheel, but if you can swing it, go for the GT.
