Photo: Onewheel
Step aside, Segway. These are today’s high-tech ways to zip around.
Transit, taxis, ride shares — there’s a myriad of ways to get around the city beyond other than with our own two legs. Nevertheless, there’s a freedom that comes with navigating the urban canvas on your own schedule. Sometimes walking can take too long, and pedaling can get just as tiresome. What’s one to do?
Thankfully, a handful of alternatives exist that can get you from points A to B in a New York minute. Here are some disruptive, 21st-century personal transportation hacks to get around in style on your schedule.
InMotion V5F Electric Unicycle
Unicycles: They’re not just for impressive circus acts or that one guy on campus — you know the type — anymore. For a reliable transport that’s compact, sure to turn a few heads, and liable to add balance to your life, InMotion’s V5F Electric Unicycle checks all the boxes. At a hair over 23 pounds, it is lighter than most electric scooters and comparable to some foldable bicycles. If you’re commuting to work or simply enjoying a day out, a range of 20 to 25 miles per battery charge will get you where you’re going. Speeds top out at 15 miles-per-hour, an ideal clip safety-wise, especially if this is your first rodeo on one wheel. Support via the InMotion app includes efficiency stats, diagnostics, and more.
Starting at $699
Bustin Hybrid Longboard
Let’s face it: Some of these high-tech transit toys can be a little, for lack of a better word, cheugy. Even certain electric skateboards can give off something of a try-hard edge, especially those from companies that only make powered boards. Unlike most, Bustin broke into e-boards with two decades’ worth of street cred on the New York City skate scene — having a crew at the Broadway Bomb and a Williamsburg board shop before it was cool-level. The 35-inch, double drop Sportster Hybrid V3 is about the sleekest powered option there is, coupling the feeling of a high-performance push board with the boost of a 324Wh Samsung battery, which gets you up to 20 miles of range — at speeds of up to 30mph — and can handle grades of up to 30%. It works off Bustin’s trademark Bluetooth Shaka’mote™, which looks as nice as it functions. They’re made in the USA, and even if you pump or carve on gravity, you’ll still gain brakes.
Starting at $859
Brompton Folding E-Bike
Sure, bikes are great, but what about when you don’t want to break a sweat? When you don’t have a terrace or random corner of your apartment to throw one in? When you’re too ambitious and pedal off your oomph allotment for the return trip in a way no amount of cold brew can solve? Brompton’s C-line electric bikes — they claim them to be the world’s most compact — have a six-gear when you’re down to burn some calories and a 250w hub motor when you’re not. They’re small enough to fold under a desk and carry their batteries in a removable backpack, which you can take and plug in wherever power outlets are. Each charge will get you four hours or 20-45 miles, and there’s even a convenient USB port to keep your mobile devices fully juiced. At just 36 pounds, and less without the battery pack, they’re also an easy lift.
Starting at $3,850
Apollo City and City Pro Electric Scooters
While the foot-propelled Razor had its moment of novelty in the sun, today’s electric scooters are on a whole other level. You likely can’t bunny hop them over any sewer grates, but how does cruising the streets and bike lanes at upwards of 25 miles per hour sound? Apollo’s City and City Pro electric scooter models are standout siblings, with the Pro offering that little extra boost in speed and charge range — and turn signals — for those who desire. Both are foldable and sport gel-lined tires that self-heal punctures. Wear-proof brakes bring you to a smooth stop even in rainy conditions and make these scooters a ride for all seasons. An integrated display between the handlebars keeps you appraised of your speed, battery life, and other vital metrics.
Starting at $1,299
Onewheel Pint X
Cruise down city streets, wind around trails, or walk the dog at a quicker than usual pace aboard a Onewheel Pint X. This striking deck merges the freedom of skateboarding with the grace of snowboarding, all on — as the product name implies — one wheel. Riding a Onewheel requires a technique that leans more snow than it does skate, meaning there can be a learning curve. However, it’s one far less steep than you’d think. The Pint X is a middle ground between two Onewheel models — the original Pint and the top-of-the-line GT — clocking a top speed of 18 miles per hour with a between 12 and 18-mile charge range. Plus, the thing is compact enough for ease of storage no matter where your travels take you.