The mode of transportation that humans use on daily basis have evolved over time and there’s no doubt that it will continue to do so. We have gone from steam engine-powered transport to self-driving cars and have gone from slow electric powered cars to super fast ones. The advancement in technology means we continue to see some amazing transport gadgets that takes away the boring and stressful part of our daily commute.
If you live in the city and commuting is your daily thing or maybe you enjoy a gentle stroll in the park on a nice summer day, the Airwheel Q3 could be the one for you. The Airwheel is certainly not new and going back a couple of years ago we had a go on the Solowheel which was hard to get started with, as your logical brain tells you its not the norm to hop on a single wheel and trust it to take you forwards, backwards and side to side, however once you get used to the gyroscopes keeping you steady, the rest is history and ever so much easy to ride. One thing to also bare in mind is that it comes with a set of stabilizers and a piece of stabilizing cable, both designed to help you get started. Just like when you first attempt to ride a bike as a child, the stabilizers are definitely worth using first to get a feel for how it works.
On to the technical side, under the white plastic body of the Airwheel is a gyroscope for keeping you stable and listens to your body motion for movement forwards and backwards and the 800 W motor powering the AirWheel Q3 will travel up to 28 miles on a full charge before needing another recharge and as most of my travel involved plain level roads, it delivered just about 26 miles.
They also come in smaller battery sizes which also equates to a lighter weight, but for power users, the Q3 is definitely the one to go for. The gyroscope does all the stabilising work for you and will sense when you slightly tip forward to go forward and the opposite to go backwards. Riding on two tyres with a good level of air pressure, you can easily turn your body to enable it to turn although turning in a tight space is something that comes with practice over time.
This AirWheel version weighs around 13kg and is heavy to carry around if you commute a lot, but travels further on a full charge and travels at around 12Mph. For the purpose of moving from a to b it is very suitable but when it comes to riding to the tube, carrying it through the station then up the stairs where there are no escalators, it takes its toll on your back, arms and shoulders. That aside, it is very fun to ride and definitely one that catches anyone’s eyes as you float by. Over the next year or so, I believe they will become even more popular as I have being seeing them around London more and more now. Other benefits includes its waterproof feature so no matter what the weather is, you can still take it on the road, although you should wear suitable shoes with a good grip when riding in wet conditions. It takes around 2 hours to charge it back up, which is great for any busy person, during my time with it, I charged it at the office when not in use.
Overall the AirWheel is a great piece of gadget that some may find useful, the price is not cheap at £799 and should be considered when comparing to whether to get a cycle instead. It offers no element of fitness apart from building muscles as a result of carrying it around, but for efficiency in getting to places it comes in very handy. If you live somewhere like London where you probably live within 15 miles of work, it is the perfect option, perhaps look into the lighter versions.
