My name is Kainen Krueger and I am a cinematographer for Teton Gravity Research. I’ve ridden every model of Onewheel since the original XR in 2018. Any lifelong surfer, skater, or snowboarder will tell you that making turns on a board is a spiritual experience, but mountains are only so tall, waves only break for so long, and there’s only so much smooth concrete. The truth is, nothing can get you more turns than a fully-charged Wheel.
When Onewheel sent TGR the new GT S-Series I was the first to jump on it, burning an entire 25-mile battery on my first ride. I was floored. I honestly didn’t notice any limitations with the previous models, but the enhanced experience of riding the S-Series was immediately obvious to me. The smoothness and responsiveness when accelerating and braking made me almost gloss over the enhanced torque in the best way. It felt even more intuitive than previous models, further increasing the sense of connectedness between mind and board.
Linking my first turns with the S-Series, I noticed a distinct “edgeless” and “bottomless” feel, similar to how a bottomless pow-day compares to groomer riding. While the new Onewheel maintains that classic carving sensation, I didn’t feel like I was working to “hold an edge,” but rather just railing effortless turns with speed up and down the block.
When I left town and took it to the singletrack, the new torque really showed its worth. I was rolling over rocks and through technical chokes while the wheel was spinning underfoot and shooting a cloud of dirt behind me, all while maintaining momentum and control. Trail riding on the new models is both rowdy and impressive; somewhere between an electric bike and a skateboard, the places that the Wheel can access continue to surprise me.
Hands-down one of the greatest advantages of the Onewheel is the hands-free travel. I commute to the TGR Studio every day on the Wheel holding my briefcase and sipping on a cup of coffee. I ride it to the grocery store and still get good turns while carrying my bags home. When I’m headed out on a film trip, I will roll my luggage behind me, with my snowboard under my arm and a backpack on. You can roll over dips, rocks, ruts, and cracks like a bicycle without holding onto a set of handlebars. The speed and utility of the Onewheel as a means of transportation, not just for the rider is honestly unmatched.
I was excited when TGR partnered with Onewheel because I saw their value in filming stabilized dolly shots, as well as their practicality for set mobility and shuffling camera gear. In only two years since our partnership, TGR has used the Wheels to get smooth, tracking shots in three movies, ‘Legend Has It,’ ‘Flying High Again,’ and the upcoming Ski movie premiering in Fall 2024. As I mentioned though, their usefulness for gear transportation and running errands on-set has proven to be a legitimate asset.
I bring a Wheel on every shoot I can and this Spring, we asked Onewheel to send two GT S-Series to rural Haines, Alaska to get smooth, moving-camera cinematic shots while filming a Helicopter-skiing segment for this year’s movie. On that trip, we had two professional skiers in their early twenties doing their best to drown, smash and cake the Wheels with mud until they were unrecognizable. Not that I would recommend that sort of behavior and nor did we condone it, but it is valid to note that both of the Wheels were perfectly fine. One of them is my daily driver and the other lives with Kai Jones.
I am realizing as I write this that Onewheels have become an invaluable tool both in my personal life and professional life with TGR. I ride one consistently at least twice a day to either make turns and recharge the soul, or to save gas and carbon emissions by not starting up my Truck, which I now rarely drive unless I need to haul my snowmobile around or go somewhere more than 10 miles away. I’ve said this jokingly for years now, but I’m feeling less and less sarcastic when I say that the Wheel is one of the greatest inventions of mankind.
