I won't say this has been super hard. I've had some experience with virtual servers and poking linux in a terminal before but running a platform for others to use 24/7 is a change of pace.
All that said this forum would be nothing if not for you all choosing to:
-- A. Trust me to run the place.
-- B. Continue to make the forum a welcoming and friendly platform.
-- C. Support and help along the way.
I'm grateful to you all for keeping the place alive and allowing it to flourish from the ashes of it's former self. To those that are still here, those that no longer visit and the newer members I look forward to keeping the place running another year so you have a safe space to share your Onewheel adventures, builds and friendships.
No idea what's coming this year but I'm hopeful we all get an amazing year of floating in no matter what you're riding.
I just wanted to say a massive thank you for keeping this place as nice as it is. Consider this an appreciation post to everyone :)
I've noticed a lot of negativity within the overall community yet here remains nice, helpful and above all enjoyable to browse and be a part of. This feels more like a community and I'm grateful for seeing it survive as such without a need for any intervention.
@cheppy44 , Me and Kyle outside the office. 2 XS's and a freshy XR
Huge shoutout to Kyle, Joey, Jack and the team for actually taking the time to see our little creations and show us about a little.
Not to mention Andy, Lisa and Joaquin who enabled the visit. Drove us from SF to Santa Cruz. They were super cool and we spent the rest of the day and evening exploring SF ^-^
They were heading to Santa Cruz to drop off a red truck they used at their exhibit which actually happened to be the same one FM used in some promotional material (you can still see the decals used to say onewheel).
Seeing the XS's lined up in their office was great.
Shame there wasn't one we could leave with them but we gave Kyle one of the 2 rails we made extra so they have something from the XS to keep ahold of. Wren has the other :3
Something I was super stoked to see was old Ironsides. The OG that started it all. It's quite the thing in person!
It did work but they had to connect some bits 😅 Didn't get to ride it though. Kinda forgot to ask.
Ironsides, the XS MK1 and the Mk2. I sort of want to do a half scale of it too but I think a GT-S is more appropriate. especially since I plan to make one of these actually move under me.
After a bit the guys took us through parts of the office. I won't share those pics since that's probably not something we should share in case there were secrets I didn't notice. However we did get to take the Onewheel barrow for a spin.
After our visit Joey had lunch with us at a nearby oceanside café.
Was a fun little area to chill and chat. Got to hear some cool inside deets about RFTR.
I'm glossing over bits but I'm still sort of trying to relax after everything that happened last week 😅 Got a bunch of things to still share but like no time to share D: Need to take a day to just unwind.
Was working on something else and got a little worn out doing all the tedious ground work.
The new piece isn't me (gasp) but it's a biggy like my last one "Night Float" So will likely be a while till I'm done with that.
To try and loosen up and chill I did a round of doodling and decided to recreate an event that happened last year where I nearly ran over a little froggo D:
Here's the end result~
Tried a few new things, thought adding visible emotion to the helmet helped with the vibe while giving some cartoonish linework to emphasise the motion and reaction.
The frog came out cute too although I have to admit the crude sketch version felt cuter.
Here's the initial idea sketch... yes it's super crude.
Then a followup linework to flesh out the drawing.
Getting some test prints from RB to see if it comes out nicely. Some stickers and a 40x40 pillow to go with the other one :)
A handful of pics from my trip to the US. I have a bunch but trying not to spam. If you want more of these or keep up visually with what I'm doing I've been using Instagram more. https://www.instagram.com/comikzink/
First up was this beautiful pic I took of @Crow_OW , mine, @cheppy44 and @Demimoto boards on our first ride together towards the end of the day. That night riding back in the complete darkness was a time I will not forget.
@cheppy44 Being the amazing boyfriend he is managed to get this entire bridges lights redone to show our fave colours as a surprise for me when we rode by it on a ride he planned well in advance.
During our time together we rode around an Arboretum which was really pretty and only slightly sullied by some meanie in golfcart telling us we can't ride around here... even though other modes of transport not too dissimilar were allowed. Jobsworth type guy so we didn't fight it.
Another groupride with Nick, Josh, Adam and Alyssa this time
Before leaving me and Nick followed up on the stickers we placed on one of my regular rides by adding a matching pair on his.
(I'm such a criminal, vandalising signs like that)
To finish it up on our last ride together I got one clip for an upcoming video in a picturesque area.
@loaffette Nick and I thought about something like this but I've never seen PD outlets in the wild (at least in the UK). Especially any spec'd for high wattage.
I know the spec can go to 240W which is insane but other than a few premium battery banks that might give you 5-10% charge after losses it's not something you'd see a lot to make work in a pinch.
Nearly forgot to make the maghandle. That'd have been tragic.
It's surprisingly fun to play with and snaps back nicely with 2 tiny 3mm magnets tucked away in the axle block and handle 🥰
Probably gonna leave this as plastic because it looks like hell to machine which means expensive.
All the current bits laid bare and it's very familiar looking. Like you'd just gutted an actual GT.
A lot less physically going into this than the XS but don't be fooled. The lack of components doesn't mean this has been any easier. That custom controller still needs populating and testing which has taken the majority of my R&D time.
Speaking of testing. 42km/h freewheel speed ain't bad especially with just plastic test pieces and an incomplete axle 😅
With 35 amps max current available and just shy of 30v this little monster is not a toy. Still cute, but a right ankle biter if it ever ghosted.
Finally... I can safely say I have nearly completed the CAD.
I wanna go with recurve rails but I have no dimensions for the angles and where they are in the rail so I might ask (beg) FM for a rail. Also wanna give that rear pad the high kick version for extra flair. I am after all trying to make a tiny GTS so why not give it some of the cooler accessories.
I was considering FST but that's a lot more faff and I'd have to get even more creative with a sensor 😩 It's huge maybe especially since it's not like your hands could take advantage that well.
@puzz360 Congrats on the V1. I think I saw that on there a few days ago so glad it went to a good home!
Getting all the achievements is ace. FM should give out a discount code or something for getting them all.
